An Exaltation of Larks

"PEOPLE will always come out for a name but these people are the future." Bernadette Greevy was referring to the four young singers who performed last Sunday afternoon at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Margaret Collins and Alison Roddy (sopranos), and Sylvia O'Regan and Eimear Mangan (mezzo sopranos) had participated in the IMMA Masterclass, led by Bernadette Greevy. On this occasion they gave a one hour programme, An Exaltation of Larks. Patrick Zuk was the able accompanist.

Each singer performed a Mahler lied and took a role in an operatic ensemble while Bernadette Greevy either joined them or sang an equivalent solo, all taken with plenty of presence and quality.

In Mahler's Ich atmet einen Linden duft and in the Dance Duet from Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Margaret Collins's rhythmic flair was outstanding. In the latter she was partnered by Eimear Mangan, who could not match Collins's agility, but in Liebst du um Schonhelt showed an impeccably intelligent understanding of the relation between text and music Nison Roddy sometimes lost intonation on high notes, but she could produce enormous volume without losing tone goality and in extracts from Tchaikoysky's Eugene Onegin and Bizet's Carmen, she clearly understood her part. Sylvia O'Regan showed a pleasing consistency of tone and her confidence with dramatic nuance was perhaps the best of the four. In all, it was an encouraging concert.