Soprano Carole FitzPatrick performs Ottorino Respighi's "Le repose en Egypte" Monday at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts,
Virginia Piper Theater. The concert was the first of the 2015 "ASU
Concerts at the Center," which showcases the accomplished faculty
and students of ASU's Herberger Institute's School of Music. (J.
Bauer-Leffler/The State Press)
In front of an intimate crowd, angelic and powerful voices were put forth last night at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, where the series, ASU Concerts at the Center, continued.
Two ASU professors brilliantly contributed to last night's performance. Carole FitzPatrick, who has sung in over 50 major opera roles in various countries, contributed her soprano vocals to the evening. Pianist Russell Ryan, who has performed in numerous countries and on many radio and television broadcasts, performed as well. Their guest performer, Robert Barefield, provided baritone vocals.
This performance in the series was “Occident Meets Orient,” and upon arriving, I was a little skeptical about this genre of music. However, FitzPatrick and Barefield exposed me to a beautiful genre I never knew I could enjoy so thoroughly.
When one thinks of the opera, they may envision stuffy, high-society performers singing in languages you can't understand. The first few songs made me believe this stereotype was true, as they were religious lyrics sung in another language. However, as the first few tracks ended, FitzPatrick and Barefield jumped into a new genre and brought with it a new atmosphere.
Baritone Robert Barefield performs Robert Schumann's "Talismane" Monday at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Piper Theater. The concert was the first of the 2015 "ASU Concerts at the Center," which showcases the accomplished faculty and students of ASU's Herberger Institute's School of Music. (J. Bauer-Leffler/The State Press)The last few tracks before intermission seemed to take more of a comedic tone. The lyrics in “Harem Life” were particularly comical and did not seem to be a track you would hear at the opera. With its story-like feel, "Harem Life" is sung as if it is a dialogue between a traveler and one of the wives of the sultan. He asks her how she enjoys life in Harem, to which she said, “He keeps me dancing, morning, noon and night, dancing fills him with delight, I am black and blue from the dance I do.” This line received laughs by everyone in the crowd as we all thought something along the lines of, “Sultans, the original Christian Grey’s," or maybe that was just my initial reaction.
After intermission, the duo took to a ballad style of music, each centering around a desert theme. They sang elegant, romantic ballads from the 1800s, and transitioned to more modern theatrical performances, including “Sahara (We’ll Soon Be Dry Like You),” a piece utilizing the ancient Egyptian history as an allegory to the prohibition woes of the 1920s. With lyrics such as “Sahara, we sympathize with you, Sahara, now we're dry like you, I know why Cleopatra put that snake against her skin, she lost her mind completely when she lost her Gordon's Gin,” the song provided a round of laughs by everyone in the theater once more.
FitzPatrick and Barefield gave a moving, and at times hilarious, performance that is beyond worth seeing. Even if the genre is not your forte, the exposure to different cultures, as well as different musical styles is a pleasure in itself. It is reassuring to know that we have such talented ASU professors who still have the chops to perform themselves.
Reach the reporter at dpharias@asu.edu or follow @dpharias on Twitter.
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