Alexander and Buono Competitions presents Kara Mulder in Review
Kara Mulder, soprano
Anna Shelest, piano
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
February 23, 2020
On the afternoon of February 23, 2020, soprano Kara Mulder gave her solo debut at Carnegie Hall as the Alexander and Buono Competitions’ 2019 Grand Prize Winner. She presented a program with songs from Richard Strauss, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Weill, and Gershwin, and Puccini arias from La Bohème and Madama Butterfly. Pianist Anna Shelest (a past A&B prize winner) was Ms. Mulder’s excellent collaborator.
Barry Alexander and Cosmo Buono welcomed the audience to the concert. Mr. Alexander spoke of the mission of Alexander and Buono (alexanderbuono.com) and served as a musical docent. He spoke of the composers, the works, and shared anecdotes from the stage, expressing his unabashed admiration for Ms. Mulder and Ms. Shelest. Mr. Alexander is a gifted speaker with a definite dramatic flair. While this listener would have preferred to read notes rather than to hear them, it was very well received by the audience and did add context to the excellent performances. The program booklet was of keepsake quality, in sharp contrast to the missing programs and cheaply produced photocopies that are all too frequent these days. It speaks of a first-class organization that is committed to excellence in not only musical content, but in the marketing and presentation as well.
This reviewer has had the pleasure of hearing both Ms. Mulder and Ms. Shelest last year. Interested readers can read that review by clicking the following link: Winners of the Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition.
At the risk of repeating myself, Ms. Mulder is outstanding not only in her singing, but in her exceptional dramatic skill. I’m fairly certain that she has invested much thought into her acting, but it all appears completely spontaneous, which is quite remarkable. There are many fine singers who are, to be frank, rather poor at projecting any natural movements or expressions. Some might find my admiration out of place for the non-musical aspect, but it is all part and parcel of the performance.
I’m not going to discuss all twenty-three (!) songs/arias that Ms. Mulder presented. Rather, I’m going to consider them as sets by the individual composers and rank them, in reverse order of my preferences. Please note this is not to say that I disliked or had major issues with any of the selections.
For those who must know the entire program: Richard Strauss- Zueignung, Op 10, No.1; Allerseelen Op. 10, No. 8; Ständchen, Op.17, No.2; Cäcilie” Op. 27 No. 2; Morgen!, Op 27, No. 4
Claude Debussy- Ariettes oubliées 1.”Le vent dans la plaine suspend son haleine”: C’est l’extase langoureuse; 2.”Il pleut doucement sur la ville”: Il pleure dans mon cœur comme il pleut sur la ville; 3.”Le rossignol qui, du haut d’une branche”: L’ombre des arbres dans la rivière embrumée; 4.Paysages belges. Chevaux de bois”: Tournez, tournez, bons chevaux de bois; 5.”Aquarelles I. Green”: Voici des fruits, des fleurs, des feuilles; 6.”Aquarelles II. Spleen”: Les roses étaient toutes rouges
Sergei Rachmaninoff, Six Songs, Op. 38 -1.In my Garden at Night ; 2.To Her; 3.Daisies; 4.The Pied Piper; 5. A Dream; 6. A-oo!”
Kurt Weill Foolish Heart; George Gershwin Maybe; S’wonderful
Giacomo Puccini- “Si, mi chiamano Mimi,” “Donde lieta usci,” from La bohème; “Un bel di vedremo,” from Madama Butterfly
Ms. Shelest offered three pieces from Cécile Chaminade to start the second half. They were the Air de Ballet in B-flat major, Op. 37, and the Automne and Scherzo from the Concert Etudes, Op. 36. Ms. Shelest is known for her advocacy of female composers, and her commitment was front and center in as she wowed the audience in her passionate performance. As Mr. Alexander said to the audience after they gave Ms. Shelest a standing ovation, “I told you so!” Yes, sir, you certainly did!
Now, on to the vocal selections. The Weill/Gershwin songs highlighted Ms. Mulder’s versatility in lighter fare, which she did with style. The Puccini arias were full of both innocence and heartbreak, as they should be. They are mandatory for any soprano, and Ms. Mulder presented her bona fides with polish. The Strauss songs are filled with challenges that push even the most technically assured singer to the limit. One hearing these songs for the first time would not have had a clue about that, as Ms. Mulder made such short work of them. They were breathtaking. The Debussy songs were exquisite as well, as Ms. Mulder is a colorist who captures their sensuousness without drenching it in perfume.
It was the Rachmaninoff songs, though, that were this listener’s favorites. While Ms. Mulder excels in all she sings, it seems she has a special affinity for the Slavic (see the earlier review for another instance of this). While Rachmaninoff’s genius for song is indisputable, it still requires a gifted artist to bring that genius out to its fullest. Ms. Mulder is that artist. This listener’s favorite of this set was the one that, for Rachmaninoff, was unusually playful and whimsical, The Pied Piper. Ms. Mulder projected a cocky swagger, complete with a wink at the end, which was delightfully irreverent. One could not help but smile!
The large audience rewarded Ms. Mulder and Ms. Shelest with a standing ovation, completed with admiring fans presenting them with flowers. The sky is the limit for Ms. Mulder, and with the support of Alexander and Buono she has every chance of realizing her dreams.
