Operatic stars lift Pops' night of Gershwin

By Sharon McDaniel, Palm Beach Post Music Writer
Tuesday, January 6, 2004

Two of the most exciting performers so far this season appeared Sunday night with the Palm Beach Pops. The head-turners were rising opera stars soprano Indra Thomas and bass-baritone Eric Owens. Along with Miami's Jubilate Vocal Ensemble, the two closed the Pops' "Evening of George Gershwin" with an unusually rich salute to the opera Porgy and Bess.

Pops founding Music Director Bob Lappin conducted a diverse first half: guest trumpeter Longineu Parsons in Louis Armstrong-inspired Lady Be Good, plus principal Pops trumpeter Stewart Brenner laid-back in The Man I Love. Lappin also alternated as pianist with the Pops jazz trio -- best was an inventive Embraceable You -- even switching to melodica (a hand-held wind instrument with piano-style keys). But tempos didn't jibe, or they seemed sluggish; few moments were real eye-openers.

Thomas and Owens, as lovers in Gershwin's 1935 masterpiece, made the evening memorable. In the title roles, the two became the first opera singers presented by the Pops in its 12-year history.

Both have big luxuriant voices and admirable technique for control, and both projected the words with rare clarity, delivering them with musical care and emotional force. With silken-voiced Thomas, Summertime was a true lullaby, as lyrical and elegant as a Brahms or Schubert art song. In the duet Bess You Is My Woman Now, the Atlanta singer hit the highest notes -- softly or full-voice -- with equal ease, although she and Owens seemed to want faster tempos.

Parsons, the Tallahassee-based jazz trumpeter, fit right into the operatic role, alternately playing and singing Sportin' Life's It Ain't Necessarily So with aplomb.
Jubilate (say yoo-bee-lah-teh, Latin for "rejoice") was another marvelous find. With only 20 voices, the rhythm-and-pitch sharp-shooters made a great team with the 65-member Pops.