Trinidadian soprano Jeanine De Bique sings Handel

ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

JEANINE DE BIQUE, SOPRANO

Concerto Köln conducted by Luca Quintavalle

Berlin Classics

In Mirrors, a recent release by Berlin Classics the Trinidadian soprano Jeanine De Bique, shares the spotlight in her first solo album with the recent news about her birthplace having attained full status of republic. Congratulations to both!

The Concerto Köln conducted by Luca Quintavalle excels, idiomatically supporting the soprano, who in turn shines vocally and dramatically in a dozen Baroque opera arias.

Ranging from the familiar Giulio Cesare showstoppers to rarities such as Rimembranza crudel from Germanicus, De Bique displays a superb command of the vocal technique needed to take on the demands on agility, blend of the registers, range, and sustaining power required to sing this repertory.

More importantly and not content with just singing the notes accurately, the immensely gifted Jeanine De Bique inflects the text of whatever she sings with interpretative incisiveness, fleshing out the characters whose words she brings to life: Cleopatra’s mix of enticing sexuality and vulnerability, Alcina’s manipulative streak, or Agrippina’s innate wickedness are all vividly there.

Beyond the tremendous technique and interpretative acumen present in her singing, De Bique’s luscious voice gleams throughout a two-octave plus range, always at the service of the music.

In a February of 2014 review of Jeanine De Bique’s Cincinnati debut in recital with Matinee Musicale Cincinnati I wrote: “The young Trinidadian soprano’s assertive vocalism and forceful presence left one thinking that she is no mere soubrette, but a great Lucia, Gilda, or Susanna in the making.”

We are happy to report that barely eight years later our words have proven true.

Rafael de Acha      ALL ABOUT THE ARTS    

Published by ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Rafael de Acha has enjoyed a distinguished career in the arts as a performer, stage director, producer, and educator. He was born and grew up in Cuba. At the age of 17 he moved to the United States to study Drama at the University of Minnesota, and later Languages at L.A. City College, Music at the Juilliard School of Music, at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, and at the New England Conservatory of Music, from which he received the Master's degree. He has taught courses on the History of Music at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and at Florida International University, and contributed writings and reviews to Seen and Heard International (www.seenandheard-international.com ) and to this blog. He co-founded the award-winning New Theatre in Coral Gables, Florida, where he produced and staged twenty seasons of classical and contemporary theater, including fifty world premieres of plays that went on to have international and national productions on and off Broadway, including Ana in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz (Pulitzer Prize for Drama 2002 and Tony Nomination 2003.) In 2006 he was presented with a citation from The Dade County Cultural Affairs Council for “trailblazing contributions to the arts in South Florida.”