Music Reviews : Frederica von Stade Makes a Happy Ambassador Debut

In local appearances going back a decade and a half, Frederica von Stade has graced--here, the verb is appropriate--several local stages, including, of course, the all-important operatic ones. But only on Tuesday night did the celebrated American mezzo-soprano finally sing at Ambassador Auditorium.

Stade’s public, a loyal group of fans, followed her to Pasadena for the occasion of her first area recital in more than four years; as a result, the elegant hall hosted a healthy crowd, which overflowed into the orchestra pit.

The occasion was a happy one, which could be no surprise to those fans. Though not in optimal voice--some tell-tale coughs at her stage-exits and a few unfocused top notes attested to a recent reported flu and head cold--Stade nevertheless sang with her customary artistry, panache, musicality and authority.

In short, she was irresistible. Again.

With the brilliant but cannily understated assistance of Martin Katz--for this generation of American singers, the Rolls-Royce of pianistic partners--Stade gave a touching, involving and expert performance.

Her musical agenda, in which she traversed four languages and seven styles as easily as she conquered complicated passagework and problems of enunciation, was a model of sensible sophistication. It mixed the familiar with the esoteric, committed no cliches, and offered balanced delights without banalities.

Vocally, the most satisfying display came in arias by Mozart--the pairing of the recitative, “Giunse alfin il momento,” from “Nozze di Figaro,” followed immediately by the optional “Figaro” aria, “Al desio di chi ch’adora”--and Rossini. Rosina’s “Una voce poco fa” was sung handsomely and with nuance, but no mannerisms.

Emotionally, the high points came first in a 20th-Century Italian grouping at the beginning of the evening--Puccini’s “E l’uccellino,” Respighi’s “E se un giorno tornasse . . .” and Pizzetti’s “I Pastori,” stood out in particular. In a Schubert group, “Die Liebe hat gelogen” chilled, as it ought, and “Der Musensohn” spread joy.

Pointed wryness characterized Stade’s singing of melodies by Honegger and Satie, and the deeper resonances beneath the surface humor of both Copland’s “Why do they shut me out of heaven” and Rorem’s “I Am Rose” were delivered, along with the laughs. A closing group of arrangements by Joseph Canteloube, called “Chants de France,” roused the audience to cheers.