Golden voices return

The moment we walked out of Spoleto Festival USA's only opera, "Louise," I said I would give a lot to hear these voices again.

Thursday afternoon, at the third and final Intermezzo at St. Matthews Lutheran Church, I got my wish. Stefania Dovhan, David Cangelosi and Louis Otey gave a compelling concert to a church full of happy listeners.

Michael Baitzer not only provided ideal piano accompaniment but also offered brief and cogent remarks that added greatly to our understanding and enjoyment of each piece.

Cangelosi set the standard high when he opened with Pennino's "Pecche" ("Why?") sung in the Neapolitan style. His big, bold, passionate tenor was even more effective when matched with his dramatic style.

When he sang two art songs, a Brahms and a Faure, he displayed excellent diction in both German and French. What a lovely falsetto in "Vainement, ma bien-aimee" from Edouard Lalo's opera "Le Roi d'Ys." After Cangelosi's closing piece, "Nothing More Than This" from Leonard Bernstein's "Candide," I thought the audience was not going to let him leave.

Having heard Otey's fine baritone in "Louise," I can only speculate that he suffered from either a cold or vocal strain Thursday. His efforts at "Nemeco della patria?" ("Enemy of the Country") from Giordano's "Andrea Chenier," were mighty, but went a bit flat, and simply did not sound like the same voice to me. As Gilda's father in Verdi's glorious duet from "Rigoletto," "Tutte le feste al tempio," he soldiered on, despite hoarseness. While the strain was clear in the closing "Ol' Man River," the great talent was still evident.

Dovhan — our lady of the impressive range, enormous power and delicate sensibilities — sang better than any lark, nightingale or most sopranos I have heard. She negotiated Handel, Verdi (the above-mentioned duet with Otey), and Leoncavallo with finesse, tones velvet, scorching, pure, whatever best suited the music. When she refused marriage in Mozart's "Come Scoglio" from "Cosi fan tutte," she captured the comedic element of the piece, and demonstrated her mastery of the registers this aria demands, from mezzo (near contralto) to notes in coloratura territory, at times within a measure or two. An experience to be cherished.