Mahvellous Mezzo!
Blakesley wows the PAC
by Christopher Key
I’ve never reviewed a vocal performance recital before and I couldn’t have picked a better one to start with. Deborah Blakesley is a junior in the Western Washington University program and her performance at the Performing Arts Center this afternoon couldn’t have been more impressive.
There’s just a wee bit of pressure involved since it’s a final exam as well as a performance. If Blakesley felt that pressure, she certainly didn’t show it. Of course, she’s been onstage since she was knee-high to a gnat and knows a thing or three about handling pressure.
I have been fortunate enough to act with and direct her in theatrical performances and have always been enchanted by her incredible voice. In her recital she tackled a cornucopia of compositions ranging from tragic to whimsical and from Handel to Barber. The program enabled her to truly strut her stuff and was very well thought-out.
Blakesley is technically classified as a mezzo-soprano, meaning she has the range to go upward or downward with seeming ease. Her voice is rich and powerful, but wherever she takes it, she makes it look easy. That richness isn’t lost when she heads for the soprano stratosphere. Some mezzos get screechy in the upper registers, but not Blakesley.
Her power is tempered by exquisite control, as she demonstrated in the softer passages. The stage presence I mentioned before means that she does more than just sing beautifully, she sells each song with her face and her body.
This was Blakesley’s show, but her accompanist, Michael Revfem, gave her rock-solid support. He’s having his senior recital on May 9 and it should be something pretty special given what he showed this afternoon.
We should all be grateful that Blakesley is going to be around at least one more year before she sets off to conquer new worlds. It means we get to see and hear this local treasure a few more times.
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