Concert review of a college opera performance Dowland, Franz Shubert, Maurice Ravel and Robert Schumann, March 7, at 6:30 p.m., at the Music Building, Recital Hall. These operatic works were sung by senior recitalist Alexandra Rannow. The concert began with Mi chiamano Mimi by Giacomo Puccini which was sung extraordinarily well by Alexandra Rannow accompanied by a pianist. Mi chiamano Mimi is in the first of four acts of Puccini's La Bohème. This piece is meant to be sung with emotion and is meant to make the listener feel what Mimi is trying to say and how she feels about it. Although the performance was incredible, the singer could have put a little more emotion into her singing, like moving her arms a little. Alexandra Rannow sounds like she's a soprano, which would make sense since this song has high Cs and requires the singer to sing. at a higher pitch. A contralto would have difficulty hitting these high notes. This piece had sections where it was sung legato which was amazing because Alexandra definitely sang it smoothly and it had a few staccato parts which was also well done. The dynamics were sung accurately compared to professional recordings of this piece. The transitions from piano to forte were phenomenal as Alexandra did not rush into the transitions but rather she evened them out. The same goes for crescendos and decrescendos. The long crescendos and decrescendos were smooth and the same for the short ones. Some people tend to rush through them and not sing them evenly. The closest description of Alexandra's transition from decrescendo to crescendo was like looking at the middle of a paper......the choice of lyrics. This piece was definitely tonal. The listener has a sense of direction throughout the piece. The harmony was consonant because the chords were stable and there was very little tension. The mood throughout the piece was calm and loving. The pace was a bit slow, which is why the mood seemed calm and loving. The dynamic was from bottom to top. The height changes quickly in some parts while in others it stays roughly the same. As the dynamics were tonal, there was no part that could completely surprise the listener. In conclusion, the most enjoyable part of the opera concert was Alexandra's beautiful angelic voice. She made singing these songs look easy. She sounded like a professional with her pronunciation of Italian and German words, and the articulation of the notes was absolutely incredible..