Eugenia Forteza / Arvostelut

“Eugenia Forteza, in the role of Lola, navigated the limitations of her stage time, crafting a portrayal of a flirtatious yet superficial charmer. In the opera’s prelude, the opening scene unfolds with Turiddu and Lola immersed in an intimate exchange. Here, Forteza aptly embodied the role of the coquette, skillfully vacillating between yielding to Turiddu’s advances and teasingly rebuffing them. Her interpretation of Lola painted a picture of a capricious and inconsiderate character, oblivious to the repercussions of her flirtations. Forteza’s performance was marked by a thoughtful use of space and gesture, coupled with her expressive singing, vividly conveying Lola’s persona.”

The character of Maria could not be limited to one incarnation. The first vocalization of “Maria’s Theme,” sung on “La da da,” was actually performed by Dayen in conjunction with Forteza and R’miki. Moreover, they all seemed to be adding their own vocal flavor to the line, doubling but at the same timing differentiating from one another. In “Yo soy María,” one of the hit numbers in the piece, the three moved together taking turns at the center of attention, even though Dayen sang alone in this piece. The number gets fittingly reprised with new text after María’s resurrection and this reiteration of the famed music came with an added twist. Forteza took an entire section of the piece to herself, displaying a gentler but fervent line in her singing of the lower notes, a contrast to the weightier sound of Dayen. At the close of the piece, R’miki joined in and the three sang in unison; counterpointed with the first performance of the passage, this one added to this sense of unity and growth in the character of Maria.

“Slack didn’t hold back, giving an object lesson in vocal and acting technique to the audience and the artists watching her. A wonderful example of the same approach came from mezzo-soprano Eugenia Forteza, whose acting ability I have praised before and has only grown stronger since I last reviewed her in 2019. For the gala, Forteza sang “Oh, pallida,” from Mascagni’s “L’Amico Fritz,” during which she thoroughly channeled Beppe, Fritz’s gypsy violinist sidekick. Beppe is a trouser role in the spirit of Cherubino (though with far less stage time), and Forteza brought the energy of the character into the open through her compelling vocal and physical expression. Teatro Grattacielo will be presenting the “L’Amico Fritz” later this fall.”