MUSIC REVIEW : Mezzo Florence Quivar in Ambassador Recital

Elegance and restraint--qualities always in short supply in our concert halls--have long characterized Florence Quivar’s local appearances.

The Philadelphia- and Juilliard-trained American mezzo-soprano who first sang here with Hans Lampl and the then-viable, now-defunct, Compton Symphony 20 years ago, has performed since with the Los Angeles Philharmonic numerous times, and has earned a loyal following.

Many members of that following seemed to be in attendance at Quivar’s first area recital, Wednesday night at Ambassador Auditorium. The assembled voice-fanciers could not have been disappointed; here was great music, appealingly presented.

As noted at her debut in May, 1972, Quivar is a beautifully endowed singer of warmth, intelligence and communicativeness. In the intervening years, her lowest notes have developed an attractive but unhooty contralto timbre, without any loss of brightness or flexibility in the octaves above. And her skills as an interpreter have been honed to some depth.

If her recital program seemed conventional on paper, Quivar’s approach to its performance was thorough and comprehensive.

A satisfying, handsomely enunciated Purcell group was followed by four lieder of Brahms and by the aria, “O mio Fernando,” from Donizetti’s “La Favorita.” After intermission came two excerpts from Massenet’s “Werther,” four melodies by Faure and an unhackneyed group of spirituals.

To each of these sets, Quivar brought textual point and a solid sense of musical line. One never minds rehearing Brahms’ “Standchen” or Faure’s “Apres un reve” when they are delineated this carefully, every nuance so naturally and sincerely attended to. And one finds it refreshing to hear blockbuster arias in which the singer does not find it necessary to chew scenery.

The climaxes in this program fell into place cannily. Brahms’ “Von ewiger Liebe” and Faure’s “L’hiver a cesse” made all their dramatic points effortlessly in a context of contrasting moods. And, at the end, “The Lord’s Prayer” and “Ride On, King Jesus,” capped the mounting emotional tension.

After the program proper, there were three encores: “Die Nachtigall” by Alban Berg, “Amour, viens aider,” from “Samson et Dalila” by Saint-Saens, and Hall Johnson’s arrangement of “His Name Is So Sweet.”

Throughout, pianist Armen Guzelimian was the singer’s fully involved, attentive and admirable musical partner.