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Jeanine De Bique recital review
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Jeanine De Bique, soprano
Soprano Jeanine De Bique sang her debut recital on Sunday, October 25, 2009 in the Terrace Theater of the Kennedy Center under the auspices of the 31st Young Concert Artist Series. Ms. De Bique is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and is the recipient of numerous awards and competitions. She follows the footsteps of many great singers who have been presented by Young Concert Artists, including sopranos Dawn Upshaw, Marvis Martin and the late baritone, Ben Holt.
A debut recital is certainly a crowing achievement in the career of any musician of promise and presents a host of considerations for such an occasion, such as repertoire, venue, accompanist and even the right gown. All of these elements aligned perfectly for Ms. De Bique's important performance. For the program, De Bique sang four songs by Claude Debussy; Green, Spleen, Pierrot and Apparition. These songs immediately showcased the immense warmth of her voice, each syllable of the French text enunciated with great care. Not only was this just a soprano with a high range, but Ms. De Bique's singing also revealed a voice of great depth, particularly in lower register which had just as equal presence as her upper register. In the chansons Green and Spleen, Ms. De Bique exhibited great control while singing achingly beautiful pianissimos and then sounded forth with a voice of majestic power. Pierrot exuded a child-like playfulness with a hint of nostalgia. Closing the group was Appartition in which De Bique filled the room in full, resonant voice. Following the Debussy, Ms. De Bique rendered six songs in German by Hugo Wolf; Gretchen vor dem Andachsbild der Mater Dolororsa, Frulings uber jahr, Die Sprode, Die Bekerhte, Und willst du deinen Liebsten sterben sehen and Er Ist's. These songs reflected specific emotions and the accompaniment played just as equal part in conveying these emotions and were executed with thoughtful precision by pianist Keun-A Lee. In the Wolf songs, Ms. De Bique demonstrated her ability to communicate effectively and moreover render thoughtful interpretations. The palette of emotions in these songs ranged from intense agony and despair to sheer joy. Die sprode notably highlighted the partnership of the piano, allowing several times for interplay between the soloist and the instrument, characteristic of Wolf songs. The first half ended with Misera, dove son, K. 369 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which allowed Ms. De Bique to reveal a lighter shade of her voice, as well as sing passage work that allowed for the demonstration of coloratura.
The second half of the recital was devoted to three songs by Charles Griffes; In Myrtle Shade, Come love across the sunlit land and Evening Song. De Bique premiered Four Dickenson Songs by Lori Laitman; Will there really be a morning, I'm a nobody, She died and If to. These settings seemed to have been composed with the warmth and legato of Ms. De Bique's voice in mind. The literary work of Dickinson is almost unparalleled and Laitman's musical sensitivity complimented the literature in every way. At the conclusion of these songs, Ms. De Bique acknowledged the composer, who was in attendance at the recital. The recital ended with four songs by Alan Louis Smith; I know where I am going, Early in the morning, I once loved a boy and O Johnny! For these songs, Ms. De Bique and Ms. Lee were joined by violist Ira Weller, who played provided a lovely contrast to the program.
If this recital had used a theme, it should have been the Alan Louis Smith Song I know where I am going. Ms. De Bique is a talented young musician who certainly knows where she is going. Her performance was exemplary in every way. We hope to hear more from this young artist in the years to come!
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