A divine soprano leads a vibrant group of BU soloists
Boston University presented Haydn's ''The Creation" Monday night, and it fielded an interesting team of soloists: a faculty member, a recent alum, and three new graduate students.
Soprano Michelle Johnson hails from Pearland, Texas, but in her, Boston may be developing its next diva. She has the voice, the presence, and the presence of mind for it. Even when she and the orchestra briefly parted company in one aria, she kept right on going. Johnson's timbre is vibrantly luscious, but she kept it focused and within Haydn's stylistic frame; she probably has a wider range of color than she chose to use. Her coloratura is clean, and she even boasts a trill, but best of all, she is a communicator. She sings Donna Elvira in BU's production of Mozart's ''Don Giovanni" in February -- clearly not a production opera lovers can afford to miss.
Faculty baritone James Demler is an old hand on the regional opera circuit. His bright, agile voice is still in good trim, and he sang with lively diction and interpretive distinction, even managing to growl out a low D to describe the sinuous trace of the worm.
Tenor Patrick Miller, now a pro making his way in the world, has a very good voice with a few kinks in it that he still needs to work out. His best singing was straightforward and ringing, but he indulged in some peekaboo phrasing (now you hear me, now you don't), and not every note was precisely tuned. Soprano Megan Reader and bass baritone Ryan Kuster sang with simplicity and charm in the smaller roles of patronizing Adam and docile Eve.
The orchestra began badly with an ill-synchronized performance of Haydn's depiction of chaos but soon settled into lively and characterful playing. Cellist Nicholas Hardie and fortepianist Jung Sun Yoon were the capable continuo, and solos by oboist Rachel Maczko and flutist Nicole Millner were delightful. The large chorus was first-rate, delivering good, balanced tone, drama, and jubilation.
Conductor Ann Howard Jones is a superb chorus trainer; for years she was a protege and colleague of one of the great figures in the history of American choral music, Robert Shaw. Others copied all of Shaw's tricks of the trade, which in hands other than his can sound like mannerisms; Jones caught his more essential quality and brings a Shaw-like evangelical zeal to everything she does, even when something goes wrong. 