Taylor WallsMarch 29, 2015Penelope JensonVoice Lessons

Voice CritiqueYu Zhou Lee & Paige Muggeridge

On Sunday, March 1st, I attended Yu Zhou Lee, baritone and Paige Muggeridges, soprano, voice recital in Nelson Music Room. I was excited to see Mr. Lee and Miss Muggeridge perform; I have performed in Hoof n Horn shows with both of them before. The room was filled with many of their friends, eagerly anticipating the start of the recital. Mr. Lee began the recital with Antonio Caldaras Alma del core. I recognized the melody of the piece immediately. I was pleased with how smooth and legato the piece sounded. Mr. Lee excellently connected each word with wonderful phrasing. I could also tell how much more mature Mr. Lee tone sounded since I had last heard him sing. Next, he sang Giuseppe Sartis Lungi dal caro bene, which consisted of many long notes which he sang with great direction and dynamics. He concluded this section of the recital with Alessandro Scarlettis Gi il sole dal Gange, which showcased the flexibility and fluidity of Mr. Lees voice. Mr. Lee then welcomed Miss Muggeridge to the stage. She began with Jules Massanets Crpuscule and Gabriel Faurs Ici-bas, two beautiful ballads. She had a bright tone which was aided by a legato quality to her singing. Then Mr. Lee came back onto the stage and sang Home by Dick Lee a Singaporean composer and songwriter. Mr. Lee was accompanied by one of his friends, rather than by Kate Lewis. It was touching to hear Mr. Lee sing so passionately about his home country. One of my favorite sections of the recital was Miss Muggeridges rendition of two cabaret songs by contemporary composer, William Bolcom: Waitin and Amor. Waitin is a very short and simple-sounding piece. While the accompanist plays short chords in the background, the vocalist sings very emotional and compelling lyrics. This piece was followed by Amor, a fun and silly piece that showed off Miss Muggeridges personality. It also gave Miss Muggeridge the opportunity to demonstrate her vocal agility with some scatting in the middle of the song. The second half of Mr. Lee and Miss Muggeridges program consisted of songs from Broadway musicals. First, they sang Falling Slowly, a beautiful Academy Award winning duet from the musical, Once. Their tones blended beautifully together, and the song grew with dynamics and expression as the song went on. Miss Muggeridge sang Show Off from The Drowsy Chaperone. This jazzy 1920s song is about being the center of attention, and Miss Muggeridge excellently commanded the stage with attitude and sass. Next, she sang Nothing from A Chorus Line, a song where the performer reflects back on her high school acting class and how she couldnt get into the acting exercises emotionally as her teacher asked her to. Miss Muggeridge ended this section of the recital with Dont Rain On My Parade, a quintessential show tune from the 1960s musical, Funny Girl. This is another song that demands power and determination from the performer, and Miss Muggeridge definitely delivered. Mr. Lee and Miss Muggeridge ended the program with a well-known duet, For Good, from a well-known musical, Wicked. This song is typically sung by two girls, one soprano and one alto. Mr. Lee sang the alto part of the song down the octave so that it would be within his vocal range. I thought this duet was an excellent choice for the finale of their recital. The song is about how their lives have been changed by knowing one another, but the Miss Muggeridge and Mr. Lee sang the lyrics to the audience rather than one another. It seemed as though it was their way of thanking the audience for supporting them. I am so glad that I was able to support my friends by attending their vocal recital. I was also pleased to be able to hear a recital done in Nelson Music Room this semester, in preparation for my own recital in a few weeks.