Steal A Pencil For Me
Sono Luminus, 2024
9/10
Listen to Steal A Pencil For Me
A 2 CD collection of work from the composer Gerald Cohen and librettist Deborah Brevoort, this opera in 2 acts details an atypical love story from the Holocaust, where Jaap Polak, a Dutch accountant, and Ina Soep, the daughter of a wealthy diamond manufacturer, fall in love while imprisoned in the Westerbork and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps.
“Act I Scene 1: A party in Amsterdam” begins the listen with the warm instrumentation and very expressive singing, and “Act I Scene 4: Jaap swings into action” arrives a little later with bright flute that surrounds the conversational voices that make for an animated climate.
Further into disc 1, “Act I Scene 8: Messenger of love” is a romantic moment, where the baritone voice is met with playful banter, while “Act II Scene 1: Roll Call in Bergen-Belsen” starts the back half with a busy and dynamic presence of powerful singing and exciting musicianship.
Close to the end, “Act II Scene 3: Steal a pencil for me” is a more intimate moment that embraces both dramatic and mysterious bouts, and “Act II Scene 9: A reunion in Amsterdam” exits with a rich and layered experience that’s emotive and articulate.
A testament to the abilities of humankind even during the most dire situations, this was recorded in Denver in 2022 and features most of the central performers of the Opera Colorado production; Ari Pelto as conductor; Gideon Dabi as Jaap; Inna Dukach as Ina; Adriana Zabala as Manja.
Travels well with: Ryan Townsend Strand- Dear Mrs. Kennedy; Michael Mizrahi- Dreamspace