MUSIC REVIEWS : SOPRANO ARROYO AT EL CAMINO

Somewhere on the way to El Camino College, soprano Martina Arroyo’s Marsee Auditorium recital Sunday turned--at least in part--into a fish story. Not about one that got away, but about one she ate, leaving her indisposed.

That was the reason advanced in a public announcement explaining Arroyo’s extended stays off-stage between sets. She did not shorten or alter her program, however, and the only visible evidence of discomfort came in the middle of a group of Spirituals, when she turned aside and swallowed hard a few times.

Vocally, there were persistent signs of strain, and not only at extremes of range. Her voice tended to separate into distinct components, with changes in range and vowels creating very audible differences in tone.

Still, there were also appreciable joys in the evening. Arroyo sounded vocally most relaxed, as well as emotionally expansive, in Turina’s “Tres Poemas.” Her singing in four Spirituals seemed overly deliberate at times, but with total sincerity and winning simplicity.

Arroyo made real efforts to color the texts and project emotional nuance in four Strauss songs. Under the prevailing vocal circumstances though, they were just that--efforts--and not greatly abetted by a German strangely lacking consonants.

Every singer seems to feel a chronological need to begin recitals with excerpts from Baroque and Classical opera, regardless of personal stylistic indifference. The incongruities of Arroyo’s set-- ranging from Stradella to Paisiello--were exacerbated by Henri Venanzi’s bumptious piano accompaniments.

For the divaphiles, Arroyo closed each half with a standard from the Verdi/Puccini repertory for which she is best known, “Ernani, involami” and “Un bel di.” Another Spiritual was the lone encore.