LyricFest Review

The main problem with Shakespeare is that he wrote so darn much. Any group tackling this monstrous body of work in any form is certainly in for a ride. LyricFest's "Biography in Music - Shakespeare" was a fairly successful attempt. The amount of material covered by the program - the life of Shakespeare, readings from his works, and song settings of his works - certainly presents a problem for even the most dedicated programmer. LyricFests's solution of a continuous cycle of biographical reading, play reading, and song was a bit too disjointed and detracted from the overall flow of the concert. I would have preferred a higher ratio of song to reading and more continuous singing. The readings tended to relate somewhat to the upcoming song, but it was not always entirely clear how. The repertoire was well-chosen for the most part and included a wide range of Shakespeare-setters from Verdi to Finzi. I was a bit surprised that the the most famous Shakespeare song, "It was a lover and his lass," only made it into a truncated version in a reading.

Despite the somewhat disjointed programming, the singing was top-notch. It was wonderful to hear such a variety of truly talented singers from the area. I was especially impressed with sopranos Kiera Duffy and Laquita Mitchell. Duffy's silvery bell-tone was perfectly suited for the lighter Shakespeare fare and Mitchell's luscious voice was simply riveting as Desdemona in Verdi's Otello. You will not find a better selection of singers in such an intimate setting anywhere else. You can catch the concert once more this Sunday. See the Weekly Classical Music Agenda for details.

Image via flickr.com user markhillary