WASHINGTON, D. C.- For the commemoration of the special recital sung by Grace Bumbry in 1962 at the White House during the presidency of the late John F. Kennedy, Denyce Graves was chosen to celebrate the occasion with a recital in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. This was a part of the celebrated Fortas Chamber Music Concert Series at the center.

Reflecting on past and present experiences as a student of voice, it could be said that many students today who study classical voice formally in college know little about the repertoire that they are singing. At best, they simply sing songs such as the traditional twenty four Italian songs and arias such as those by Giordani, Carrissimi or Gluck with focus on vocal production, rather than full embodiment of style and more importantly, the sheer joy of singing. Specifically hearing these songs perhaps revisited by Denyce Graves with an instrument well cultivated many years after singing them perhaps earlier in one’s career was a thrill.

What made this a special evening was the fact that the artist for the evening is one who has established an international career from humble beginnings, marked by mountain top triumphs and heartfelt disappointments. In 1990, a young mezzo stood on the stage of the Terrace Theater, being presented in her debut recital. What a full circle moment for Graves to return years later. In a recent interview with The African-American Voice in Classical Music, Ms. Graves mentioned that she was singing most of the program that was sung by Ms. Bumbry, with her own touch. The program featured music by Gluck, Strauss, Duparc, Copland, Falla, Cilea and Saint-Saëns. Beginning with Gluck’s O, del mio dolce ardor, Graves sang with a rich, luminous mezzo that was not only rich in the lower register, but also of remarkable beauty in the higher tessitura of the work.

Pianist Louis Salemno set the stage perfectly for Graves vocal entrance in Strauss’ Morgen, which was executed with a delicious pull in the vocal line. Songs by Duparc followed, especially noting Le Manoir de Rosemonde, delivered by Graves with commanding vocal power. A point of distraction was the changing of the concert order from the stage. In the end, those changes did result in a wonderfully, full program but created a sense of anxiety for the audience members attempting to follow the flow and translations of the pieces. Ending the first half of the program were three songs by Copland. At the River was sung beautifully in a reflective manner. The two songs that followed The Boatmen’s Dance and I Bought Me a Cat offered the audience a moment of comic relief, being charmed by the jovial nature of these songs.

The second half of the recital opened with Cilѐa’s “Acerba volutta” from Adriana Lecouvreur. In this aria, Graves’ transported the listener into the world of opera, singing with a dramatic flair in which the depth of her lower voice radiated like the glow of star-lit eventide. Next, Ms. Graves offered seven Spanish songs by de Falla. Ranging in a variety of moods, Graves captivated the audience with her sense of the emotional bearing of the songs, giving life and character to each one. Ms, Graves treated the audience to some added music to the program, including four familar jazz standards. Surprisingly, there were no spirituals included of the program. Of mention, The Man I Love, which was especially of charm.

Saint-Saëns’ “Mon Coeur s’ouvre à ta voix” from Samson et Dalila was the final selection on the recital. One of her signature arias, Ms. Graves sang with an engulfing passion which was most effective in the final declarations of the name “Samson!” “Samson!” Ms. Graves’ was accorded several standing ovations and rendered several encores which included her signature “Habanera” from Carmen. What a special way to commemorate the artistry of one of opera’s torch bearers, Grace Bumbry, who not only sang a recital at The White House, but paved the way so that African-American opera singers today may equally be bathed in the stage lights of the world’s greatest concert halls and opera houses. Brava!