By Lyn Bronson
On Friday, February 26, the Mozart Society of California, in association with the Marilyn Horne Foundation, presented a vocal recital at Sunset Center in Carmel featuring soprano Sari Gruber assisted by pianist Alan Smith. On the program were concert arias and songs by Mozart, Haydn, Schubert and Richard Strauss.
A quick glance at Ms. Gruber’s biographical material in the printed program revealed that most of her engagements seem to be in the field of opera, although there is a hint here and there of an isolated recital appearance. This is to be expected, for the prestige of singing a major role in a prominent opera company can be infinitely greater than that derived from an occasional lieder recital. Then, there is another aspect, which makes opera so attractive to singers as compared to recitals. The glorious experience of singing an operatic role with orchestral accompaniment is a shared ensemble experience. In many ways it is easier than standing and performing in front of an audience for the better part of an hour and a half with only a twenty-minute break. This, of course, explains why pianists prefer concerto engagements to recitals. In a concerto you only have to perform a maximum of 35 minutes (again a shared ensemble experience with breaks for orchestral tuttis) as compared to being alone on stage and carrying the entire show by yourself for 75 minutes – and in many instances the fees for a concerto performance are higher.
