Soprano Slack explores a royal range of new music with “African Queens”
Soprano Karen Slack performed “African Queens” Sunday at the Kennedy Center, presented by Washington Performing Arts. Photo: Scott Suchman
Washington Performing Arts presented soprano Karen Slack in a program that ventured far beyond typical recital fare Sunday night in the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater.
Entitled “African Queens,” the program with pianist Kevin Miller is one that Slack has presented around the country, consisting entirely of new commissions on the titular theme by black composers of the moment. A high-concept gamble to be sure, but Slack’s artistry and a set of well-tailored commissions made this a winning evening.
Slack at this stage of her career leaves you with the impression of a singer in complete control of her gifts–and what she wants to do with them. Her generous, classic sound immediately lets one imagine the Verdi roles that have been a touchstone of her stage career, with an urgent spin, blooming top, and easy access to theater-filling power. She deploys that sound with a security and intentionality that enables her to meet all manner of stylistic and dramatic challenges.
The commissions, each inspired by a historical or quasi-historical figure and set to texts by a rotating cadre of librettists, generally hewed to a common musical language familiar from contemporary opera, occasionally making use of elements of African music and jazz. (Many of the composers are part of the “Blacknificent 7” group of loosely affiliated artists that have focused extensively on vocal and dramatic music.) But the pieces nonetheless managed to deliver ample variety within those bounds.
The program opened with Dave Ragland’s song “Precatio,” on a text by Jay St. Flono. Sung in Latin with a jazzy turn in the middle, this was an appealing start for Slack, if perhaps ultimately trying to do too much. Kennedy Center composer-in-residence Carlos Simon’s “Behold, the Queen” (also to a text by Flono) shifted into a more meditative gear, with Slack demonstrating her facility with more delicate effects and long slow-burn dynamics.
Ragland returned with “The Queen of Sheba,” on a text by Alicia Haymer, an elaborate scenario narrating the titular Queen’s meeting with King Solomon. Slack gamely leaned into the character work here, with new distinctive vocal effects and extra notes of sarcasm and humor. This was no doubt entertaining, but perhaps skirted the line between art song and Game of Thrones fan fiction more than the rest of the program.
Jessie Nzinga Montgomery’s “The Song of Nzingha” turned inward again with an anxious psychological portrait of Queen Nzinga, who ruled parts of modern-day Angola in the 17th century, Slack unfurling long finely calibrated lines before a shattering finish. Slack retreated into a subdued affect for the prayerful lament “Luhwah” by Fred Onovwerosuoke (based on a text by Mokpe-Bakweri), her sound almost disappearing in its final bars.
The first half closed with Shawn Okpebholo’s “A Letter from Queen Ufua,” on a text by Tsitsi Ella Jaji. This song, combining personal and political history in an eclectic mix of tones, was a showcase for Slack’s considerable stage charisma, ranging from wry humor to a tender close.
Opening with the hushed prayer of Fred Onovwerosuoke’s “Duniya” (on a poem drawn from the Mandinka/Bambera peoples), the second half turned to one of the evening’s highlights, Jasmine Arielle Barnes’ “I Am Not Your God,” on text by Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton. In this wide-ranging dramatic scena for the Zulu Queen Nandi, Slack deployed a complete arsenal of dramatic effects to bring this grand statement to life.
Best known for his work on the operatic stage, baritone Will Liverman is a composer as well, and contributed a setting entitled “A Prayer,” on text by Jay St. Flono, an impressionistic miniature recalling the songs of Ned Rorem. “Queen Nanny’s Lullabye” by Joel Thompson, on a key 18th-century resistance figure in Jamaica, introduced some of Slack’s most irresistibly sweet singing until the lullabye turned to revolutionary violence, in a jarring but effective twist towards the end.
The program closed with another extended dramatic scene, “Amanirenas” by Damien Geter on a text by Lorene Cary. One could imagine Geter’s explosive vocal writing as the effective climax to a longer work, but the “excerpt” here seemed intent on maintaining maximum intensity for its entire duration, blunting its effectiveness. Undeterred, Slack met that searing dramatic pitch throughout, delivering a series of overwhelming high notes towards the end.
Kevin Miller was a vital collaborator here, bringing direction and energy to a series of expansive piano parts that often sought to match the operatic scope of the songs. Assertive coloring and an ability to bring out each work’s personality contributed much to the overall impression left by these songs.
The recital brought to bear additional production values on the topic, with new projections by Miko Simmons premiering for this incarnation of the program that ran on the back of the Terrace Center Theater. If perhaps a bit overly literal, these depictions of generic queens, based on Simmons’ own paintings, decidedly exceeded the usual quality of background projections for classical music concerts. The songs were also broken up by spoken word interludes for Slack that paled a bit in impact relative to the songs.
For an encore, Slack offered Margaret Bonds’ “You Can Tell the World,” which felt a bit more off the cuff than the carefully considered interpretations that had come before, but sent the audience off with a final stunning high note.
Washington Performing Arts’ season continues with a piano recital by Clayton Stephenson in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater 2 p.m. March 15. washingtonperformingarts.org
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