Nature and Destiny

Daniel Sutin and friends present some of opera’s most melodious arias.

By: Susan Van Dongen

"image"
DANIEL SUTIN


   Like a particularly chilling episode of The Twilight Zone, the title role from Alban Berg’s opera Wozzeck seems to be following Daniel Sutin around.
   The baritone first sung the role with the Krefeld Opera in Germany, then with the Metropolitan Opera under James Levine, then with the Opera Festival of New Jersey in its 2003 season in Princeton. Most recently, Mr. Sutin performed Wozzeck in Tokyo with Seiji Ozawa, and he hopes to sing it again with Mr. Levine next year.
   "It seems to always follow me," Mr. Sutin says, speaking from his home in New York City. "It’s been a good-luck role. Wozzeck is a hard role to cast, but once you have it in you, you can do it anywhere. The character is so interesting to me. As with every role, you always find something new. Every night is different and you can always find a way to play a role better or differently."
   Perhaps to thank the Hamilton-based Boheme Opera New Jersey for helping to launch his career in America, Mr. Sutin and a couple of talented friends will give a concert to spread the word about the joys of opera.
   Performing at St. Mark United Methodist Church in Hamilton Dec. 4, the Metropolitan Opera vocalist wants to dispel some of the myths about the art form — especially that opera is difficult to listen to.
   Presented by Boheme Opera, the program — which features soprano Lisa Jaehnig and tenor John Pickle — offers some of the most melodious arias in opera, such as "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot.
   "It’s an interesting potpourri of music," Mr. Sutin says. "We put it together with the idea to get people to enjoy individual songs and arias — things they recognize. Then, hopefully that will get them interested enough to come to a full opera."
   Other pieces on the program include the duet from Georges Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, "All I Ask of You" from the Phantom of the Opera, "Ain’t it a Pretty Night" from Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah, as well as an aria from Faust and a number of classic Italian songs. Concert pianist Sandra Pucciatti will accompany the vocalists and also perform a work by Rachmaninoff.
   Those familiar with Boheme Opera, which is celebrating its 16th season, might know Ms. Pucciatti as managing director of the company. Her husband Joseph Pucciatti is artistic director and conducts the opera orchestra.
   The familial element is one of the things that makes the company special, Mr. Sutin says.
   "Joe and Sandy are very warm, generous people and they try to make the singers feel at home," he says. "Boheme Opera is run so well and the atmosphere is always so positive. In fact, I’d rate it up there with the Met as far as how they treat the artists. And a lot of singers from the Met have sung there. I actually made my American debut with Boheme Opera in 2000. I had been in Europe for a very long time, and when I came back they gave me a start in America."
   So that’s where Mr. Sutin’s continental accent comes from. Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, he won a full scholarship with the Zurich (Switzerland) Opera Studio in 1989. Mr. Sutin spent about a year in Zurich, then spent two years in Basel, with the Basel Opera.
   "I was a ‘house singer’ for the Basel Opera, which was like a regular job," he says. "It’s a unique way to learn roles. I just decided to stay (in Europe) and made guest appearances for a few years. I was also working with Armen Boyajian, a great teacher who really turned my career around. He advised me to stay on and try some different roles as a guest artist."
   After Basel, Mr. Sutin landed a contract with the Darmstadt Opera where he sang such challenging roles as Eugene Onegin. Later, there was an offer from the Krefeld Opera company, which was where he first played Wozzeck. He realized he had intended to stay in Europe only a year, but had been abroad for 11 years.
   "That’s when I decided to go back to America and auditioned with the Boheme Opera," he says.
   His career really picked up from there, debuting with the Met in a broadcast of Berg’s Lulu in April 2001. Working at Lincoln Center with Maestro Levine, Mr. Sutin began a series of covers (opera’s equivalent of an understudy) which included the "one-eyed brother" in Richard Strauss’ Frau Ohne: A Woman Without a Shadow, a role in Mussorgsky’s Schelkalov and Ping in Puccini’s Turandot.
   "I jumped into that role on a day’s notice," he says.
   Next spring, Mr. Sutin will appear at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, singing three roles in Resphigi’s Sleeping Beauty. He returns to Lincoln Center next summer to perform in the same children’s opera.
   He has special memories of the Opera Festival of New Jersey that, sadly, folded in 2003.
   "’Wozzeck’ was a wonderful production," Mr. Sutin says. "The (production design) was based on the German painter Hieronymus Bosch — a lot of it had to do with nature and surrealism. The whole idea was about destiny — Wozzeck was destined to do what he did because he was a victim of the system. It was very realistic to the play, really showing the different characters.
   "But I loved being in Princeton, too" he continues. "Of all the places I’ve been in the world, I fell in love with the town. And they have a great opera community."
Boheme Opera presents Daniel Sutin and Friends in concert at St. Mark United Methodist Church, 465 Paxson Ave., Hamilton, Dec. 4, 8 p.m. Pianist Sandra Pucciatti accompanies and performs. Tickets cost $30. For information, call (609) 581-7200. Boheme Opera on the Web: www.bohemeopera.com