DATE: Wednesday, September 24, 1997         TAG: 9709240037

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E9   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Music review

SOURCE: BY LEE TEPLY, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   45 lines

MEZZO-SOPRANO GIVES EXPRESSIVE CONCERT

THE NEW SEASON of the F. Ludwig Diehn Concert Series at Old Dominion University began Monday with a most satisfying recital by mezzo-soprano Annette Daniels. Her intensely expressive performance was more than ably accompanied by pianist Gerald Steichen.

Daniels' voice earns its power with solid technique and superb intonation. The focus in her tone yields an intensity that suited much of the music and that was relaxed as the texts allowed. The warmth of her personality was also felt through her deep, round, all-embracing sound.

While all of her singing had a dramatic element, the program opened and closed with music that was more theatrical - but on opposite ends of the spectrum. She began with excerpts from Gluck's noble opera ``Orfeo ed Euridice.''

Her first recitative captured the attention of the audience with incisive diction and a more-than-convincing expression of Orfeo's loss and despair. In the familiar aria ``Che faro senza Euridice,'' she shaped the melodious tune carefully, reaching the highest and lowest pitches gracefully.

In the final group of songs, ``Madam to You'' by American Elie Siegmeister, Daniels explored several sides of rather sly and sassy women of ill repute. The performance bordered on cabaret singing, although the music was tonally much more challenging.

She made perfect sense of the disjunct lines, while Steichen handled the complicated accompaniment with finesse, giving particular enjoyment through the jazzy patterns.

For more traditional fare, German songs by Mozart and contemporary Finnish composer Yryo Kilpinen were chosen. The importance of facial expression and hand gestures was particularly evident in one Mozart song, which had several stanzas of text. As the story progressed, Daniels used her body to add meaning to the changing inflections of her voice.

While the sheer size of Daniels' voice commands attention, it was her softer singing that drew the listeners deeper into the music. In Debussy's languorous, somewhat mysterious ``Chansons de Bilitis,'' she used a flexible tempo to shape the introspective text.

Her quiet side was even more effective in a Spanish lullaby and in the encore, the spiritual ``Deep River.'' In the latter, the hushed second verse gave a moment of repose before the expansive climax filled the room.

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