Readers may recall that this month began with the announcement of a self-titled EP by the Momenti trio, whose members are soprano Leah Crocetto, bass-baritone Christian Pursell, and pianist Ronny Michael Greenberg. That Momenti album has now been released in the digital domain with a Web page providing hyperlinks for both streamed listening and digital download. This morning was my first chance to listen to the six tracks of this release.
The opening track bears the title of the album. It amounts to a free-association pastiche of operatic excerpts from the repertoires of the two vocalists. Since all three members of Momenti have performed in San Francisco Opera (SFO) productions, those excerpts will probably register with many SFO subscribers. Those of my generation (if there be such) will probably be reminded of “Let’s Fake an Opera,” which was one of the highlights of The Hoffnung Interplanetary Music Festival, performed at the Royal Festival Hall in London in November of 1958. An alternative title for both the track and the album could easily be “Opera Singers Just Want to Have Fun.”
Three of the tracks (“Don’t Know What Love Is,” “It All Fades Away,” and “Our Love Is Easy”) include a rhythm trio provided by Roscoe Beck on bass, Dave Scher on guitar, and David Sierra on drums. The album concludes with Stephen Sondheim’s “Move On” from Sunday in the Park with George. All of the selections are given affable delivery; and, as the opening track presages, there is no shortage of wit.
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