PARIS: The famouse operasoprano SUMI JO presented a recital at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, with good accompagnement by Jeff Cohen at the Grand piano.

Review by Henning Høholt

Sumi Jo wonderfully singing the demanding coloratura aria: “I am the wife of Mao tse Dung” in the John Adams opera Nixon in China at Theatre du Chatelet in May 2012 Photo: Marie-Noëlle Robert

However. It is one thing to be an outstanding opera singer, where she can play on her roles, and where it is clear that she is feeling well on stage, for me, Sumi Jo was brilliant as mrs
. Mao lately, (May 2012) in John Adams opera Nixon in China at Théâtre du Chatelet.

Another thing is to performe a recital with a wide spreading recital program. In this Sumi Jo didn´t succeed, still that the Audience seemed to like it, after each part she was not applauded in on stage to get extra applause, it is a clear signal.

First when we came to the last number it was my feeling that it was a success.

Then she generously gave four encores, starting with a strange version of W.A
. Mozarts “Schlafe, mein Prinzchen, schlaf ein”, with a strange discant arrangement at the piano, It is perhaps the worlds most famous Wiegenlied.

Followed by George Gershwins showpiece “I got Rhytm”, where the accompagnateur Jeff Cohen for the first time in the concert was brilliant.  Followed by Giacomo Puccinis highlight from Gianni Schicci “O mio Babbino Caro” (not Bambino as Sumi Jo sung).

Ending with Hoffmanns famouse Olymia Aria, (the doll aria), in which she could play and have fun. And in fact show her wonderful talent.

She has choosen a demanding programme, who was well composed. Starting with 4 baroque music pieces by Bach, Purcell, Händel and Vivaldi.

This was followed by four songs by French composers, Fauré, Reynaldo Hahn  “Spring, If my verses had wings”, which was the best in that part of the concert, and by Debussy.

After the break she started second part with a seria of Spanish songs, and that was first then, I had the feeling that she was starting to feel at home, as in these, she could play a little theater, as to be Spanish primadonna, and it was also in this part I found the highlight (for me): Fernando Obradors  beautiful Del Cabello mas sutil .

Then a serie with four songs by Gustav Mahler, from her young periode, and as a program post this was ok, the problem is that she is not a Mahler singer, she don´t have the clear German diction in her prononciation. In Mahler it don´t help only to sing the text. The text is full of music, whoich is in the words, and it needs an extraordinary capacity to sing Mahler. Unfortunately it didn´t work well. Before the last number we got the famouse and wellknown Vocalise by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Unfortunately Sumi Jo don´t have the warm wide voice for that, it is not songs for a colerature soprano, it needs something more.

Jeff Cohen as accompagnateur did a good job, it was dead, some times i needed more pianossimo, some times more power to build up the atmosphaere around the soloist. I would have liked more feeling, more warmness, more virtuosity, as he performed in the Gershwin piece. Where the accompagnement came alive.

The audience loved Sumi Jo.  Her two extraordinary stage outfits were beautiful. 

The Programme: 

J.S. Bach  Mein Gla “ubiges Herze BWV 68

Henry Purcell  Music for a while 
G.F.Haendel  Da tempest  (Giulio Cesare) 

Antonio Vivaldi  Sposa his disprezzata

Gabriel Fauré  Love Song 
Reynaldo Hahn  Spring, If my verses had wings 
Gabriel Fauré  Our Love 
Claude Debussy  The Romance of Ariel

Heinrich Proch  Change (Deh Torna mio bene)

Joaquin Turina  Cantares 
Fernando Obradors  Del Cabello mas sutil 
Joaquin Rodrigo  amor Donde venis 
Villa Lobos  Melodia sentimental
Gustav Mahler  Ich ging mit Lust durch einen grunen Wald, Hans und Grethe Frulingsmorgen, Ablo “sung im Sommer

Sergei Rachmaninoff  Vocalise 
Luigi Arditi  Parla

June 26, 2013 at 20h

 About: Sumi Jo:

Sumi Jo.

Born in Seoul, Sumi Jo studied in Korea and at the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome. It starts very quickly an international career which led him to perform in the biggest virtuoso soprano roles: Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte (Salzburg Festival, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Covent Garden, Vienna Staatsoper, the Metropolitan Opera New York Lyric Opera of Chicago, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Paris Opera, Monnaie …) Olympia inLes Contes d’Hoffmann (Bastille Opera House, Covent Garden, the Met, Deutsche Oper Berlin … ), the title role inLucia di Lammermoor (Liceu, National Rhine Opera, Opera Bastille, Met, Australian Opera …) Amina in La Sonnambula (Santiago, Bilbao, Amsterdam, Brussels …) , Gilda in Rigoletto (Bologna, Paris, New York …), Violetta in La traviata (starts at Toulon, 2007-2008) Lakmé (Los Angeles, Amsterdam …).   

In April 2012, she played Madame Mao in Nixon in China at the Theatre du Chatelet. His recording career is equally impressive: three integrals studio Die Zauberflöte (with Arnold Östman, Georg Solti and Armin Jordan), Un ballo in maschera with Herbert von Karajan, Ariadne auf Naxos with Kent Nagano, Le Comte Ory with John Eliot Gardiner,Il Turco in Italia with Neville Marriner, The Toreador Adam and Black Domino Auber with Richard Bonynge … for a total of over fifty recordings.