At the beginning of July, Wolf Trap Opera continued its Salon Series with a recital containing two very different presentations. Mezzo-soprano Sophia Maekawa began the program with a set of four songs in Japanese. She shared with the audience that she spent her childhood in Japan, so these selections were not only appropriate to the language she grew up with but also endearing to the audience in that they shared part of the culture she grew up with. The poems themselves were extremely poignant and thought-provoking, making for an experience that approached transcendency. Beyond that, I loved how expressive her face was and the change in attitude she created from one song to the next. Maekawa is a consummate singing actress not just while singing but also in the silences. She masterfully held the audience in suspense between pieces, with no one daring to applaud before each set was finished. Vocally, she brought the same clear, beautiful, pure tone as she did with Cherubino last season in Le nozze di Figaro as well as Angelina in La Cenerentola this season.
Maekawa’s next set was Debussy’s Trois Chansons de Bilitis, introduced by the artist with a fascinating story of the origin of its poetry, which had Greek origins. This set shifted the atmosphere to something more romantic. Two of three of these are very sensual poems, which I thought an interesting and good choice since Maekawa explained that her program was inspired by the trajectory of life, in this case transitioning from childhood to adolescence and interest in romance and sexuality. Furthermore, her French diction proved delightful.
Following the French set was a karaoke song, “Ito,” again hearkening to Maekawa’s experience in Japan. I loved it and loved that she decided to put it on the program. Following that, her final piece of the evening was “Silent Noon,” which she delivered in an enchanting manner with perfect dynamics and impeccable English diction. I simply loved this piece in her voice.
Now, for the tenor.
David Hanlon’s Liebestorte or AT THE END OF THE SONG CYCLE THE SINGER GETS A PIE IN THE FACE makes it obvious what is going to happen from the title, but this is the kind of experience that’s more about the journey than the destination, as any good piece of musical theatre is. And the composer gives the singer ample room to milk every moment. In this case, Daniel O’Hearn had the audience laughing from the beginning with his physical and facial acting and staging even before any singing started. He gave no introduction to the piece, and one can’t help but agree that no introduction was necessary. As the piece went through what amounts to the five stages of grief with the singer realizing and ultimately coming to terms with the fact that he won’t be singing what he thought he was going to be singing, and that he has to get a pie in the face, O’Hearn sold the humor of the situation like nobody’s business while maintaining beautiful tone. That said, he also made amazing use of dynamics and different vocal colors, as when trying to find his pitch for Die schöne Müllerin without help from the piano. On top of that, I loved the way the piece was staged and have to commend his memorization. The feat of memorizing a monodrama like this calls to mind Lee Hoiby’s “The Italian Lesson” and “Bon Appétit.” However, this piece allows for a little more active participation from two characters: the pianist, Joseph Li, and the waiter who brings the pie, here played by Jonathan Patton. Both must be commended for playing their parts perfectly, and Patton especially deserves a shoutout for his stony, deadpan face almost the entire time. He had to stand perfectly still to the side with the pie from almost the beginning of the piece until O’Hearn took the pie from him. Li seemed to be enjoying himself immensely and got to use extended piano technique, at one point using his hand to play the strings inside the instrument. Li as pianist also helped create the shifts from one section to another, shifts that the composer seemed to have written in quite brilliantly. All of this amounted to thunderous applause at the end when O’Hearn pied himself in the face. He was brought a towel and thus was able to wipe his face and recover a bit to take a bow.
This joint recital was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, both for the audience and, I think, the performers. Congratulations to all on an unforgettable evening.
Maggie Ramsey
Wolf Trap Opera Salon Series
Hikaru Hayashi – “The dusk is a large book,” “Who turns the light off,” “In the empty room next door,” “For the night of those who have left us” (Four Songs of Dusk); Claude Debussy – “La flûte de Pan,” “Le chevelure,” “Le tombeau des Naiades” (Trois Chansons de Bilitis); Miyuki Nakajima – “Ito (Thread)”; Ralph Vaughan Williams – “Silent Noon”; David Hanlon – “I. The Prelude,” “II. The Denial,” “III. The Bargain,” “IV. The Fury,” “V. The Sorrow,” “VI. The Liebestorte” (Liebestorte or AT THE END OF THE SONG CYCLE THE SINGER GETS A PIE IN THE FACE)
Sophia Maekawa – Mezzo-soprano; Daniel O’Hearn – Tenor; Joseph Li – Piano
The Barns at Wolf Trap, Vienna, VA, July 6, 2026