In April of 1995, Concert Opera Boston made its
"debut" providing major funding for Chorus pro Musica's concert performance of
Gounod's Faust. American soprano Pamela Myers starred as Marguerite, Barton Green
sang Faust, Bulgarian bass Valentin Peytchinov was Mephisto, and local favorite Robert
Honeysucker portrayed Valentin.
"[Pamela Myers] boasted [the virtues] of experience, security, style, delicacy of
detail and elegance of phrase; she alone in the cast was singing in, and taking
interpretive advantage of, the French language. [Barton Green] was an agreeably youthful
Faust, singing with considerable charm in the lyric passages and surviving the heavier
vocal challenges. [Robert Honeysucker] walked away with the vocal honors, as usual; he
stood there with powerful dramatic presence and the sound rolled out with sympathy and
splendor. The real hero of the occasion was conductor Jeffrey Rink, who on the
evidence of this Faust and his Carmen three years ago, must be Boston's
most underestimated operatic conductor. Friday's performance was notable for
intelligence, panache, style, and sensitivity, and Rink's technique is sufficiently solid
to get everyone over the rough patches."
Richard Dyer, Boston Globe
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