Review: Cliburn’s rising stars of the Metropolitan Opera were stellar

It was a dark and stormy night, but those gathered in the Kimbell Art Museum’s Piano Pavilion on Thursday didn’t much care. The music, and those performing it, were a nice antidote to the bad weather blues.

The program was a Cliburn at the Kimbell presentation. Titled “The Rising Stars of the Metropolitan Opera,” it veered from the typical Cliburn pattern by focusing on the human voice, though there was one pianist involved — and a mighty skilled one he was.

The vocalists were sopranos Janai Brugger and Amanda Woodbury, mezzo-soprano Sarah Mesko and baritone David Won. Assisting them was pianist Brent Funderburk.

Judging by their performance, it’s likely that some, if not all, of them are due to become well-known names in the operatic world. They already have impressive resumés that include competition awards and operatic engagements.

Their program was well calculated to please an audience that wouldn’t necessarily include diehard operatic buffs. For instance, it opened with music from Bizet’s Carmen, the Seguidilla (or Près des remparts de Séville, as the printed text had it). This may be the finest number in Carmen, even exceeding in its appeal the more familiar Habanera. Mesko was the impressive soloist.

Puccini’s Quando m’en vo from La Bohème and O mio babbino caro from Gianni Schicchi, both sung by Brugger, certainly didn’t scare anyone away, nor did hits by Gounod, Saint-Saëns, Bellini, Mozart and Verdi, among others. There was even Wagner — O du, mein holder Abendstern, with Won as the vocalist.

The 21 numbers on the program provided plenty of highlights. I was most taken with the performances of Won, who has good acting chops as well as an appealing lyric voice, but each of the others had something worthwhile and engaging to offer.

Pianist Funderburk was an exceptional partner. His playing was subtle and considerate. He also was a charming commentator in several between-arias pauses.

Nature provided a bit of drama on Thursday night. Rivulets of water cascaded down the exterior of the hall’s rear glass wall, and there were flashes of lightning. None of this caused any auditory problem.

This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Review: Cliburn’s rising stars of the Metropolitan Opera were stellar."