Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St, NY; February 11, 2014–The last time New York heard the lovely soprano Sarah Joy Miller was in the final throes of the lamented New York City Opera: she was singing the title role in its splendid production of Anna Nicole, and she was impressive. The role is very long and difficult and required her to wear a gigantic fat suit and immense fake boobs and to behave in all sorts of remarkable, over-the-top ways. You wondered what she might be like as herself, and we recently got the opportunity to find out at Le Poisson Rouge.
In an evening of operatic excerpts led by conductor Steven Mercurio (with a fine pick-up band of about 35 players) Miller, stunning in a black gown and as blond as a cornfield, opened with Manon’s “Suis-je gentile ainsi?” and sang with such comfort, charm,and security that she created the flirtatious character instantly. The voice is a rock-solid lyric-coloratura with no hints of soubrette–this is full-throated, big-time singing. Flinging high Cs and Ds around as if they were easy, she followed the Manon aria with Violetta’s “Ah, fors’e lui…Sempre libera”, which is hardly taking the easy way out. The lovely, lyrical aria was beautifully handled and the abandon with which she attacked the cabaletta was exciting, and yet again showed utter fearlessness in the repeated high Cs and interpolated E-flat at the close. A bit more pianissimo singing early on would have made the scena hypnotic.
Tenor David Miller, Sarah Joy’s husband and a member of the crossover quartet, Il Divo, came forth and sang “Salut demeure” from Faust. Has any tenor ever been brave enough to open a concert with this aria? Sung in beautiful French, with sensitive phrasing and blazing high notes, he was lovingly supported by Mercurio and the orchestra–Mercurio apparently loves singers and breathes with them. Miller also joined his wife later on for a duet from Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, and he in turn was joined by baritone Edward Parks in the gorgeous Pearl Fishers duet. Miller, with his big open sound, is a natural for French opera. Parks was equally impressive, and later sang a lively, characterful “Largo al factotum”, exhibiting a bright, warm baritone.
Miller also offered “Qui la voce” and “Vien diletto” from Bellini’s I Puritani and Juliette’s Waltz Song, tossing off coloratura with ease. Mercurio and the orchestra opened with a lively, mood-setting performance of the overture to Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor, and as an encore, the Millers sang the last few minutes of Act 1 of La bohème, walking arm-in-arm off stage. And Sara Joy’s rendition of “I could have danced all night” was a bow to crossover–and just enough in an evening of fine, operatic singing.
