Soprano Deborah Voigt presented herself to the Los Angeles Opera

The lady who seemed to be another Deborah Voigt, certainly thinner and thence much more elegant, presented herself to the Los Angeles public, and reconquered all of its empathy last Sunday evening, January 14, 2007, in a recital sponsored by the Los Angeles Opera at the Pavilion of the Music Center.

The opera lovers of Los Angeles, who had not heard the dramatic soprano since her “Aida” of a few seasons ago when she was more fleshy, could not believe their eyes when Ms. Voigt entered the stage after having lost 140 pounds following a gastric by-pass operation in 2004.

The story is known to all the cognoscenti: fired brusquely by the Covent Garden of London which had contracted her vocal services for Richard Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” because of her weight (as if it were a complete surprise to the management), the soprano decided to undergo the operation to save her life, and, it seems, her career.

In her return to Los Angeles, she was vociferously acclaimed and surrounded by fraternal affection, notwithstanding the inopportune presence of a head cold.

Neverthless, Ms. Voigt, not at all worried, attacked the program with the Mozart cantata “You who honors the Creator of the Infinite Universe” and with “Non t’accostar” (Do not approach), “Deh, pietoso” (Oh, with mercy), “Brindisi # 2 (Drinking song #2), “In solitaria stanza” (In a solitary room), “Stornello” (Rhyme) of Giuseppe Verdi with facility and vocal mellowness, with spirit and good legato.

The same traits were also evident in a trio of songs by Richard Strauss in German, translatable in “Bad weather”, “Ah love, I must now leave”, and “Song of the women”, which the soprano invested with entreating tones and waves of sound.

One always knew that she kept her power in reserve and ready to serve her and astonish the listeners.

In the second part of the program, Ms. Voigt offered a group of songs of Ottorino Respighi: “Contrasto” (Contrast), “Nebbie” (Mists), “Notte” (Night), and “Povero core” (Poor heart), sung deliciously with alternating lyricism and dramaticity.

She also offered three Amy Beach’s songs based on Robert Browning’s poems, and a few songs by Leonard Bernstein in which Ms. Voigt displayed her low register, but also spirit, and the whole vocal gamut of vocal powers, as well as expression and a radiant personality.

She concluded her recital with another Richard Strauss’ gem and with the ever popular “I love the piano”, ended by joining her attentive accompanist, Brian Zeger, and finished the piece with him at the piano.

The only thing that was lamentable was the fact that the opera star did not even attempt an aria, much alike a few of her colleagues who have held recitals here.

But one thing is certain: Deborah Voigt is a great singer who lost nothing vocally under the knife, and not even her cold could avert the success of her recital.

Luigi Smaldino

 

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