A Dill Pickle
Neuma, 2024
8/10
An adventurous one-act chamber opera, Matt Malsky is joined by a pair of vocalists and the String Trio of Worcester Chamber Music Society for the 52 minutes of intimate storytelling.
The act opens with Peter Sulski’s intricate violin, which is met with Mark Berger’s animated viola and Ariana Falk’s well timed cello. who all support the vocalists with meticulousness.
It doesn’t take long for Cailin Marcel Manson’s soaring baritone to interact with Caitlin Felsman’s bright mezzo-soprano, as the storytelling flows with an animated and engaging presence from beginning to end.
The listen draws from a short story from the modernist Katherine Mansfield, and explores power relationships and tips it hat to a Victorian-era piece of sheet music via Felsman’s ‘velvety low register’ and Manson’s ‘commanding tone and ringing projection’. A character driven body of work, the experience illuminates Malsky’s dramatic approach, eloquent demeanor and intellectual gestures in spades.
Travels well with: Eunmi Ko- 12 Views On Life; The Noonan Trio- Inherit A Memory