Ashley Putnam has vocal allure as Massenet's dancer

THE SONGBIRD: Ashley Putnam was born in New York City in 1952, and was one of two winners of the national Met auditions in 1976. She became one of the leading sopranos with the New York City Opera in the era when Beverly Sills retired from singing. Putnam made her debut there as Violetta in 1978 and stepped into roles in several productions that Sills had originated such as Lucia, Maria Stuarda, Marie in "Daughter of the Regiment," and Elvira in "I Puritani." Putnam's Met debut was as Lucia (on tour) in 1983; her first performance in the Met house was Marguerite in 1990. Internationally she sang at Covent Garden, Vienna, Berlin, Teatro Colon, Glyndebourne, Aix, and many other houses, and appeared with most major U.S. opera companies and symphonies. She transitioned from the high lyric-coloratura roles into fuller lyric soprano fare (Rusalka, Arabella, Marschallin, Alice Ford, Jenufa, Agathe, and Wagner's Eva).

THE MUSIC: Massenet referred to "Cherubin" as a "comédie chantée." It was first performed in Monte-Carlo in 1905, with Mary Garden in the title role, and is rarely revived today. The story builds on Beaumarchais' "Figaro" plays, with the action taking place soon after "The Marriage of Figaro." It is a light farcical romance during festivities celebrating Cherubin's first military commission. As with Mozart, Cherubin is sung by a lyric mezzo-soprano, and there are two prominent soprano roles: Nina, the Countess's pretty maid, and a glamorous dancer known as L'Ensoleillad. Neither role is written for a coloratura soprano, but the music for L'Ensoleillad -- composed for the beautiful Lina Cavalieri -- has a high tessitura and works well with an alluring, charismatic lyric-coloratura. In Act Two she has a short florid solo "Admire la nuit!" and at the end of the opera she sings its best known aria, the beguiling serenade "Vive amour qui reve" (Long live love that dreams) as she exits.