Elaine Alvarez, From Stand-In to Star

By Tim Page
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 1, 2007; C05

It's one of the legendary American success stories: The star of a production falls ill, walks out or gets fired, and a hungry, untested newcomer steps in to save the day … Something along these lines happened to the young Cuban American soprano Elaine Alvarez, who … found herself singing the role of Mimi on short notice, to public and critical acclaim [at the Lyric Opera, Chicago].

On Tuesday night, Alvarez made her local debut in a recital at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater sponsored by the Vocal Arts Society. Here, too, she was a stand-in (the German soprano Anne Schwanewilms had been scheduled to perform but withdrew because of illness) and here, too, she made a winning first impression.

The program … was more often intellectually interesting than musically memorable -- some middling songs by the Scandinavian composers Wilhelm Stenhammar and Bo Linde, some Liszt (including the rarely heard vocal arrangement of the famous "Liebestraum"), a smattering of Richard Strauss and two fascinating miniatures by Jean Sibelius.

That said, Alvarez is a charming artist -- with a delightfully warm stage presence and a healthy, hearty and agile voice that is still coming into flower … She was quite wonderful in a closing set of Spanish and Cuban songs by Fernando Obradors and Eduardo Sanchez de Fuentes …

Thomas Bagwell was the smart, venturesome and supportive pianist.

Bob Anthony
www.allartsreview4u.com

… as happened many times in the past, the substitute, lyric soprano Elaine Alvarez shone as a bright new operatic star … linguistically perfect and her lyric soprano strongly soared over the nearly full K.C. Terrace Theater.   Her middle range was her strong point as was her fine acting ability as she totally felt the songs. Her upper range has some sharp edges which disappeared when she moved into Spanish songs and her two encores of Mimi's arias.   … Thomas Bagwell … on the piano … was most sensitive and had excellent timing with delicious finishes.

Stenhammar
Ingalill

Linde
Äppelträd och päronträd

Liszt
Es muß ein Wunderbares sein, S. 314

Linde
Den ängen där du kysste mig

Strauss
Heimliche Aufforderung, Op. 27, no. 3
Breit über mein Haupt dein schwarzes Haar, Op. 19, no. 2

Liszt
Hohe Liebe, S. 307

Freudvoll und leidvoll
Lorelei, S. 273

Strauss
Glückes genug, Op. 37, no. 1

Stenhammar
Flickan kom från sin älsklings mote, Op. 4b, no. 1

Liszt
O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst, S. 298 a

Sibelius
Se’n har jag ej frågat mera, Op. 17, no. 1
Säf, säf, susa!, Op. 36, no. 4

Strauss
Morgen, Op. 27, no. 4

Obradors
Chiquitita la novia Fernando
Del cabello mas sutil

Sanchez de Fuentes
Corazon
Habanera Tu

Puccini

Arias from La Bohème