MUSIC REVIEW : Soprano Patzakis in Ambassador Recital

Soprano Michele Patzakis appeared in recital Monday at Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena and showed that she is reasonably fluent and about equally uninvolved and uninvolving in six languages, which, in addition to English, included French, Italian, German, Spanish and some splendidly idiomatic Greek.

A series of Spanish songs best suited her usually smooth, dark-toned vocalism, although the high-bouncing ornaments in Rodrigo’s “De los alamos vengo, madre” demonstrated the cutting quality that readily crept into her voice in the heights, especially under pressure.

The cante hondo excursions at the end of Turina’s “Tu pupila es azul,” however, typified her general lack of expressivity.

Clarity and dramatic interpretation of text were regularly sacrificed to produce beauty of sound--a haunting frailness she was capable of when she was not pushing. Unfortunately, this was not always a reliable thing.

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She worked her way cautiously through four pieces by Mozart, including “Chi sa qual sia,” offered a bland “Gretchen am Spinnrade” amid a group of four Schubert-Goethe lieder and missed most opportunities for wry characterization in three songs by Walton.

Both the Ballad of the King of Thule and Marguerite’s “Air des Bijoux” from Gounod’s “Faust” emerged drowsily, although the attractive, petite Patzakis sported sparkling earrings that wouldn’t have been out of place in Mephistopheles’ tempting casket of jewels.

What she did not sport was an effective trill. She sounded more persuasive in Ravel’s Five Greek Folk Songs and two encores--”One Kiss” from Romberg’s “The New Moon” and “O mio babbino caro” from Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi.”

Pianist Alan Smith provided attentive but uninspiring accompaniment.