Choralation

Coincidence

2008-03-07T10:39:00.002-05:00

Has anyone else noticed that the Philly Beer Week overlaps with the Bach Fest? Why is no one doing a "Bach and Beer" event? It would be great: a pub serving German beers with a chamber ensemble doing some trio sonatas or something. Oh well, maybe next time.

Parting is not goodbye...

2007-11-25T20:02:00.000-05:00

So, regular readers of Choralation (all three of you) have probably noticed a marked slowdown in posting activity. I don't have a good explanation for this except that it takes time to write vibrant, relevant posts. Unfortunately, I have not really been dedicating any time to Choralation lately and have finally decided to go on extended hiatus. I may post occasionally, but I will not be able to keep up with any frequency. I am not shutting down the site, however, and archived posts will still be available.
I have enjoyed this experiment and am pleased that it managed to last for almost 2 1/2 years (far longer than I thought it actually would).
Thanks to readers, fellow musicians, and other writers and bloggers for inspiration. And, in a nod to the title of this post, we'll be together again.

2007-09-30T19:05:00.000-04:00

Phillies! Playoffs! Yay!

Viva Pavarotti

2007-09-06T22:24:00.000-04:00

In our house he was just Pav. It only seemed fitting that this amiable character, this familiar and personable voice should have an affectionate nickname. When he did his thing, we would just smile and shake our heads and say "That's Pav."

As a beginning singer, I marvelled at his smoothness of production, wonderfully tangible diction and, of course, that glorious golden placement. If there was ever a definition of 'squillo', this man was it. It's true I couldn't quite connect with him as I could with the Teutonic intellectualism of Fischer-Dieskau, but each time I listened to Pav it was like a singing lesson; every note was placed where it should be, every word clearly enunciated, the legato seamless. I remember playing certain passages over and over again to try to figure out just what he was doing. I never quite could. You know a singer is remarkable when you can hear two notes of something and know who it is immediately.

Unfortunately, I never saw him live and I would have thrilled to hear that voice in its prime. Still, the recorded legacy is substantial and, for the most part, quite good. The Boheme with Freni has got to be one of the greatest opera recordings ever. The Elixir, perfectly characterized with an affecting benign sweetness.

It was sad to see what he became in the last ten years of his life. He was reduced almost to caricature as the voice began to decline and his weight continued to rise. Pride prevented him from exiting gracefully and the career stretched on perhaps five years longer than it should have. He apparently had difficulty in learning new roles, effectively condemning him to repertoire best suited to men twenty years his junior. It was sort of like watching a great athlete try to replicate feats of youth while not quite having the tools to do it anymore or the resources to adapt and change.

But what is good far outweighs the bad. I'll always smile when I hear him toss off yet another fantastic high C. I'll just shake my head and say "That's Pav."

Popera

2007-08-13T14:46:00.000-04:00

There was an interesting article in the LA Times about the whole rock-opera genre and various excursions of pop musicians into classical music and vice versa. I’ve often thought the best attributes of many pop composers get lost when they try to write “classical” music. Paul McCartney, an excellent miniaturist, sounds bloated and slightly ridiculous when he assumes the mantle of seriousness in his symphonic works. Most ambitious pop composers should think about churning out song cycles or concept albums where small pieces add up to form a cohesive whole. Elvis Costello has done this a few times, most notably with The Juliet Letters. His North, one of my favourite albums, is really closer in feeling to a song cycle. The albums of Sufjan Stevens are also song cycle-ish.

All-in-all I thought Mark Swed made good points. I did have some issues with this paragraph though:

In the end, pop musicians are songsmiths, and songwriters typically have not had an easy time with opera. Many of the great composers of song in the classical world -- Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, Fauré, Bernstein, Rorem -- are not nearly so celebrated for their attempts at opera. All the great opera composers wrote songs, of course, but that was a small sideline for Mozart, Rossini, Berlioz, Wagner, Verdi, Berg, Janácek, Berio, Rimsky-Korsakov and the rest. Gershwin and Poulenc may be the only two who managed to be major successes in both areas.

As I’ve said before, I’m not sure I’d call Gershwin’s excursion into opera wholly successful. Also where are Strauss and Britten on his list of successes? Debussy? Weill? They all wrote terrific operas and songs. Granted, Strauss’s songs often sound like they could be on the opera stage, but he still made a major contribution to the genre.

Also this is for Inky music columnist Peter Dobrin who, it seems, does not seem to be much of a cat person (read the bio on the right part of his page):

Mozart drives criminals away...and makes football players smarter

2007-08-03T12:49:00.001-04:00

Two unrelated stories about Mozart, and the purported effects of his music.

Football

Crime

Incidentally, if I were an NFL player, I'd totally want to play for Mangini. His coaching creativity on and off the field is really fun to watch...

Parallel universe?

2007-07-31T15:05:00.000-04:00

I've now heard Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 three times in the past day on three different radio stations. It's one of my favourite pieces, but still, what's going on here?

Been busy lately, moving into a new house. It's very exciting to graduate from an apartment to a house, but there is a lot of work ahead. At least the place was move-in condition.

What I've been listening to: Joanna Newsome, Ys. She sings like she's from outerspace (if Billie Holiday, Bjork, Tori, a five year old, and a bad children's folksinger got together, the result might sound something like this), and can make your ears bleed if you listen too much, but her rambling, lyrical songs are remarkable. The arrangements for strings and harp are just gorgeous and once you get over the initial repulsion at her voice this album gets inside you.

What I've been reading: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Okay, who's not reading this? It was enjoyable though. Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about how HP is an interesting literary phenomenon because the movies have been introduced at the same time as the books.

What I've been watching: Man vs. Wild on the Discovery Channel. I'm sure this guy must get some help from the crew, but it's still cool to see him hunt fish with his hands and bite into them raw and jump off 50 foot cliffs. If we dropped him off in North Philadelphia at 2 am, would that count as a survival situation?

To be sung on a summer night...

2007-07-05T21:20:00.000-04:00

Some important Choralation milestones have been reached in the long month since my last post. I've had over 1000 visitors since I added the site tracker at the bottom of the page and this blog is now two years old. I have to say I'm proud it's still sort of alive at this point - I've never been a terribly successful diarist. There are a number of posts on here that I think are of fairly high quality, which I hope offset the long lulls between sometimes inane posts. So, in order to give the people what they pay for (well, not exactly), I'll actually write some content now.

I've been thinking a lot about the concert experience of late as a result of the obligatory outdoor summer concert season. I've also been singing much less and enjoying concerts as a spectator rather than a performer. Although I love sitting in a darkened concert hall with controlled acoustics, theatrical lighting, and plush seats, I find something deeply satisfying about the informality of the outdoor concert experience. As a musician, I'm always interested in how things sound and look from a variety of different vantage points. Outdoor concerts give one the opportunity to stroll around while listening. I'm not necessarily less engaged, I'm just adding another element to the experience. I'm also intrigued by audiences and find myself watching people during a concert. I like seeing families with their dogs, picnics, and bottles of wine relaxing while listening to some music. It's kind of fun seeing kids running around playing soccer while strains of Tchaikovsky waft into the air. There has always been a place (maybe not so much with Tchaikovsky, now that I think about it...) for enjoying music in the outdoors. Think of all the wind serenades, water music, divertimentos and brass ensembles written for this very purpose.

I guess what I'm getting at is that we should be free to experience live music a number of different ways. Some music is absolutely meant for the concert hall and one's undivided attention while other music was composed to create a setting for a lovely evening. And on a beautiful summer night, I'll take the latter. Now, if we could only do something about the mosquitos...

Bennett and Evans

2007-05-25T21:32:00.001-04:00

I'm not usually one to hear a song on the radio and then go out and buy the record. This week was an exception, when I heard a song from The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album and subsequently ran to FYE (formerly known as Tower Records) to buy the album.
I've been a Bill Evans fan for awhile now - his mix of impressionistic harmony, rhythmic give-and-take, and Bach-like clarity of tone has been my ideal of what jazz piano should sound like. I've always been a bit skeptical of Tony Bennett - he never seemed to have Sinatra's brutal candidness and range of vocal colour or Mel Torme's sweetness of tone. Bennett, to me, had a more muscular approach, with occasional dramatic flights into Mario Lanza territory. A force to be reckoned with, but never my favourite.

This album completely blew me away. Evans, as always, is brilliant, his solos impeccably tasteful and his accompaniment sensitive and responsive. Bennett, as one Amazon reviewer put it, seems to be challenged and energized by Evans's presence. Stripped of a backing band, he finds new depth of colour and expression and his singing is at times stunningly beautiful. He saves his operatic outpourings for appropriately intense moments and gives the sometimes jumpy vocal lines a sweet legato (listen to "We'll Be Together Again" - I never realised just how much that song is all over the place melodically). I was particularly struck by Evans and Bennett's rendering of Bernstein's "Some Other Time". I have to say, I didn't really know this song before and now am loving it. Evans resurrects his familiar Satie-like introduction from "Peace Piece" and "Flamenco Sketches" while Bennett sings simply with perfectly measured portamento. It's a heartbreaker. This is a document of two mature artists supremely comfortable with their own artistry and with each other's musicality.

I've always been a fan of "guy/girl with a piano" albums. In fact, the whole reason I got into Lieder was because I heard a record of Brendel and Fischer-Dieskau doing Dichterliebe in the 9th grade - a "guy with a piano" album if I've ever heard one (I'll stop short of calling Dichterliebe proto-Emo...). I love the directness and the intimacy of it. I think this is why I like Dowland lute-songs too.
But I digress. Buy this album. Now.

Hell has officially frozen over

2007-05-18T13:07:00.000-04:00

I'm listening to and enjoying a piece by ... Webern!!

(Five Pieces for String Quartet, op. 5. )

I've always thought it easier to digest twelve-tone music when there are smaller instrumental forces involved - you can really hear the clarity of the lines and the counterpoint.

A Triumph for sure

2007-04-21T18:24:00.000-04:00

Although 'Choralation' is a music-related blog, with the occasional football post thrown in, there is another hobby that holds my interest: craft beer. I've always enjoyed a good brew, but a year in England really gave me a taste for quality, crafted beers (beers made by smaller breweries rather than mass-produced by a giant like Budweiser or Miller). Fortunately there are a lot of good brewers in the Philadelphia area: Yards, Victory, Flying Fish, Dogfish Head, Troegs, and Stoudt's to name a few. There area also a few brewpubs in town who make their own beer: The Nodding Head on Sansom, and Independence Brewpub near Market East Station. Well, now there is a new brewery in town that gives the others a run for their money: Triumph Brewpub on 2nd and Chestnut. I'd been familiar with the Triumph company, having frequented their Princeton branch when I was in college there. Never one to shy away from a new beer, I opted for the sampler tray which featured the whole range of Triumph's beers: a couple German beers, a stout and porter representing England, and a few American-style pale ales. Each beer was very balanced and had a distinctive flavour profile packing a few surprises. Perhaps the most unique brews were a pleasantly smooth dark lager, a delicious honey wheat beer, and an American IPA with some lovely flowery notes. I'm looking forward to going back an seeing what sort of seasonal beers they come up with. Yum.

Hiatus?

2007-04-10T21:17:00.000-04:00

I apologise for the recent 'Choralation' hiatus. I've been rather busy with a new job and a variety of Easter singing gigs. I hope to find time to post something of substance again in the near future. Until then, please explore some of the links to the right. There are some interesting articles on Arts Journal at the moment: Joshua Bell busking in D.C., the rise of Chinese classical musicians, an ongoing debate about whether classical music sales are rising or falling, Handel-mania in NY and London (including Michael Marissen's very stimulating article on the possible propagandist origins of 'Messiah'), and the surprising selection of Gustavo Dudamel to lead the LA Phil.

On another note, there wasn't a single performance of the Bach Passions in Philadelphia this season. Sad, really.

Broadway comes to Philly

2007-03-20T13:30:00.000-04:00

The weekend was chock-full of music with the last of the 'Carmina' performances, a couple rehearsals and a fantastic concert with Audra McDonald and Barbara Cook at the Kimmel (attending, not singing) on Sunday night.

Even though the concert was in Verizon Hall, both singers worked to make the event intimate. At times it almost felt a cocktail party with two brilliant singers casually trying out some new songs; words were occasionally forgotten, songs were started over and witty banter reigned throughout. The vocal polish and interpretive mastery would convince you otherwise, however.

It is interesting to hear two gifted singers at very different points in their respective careers. McDonald, at 36, is truly in her prime and sounded it. Every tricky phrase was negotiated beautifully and the range of vocal colours was stunning. The voice sounded even richer than it does on record and the microphone was used as an enhancement not a crutch. Diction was exquisite and every word was put across with supreme confidence. She stayed firmly within the Broadway canon with songs by Sondheim, Rodgers and Hammerstein and a few "new Broadway" composers. Her natural exubernace and enthusiam for this music came across strongly. McDonald was at her most powerful in "When Did I Fall In Love" from 'Fiorello', skillfully building the song in intensity and drama. Her more intimate side was on display in "I Won't Mind" by Jeff Blumenkrantz. Is there anything this woman can't sing?

Barbara Cook, at 79, is at the other end of a long and distinguised Broadway career. The voice is still fairly well produced with the exception of an occasional dry patch here and there. Cook has lived with this tradition for a very long time and gave richly nuanced accounts of familiar songs. "Surrey With the Fringe On Top" from 'Oklahoma' was transformed from a song about a pleasant ride in the country to a boastful song about a "pimped up" ride. "This Nearly Was Mine" was taken from a lyrical aria to an inward reflection on lost love. Cook also took on Sondheim, with two songs from 'Into the Woods' about finding a way in a turbulent world. Perhaps the most striking moment of the night came with her first encore as she turned her mic off to sing "We'll Be Together Again". Rather than diminishing her power, this bold move brought the audience even closer.

The arrangements mostly by McDonald's longtime music director Ted Sperling, who also played piano, were always subtle and tight and the backing jazz trio supported the singers very well. Cook and McDonald also sang a number of jazzy duets throughout the evening which served as welcome breaks from the more serious moments. The concert concluded somewhat surprisingly with a smart arrangement of some American patriotic songs. I'm not the biggest fan of things like this but it was done tastefully and with the same respect given to the other classic American songs of the evening. In a concert that was a celebration of American popular song, why not end with a salute to America herself?

The conductors have their day on 'Choralation'

2007-03-14T17:15:00.000-04:00

I've tinkered a bit with my recent post about the role of a conductor in an ensemble. I decided I was being overly harsh towards conductors when what I was really going for was a comparison of small and large group situations and how we can apply chamber music philosophy to symphonic-size music. As I have said, it is a complex issue and I think my philosophy will continue to evolve over time.

For a stimulating and insightful view on conducting from the conductor's perspective listen to this or read this.

Halfway Home

2007-03-12T12:49:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to a glowing review of this past weekend's 'Carmina' performances with PA Ballet. Five down, four to go!

Ballet

2007-03-08T23:18:00.000-05:00

This weekend is notable for me for a couple of reasons: My first 'Carmina Burana' and my first time accompanying a ballet company.

I've really enjoyed watching the dancers work up close and realise how many parallels there are between what they do and what we do. In order to create something seemingly effortless, there are tons of muscles and years of training at work. Those dancers were really working, but I'm sure out in the house it looked incredibly smooth and easy. Also, the ensemble dancers have to operate in much the same fashion as choral singers. They are constantly watching, listening and making minute adjustments as the piece unfolds in order to create unanimity. It's interesting that they are fully responsible for making it work in performance and don't need a "conductor" to facilitate in performance.

Being a ballet dancer must also be kind of like being a running back in the NFL: a physically punishing position with a short prime. I'm sure dancers probably mature in much the same way as running backs, relying less on speed and pure physical prowess and more on mental strength, imagination and economy of motion as careers progress. (There was an interesting article in the New Yorker a few weeks back about now former NY Giants running back Tiki Barber which confirms this).

This is a new 'Carmina' production for the PA Ballet and from my limited vantage point (proscenium box) it looks pretty cool. I find myself watching the dancers instead of the conductor (This is one situation where it is essential to watch the conductor, contrary to the last post I wrote. When the men and women of the choir are standing 75 feet apart on opposite sides of the stage with the orchestra in between, frequently changing tempo and meter, watching the conductor is probably the best bet to get it all together. That's not to say that listening isn't imperative though.)

'Carmina' has some really lovely music but it is what we singers call a "scream fest", i.e. lots of high, loud singing over full orchestra. The fact that there's only 35 of us doesn't make it any easier. Some of those tunes just stick in your head though...

Conductors are (largely) superfluous

2007-03-01T16:00:00.000-05:00

Before I get fired from all of the very necessary (from a financial standpoint at least) concerts I have coming up in the next few months, allow me to elaborate on what I think is an important but complex issue.

I come from a very conductor-centric universe, having attended a fabulous music college which had choral singing and conducting at its core. In my undergraduate, I had many memorable and profound musical experiences which I would not trade for anything. One of my main regrets about my time there is that we never did anything without a conductor. Even small ensembles of four to ten still used a conductor, which to me seems slightly ridiculous. I understand it is important to help train conductors, but at the same time, singers could stand to grow from taking full responsibility for the success of the music. For young students it is important to learn fundamentals and to gain knowledge from an experienced conductor, but it is also important to help students to grow as individuals and develop a unique musical personality.

I have studied conducting off and on for awhile and have, at various points, considered devoting my life to the craft. I have a great respect for many conductors; for the insight, scholarship and experience they bring to music making. But how, if at all, is what they are doing up there in front of the choir having any impact on how I’m performing? This is one of the great mysteries of making music with a conductor. I can take purely technical things from a conductor's gesture, i.e. tempo changes, cutoffs but also less tangible things such as breath, phrasing and emotion. Still, if I feel I am getting nothing more from a conductor than a metronomic representation of the music, I am more inclined to tune out and stop watching. Watching the conductor is only one way of getting everyone in the ensemble together.

When I went overseas I entered a musical world that was, in many ways, the antithesis of my previous conductor-as-god experiences, finally singing in smaller ensembles without a conductor. If you are singing in a group with four other people, you can decide things democratically and, more importantly, use your ears to guide you. If each singer is really listening, minute adjustments can be made as the music unfolds. After some practice with this, you don’t need to spend valuable rehearsal time discussing quaver rests, vowels and tempo. Rehearsal time can be spent largely on interpretation and working with text, much in the way a singer would work with a coach. What a concept: using your ears and being responsive to body language can fix most problems right then and there! Breaths and cutoffs magically come into focus, tempo sorts itself out and tuning just locks into place.

These principles are easy enough to implement with five singers, but why shouldn't the same approach work for a group of 12, 24 or even 30? If everyone in the group is aware of what every other singer is doing, the conductor can assume the role of collaborator and function almost as another member of the ensemble rather than a dictator. Gesture can become more interpretive, flexible and spontaneous instead of purely metrical and repetitive. There is more give and take between the conductor and the singers, with almost a dialogue occuring between them. So why is this sometimes lacking? The problem lies in part with the singers: they are largely taught to be passive, awaiting instruction rather than taking initiative for the success or failure of the music. Instead of teaching singers to fear the wrath of a conductor, why not take a step back and let them do the work? Giving the singers the tools to listen and interact musically only makes the conductor’s job easier. I believe that with the right foundations in place a conductor of 100 would have to do no more than a conductor of 12 in order to get the desired effect.

This brings up another issue, conductor ego. To have a healthy conductor-singer relationship requires some giving up of control and trust from both parties. An egomaniacal conductor will never really make collaborative music with his or her ensemble. One of my biggest pet peeves as a singer is when a conductor implores singers to "just watch me". To me, this translates in effect as "this will not work unless you do what I say. I am the decider of how this will go". "Just watching" is only one little piece of the puzzle, an attempt at a fix-all solution which in the end falls short. Using my eyes and ears and being aware of what's going on around me ends up being more helpful than a conductor. A conductor can yell at a choir until her or she is blue in the face, but one simple word would quickly solve the problem: Listen.

Guilty Pleasure

2007-02-20T12:31:00.000-05:00

On this last day of guilty pleasures before Lent, I have to admit that I've been watching over and over again with glee this little video from the new movie 'Music and Lyrics'. I actually think the song is quite catchy. Enjoy.

The Rose, the Lily and the Whortleberry

2007-02-15T14:41:00.000-05:00

Although there are a lot of classical music events going on in and around Philadelphia, and the critics from the local dailies no doubt have to pick and choose which concerts to attend, I was somewhat surprised to see the appearance of the Orlando Consort at Haverford College this past weekend pass by with little to no coverage. One would think that a world class vocal ensemble performing in Philadelphia for the first time in some years would warrant some attention. In fact the only mention in the Inquirer, in a weekend arts preview, was erroneous, implying that the Orlando Consort was an instrumental group (click here for the link). I guess, to be fair, because the concert was part of Haverford's concert series and not part of the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society or Kimmel Center Presents it was not afforded the luxury of a massive advertising campaign. Still, the advertising couldn't have been all bad; I became aware of the concert after hearing about it on WRTI.

This was not my first Orlando Consort concert experience (try saying that five times fast). I saw the group in York Minster Chapter House last year in, if I recall correctly, a medieval mass reconstruction. That environment was much more conducive to the Consort's sound than the somewhat dry acoustic of Haverford's Marshall Auditorium, though that concert featured slightly different personnel than normal. I remember enjoying the York concert, but was not blown away. I felt kind of the same way about this one.

The program was a fairly interesting tour of Medieval and Renaissance music dealing with gardens and flowers (hence the title of this posting which was also the title of the concert). Each singer introduced a set which allowed the audience to know more about the forthcoming music as well as humanising the singers. A nice touch I thought. The group took a bit of time to adjust to the hall, suffering a few minor intonation and blending issues at the start. The overall sound was very good -- crisp and clean from each member of the quartet. Many of the pieces featured duos or trios which showcased individual members. The singers shone most brightly in the more homophonic pieces such as Brumel's "Sicut lilium", where they could focus on blend and illustrating the text.

After the interval, I moved upstairs to the balcony for a different sonic perspective. Not surprisingly, the overall sound of the group was more evenly blended and not as top heavy as it seemed downstairs (which isn't a terrible thing with this group, as alto Robert Harre-Jones has a stunning voice). The highlight of the concert for me were two pieces from the Franco-Flemish Renaissance by Clemens non Papa and Nicolas Gombert. These beautiful settings of the Song of Songs combine a madrigalian lushness and sensuality with the smooth polyphony of the church. The singers responded to the texts with lovely tone, sensitivity and communication.

If only more people had shown up...

Evensong with Piazzolla

2007-02-12T15:22:00.000-05:00

"...But “On Wenlock Edge” is a prime example of how Englishness in English music can be illusory. The piece checks all the necessary boxes — Housman, landscape, passing time — and presents it as quintessential English art. But strip away the textual packaging, and you hear music that sounds French. Vaughan Williams had just been to Paris to take composition lessons with Ravel, and the “little French polish” that he said he had brought back was actually a thorough technical enhancement that would pervade his later work.
There are many instances of comparable ethnic camouflage in music of the period. Howells’s High Anglican cathedral music comes charged with rhythms only a shade away from tango. Much of Delius slithers toward the chromaticism of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde.”"

-From an article by Michael White in the NY Times yesterday about the development of English music in the early 20th century.

Vaughan Williams and Ravel, okay I've heard that before. Delius and Wagner, check. Howells and tango? That's a new one. Although I rank Howells among my favourite Anglican church music composers and find his rhythmic complexity stimulating, I've never felt compelled to strut my stuff in the middle of worship.

Also, has anyone published a musicological paper that argues that there was good English music between Purcell and Stanford?

I Love You Porgy?

2007-02-09T14:01:00.000-05:00

One of the lovely perks of singing with the Opera Company of Philadelphia is getting free tickets to dress rehearsals of shows. This week I took in OCP's production of 'Porgy and Bess' opening this week. Since I am affiliated with OCP I figured it's best not to talk too much about the actual performances or the production (which for the most part I liked) but rather talk about the show.

This was my first 'Porgy' experience. Granted, I know all of the "hits" (can you think of any other opera which has had at least five songs that have infiltrated the ranks of pop?) but I had never sat down before to listen to the whole thing. Now I know why: 'Porgy' is a problematic show with as many musical gems as there are moments of musical and dramatic stagnation. The overall impression I took from the show was that of a flashy composer with some brilliant ideas who is attempting to do too much. I am not the first person to accuse Gershwin of this. I was impressed by how well Gershwin absorbed all of the music of the South, from the many church-like scenes to the occasional snatches of hawker's and boatmen songs. It's kind of nice to see a show with so many comprimario roles. However, his attempt to capture everything partially contributes to the show's weaknesses; it occasionally comes across like musicological research rather than a cohesive music drama. I've been thinking a lot about Puccini's "atmospheric" music in 'Tosca' and in particular the shepherd boy's song before the final act. In the context of the drama, at dawn before Cavaradossi is about to be executed, the simplicity and purity of the boy's voice is haunting in juxtaposition to the violence that has come before and will come after. As an audience we need this (false) sense of calm in order for the final act to have dramatic punch. Compare this to Gershwin's use of the crab-man's song in Act II of 'Porgy' - the drama literally just stops for no reason. The song provides atmosphere, but 'Porgy' is so full of atmosphere anyway that it's superfluous. This is a common problem in 'Porgy'. We are not propelled from scene to scene and there are very slow stretches in the score. I also got a bit sick of Gershwin's palette and wished he could have "dirtied" up the score a bit with strident harmony or deft orchestration. Britten does this very successfully in 'Peter Grimes', another 20th-century small-town sea-village opera. Of course, I'm a bit biased towards Britten anyway, but he is also much more adept at building drama. It's interesting to note that Britten mentioned 'Porgy' as one of the many influences on 'Grimes'.

I guess I should try to remember that 'Porgy' was Gershwin's first and only opera. He probably would have grown as an opera composer had he attempted another one. 'Porgy' is important in American musical history for its attempt to fuse the vernacular and the academic. It's also pretty potent socially as well, tackling subjects like racism, classism, drug-addiction, religion and sex. It doesn't quite reach the level Gershwin wanted it to, but it's a noble effort.

I love what I do

2007-02-01T23:12:00.000-05:00

For all the times I complain about bad conductors, being overcommitted, singing with professionals who don't always know what they're doing, crappy music and lack of certain other good music, there are times like tonight that remind me how much I really love ensemble singing. We were singing Rheinberger's sublime Mass in E-flat at church with just our paid core singers. Oh the thrill of sight-reading a tricky piece, realising that I do actually hear all of the sexy harmonic shifts (and believe me, there are a ton in this piece) and listening to my fellow singers who get it making the most beautiful sounds...at 10:00 at night after a 2 1/2 hour rehearsal! It doesn't happen often enough, but when it does, wow.

Spamming out of control

2007-02-01T15:22:00.000-05:00

OK, so the spam has gotten pretty bad here in the comments section. I've deleted most of it. I think I've sorted out the security settings and I hope people with something reasonable to say will continue to comment on here.

2007-01-23T23:11:00.000-05:00

So much for my football picks. The Superbowl should be a good matchup though...

I've had a few interesting projects this month. Last weekend was a read-through/recording session of some new choral works by Philadelphia area choral composers. The works were all really nice and it was fun to work in a smaller ensemble rather than getting lost in a huge group. Although, that was kind of nice when I felt like slacking during my senior year at the choir college...

This week is a hodgepodge sort of affair, the 150th anniversary of Philadelphia's Academy of Music. I get to sing backup for Ben Heppner and Deborah Voigt and, get this, Rod Stewart. Can't say I'm excited about that last part, but it'll be cool to do the opera things. There are some other famous guests, most notably Prince Charles and Camilla. I'm thinking of ripping my tails off in the middle and parading in my England football shirt. Probably not the best idea I guess...

There are lots of other crazy things brewing in this head of my mine that may or may not find their way onto here. How's that for a teaser?

Round-up

2007-01-12T14:31:00.000-05:00

So it looks as if David Beckham's gone Hollywood, signing with the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer this week. In addition to getting loads of money, he'll be able to flourish in an environment far away from the talking heads of European football. Still, a five year contract for a guy who's 31? He's still playing well but I can't see him still performing at a high level at 36. Maybe if Posh and Becks are ever in Philly I'll invite them round for a nice cuppa...

In other sporting news, the Philadelphia Eagles are still alive in the NFL playoffs. Tomorrow is a slightly more worrying game than last week, as the New Orleans Saints are a far better club than the Giants. The Eagles have a good chance, but they are definitely the underdogs in this game.

Uniting my two loves, this week I sang as part of a pickup choir for a TV special put together by NFL films to air on Super Bowl Sunday. Expect lots of slow motion hits and beautiful spiralling passes to the accompaniment of dramatic brass and percussion (and our inspired "oohs" and "ahs" on top). First the UK Snooker championship last year (snooker related Christmas carols filmed around York on BBC) and now this. If I could sing at a Phillies game that would be ace.

I saw 'Dreamgirls' this week and was slightly taken aback with how much I enjoyed it. The production values were stunning and some of the performances (Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce, and Eddie Murphy especially) were really top notch. I don't usually like excessive heart-on-sleeve singing displays, but in the context of the drama it was quite effective. Should I admit that when Jennifer Hudson sang the barnburner "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" I found myself brushing away tears? Anytime you can go to the cinema and be reached that viscerally, there's something good there. Of course the damn song has been in my head for the rest of the week...

I promise to write a post of some substance...soon.

Thoughts on football

2007-01-04T12:17:00.000-05:00

I've watched more of the college bowl games this year than I have in the past and have noticed a few things: College football defenses give up more big plays than their NFL counterparts. Hence, the large number of high scoring games. Personally, I like big defensive stands and great coverage. On the flip side, college football offenses are more likely to use trick plays on important downs. Those two big plays in the Boise State game were sure fun to watch.

The NFL playoffs, beginning this weekend, should have some interesting twists and turns. Look for some of the teams with the best records to be knocked off by scrappier clubs. AFC: I still don't think this is the Colts' year - in fact there may not be a Colts' year in Peyton Manning's tenure. The Chargers, while the best overall club, could still cave to Baltimore's defense. Also, don't count out the Patriots; They have the advantage going to the playoffs with so much experience and Yoda as a head coach. My pick: Baltimore. NFC: Cowboys and Giants will lose and the Saints' impossible dream will end. Seattle hasn't been great this year. Rex Grossman kind of stinks. Who does that leave? E-A-G-L-E-S!

In a lot of ways, this year's NFL season was overshadowed by events which happened off the field: TO's overdose, half of the Bengals being arrested, members of the Bears being gun-enthusiasts, and the unfortunate death of Broncos' cornerback Darrent Williams. What's going on here? And whose job is it to stop these things from happening?

Plugging

2006-12-14T10:35:00.000-05:00

The title refers both to the feeling I have at this time of plugging away at an endless barrage of rehearsals and concerts and the act of promoting. So here is a list of some Philly area concerts that I'll be appearing in over the next few weeks:

Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia/Piffaro-'A Mexican Christmas': A collection of obscurities from the Baroque in Mexico. If you like polychoral Baroque stuff (and cool Baroque wind instruments) this one's for you. This weekend in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, and Wilmington. Follow this link for more info.

Philadelphia Singers-'Christmas on Logan Square': An "octavo concert" (my nickname for concerts made up of multiple short pieces rather than a larger major work) of lovely American Christmas music of the 20th century. I guarantee you'll go out with an appreciation for some gifted but not-so-well-known Amercian composers working today. Info at the Singers' website. Also, I encourage you to listen to the Philadelphia Singers/Philadelphia Orchestra performance of 'Messiah' floating around on NPR's website, conducted by Richard Hickox. (I'm a little smudge in the promo photo on the bottom left.)

The Crossing at Christmas-A gathering of some enormously talented singers from all over the country who come together a few times a year to make stunning music in Philadelphia. The program is a mixture of more traditional Christmas rep and some challenging pieces you will not hear anywhere else in Philly this season. Next weekend at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church. For more info please contact me.

Busy, busy!

City and the Country

2006-11-30T11:36:00.000-05:00

Being home for Thanksgiving last week in the beautiful Hudson Valley reminded me of how important it is for me to have beautiful scenery around. Something about being up there (mom's home cooking, seeing my oldest friends, the lovely Catskill and Shawangunk mountains?) at this time of year always makes me feel refreshed and ready to tackle the craziness that is December as a freelance singer. However, the equation of Christmas Craziness = Cash is always a nice booster...

I was reminded the other day why I really like living in a large city. A lot of people have heard me whine about the scarcity of British goods (tea, chocolate, those British baked beans) in the U.S. As luck would have it, I randomly came upon a small convenience store that advertised "Irish Goods". Curosity piqued, I went into this seemingly run-of-the-mill convenience store only to discover PG Tips tea, Galaxy chocolate bars, McVitie's biscuits and Batchelor beans! (somewhat overpriced, of course) It's nice to know that when I get a midnight craving for some HobNobs, I now have got somewhere to go.

Rossini everywhere!

2006-11-15T13:54:00.000-05:00

There was a lot of talk in the blogosphere about the Met’s Barbiere production making a cameo on Letterman the other week. Since I did not see it, I am not qualified to give an opinion (If anyone can find a link online to a video clip, it would be much appreciated). It seems as if the appearance was a bit disappointing and kind of a "park and bark" approach. I think some of the trouble was the choice of material. The Act I finale of Barbiere does have verve and humour when put in context. It’s one of those Rossini moments where everything has been going crazy and then time sort of stops and each character is stunned. However, taken out of context we don’t really get to see how these characters got to this point. We haven’t made an emotional investment in any of them or their situations. Also the Met production is a period affair, which probably is lovely in the opera house, but on a late-night talk show probably comes across as stereotypical ‘Opera’. See Greg Sandow’s more in depth play-by-play account of the night.

Something that might have worked a bit better is AVA’s modern dress production running now in Philadelphia. Or even better still (plug alert...) would have been Opera Philly’s 'I Love Lucy'-style Cenerentola. This production is chock-full of talented young singers moving, singing and acting well in delightful 1950's costumes (And that male voice chorus is top notch!). Above the stripy black-and-white stage are three projection screens which sometimes show the internal thoughts of the characters or act as additional backdrop pieces. A lot of the movement is done in response to the music which emphasizes the rhythmic motor that pervades Rossini. The production is somewhat outlandish and cartoonish at times, but the integrity of the music and story is honoured. Besides, it's the Cinderella story and there is a lot of room for interpretation. All of this adds up to an entertaining performance from top-to-bottom which is attractive to the diverse sensibilities of the modern audience.

Everyone I've talked to who has seen it has had good things to say about it. In fact, perhaps the best audience response I've ever witnessed was the dress rehearsal audience of local school kids. When the lovely Ruxandra Donose came out for her bow as Cenerentola, I felt as if I was at a Kelly Clarkson concert or something. The kids just loved it. And this was even with two principals marking due to illness. So, if you happen to be in the Philly area this weekend, come!

Fanning the flames, putting my foot in my mouth, etc.

2006-11-01T19:03:00.000-05:00

See the welcome comment from Tempesta di Mare co-founder Richard Stone on the post below.
Looks like I published without fully looking into the situation...
I still stand by the main point of my last few posts and was basically looking to start a discussion about early music in America and more specifically Philadelphia.

False Advertising

2006-10-26T14:12:00.000-04:00

"Michael Maniaci makes his Philadelphia debut performing Handel opera arias as they were meant to be sung: by a true male soprano. Don’t miss this consummate artist and rising star of the opera world in his first Philadelphia performance – and possibly his only appearance in such an intimate setting." (Italics mine)

Yes, Handel would have expected a "true male soprano"...castrated of course. This is a little pet-peeve of mine: people saying that countertenors or male sopranists are the same voice type as the 18th century castratos. The operatic countertenor is a modern invention intended to solve the problem of casting in operas that would have originally used castrati.

There are a few fundamental differences in vocal colour between countertenors and castratos (as far as we can tell since the last one died in the early 20th century and left recordings of questionable quality):
Countertenors lack the depth of sound in the low register that castrati had. Modern countertenors have to constantly negotiate the chest/head break in the voice. Although good countertenors can get some heft into the lower range, they have trouble getting power in the passaggio because they are trying to finesse their way into the high range. Think of the powerful middle-low voice and amazing flexibility of someone like Marilyn Horne. That's much closer to what a castrati was able to do. In addition, castrati had remarkable breath control due to their adult male ribcages and child size larynxes (i.e. lots of air going through a small space).

Also, in the 18th century, falsettists existed but not on the operatic stage. They were primarily church singers, probably closer in sound to the hooty male altos you hear in the Anglican church. Furthermore, when a composer like Handel couldn't book a castrati for an opera, a female singer would take over the role, not a countertenor. The rise of gifted singers like Andreas Scholl and David Daniels has allowed opera companies to again cast male roles for male singers. Theatrically the advantages of this are obvious. Yet, you cannot say that what Daniels does vocally is the same as what Farinelli was doing.

Incidentally, I was unable to attend to Maniaci concert due to a rehearsal across town. I would have liked to hear "a true male soprano".

Early Music?

2006-10-17T13:00:00.000-04:00

A couple recent things have made me think again about issues of early music performance. The first is Sting's recent release of a CD of Dowland lute songs in which he accompanies himself on lute (with a little help from lutenist Edin Karamazov). I applaud Sting's willingness to stretch himself as a musician and have always liked singers who seek to exist "in the cracks" between musical genres. It's also great that a whole legion of Sting fans are finding out just how great Dowland's music is. Sadly, I don't think that Sting's recording can be considered a success. It is true that the original lute song singers (including Dowland himself) were somewhat closer in sound to a rock or folk singer than a Pavarotti-like modern opera singer. The importance of text was paramount, as was communicating the overall emotional character of the song. Still, the Renaissance singer typically had a clear voice and a certain refinement to the vocal sound. In these songs, Sting's voice often sounds dull and the words are somewhat mumbled. The result, to me, sounds like an amateur basement recording by someone who hasn't quite figured out how to sing in this style. Sting should have waited a couple of years, had a few coachings and thought more about communicating this music. You can't simply pick up a lute and expect to be an expert right away. Sorry Sting, it's going to take a bit more work to really do this music justice. Listen to singers who have worked in this idiom for a long time like Mark Padmore, John Potter or Paul Agnew if you want to hear this music come to life.

I recently took part in a concert of Bach vocal music that was unashamedly not a "historical performance". Sometimes performances with modern instruments can be exciting, as performers do not feel stuck in the early music box and a more personal musical response occurs. Historical performance should not be thought of as the only solution to this music. Still, things like massive ritards at the end of each movement, snail-like chorales, thick instrumental and vocal texture, and lack of variation in articulation can make this music muddy and dampen its intricate framework. One can still give a full-blooded modern instrument performance while respecting the structures Bach has imbedded in this music. Many of the major orchestras across the country and in Europe are able to give worthwhile performances of earlier works while still preserving their unique orchestral sound.

This performance got me thinking about the state of early music in Philadelphia. We have two very fine early music instrumental ensembles, Tempesta di Mare and Piffaro but where are the vocal ensembles? There are a few groups who regularly perform early music at varying levels of competency, but for a city this large, it's unbelievable that there is not a renowned group like the Boston Camerata or the New York Collegium. I think there are probably people in Philadelphia hungry for Handel operas, French Baroque music and English and Italian consort music. So where are the performances? I've been contemplating more and more the idea of looking northward for the opportunity to perform this music. I sort of feel stuck in a city where my particular gifts as a singer are underutilised. Do not get me wrong; there are wonderful singers working in Philadelphia. It's just that to me the diversity of performances leaves something to be desired.

You know you've made it when...

2006-10-04T10:48:00.000-04:00

...you are a modern composer of choral music and you are mentioned on ESPN.com's 'Tuesday Morning Quarterback' football blog. This was the good fortune of the rapidly rising West Coast composer Eric Whitacre. Perhaps what is even more astounding is the fact that a CD by British vocal group Polyphony of Whitacre's choral works ranked #75 on Amazon.com's sales rankings and is currently sold-out. This makes it the current highest selling classical CD on Amazon's charts. What impresses me the most is that this isn't a CD of crossover, or a "Classics for Relaxation" type of compilation, or a release by a particularly famous performer or a recording of Beethoven symphonies. This is a release of music written in the last fifteen years by a young composer, performed by a renowned choral ensemble who most people outside of the classical music world (or even the choral music world for that matter) probably haven't heard of. Of course, Polyphony wasn't the first group to record this music, and the BYU Singers made a stellar recording of the same material in 2003. Whitacre's music elegantly balances emotional accessibility and American optimism with an astounding harmonic language and a vivid imagination (check out 'Cloudburst' or 'Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine'). His 'Sleep' has to be up there in my top-ten list of choral works I've yet to perform (That list might make an interesting post sometime later on...). Whitacre is also taking advantage of the latest trend for classical marketing, Myspace.com. This is good news. Along with all of the Met Opera stuff grabbing the headlines there is cause for optimism.

Shifting Gears

2006-09-27T10:42:00.000-04:00

From carefree student to harried freelancer in just a week! I've been spending most of my nights in rehearsals for 'Boheme' and 'Cenerentola' (chorus, of course). 'Boheme' doesn't provide too many challenges since it's only about ten minutes of music. The tricky part with Puccini is knowing exactly where to should "Andiam!" or something similar, because you're often sitting around for ten minutes with nothing to sing. 'Cenerentola', while the music is easy, has SO many words! I've really got to get going with my memorisation since I am not the world's fastest memoriser. Especially with choral music. I feel like with solo music I can get in touch with the meaning of a poem and really get inside the construction of the words. Opera libretti (9 times out of 10) do not typically offer the same riches that Goethe or Verlaine can provide...

I'm also trying to get all of those fun "getting established" things sorted (cell phone, bike, health insurance, finding grocery stores, etc.). It's nice to be back in Philadelphia with all of its gritty quirkiness. I'm definitely missing the UK though...

Hallelujah!

2006-09-15T12:14:00.000-04:00

I'm done my degree! Recital done, thesis handed in. Two more letters to put after my name. Too bad it doesn't mean any more job security...

Recital Rundown

2006-09-10T13:41:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd put a little summary up of my upcoming final degree recital here at York. It's a good program (I think) and I'm excited to perform it on Wednesday.

Gounod -Serénade, Le Soir
-These are two really lovely songs by an unjustly neglected song composer. Gounod really sent the melodie on its way, blending elements of Schumann and Schubert with his own particular melodic style. 'Sérénade' has the sort of beguiling melody that sticks in your head after you hear it. 'Le Soir' is like the best of Schubert's night songs, serene and spacious with subtle harmonic shifts and a real lyricism.

Massenet-Poeme du souvenir
-This piece is a gem. Massenet wrote a number of song cycles in the late 1860s and early 1870s modeled on Dichterliebe or Frauenliebe und-leben, including Poeme du souvenir to poetry of Armand Silvestre. It's a shame that no one does them because they are well written for the voice and piano and provide a nice contrast to all the German cycles.

Fauré-Hymne, La Rançon, Chant d'automne
-Fauré wrote three songs to poems of Baudelaire, under the influence of Duparc, Schumann and a general dark mood caused by the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. They're quite unlike any other songs he wrote, being largely dramatic and experimental in form. To be honest, probably not the best Fauré songs to perform, but very interesting to study...

Duparc-L'invitation au voyage, Chanson Triste
-Two old chestnuts, and here we get to hear Duparc's interpretation of Baudelaire next to Fauré's. Duparc wins. Lovely to sing and play, these songs never lose the spark that makes them special.

So there you have it: 'Standing in the Shadows of Schumann-The dawn of the glory age of French Song'

The Eraser

2006-09-01T12:18:00.000-04:00

I've decided to weigh in on Radiohead singer Thom Yorke's newish solo album since it's been on steady rotation for a few weeks now. 'The Eraser' is beginning to grow on me now that I've navigated past the blips and beeps towards the real songs underneath. Yorke reaffirms his skill with cool chord progressions, funky bass loops, cryptic lyrics and even the occasional beautiful falsetto vocalise. My only complaint is to be expected since it is the work of one artist with a producer (albeit the exceptionally talented producer Nigel Godrich): there's not quite enough contrast for my taste. The beauty of Radiohead's albums is the juxtaposition of electronicky minimalist-type songs, beautiful piano or guitar-based ones and songs which fuse the two. It shows just how important the contributions of the other band members are: a simultaneously melodic and sturdy bassline, an improbable drumbeat in 11/4, beautiful guitar processing, and orchestration. The bottom line for me is that Thom Yorke is good, in fact really good but he's exceptional when he has his collaborators with him. At any rate, it's a nice appetizer until the next Radiohead album arrives...

Now for the moment you have all been waiting for: The end of my ban on talking about sports! American football season starts in just a week and I'm excited about the Philadelphia Eagles. Although we all say this every year, I think this squad has really good potential; a perfect blend of young and experienced guys with one of the best quarterbacks in the league at the helm. Tough division though...

Right now I'm wrestling mightily with dead French composers. So far I'm tied with Faure, Massenet is just beating me, and I've got Duparc and Gounod on the ropes.

Holst was right

2006-08-27T12:10:00.000-04:00

From yesterday's Guardian:

"Accordingly, about 400 scientists voted at the International Astronomical Union meeting in Prague that Pluto would have to be relegated. The decision in Prague is also a posthumous triumph for the composer Gustav Holst, who, invited after the discovery of Pluto to add one more item to his Planets Suite, completed in 1917, said he would rather not. Since then, another composer has tacked one on. Its survival must be in doubt: on the face of it, you can scarcely have something that isn't a planet in a Planets Suite. It is not quite clear how this issue might be resolved, unless by a vote of 400 musicologists, if such a number exists, on the model of the recent assembly in Prague."

Obscure composer of the week:

2006-08-22T07:28:00.000-04:00

Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703). A cousin of JSB, his music is startlingly original with a real gift for colourful word setting and unusual harmonic twists. I’ve done a couple of motets by him in the last few months and heard a cantata for alto and strings sung by a brilliant young countertenor Iestyn Davies. In some ways this music reminds me of a German refraction of Purcell (a contemporary of Johann Christoph Bach), where it continues to sound surprising even after one becomes better acquainted with it.

I’ve also gained a new appreciation for Schutz (kind of the beginning of this wonderful era in German composition that culminated with Bach) as a result of my wall-to-wall-German Baroque week in Cambridge. We had the opportunity to perform the Schutz ‘Seven Last Words of Christ’ in the final concert over the weekend. It is a stunning, beautifully dark work for 5 vocal soloists (four of who share the role of the Evangelist with a low tenor/high baritone as Jesus). The instrumentation is appropriately sombre: 3 violas, 2 cellos and continuo. Schutz manages to look back to the colourfully expressive consort writing of the Renaissance as well as employing Caccini’s method of somewhat speech-like monody. We had a cracking group of soloists and the band played sensitively for the singers. I look forward to singing this work again some Lent in a dark church somewhere...

I'm officially sick of Baroque music for at least a little while.

Choralation MIA

2006-08-17T13:37:00.000-04:00

Apologies for Choralation's lack of presence lately. I've been in Cambridge for the last week at the Early Music Summer School and have had limited access to the internet. I hope to pick it up again when I'm back in York next week trying to avoid writing my final essay and learning my recital music.

Back to England, Back to work

2006-08-09T08:01:00.000-04:00

Arrived back in the UK yesterday to be pleasantly surprised by the cool weather. Quite a contrast from the scorching heat we had in Philly last week. I have some interesting ideas for posts that will hopefully find their way into Choralation soon. Until then, it's time to conquer my jetlag.

Good things in store (I hope!)

2006-07-24T17:30:00.000-04:00

Today is my birthday. In his 26th year, Mozart wrote the Mass in C minor and The Abduction from the Seraglio. Schubert wrote Die schöne Müllerin when he was 26. Maybe this will be my annus mirabilis.

Did I say that I missed Philly?

2006-07-14T11:33:00.000-04:00

5 Day Forecast

Philadelphia:
Today: Mostly Sunny, High: 90°Low: 71°
Tomorrow: Partly Cloudy, High: 88°Low: 71°
Sun: Partly Cloudy, High: 93°Low: 75°
Mon: Sunny, High: 96°Low: 78°
Tue: Mostly Sunny, High: 96°Low: 77°

Maybe I want to stay in York next week...

Revisiting Old Friends

2006-07-11T05:57:00.000-04:00

Today I listened for the umpteenth time to Sinatra’s ‘September of My Years’ album and Schumann’s ‘Dichterliebe’ (this time Mathias Goerne’s recording. He sounds marvelous, but the accompanying leaves plenty to be desired).

First the Sinatra. There’s something about this album that has always appealed to me. Maybe it’s Frank’s world-weariness or the way Gordon Jenkins channels Mahler in the slightly syrupy arrangements. The album has a totally different meaning for a young man listening to it than it might for someone around Frank’s age when he recorded it (50). Still, there is a continuity and flow to the songs which gradually builds to the superb rendering of Weill’s ‘September Song’. Sinatra was great at the concept album and he put out a number of them in the late 50's and 60's. The technique, carefully thought out interpretation and impeccable song selection are on display in such gems as “In the wee small hours”, “Only the Lonely”, and “Songs for Swingin’ Lovers”. Good stuff.

I realized that I’ve been living with ‘Dichterliebe’ for over ten years now. I can still remember the sort of epiphany I experienced at first hearing Fischer-Dieskau and Brendel’s recording at 15 (Place giant “L” on your forehead at this point.). Up to then it had been a steady diet of Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns and Roses (I think I was ready for something different though). I was immediately drawn to the communicative power of lieder: Just a guy or girl with a piano singing about all of that painful stuff that makes up life. That’s why I still love art song dearly, it can reach people in such a potent and intimate way. I can honestly say that this experience more than most anything made me follow this crazy path of singing. Does that mean Fischer-Dieskau should be responsible for my student loans?

I should also note that the York Early Music Festival is going on right now. I saw a great recital of Dowland lute songs with Mark Padmore and Elizabeth Kenny. It had all of those qualities I found in that first ‘Dichterliebe’ moment. Padmore’s voice was smooth and free and every word came across clearly. He and Kenny were spontaneous and original and each song had a flexibility dictated by the text. If the bank allows it, I hope to see a few more concerts before it’s all over on Saturday.

You thought I was kidding about Fischer-Dieskau and my loans...

2006-07-05T07:11:00.000-04:00

In the midst of this beautiful summer, I was very sad to hear of the death of American mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. Although I never had the chance to hear her live, her rare and perfect blend of polished technique and emotional honesty comes through vividly on her recordings. She was one of the leading lights of American vocal music and will be sorely missed.

English Summer

2006-07-05T07:09:00.000-04:00

I’ve started thinking that it may be the small aspects of British life that I’ll miss the most when I leave in September: BBC Radio, the quirky intelligence of The Guardian, the great pubs and beer, the slightly lefty political outlook, the genuine politeness of most people you meet, and (at least in York anyway) the fact that everything is so old. Lately, due the recent "heatwave" (I can hardly say a few days hovering around 80 F constitutes a heatwave), people have taken to spending long evenings in the back garden with a few drinks and maybe a barbeque. The British attack barbequeing with great zeal, as if it were invented yesterday. In America it seems like barbequeing is simply a part of life and everybody has their secret marinade or burger recipe. There is almost a non-chalant confidence when Americans hit the grill. I think the British may have us beat when it comes to drinks though. The typical American barbeque features cases of Bud or Coors light – about the only time it is okay to drink that rubbish. But the British have Pimms, a gingery spirit that one mixes by the pitcherful with lemon soda and strawberries, mint and maybe cucumber. It is quite refreshing and one can easily while away the very long days (it’s still light out at 10 at night) sipping Pimms with friends. Quite a contrast to the typical sweltering Philadelphia summer evening which involves porch-sitting, drinking cheap beer and watching the world pass by your doorstep. It ain’t Pimms, but it’s nice in its own way.

So much for that...

2006-07-02T10:33:00.000-04:00

England is out of the World Cup. It was one of those heart-breaking games where the team almost wins but never quite gets it together. A shame to lose on penalties though. More surprising is Brazil's loss to France. I still think Germany can win it all. Guess now I'll have to turn my attention back to music. I promise not to blog about sports again until the NFL season starts (unless the Phillies are in the pennant race, which looks increasingly unlikely...)

Happy Birthday!

2006-06-28T05:50:00.000-04:00

Choralation celebrated its first birthday yesterday. I'm proud of the fact that I've kept this going for a year, even if I haven't been the most dutiful of bloggers. Some improvements I hope to include in the next year:
-Shorter, more frequent posts rather than long, weekly posts.
-More variety of topics
-Greater awareness of the blogosphere at large
-More pictures and sound

Hope you've enjoyed it so far!

World Cup-date

2006-06-22T17:05:00.000-04:00

USA: Better luck next time fellas. One goal in three games is not really any way to win the World Cup. Keep up the hard work but try not to be so darn predictable.

England: Beginning to hit a stride, although the loss of striker Michael Owen isn't a good sign. At least Wayne Rooney is getting fit. I have a feeling England will elevate when they face a really good squad. The Sweden game was tough, but they still haven't really been challenged yet. Still don't see the finals in the cards though.

Brazil: A bit overrated. Kind of remind me of the Indianapolis Colts of 2 years ago: unbelievable offense, lackluster defense. Until they meet a team who can contain their power offense, they will cruise. I think they face a rude awakening somewhere down the line.

The strongest teams for me have been Argentina, Holland and Germany. We'll see how these sides do in the knockout stage.

Not that I've been watching any of the games or anything...

Photo from AFP.com

Notes

2006-06-21T07:45:00.000-04:00

For years I’ve often wondered what it is about Britten’s music that makes it so special. Of course there is the impeccably elegant technique, the seamless blending of old and new idioms, the palette of traditional and inventive harmony, the ease and fluency with which he sets the English language, and the drama and humanity and strange beauty that permeates his compositions. But there is something else. Listening to some unfamiliar (to me) Britten pieces last week, I finally figured out what that something might be: Britten’s music gives the appearance that it is almost improvised, unfolding spontaneously. It’s like there is a direct pathway from his brain to our inner ears. Most composers strive for this to a certain extent, but for me Britten’s music achieves this with astonishing frequency. The music is constantly going in unanticipated directions, but in the smoothest and most natural way possible. After he has taken us somewhere unexpected, we could not imagine having gone anywhere else. It’s this je ne sais quois which makes a Britten arrangement of a folksong like ‘O Waly Waly’ into something completely different – Everything Britten touches is never quite the same afterward. You can hear this in his piano accompanying of Peter Pears as well. His interpretations of Schubert songs bring out inner lines that we have never heard before, unusual harmonies and new phrase directions in a way that is entirely unique. Britten music will give me a lifetime’s worth of discovery.

On another note, last week I heard two student pianists blaze through the two piano version of ‘Rite of Spring’. I missed the remarkable orchestration, but the piece is still incredibly powerful and exciting in its raw and primal way. It is also highly entertaining to watch two pianists (on the same piano) crossing arms and using every technique at their disposal to bring Stravinsky’s music to life. So I hadn’t heard the ‘Rite’ live until last year, and now I’ve seen it twice. Funny that.

Also, I’ve been thinking a lot about Radiohead’s new album. I think we need to cut the guys a break. If you think about the length and quality of work (and with a frequency of every year or two) we expect from people like Radiohead or Bjork, it is a much higher bar than we’d expect from a "classical" composer. If a "classical" composer wrote a ten-minute chamber music piece, a set of a few songs, or an orchestral program opener, we’d say they had been productive. A "pop" artist is expected to turn in 45 minutes to an hour’s worth of new material at each go. This is like if a "classical" composer was only writing symphonies or string quartets. There is no way they could crank out a major work every year for 15 years. Yet in the "pop" arena, audiences get antsy if there isn’t a new album every year or two. On the flip side, I guess a lot of contemporary classical composers wish that each of their new works was anticipated by millions of people from the ages of 18-35 worldwide. In short, we all can’t wait until Radiohead’s new album comes out (and hopefully Thom Yorke’s solo project will tide us over for a bit), but at least they have taken the time and care that a symphonist would take to turn out a work of comparable length. So take it easy Thom, Colin, Phil, Jonny and Ed: we’ll be happy with whatever you turn out.

Cup Fever

2006-06-08T06:57:00.000-04:00

All of England has gone mad. For the past few weeks, there has been nothing in the news except the upcoming World Cup which starts tomorrow. This is quite a shock for someone from a country where soccer is accorded only the smallest bit of attention in the media. It seems like I’ve always known names like Sven, Rooney, Becks and Ronaldinho. Actually the parallels to Philadelphia in the run-up to the Super Bowl are striking: a key player goes down with an injury towards the end of the regular season and is questionable to play, people hold an unrealistic expectation of what the team can actually accomplish, team colours are everywhere, kids are all wearing jerseys and people have those silly flags sticking out of the back windows of their cars. I find all of this new and exciting and I’m glad my year in England coincided with thet World Cup. And yes, I’ll be cheering for England more than the USA. The way I see it is that a World Cup win would mean much less to America than a victory for England, Iran, Mexico or the super-underdog Trinidad and Tobago. The rest of the world lives on soccer and the World Cup is a great equaliser, where smaller countries have just as much of a chance as big ones.

My predictions: England will definitely go beyond the first round and will probably get stopped in the quarter-finals. The USA will have a tough time getting past the first round, having to play teams like Italy and the Czech Republic, but if they do, they could ride the momentum to the quarter-finals. My money is on Germany to win it all, since they have a good team and home-field advantage. Brazil will finish second. Place your bets!

Reading material

2006-06-04T10:31:00.000-04:00

Read some interesting articles lately, one by Allan Kozinn in the New York Times, and one by Sasha Frere-Jones in the New Yorker.

Kozinn challenges the notion that classical music is dying, pointing to the rise of online classical music sites and concert venues. To me the article seemed slightly over-optimistic (I still think the average person is pretty out of touch with "classical" music as a whole), but I was particularly taken by his take on ticket sales. Kozinn contends that just as many tickets are being sold, but in the form of last-minute purchases rather than season subscriptions. I think season subscriptions, unless they offer significant discounts, are kind of outdated. Many people, myself included, would rather decide on going to a concert that afternoon than months in advance. So many groups I have been in have lamented the loss of subscriptions, but what if they actually marketed to last-minute buyers? This is the beauty of a web-service like Philly Fun Guide which releases tickets at a discount in the days preceding plays and concerts. The Philly Orchestra has done something similar with their "power hour" rush-ticketing policy. Maybe it's time for more smaller groups to do the same thing...

Frere-Jones wonders why more British pop acts have met with limited success in the US. He attributes this to the slightly darker edge of some Brit pop and also the specificity of the subject matter. I've been wondering why people here know every Robbie Williams song (even if they don't want to) but many Americans I've spoken to say "Robbie, who?" I regret that I have not immersed myself deeper in what's on British pop radio at the moment, but then again I didn't do that that often in America either. That's what the free MTV2 in my Philly apartment was good for...

Been reading a bit more for my research. Saint-Saens was an interesting guy and came into contact with everybody. (Liszt, Wagner, Berlioz, Faure, Ravel, Debussy). I think he may end up being the glue that holds this whole thing together...

Where I've been

2006-05-22T16:54:00.000-04:00

It’s been a pretty busy past couple of weeks, which is why there hasn’t been more on here lately.
Some highlights: A concert with Trio Medieval performing works specially written for them. Sometimes the tuning was so tight that it made your head throb...in a good way. The week after was a visit from avant-garde early music group Joglaresa in concert celebrating the diverse musical traditions of Spain in the middle-ages. The day after that was my all-German second degree recital featuring Beethoven’s ‘An die ferne Geliebte’. In the end the barrage of strophic songs in German (yes, the song cycle as a whole is through-composed, but each song within it is strophic) proved to be a bit much for me and I resorted to using music for the cycle. The policy on memorization is very loose here and I still felt like I was able to give a convincing performance with the music. There is something about a singer giving a performance from memory, but some of us aren’t the world’s best memorizers. Plus, when I do oratorio or chamber work I use music and nobody has a problem with it. I think if a singer feels more confident with music and can use it without being locked to it, then they should by all means use it. I think this is probably the most intense practicing I’ve done in a few years. It was kind of nice to feel like a real singer again, taking the time to really work through every piece getting it well-placed in my voice. Hopefully I can ride this momentum for awhile. Following the recital was a concert this weekend of anthems by Purcell and John Blow. Gotta love that tortured chormaticism and those snaky vocal lines. I have a few weeks until any other concerts, and I hope to start my next research project. After descending into the abyss of contemporary musicology with my music theatre and Bjork projects, I’m very ready to do something more traditional this time. The plan is to investigate French song and the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. I’m intrigued by the idea of an inter-disciplinary paper which can incorporate elements of politics, history and sociology. We’ll see how long this enthusiasm lasts...

R.I.P. Floyd Patterson

2006-05-12T11:39:00.000-04:00

I was sad to read the news that boxer Floyd Patterson passed away this week. In addition to being two-time heavyweight champion, he was also a prominent figure in my little upstate New York town. I only saw him on a few occasions, but he did come to talk to our class one time. My impression of him was of a humble, quiet, hard-working man. New Paltz and the world will miss him.

You can read his obituary in the New York Times here:

Fun in Leeds

2006-05-07T08:26:00.000-04:00

Went to a lovely concert last night in Leeds as part of the FuseLeeds new music festival. I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to realise that there is a lot more going on in Leeds (only ½ hour away by train) than York. Ah well, at least I know it’s there now.

The concert was the BBC Symphony playing Britten, Debussy and John Adams conducted by James Conlon. My primary reason for going was to hear Britten’s ‘Les Illuminations’ sung by John Mark Ainsley, a singer I’ve been interested in for awhile now. The voice was as beautiful as I expected, if a little smaller than it seems on recordings. Ainsley is a probing, thoughtful performer and a commanding figure with a serious bearing (helped no doubt by his height and bald head – seems like kind of a bad ass if you ask me). "Les Illuminations" always seems like a bit of a novelty, being the youthful Britten’s first excursion into the French language (and bravely setting Rimbaud - most French composers don’t even attempt that). I’ve always liked the piece and it has a great youthful energy, even if it doesn’t achieve the depth of some of his later song cycles and operas. I was reminded in this piece and the "Four Sea Interludes" from Peter Grimes that opened the program of how skilled an orchestrator Britten was. It’s certainly more illuminating (yes, pun intended) to hear his music live than on CD. But then again, what orchestral music really sounds better on CD anyway...

I regret that I am relatively unfamiliar with John Adams’ music. Last night’s piece "Harmonium", for choir and orchestra, was full of throbbing intensity, subtle rhythmic variation and at times lush stacked harmony. Listening to this piece, I could hear where Eric Whitacre learned some of his tricks (Whitacre’s unbelievably beautiful harmonic language is all his own though.) I’d be interested in hearing more Adams, in particular the new opera Dr. Atomic which premiered last summer. I’m curious to hear how he uses all of his tools in the context of a dramatic work.

The rest of the festival looks really good, with a mixture of contemporary classical music, multi-media and cross-genre collaboration. Particularly mouth-watering is Wednesday’s London Sinfonietta concert which features a group of songs by Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons) and Nico Muhly (worked with Bjork) sung by Antony. For me it’s a toss-up between this concert and a concert by (friends-of-York Uni) Trio Medieval. I think I will probably go to the Trio Medieval concert because the London Sinfonietta concert will be broadcast on Radio 3 later in the month. Nice to have too many concerts to go to rather than not enough!

The Masterclass

2006-04-26T10:10:00.000-04:00

This week was the previously mentioned masterclass with the famous English mezzo-soprano, who shall be known as Dame J.B. (Incidentally, Radio 3 is featuring her all week; a bit of strange and somewhat daunting coincidence; I’m sure you’ve probably guessed by now...). It was a good afternoon and not nearly as nerve-wracking as I might have anticipated. I thought that I and the other three student singers all did a good job of presenting solid performances which could be shaped by Dame J.B. She is a lovely lady, very graceful and quite sprightly for her 73 years. She talks with great passion, knowledge and commitment about the art of singing. I chose Ivor Gurney’s beautiful setting of ‘Sleep’. My interpretation ended becoming sort of a hot topic. Both my fabulous accompanist and I saw the song as sort of an agitated reflection on insomnia (and our faster tempo led to the controversy) , while nearly everyone else saw the song as a slower more heavy statement. Dame J.B. disagreed with me, but was willing for me to try to get my interpretation across. She also slipped in some helpful things about making more space for vowels in the middle range and giving more voice and colour to short notes. I prefer this sort of technical work in masterclasses to those teachers who try to overhaul one’s whole technique in one 30-minute session. This session was equally about interpretation, performance and technique. Eventually after making some vocal and pianistic adjustments we managed to perform the song as we desired but in a more convincing manner. I also sang Faure’s ‘Lydia’ which became better as Dame J.B. encouraged me to be more personal and specific in my interpretation. She came back the next day for a Q & A session which was also interesting. It is interesting to hear great artists talk about their reasons for pursuing music as art. I have heard more than one talk about a performer’s duty to serve the composer without ego. It is true that song gives us the chance to express ourselves and our feelings on a particular piece, but we must remember that it is done through the words and music given to us. Our first duty as performers is to make sure that the piece of music comes across clearly and that we do our best to give it life. I was also reminded of the incredible commitment it takes to really be a world class musician. Dame J.B. while quite nice and classy, also had a sort of toughness and drive that no doubt carried her through her long career. I wish I could focus myself that much, but I’ve always been too interested in different elements of musicmaking. Sometimes I wonder if I really applied myself as a singer and became possessed of a drive to succeed if I actually would. Still, I want so many other things though and I fully intend to pursue all of them...without regret.

Dispatches from the field

2006-04-17T08:24:00.000-04:00

I'm in the middle of a lovely trip to Prague, Amsterdam and Germany. Prague and Amsterdam were both fantastic and rather different cities. Prague has a sort of epic, old-world grandeur with a lingering hint of Soviet drabness. It feels like a city that unfolds on a large scale with amazing art-deco, Baroque facades, medieval cloisters and towering church spires set among beautiful hills and a rolling river . And it has cheap beer! Amsterdam is a more tightly controlled city in appearance with beautiful 17th century row-houses overlooking canals. It feels like a city of neighborhoods, both full of partying young people and quiet residential areas. I spent a lot of time just walking around the streets in search of my next meal of pancakes or old pub. It has an incredibly vibrant feel to it with people from all over making up its population. I also managed to catch a concert at the Concertgebouw (it really did have the best acoustics I've ever come across) by the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. They did an early Haydn symphony, two Vivaldi violin concertos and the very beautiful Pergolesi 'Stabat Mater'. Both of the vocal soloists were exceptional, and the lack of conductor gave them the freedom to dictate how the piece unfolded. There was great communication from all of the musicians reminsicent of a string quartet or small vocal ensemble. Well worth it...

Off to Germany this afternoon for a brief choir residency at Muenster. More later...

Monk de-Monked

2006-04-08T10:37:00.000-04:00

I had my introduction to the music of Meredith Monk this week (I’m analyzing and writing about Bjork’s remarkable Medulla album, which bears Monk’s influence in spots). I find the music simultaneously repulsive and utterly captivating. Monk’s voice is really quite spectacular, even if some of the sounds she makes are (intentionally) far outside the circle of conventional Western vocal production. I’m particularly intrigued by her piano-vocal pieces. Most of them are built around a simple piano figure (some might say minimalistic even though she shuns the word) with a vocal line that gradually goes from simple and melodic to rangy and shrill. It’s really a good demonstration of the capabilities of the human voice and how sort of boxed-in we classical singers are. I’m not saying I want to sound like Meredith Monk (I don’t think anyone could) but I can appreciate the journey into uncharted vocal territory. This is somewhat the same reason why I listen to "pop" singers; often the untrained voice is more able to explore a wider range of colours without always wondering if it’s healthy or "on the breath". I’m always impressed by singers that know their voices so well and can choose colours at will to inflect different musical phrases. This is why I like people like Jeff Buckley, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Bjork, Audra McDonald and Thom Yorke from Radiohead. I have to say I’ve learned more from any one of these singers than I have from any number of classical singers.

Suggested listening: "Volcano Songs-Duets" from Volcano Songs; "Biography" from Dolmen Music, both available from your neighbourhood Amazon retailer...

Meeting the maestro

2006-03-30T09:16:00.000-05:00

Through the marvels of modern technology yesterday I met John Eliot Gardiner. Well, not exactly, but I did take part in a video-conference that linked the maestro with students in London, Wales, Edinburgh and of course York. This is one of a series of video-conferences sponsored by the London Symphony Orchestra. It was a very interesting afternoon which focused largely on the problems of conducting and performing, particularly earlier repertoire. Gardiner talked about performing earlier music with modern instruments (okay, as long as the conductor and the players have a clear idea of how to approach the music and do not try to sound like early instruments). He said that his vision of the future for major orchestras is that they would have players that could double on period instruments and/or a core of players that could play earlier works. A large portion of the conversation centered around avant-garde staging of operas and also the Bach Passions and cantatas. Gardiner’s main view was that Bach’s music is inherently theatrical and could lend itself to the right kind of theatrical presentation, in which simplicity was paramount and the natural relationship between players and singers could be realized. He also argued that Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Cosi fan tutte are period pieces whose meanings become muddled with recontextualizion (i.e. Peter Sellars’ "Despina’s Diner"; he suggested that other Mozart operas could survive adventurous staging). He made an interesting link between these two operas and Jane Austen. One could argue that Pride and Prejudice would be ruined if moved to another setting, as would Cosi. He stressed that in Mozart’s operas many of the clues for the action on stage are found in the orchestration and underscoring. When the orchestra is somehow visible to the audience this link is emphasized. An interesting idea that I think I agree with, having seen a few operas where the orchestra was readily visible. Other issues addressed included a discussion on orchestral colours in Berlioz, the loss of unqiue sounds between orchestras and the development of the early music movement in Britain (My memory is a bit jumbled as I also attended a workshop on the ins and outs of tuning early music earlier in the day hosted by Hilliard Ensembler Rogers Covey-Crump...).

Overall I thought it was a stimulating afternoon and an idea that American orchestras should replicate (if they are not doing it already). Conductors are often very interesting, smart, well-spoken personalities and it certainly helps to see the human being behind the music. It made me think that orchestras could benefit from having brief interviews with conductors posted on their websites about upcoming programs. Think about it: you are going to hear Eschenbach and the Philly Orchestra play a Beethoven symphony on Friday. On Thursday night you go to the Orchestra’s website and watch a five minute interview with Eschenbach giving his insights on the piece and why he feels it is important. Maybe you could even watch a snippet of the orchestra rehearsing that very work so you could see how the sound was arrived at and who these orchestral musicians are when they’re not onstage in tuxes and dresses. You go to the concert on Friday with these things in mind and decide at intermission that you’d like a CD of the piece that was performed in the first half of the concert. You place an order, return to your seat for the second half of the concert and upon leaving are handed a pretty CD of what you just heard an hour before (Obviously this last bit was taken from Gardiner’s own recent recording innovation on his label Soli Deo Gloria. Regrettably I didn’t get a chance to ask him about it.) So basically, your symphony-going experience has been transformed from a one-off event to something that you have a lasting record of. And when you listen to that CD in the future, maybe you’ll see Eschenbach conducting and associate parts of the music with what he said in his pre-concert interview. We have the technology for this. It is easy and informative and creates a more dedicated listener. Why isn’t everybody doing this?

Bit of news

2006-03-23T06:34:00.000-05:00

A bit of news that I didn't want to tack on to the previous post:
I recently got confirmation that I'm to sing in a masterclass with a VERY famous British mezzo-soprano in a few weeks time. Guess I should get working...

American Opera

2006-03-23T06:30:00.000-05:00

Good article from Anne Midgette in Sunday's New York Times about the state of American opera. It brings up some interesting points about genre, workshopping (good or bad?) and getting further performances. One of the things I learned by my work in the promotions department of a music publisher is that commissions and premieres happen fairly often, it's getting the second performance that's tough. Everyone likes to claim "world-premiere", but who wants to say "second performance"? As a result, many good works are left to collect dust on the bookshelves. The observation that smaller-scored works gain more performances is definitely true. It's a lot cheaper to hire 5 singers and 15 players than a cast of 15, full chorus and an orchestra of 70. This makes operas performable by universities and smaller companies of young singers.

Still, I guess we should be happy that there are so many talented American composers and singers working on opera. This doesn't even include the music-theatre genre benders like Adam Guettel and Michael John LaChiusa (also featured recently in the Times in a profile by Jesse Green) who are questioning conceptions of what makes a musical. I think audiences (particularly opera audiences; musical audiences are often tourists seeking entertainment-which is fine, until they're confronted by an experimental, dark work and run screaming) are game to see something new by their fellow countrymen. For a lot of people, Jake Heggie's 'Dead Man Walking' is much easier to identify with than 'Il Trovatore'. And it's nice to see the pre-historic Met lumbering towards new music with the appointment of Peter Gelb.

They saved the ridge!

2006-03-15T09:17:00.000-05:00

Great news from the New York Times about a move by New York State to save the Shawangunk ridge (see the picture to the left). This area has been threatened for several years by developers wishing to cash in on the Gunks' beauty. I am truly happy to hear this as I have spent most of my life in this area. Now I can rest content that scenes like this on the left will be preserved for a long time to come.

Soft Rock?

2006-03-13T10:50:00.000-05:00

Some new bands courtesy of an article in The Guardian about the revival of "soft-rock". The one thing I had a problem with was the labelling of Hall and Oates as solely a soft-rock band. It's true that Hall and Oates went this way pretty quickly, but their original sound was much more like the wonderful Philly soul of the 70's. But anyway here are some links to these bands:

Zoot Woman
Orson
The Feeling

Not sure any of these bands actually sound like Hall and Oates to me, but there are definitely nods in the direction of mid-70's pop. Also, if you want to hear full tracks, each of these bands is on MySpace music.

Yorkshire Tourist

2006-03-09T07:05:00.000-05:00

I finally spent some time exploring Northern England with a trip to Durham and a journey through the Yorkshire Moors to the coast (how can it possibly take 2 1/2 hours to go 60 miles? Welcome to England).

Durham is a lovely cathedral and university town with some nice streets and an indoor market. The cathedral is set strikingly on a big hill overlooking a river (like my specificity?). It was, thankfully, not terribly crowded and I was able to spend a good bit of time really taking in the unique architecture. I also enjoyed a (very wet) walk along the river where I took the photo to the right:

The weekend brought a nice visit from my brother and his wife. On Monday we decided to venture to Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay. Whitby features an abandoned abbey overlooking the North Sea. It's a cute town and I had the best fish and chips of my life there. Robin Hood's Bay is even more charming and it was nice to be on the beach. The bus ride through the Moors was long, but the craggy scenery was very beautiful, especially with the bit of snow that fell on Friday. Below is a shot of Robin Hood's Bay (at low tide):

I'm hoping to go to Scotland in a few weeks when term is over, and hopefully I'll get around to exploring the South at some point to. For such a small, old place, there is sure a lot of beautiful scenery!

More sports

2006-02-27T16:38:00.000-05:00

I think I've finally figured out how to fill the void between the Super Bowl and the beginning of baseball season: Rugby! I watched my first two rugby matches this week (on the telly, not live) and I found it quite enjoyable. I don't really get the finer points, but it's pretty hardcore. American football has more pauses (commercials) but the actual game moves much faster than rugby. Another thing I noticed is that in rugby each guy kind of has to do a lot of different things: kick, run, tackle, throw. In American football each guy is a specialist in his position and has to know a huge number of plays corresponding to his position. This means that the players are built accordingly; i.e. a running back is smaller and faster than an offensive tackle. The multi-tasking involved in rugby means that there is a more standard "rugby-build", so they all kind of look like slow running backs. I just wonder why they don't get really fast big American football-style running backs who can cut and break tackles. Guess I have to learn more about rugby so I don't sound like a moron talking about it...

On a musical note, since this is purportedly a music blog, I heard a very interesting program on Radio 3 yesterday that discussed the role of visual images related to classical music performance. It was enlightening to hear Tallis Scholars' master Peter Philips talk about his impressions of choral music performances on TV. Although I wish music were always enough to fill the seats, I think that a tasteful, well-designed visual presentation does make more people interested in concert-going. It's just another way to break down the boundaries between the "performance" and the person receiving it.

If you see one movie this year...

2006-02-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

I saw George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck this past weekend and am still under its spell. It is so refreshing to see a brilliantly crafted movie, with great acting, cinematography, costume/set design, writing and structure. In many ways, this movie is an heir to the great pot-boilers of the past, bringing together all of its elements to propel it forward rather than CGI effects, bad language and sex. The story deals with Edward R. Murrow's crusade in the mid-50's to bring down Joe McCarthy. Clooney smartly lets the late Senator speak for himself, using archival footage (who could really play Joe McCarthy anyway, with his mix of bluster, conviction and in the end fear and weakness at the hands of his interrogators?) What we get is a vivid portrait of incredibly smart and bold people using the power of television to educate the American people about their government's wrongdoings. When was the last time you saw television journalism aspiring to something so important? Of course, in this over-saturated information age of blogs, Bill O'Reilly, Fox News and Air America it's hard to sort through all of the talk to find a singular "fair and balanced" voice. The movie made me very sad, because it showed that we haven't come all that far in 50 years. We still live in a society of government-induced fear, where large corporations are in bed with politicians and the media. Still, this is partly what made the movie so powerful for me; Clooney has created an incredibly subtle critique of our troubled world. It seems that Hollywood may be beginning to rediscover its activist voice with such films as this, Syriana, The Constant Gardener and documentaries such as Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. Maybe Hollywood is more than the land of glam and artificiality...

Like Tanglewood...but indoors

2006-02-12T11:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I took part in a concert that creatively re-imagined the traditional relationships between performers, audiences and performing space. The event was called "Echoes of Distant Voices" and was held in York Minster. Apparently the Minster removes all of the chairs from the rather enormous nave of the church once a year for cleaning, leaving it wide open. The music included traditional Javanese gamelan music, overtone singing, medieval and renaissance polyphony, Gregorian chant, songs for voice and violin and some more modern choral pieces. As varied as this lineup seems, it all held together remarkably well. The point of the performance was to take advantage of this magnificent space, and each set was performed in different parts of the nave. Performers would simply emerge from the crowd to begin their pieces. As there were no chairs, the audience was encouraged to move around the room to experience the sound in different ways or to simply sit on a blanket and take in the sound. I found it rather nice to look around and see sleeping children, people meditating, and others sampling different aural perspectives around the room. I did a lot of walking around which was not only good for listening but also was a nice way to relax before singing.

I’m not sure this kind of concert-going experience would suit all kinds of music, but I wonder what would happen if more "art" music was re-contextualized like this: bringing music to creative and inspiring spaces and allowing the audience to experience it in a completely personal way. As everyone relates to music differently, maybe freeing people from their chairs in a darkened concert hall is a good thing.

Super Bowl

2006-02-06T10:27:00.000-05:00

Very tired today as I stayed up until three last night to watch the not-quite-exciting Super Bowl XL. Fortunately for me, the game was being broadcast on the Yorkshire television station, which meant I did not have to go to some remote location to watch it. It was funny to watch it on a British network because we got less than half of the commercials that people in the States did. Instead of cutting to commercials with every break, we got commentary from a team on the sidelines (an ex-player and a British sports analyst) or from a BBC studio (a knowledgeable ex-rugby player, an attractive British newswoman and, of all people, the Eagles’ very colourful linebacker Dhani Jones - guess he wanted the paid vacation to London). Although Super Bowl commercials are generally pretty interesting and/or funny, it was nice to not have to deal with so many of them. Also, for our play-by-play we got the team of Daryl Johnston and Dick Stockton who I generally find more of a hindrance than a help. Johnston is the master of completely general and irrelevant commentary, while Stockton is always getting his facts wrong. Guess they pawn off the B-team commentators on the rest of the world...The half-time special with the Rolling Stones was quite tame compared to Janet last year, though Mick Jagger still gets around quite well for an old chap. And the game itself? I thought Big Ben Roethlisberger played a pretty crappy game, but he made some bold decisions which turned out for the best. The Seahawks dominated in almost every statistical category but they simply couldn’t turn out the big plays that Pittsburgh managed to. I’m rather impressed with Pittsburgh’s run up to the Super Bowl (defeating the top 3 AFC seeds on the road) and it was nice to see Bill Cowher finally win one. Hopefully Seattle will suffer the annual post-Super Bowl hangover, leaving room for the Eagles to dominate the NFC again.

And with that, I say goodbye to football for another six months, which means I have to start writing about music again. Too bad...

Lovely Yorkshire

2006-01-30T05:39:00.000-05:00

It was a good eventful week around here:
Tuesday was my first graduate recital (I’ve got to do 3). It was all music of the "new-Broadway" composers that I was studying last term. It was a tough program because it demanded a lot of things vocally that were a bit different for me. Plus, it is sometimes hard to do a recital of mainly theatre music, because it can become tiring. Still, it was an enjoyable experience and I think I accomplished most of what I set out to do. If nothing else, at least some of this music was able to be heard by a wider audience...

I celebrated Mozart’s big 250 with a lovely concert of violin sonatas on Wednesday. They were done with fortepiano which added to the sonic experience. I didn’t know these pieces before and it was a treat to hear them done well. My particular favourite was the G major K.379. It had a gorgeous and expansive slow first movement which suggested (to me anyway) Beethoven. Mozart is balm for the soul. It’s too bad a lot of young musicians I know find him boring...

Yesterday I went on a hike in the Yorkshire Dales (see picture above). It was a perfect day for hiking, even if it did get a bit warm with the steep climb and brilliant sun. This was through the outdoor society at the University, to whom you can pay a small fee to be bussed to lovely Yorkshire spots for a day of hiking. We had a good turnout today and everyone was a good sport despite it being icy and slippery in spots. I thoroughly enjoyed getting out of York and seeing a bit more of the English countryside. Hope I’ll get out a few more times before the year’s out...

Interesting article in yesterday’s Guardian about a recent move by the Association of British Orchestras to launch a Healthy Orchestra Charter. Wonder if something like this is on the way in the U.S. or if the orchestra unions have more power over work conditions there. Now if only we could do something about the sometimes appalling conditions that choirs are forced to deal with...

Death Cab

2006-01-22T15:48:00.000-05:00

Greg Sandow has been writing at Arts Journal much more eloquently and in-depth about brainy "pop" music. He mentions one of the loveliest pop songs I know, "Passenger Seat" by Death Cab for Cutie. The combination of the simple piano melody unfolding over a subtle wash of electronics and Ben Gibbard's direct and heartfelt lyrics is, I think, quite moving. Death Cab for Cutie has to be one of my favourite bands right now. The song construction is often quite simple, but the lyrics, production and subtle instrumental flourishes really make them top-notch. Of course, in many ways it's emo-indie rock for teenagers...and 25 year olds.

With a name like Esa-Pekka Salonen, it has to be good

2006-01-19T16:35:00.000-05:00

"...And having once told a radio audience that pop music was rubbish, he now praises Bjork and Radiohead, arguing that "the thinking behind their music is not so far removed from how a contemporary classical composers thinks." He also listens to Shakira on his iPod when he exercises, and plays hard rock in his car on the drive home after concerts. "
-Allan Kozinn on Esa-Pekka Salonen in Sunday's New York Times

This seems to be a trend lately, classical musicians really getting into Radiohead and Bjork. And why not? These two "pop" entities have been producing interesting, high-quality music for over ten years now. And they're popular all over the world. This is what "classical" music needs to be aware of to move forward. And hopefully Radiohead and Bjork (among others) will continue to produce viable music that's enjoyed on a large scale. This article was also interesting for showing just how much cooler the LA Phil is than the NY Phil. New Yorkers wake up, you're not the center of the classical music world anymore!

Did I mention I may be doing my next essay on Bjork? Either that or Gluck. At least they kind of rhyme...

Molsons for all!

2006-01-16T08:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was mistaken for a Canadian! I feel like I'm moving up in the world!

Close Encounters

2006-01-08T14:08:00.000-05:00

I caught some of the Met’s Elixir of Love broadcast on the BBC Radio 3 yesterday (Yes, I’m back in the U.K. after a lovely, but short trip back to the States). Listening reminded me of my geeky high school years where I spent each Saturday faithfully listening to the Met broadcasts. It’s really a wonderful way to hear a large amount of opera and the intermission features are often quite informative and enjoyable. I was also reminded of the often close miking the Met uses for these broadcasts which can make even the best singers sound shrill and wobbly. I suppose in a cavern like the Met, there is not much choice in where the mics can be placed where orchestra and singers are picked up clearly. This relates to what Anne Midgette wrote in the Times a few days ago about how seating location can affect one’s perception of a concert. I fully agree with this hypothesis, though as a musician I occasionally like sitting very close to see the inner workings of a performance. I once saw a performance of Ravel’s Piano Concerto (the two hand one) from the very front and enjoyed hearing the soloist breathe, sing and physicalize the phrases. It’s true I missed some of the orchestra/solo balance, but it was great to see this artist work. Similarly, I learned a great deal about singing from an up-close-and-personal performance of the B-Minor Mass a few years back. I could hear how each soloist made small adjustments to shape Bach’s difficult phrases. There are others I could relate, but the basic idea that the hall and where you sit in it have a large affect on performance perception.

On another note, I recently acquired a DVD of Fischer-Dieskau and Brendel performing Winterreise in 1979. It includes a bonus feature of the two of them rehearsing for the performance (Unfortunately, I’ve not had time to watch this part yet). If you have any interest in seeing two magnificent artists at work, I suggest you buy this. Immediately. To see Fischer-Dieskau in performance mode is worth the price alone for those of us who came of age after the Fischer-Dieskau era. Not only is the performance sung beautifully, but it is also acted in quite a realized manner, with subtle facial expressions adding layers of depth to the music. Truly a revelation.

Christmas Goodies

2005-12-27T08:46:00.000-05:00

Rufus Wainwright: 'Rufus Wainwright', 'Want One'
Elbow: 'Leaders of the Free World'
Johnny Cash: 'The Legend of Johnny Cash'
Soundtrack to 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou'
Ricky Ian Gordon: 'Bright Eyed Joy: Songs of Ricky Ian Gordon'
10 hours of Bill Evans on an mp3 CD made from a personal collection

So excited! So much listening to do!
(So much writing and music learning to do for next term! Aargh)

Racing to the finish line

2005-12-16T12:10:00.000-05:00

Today was the last day of term. In some ways it seems like I've been here a long time while in other ways I feel like I just got here. I'm happy with what I've learned this term and look forward to continuing to grow next term.
I saw a lovely 'Winterreise' last week with the tenor James Gilchrist, partnered by Peter Seymour, one of the music dept. faculty on fortepiano. The venue was a refurbished church that is now home to the National Centre for Early Music. It was a rather intimate space, and the feeling was enhanced by Mr. Gilchrist's expressive voice and the lighter colour of the fortepiano. I've never heard 'Winterreise' on an original instrument before, and I experienced the work in a completely different way than I am accustomed. Some parts missed the more sonorous sound of the modern piano (particularly in those bits lying in the lower range), but others were enhanced. I was especially taken by some of the effects gained by putting on the various pedals (they seemed to work more like a stop on an organ, sustaining a particular sound quality until taken off). Because of the lack of sustaining power of the fortepiano, there is much more room for the singer's words to be articulated. Mr. Gilchrist spoke to the audience before each half of the cycle, kind of outlining how he saw the cycle progress. On the one hand, I liked that we were able to see into the mind of the performer; on the other I think that a singer should be able to convey his/her point of view simply through the music (which, incidentally, Mr. Gilchrist did). In a social gathering afterward, I was astonished to learn that this was Mr. Gilchrist's first 'Winterreise' and he learned the cycle in about a month. That he was able to give such a fully realized performance makes me eager to hear where he will go with the cycle in a few years time.
Tomorrow is the obligatory Christmastime 'Messiah', this time with the Yorkshire Bach Choir. We are not cutting any choruses which is a bit of a drag. Fortunately Peter Seymour's brisk tempos should get us out of there by 10:00!

R.I.P. The Philadelphia Eagles

2005-12-07T10:37:00.000-05:00

No star quarterback, no star receiver, no star running back, stick a fork in it ladies and gentlemen, because this season is done! There's always next year I guess. New York Giants, anyone?

I'm really doing stuff, honest!

2005-11-30T06:02:00.000-05:00

Choralation has not been on hiatus, I’ve just been busy with various rehearsals and lectures.

Tomorrow is a performance of Haydn’s The Seasons with the University Chamber (not really Chamber) Choir. I’ve got some nice duets and solos to sing and I’ve enjoyed working on the piece. Much of it sounds like outtakes from Magic Flute or Abduction from the Seraglio. Haydn is quite creative in his setting of the rather clunky text. We’re doing it in German, but the English text is even worse. Of course, I’ve developed a nasty head cold and it should be fun negotiating my way through that. That’s where experience and technique will hopefully help me along.

Last week I was lucky to see quite a unique concert by the Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart. The group specializes in contemporary music with extended vocal techniques (singing in various non-traditional ways). The centerpiece of their program was Luciano Berio’s A-Ronne. It is completely unlike any other piece I’ve ever heard before. I find it difficult to describe exactly what the piece is, but it is essentially a music theatre piece based on repetitions and variations of a single multi-lingual text. Some of it is sung, much of it is spoken (with one wild dance break in the middle). To me, it gave the impression of watching late-night television and flipping from station to station. You get little snippets of different events and situations (including a tennis match, a cocktail party and what sounded like a send-up of grand opera). Throughout this the text remains the same, so the meaning is conveyed by the inflection and sound of the words and the theatricality of the performers. It really makes one think about how meaning is conveyed and how language is really just a collection of sounds with different inflection. We are having a seminar on Berio next term, and I will enjoy digging deeper into the piece.

I like to share my own personal connection with Berio, which is that I was part of the American premiere of Berio’s last piece Stanze with the Philadelphia Singers, Philly Orchestra and Christoph Eschenbach. After my initial trepidation with the piece, I really came to like it and found it somewhat moving in that it is a farewell piece of sorts. (To me, it suggested the Mahler Ruckertlieder or Das Lied von der Erde, and Berio references Mahler throughout the piece). I’m not sure I’ll ever hear Stanze or A-Ronne again, but I am fortunate to have experienced both.

This past weekend was also quite busy, with a performance of Handel’s Alexander’s Feast with the Yorkshire Bach Choir (a nice piece that should be done more, but is kind of expensive to perform, because of the extra instrumental soloists) and my first services as a deputy (substitute singer) at York Minster. It was a sight-reading extravaganza, but I managed to get through it relatively unscathed.

It also snowed yesterday! None of it stuck, but it’s always nice to see snow. Makes me miss those cold New York State winters!

2005-11-17T10:22:00.000-05:00

Just finished re-reading Anne Midgette’s interesting report on young singers in America. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot in the past few weeks as I am adjusting to a completely different manner of training singers.

In both of my conservatory experiences in America, the focus was on creating a "complete" performer, with classes on diction, language, theory, history, acting and vocal literature. This was, of course, augmented by weekly voice lessons, which (hopefully) helped the student to build a secure technical foundation on which to lay all of these other interdisciplinary things. It is certainly true that most singers are not ready for the real world of singing after completing their four year course of study, but they are well on their way to understanding the craft, desire and discipline necessary for a career in this crazy business. It is also true that larger voices had a more difficult time, for they simply needed years in order to gain control over the instrument. I suppose "lighter, flexible voices that can perform a wide range of material accurately" were encouraged, but the majority of 21-year olds do not have dramatic or spinto voices...yet. What Anne Midgette fails to address is that some of these young, light lyric voices might naturally begin to gravitate towards heavier repertoire as the voice ages. I do think you are born a Wagnerian, but you can grow into Puccini and Verdi. Still, it is necessary to foster a good relationship with a solid technician in order to build a voice that can have a long life. Even with all of the intricacies of a conservatory education, it is still difficult to get the amount of attention a young voice needs. Many conservatories run the risk of being singer "factories", where voices are built and rudiments are learned without much care given to the singer developing into an intelligent, thoughtful artist. I think the best we can hope for out of a conservatory education is a healthy start. Let experience, maturity, further teaching and the unique personality of the singer do the rest.

Now I am witnessing a completely different method towards creating musicians (notice I didn’t say building singers). Unfortunately my experience with British universities is somewhat limited since I only have experience at one. Here at York, students are encouraged very early on to create an academic portfolio that suits their individual interests. Students get an allowance for a private teacher, which they may spend as they see fit, being careful not to run out of money too soon. Instead of classes which dabble in everything, students take part in special subject seminars, working on a specific project for a semester. The project could be in Baroque Choral Music, Lieder, Contemporary Music, Jazz, etc. At the conclusion of the seminars, a large written assignment is due, along with a vocal performance of some sort. (This is what I’ve been able to glean about the undergraduate curriculum from the course catalog and talking with other students). The graduate program is similarly run, but with the special subject seminars changing every four weeks. (I should also note that York is on a trimester system. In addition, British universities are only three years instead of four). The student’s written work and performance assessments are chosen by the student and may encompass any topic on which the student wishes to do independent research. So what emerges out of all this are students who have worked closely with very knowledgeable scholars on areas of music that they are interested in, but who have not worked as much on becoming singers. I imagine an aspiring opera singer could find life a bit lonely at York, as there are many singers who focus on early music and choral music. I am surprised when hearing the undergraduate singers here, both because of their innate sense of style and musicality and for the limited technical resources of some. It is also surprising to note some of the knowledge and deficiencies in vocal literature that this specialisation creates. In America we receive a broad survey of different vocal music, but may not spend a lot of time on one period of music until later on. These singers here may handily perform loads of wonderful obscure early music that most American singers would be clueless with, but may also have never heard a Strauss or Wolf song. (I should qualify all of this by mentioning that York is a university and not a conservatory. I expect that life at the Guildhall School or Royal College of Music may be more similar to my experiences in America).
In the end, I think that it is important to survey everything before you specialise, but at a certain point focussing on one’s individual interests helps a musician to grow. This makes a program like York perfect for postgraduate students like me who are ready to be challenged intellectually and pursue specific interests. For example, I am examining composers and performers of the "post-Sondheim" generation this term. I wonder where I possibly could have done that, while still learning about historical performance practice in lieder and the intricacies of ensemble singing.

Sondheim on contemporary opera

2005-11-11T10:40:00.000-05:00

"The problem with writing an opera is that you never get a chance to fix it. The way opera companies are run (and one understands the exigencies) you can never get enough performances to fix it. You get five, six, a dozen performances, usually not in a row. In the 19th century, and I’m sure earlier, operas were re-written over a period of time, the way shows are now. With a musical, you have a number of continuous performances whether it’s out of town, before New York, or like here at the National, where you have ten previews during which to fix a play. With opera, not only do you not get enough performances, you don’t get successive ones, you don’t even get a successive cast quite often. So that no scene ever gets set, and as a writer you cannot judge whether what’s wrong with the piece is the actors’ fault or the orchestra’s fault or your fault. The result, I think, is that most twentieth century operas are at best on the way to being good, and the problem is that you simply don’t get enough time. Beverly Sills who runs the NYCO asked me a number of times to write an opera, and I said "Can I get thirty continuous performances?" There was dead silence, and I sympathise, it’s not her fault but an opera audience likes repertory."

-Stephen Sondheim in a question and answer session 5 March, 1990, Olivier Theatre.

Sounds from Home

2005-11-03T10:30:00.000-05:00

Last night I had the pleasure of hearing Northern Harmony, an American vocal group from Vermont. The group is known for its diverse repertoire and ability to sing in various ethnic styles. It is comprised of 16 mostly young singers who generally sing without a conductor. Throughout the concert, different singers would indicate a beat now and then or a gesture, but the expression was largely done just through the communication of the performers. The group started with some New England shape-note singing and wound its way through bluegrass (complete with fiddles and dancers!), Bulgarian and Georgian folk music, songs of South Africa and even bits of Pierre de la Rue’s famous Missa L’Homme Arme. In general, the singers sang with a very earthy sound that was very bright, with tight harmonies. There was a large dynamic range though, and the sound varied from ear-ringing fortes to hushed pianos. It was nice to hear American singers sing this music, fully immersing themselves in the vocal styles involved. It made for a very spontaneous, exciting feeling on stage, and each of the performers seemed to be enjoying themselves and sharing musical moments together. The lack of pretense and somewhat informal approach to performing helped break down any barriers between the performers and the audience. Let’s just say it was a stark contrast from groups in white ties and tails and ladies in black with pearls singing highly concerted music. Not that there’s anything wrong with that...

2005-10-31T11:29:00.000-05:00

So much for my prediction. Eagles got spanked 49 to 21. This has already been a very long season and looks to continue this way. Not fun. Almost makes me want to be a Giants fan again. Almost...

2005-10-30T20:10:00.000-05:00

Highlights of last week:
Last week’s research seminar was a dissection of the second movement of Ives’ 4th symphony. It was given conjointly by one of our American professors and a guest German musicologist. The piece is seemingly impossible to analyze with its cacophony of brass bands and double orchestra, but both lecturers did a good job of explaining their connection with the piece and some of the possible sources Ives used for its composition. It seems that Ives’ use of quotation extends beyond the obvious use of ‘Columbia Gem of the Ocean’ and that there is actually a much more complicated method at work. Ives takes such small bits from pre-existing pieces (his own as well as popular American songs and hymns) that it becomes an almost serialist method of composition, with each section being based on different melodic and rhythmic materials. Ives shows a mastery at creating an intensely complicated, layered method of composition. It is interesting to discuss Ives with non-Americans. It seems that here Ives is more of a curiosity and less of an integral part of music history. In America, Ives gets a lot of discussion time and is held up as being the first truly original American composer. It’s funny how our national identity can influence our perception of music history...

I also caught a concert of Vivaldi and Bach chamber works. It was a lovely performance and I enjoyed getting to hear pieces I hadn’t heard before, including a sacred Vivaldi cantata and a secular Bach cantata (BWV 209, in Italian!) for soprano. I was again struck by how much more complex Bach is than Vivaldi. The Vivaldi works were all quite nice and pretty and full of virtuosity, but after the first few measures of the Bach, I realized I was in a different compositional dimension. That being said, I wasn’t crazy about the Bach work and feel like he gave so much more to his sacred works than his secular. End score: Bach 20, Vivaldi 17 (which is incidentally my pick for the Eagles/Broncos game, in favor of the Eagles. I still think the Eagles won’t really have a rushing attack, but the defense should basically be able to hold the Broncos offense. Look for some late-game heroics, possibly from the Eagles’ secondary or new kicker who just got ditched by the Cowboys. I’ve got my lucky shirt on, so I’m hoping for good things. I plan to listen to it tomorrow morning via the archived broadcast at NFL.com Field Pass. Go Birds!)

My first day of school

2005-10-20T08:19:00.000-04:00

Things are finally underway here at York as I had a long day of lectures and rehearsal yesterday. In some ways I feel as if I used my brain more yesterday than I have in months, maybe years. That's kind of the point of my being here though.

Wednesday mornings consist of a research seminar in which we learn how to be effective researchers in our given field. (We also had an interesting conversation about the meaning of "research".) The seminars are divided generally into composition, musicology and performance. I'm doing the performance seminar. The second part of the morning, also a performance seminar, basically consists of a coaching class where students bring different pieces of repertoire and we explore performance practice problems. I'm excited because the lecturer is very knowledgeable on these things and we also have access to harpsichord and fortepiano. I'm looking forward to doing some Schubert and Zelter (who? you may ask) lieder with fortepiano. I imagine my approach will be somewhat different than I'm accustomed to due to the acoustical differences between the fortepiano and our modern piano.

The afternoon featured my first choir rehearsal of the semester. It's rather different singing with young voices again after singing primarily with adult singers for the past few years. The Chamber Choir has a nice light sound. I found myself having to listen extra hard to try to blend with my fellow tenors. It's definitely a different sound than I'm used to singing with, but I think I will fit in just fine. This semester we are working on Haydn's 'The Seasons'. I didn't know the piece prior, but find it to be charmingly rustic and lustig. The second part of the afternoon is a lecture which will be given by a different professor every week on a specific topic. I missed out on some great ones at Peabody, and so will try to go to as many as I can.

Nothing today, and tomorrow is our Vocal Studies meeting and small ensemble coaching. Our ensemble is still figuring out what to sing and so we haven't rehearsed yet. Tomorrow night is also the first rehearsal for the Yorkshire Bach Choir. We are doing a program of music for Guy Fawkes Day (a York native) of Tudor music with lots of Byrd and company. Good stuff. I guess I should probably go learn it or something...

Miscellaneous

2005-10-17T11:16:00.000-04:00

Further reading about my post on British classical radio stations. I wonder if America had something like Classic FM if we could put more bums in the seats...

Rehearsals start this week. Looking forward to singing in an actual British choir instead of an American choir trying to sound like a British choir. Whatever that means...

Go see 'Wallace and Gromit'! It was very intelligently written and assembled and I found myself laughing for the entire film.

BBC!

2005-10-12T07:17:00.000-04:00

I’ve really been enjoying listening to British radio stations in my room (when one does not have TV or internet in one’s room, one turns to the radio. I had a similar experience when I lived in Baltimore). Mainly it’s been BBC3 and ClassicFM. Occasionally I’ll put on the talk channel, BBC4. The programming on ClassicFM is kind of like Top 40 classical music, but like an I Pod shuffle. You get a movement of Mahler here, a song there, a sonata movement sometime else. I find the DJs rather enjoyable and witty. BBC3 plays slightly more obscure selections (yesterday was a delicious mass by Ockeghem, today a cantata by Kuhnau [for more on Kuhnau go here]), but isn’t a strictly classical formula, with jazz and world music coming on at night sometimes. I'm amazed at just how much vocal music they play. It's great to hear new repertoire every morning. Both stations have lots of features with performers and it’s also interesting that a lot of British recordings and performers are represented.

I was treated to a fabulous feature on Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue album over the weekend on Radio 3, in which each track of that magnificent album was taken apart musically. A special emphasis was given to the unique solo styles of each soloist on the record. It’s great to hear someone talk about Bill Evans’ love of Impressionism and tone clusters or about Miles Davis’ use of simple modal motives and then to actually hear Evans or Davis play the solo. The feature went into the overall construction of the album and how Miles Davis used specific players for each track in order to create the desired effect. Unfortunately, my copy of Kind of Blue was on tape and is no longer in my possession. Overall, I find the scholarship and high level of the features very good.

Perhaps I’ll begin to venture into the pop stations soon to try to pick up some new (to me) British bands. It seems that a large part of the programming is American music. It’s kind of funny to hear The Black Eyed Peas in a grocery store in England. I feel like we should be listening to Brit Pop all the time!

York!

2005-10-09T06:36:00.000-04:00

Arrived in York a few days ago for the start of my year at the University here. I've mainly spent my time trying to stay warm (and dry!) and walking around the campus and the town. Last night we had a little party in my building so everyone could get to know each other. Our house is like the United Nations! It's kind of cool because everyone brings such a different perspective to their experience here. Things start in the Music Dept. on Tuesday and I am definitely looking forward to getting involved and not having so much free time. Hopefully I'll have my computer situation resolved soon so I can listen to the Eagles games online!

Travelling

2005-10-04T10:17:00.000-04:00

Choralation will probably be on a brief hiatus, as I settle into my new surroundings at the University of York in the U.K. I'm looking forward to this great adventure and hope that I will have a lot to share in the coming months.

In the meantime, I would like to direct attention to a fine article by Terry Teachout at Commentary magazine. There is a new book which discusses popular song composition since 1950. The book is a sequel to Alec Wilder's classic American Popular Song which dealt with all of the great popular songs written from 1900-1950 in an informative but highly individual, wry manner. I hope to devote a post to Wilder's wonderful genre-straddling music in the future, but it deserves more than I can do right now. In the article, Teachout also explores the reasons for the decline of the "professional" tradition of popular song writing. Part of the reason, he says, is the combination of a shift in demographics, the rise of sophisticated rock and roll and singer-songwriters, and the decline of the Broadway theatre in the late 60's and 70's (What about Sondheim, you say? His music is, for the most part, character driven which makes it hard to perform out of context). While I do think the tradition of Arlen, Kern, Rodgers will probably never return, I am encouraged by a number of songwriters writing sophisticated songs both musically and lyrically, which could have life beyond the initial performance - Elvis Costello's North album and Rufus Wainwright are two that spring to mind. Songs will always live on and continue to speak of the human condition, we just have to be open to them wherever they may come from in the future.

Dylan and more

2005-09-27T11:07:00.000-04:00

I found myself watching the Martin Scorcese documentary on Bob Dylan last night. I have to admit, I've never been a big Dylan fan. I can appreciate his unique place in the history of American popular music, but I still don't like him all that much. Still, there are a few things about the documentary that I found noteworthy:

The interviews with Dylan and some of his compatriots reveal a complex, intelligent individual who has spent the better part of forty years trying to remain as distant and enigmatic as possible. Dylan claims to have come to New York with no history or identity and to have written his lyrics with no idea of what they mean. This may be true, but I see someone with a very clear sense of himself who has manufactured each part of his artistic persona with great care. I think Dylan knows exactly what he is writing and how he will be perceived. He talks in contradictory phrases to blur his real feelings on things. It's all just part of his desire to keep the most important part of his art to himself. Am I saying Dylan is a con-artist? Sort of, but I think there is still an amount integrity (whatever that means) in his music.

The more interesting part of the documentary for me was all of the archival footage, both of Dylan and of his forebears and contemporaries. I was especially struck by the folk-blues singer Odetta with her raw intensity and John Jacob Niles who the Slate critic David Yaffe called "a silver-haired kook with an autoharp and a scary falsetto." I'd known about Niles for a while as the originator of "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair," "I Wonder As I Wonder," and "Go Way From My Window" but did not know he was also a performer. I remember a coaching class a few years ago where we were debating whether Niles collected these tunes or composed them himself (they are always credited to "John Jacob Niles" and not "Traditional, arr. John Jacob Niles"). It seems that Niles did indeed compose the songs himself, albeit with a brilliant synthesis of his own writing and various folk sources. He shared with Dvorak and Chopin the ability to compose such authentic replicas of folk music that the music only sounds as if has been around forever. Apparantly Niles was quite an interesting figure balancing a career as an instrument builder, singer (both in his own folk performances and classically of all places at the Chicago Lyric), ethno-musicologist and composer. His voice is definitely a bit strange, and reminds me a bit of one my favorite singers Jeff Buckley, both in its intensity and its willingness to soar into countertenor territory. You can hear Niles at this site or at the Smithsonian Folkways site which also contains all kinds of rare audio treasures.

Beethoven in your living room (or on the subway)

2005-09-21T10:29:00.000-04:00

Recently came across an interesting article discussing how music has become ubiquitous due to mp3 players, car stereos, cell phone ringtones and the like:

"...devices like the iPod threaten to decontextualize and thus dull the impact of music even further. The iPod's shuffle feature may be a great way to sample the range of your record collection; but I would argue that hearing Beethoven butted up against Dr. Dre hinders appreciation of either artist, in the same way that creme brule makes a lousy side dish to kim chee."

This reminds me somewhat of what Benjamin Britten had to say when he received the first Aspen Award in 1964:

"Anyone, anywhere, at any time can listen to the B minor Mass upon one condition only - that they possess a machine. No qualification is required of any sort - faith, virtue, education, experience, age. Music is now free for all...Music demands more from a listener than simply the possession of a tape-machine or a transistor radio."

I don't really want to get into a whole discussion about music dying at the hands of technology, but I would like to make a few points. I think that having music at our fingertips can be a good thing. See Kyle Gann's post about using mp3's as a teaching tool. This is a great idea and I think many music professors are breathing a collective sigh of relief about having entire semester listening lists at their disposal. But I think having music available at all times has contributed to a somewhat short-attention span way of listening to music. When it is everywhere, it is harder to focus even when one wants to. I always feel weird when I'm listening to a larger musical work on a recording and then I have to go out or become distracted doing something else, leaving the work unresolved. Surely that's not what the composer had in mind when writing the music in question. On the other hand, recordings have allowed many of us to enjoy works we might not otherwise get to hear. Still, it does make it difficult to fully appreciate a live performance when we are used to having the freedom to come and go as we please. I guess what I am saying is we all need to take time out to really focus on music, to let it move us as intended. To let it teach us something about the world or to provide a respite from so many of the horrible things that surround us. It may sound cliche, but music really is a sanctuary. Embrace it.

Miscellany

2005-09-18T23:04:00.000-04:00

...I've added some links to some of my favorite organizations, publications and blogs. Enjoy.

...A mixed day for my Philly ties:
Good news: The Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers 42-3. So nice to see the re-emergence of the Eagles' offense. Also, the Phillies are still in the N.L. wild-card race deep into the season. Usually they collapse right after the All-Star break...

Bad news: From the Philadelphia Inquirer: The Philadelphia Singers, one of Philadelphia's most important musical organizations, has announced the cancellation of half of the concert season. The Singers have provided many young singers like myself a chance to perform in a high level professional choral ensemble, gaining insight from experienced singers and conductors. The Philly Orchestra's decision to try to "upgrade" their image by only using the professional Singers and not Philly's talented amateur groups has hurt everyone: The Singers have sort of lost their place in Philadelphia's choral scene, becoming known primarily for their concerts with the Orchestra and not for their own interesting programs. Talented local amateur and college choral groups (including my alma mater Westminster Choir College) have lost the opportunity to perform with one of the greatest orchestras in America. Has the Orchestra really gained anything by only hiring professionals? Surely amateur groups can turn in good performances of major choral works. Amateurs tend to be better rehearsed and more willing to work anyway. Unfortunately the author of the Inquirer article has in his own way directly contributed to the difficulties with his relentless diatribes against the Singers' (and other local choral groups') concerts. I know critics should tell the "truth" as they see it, but is it right to literally criticize groups out of existence?

The art of reviewing

2005-09-15T10:33:00.000-04:00

Kudos to Anne Midgette in the New York Times for writing a review that is aimed at first time operagoers. It is highly refreshing to see someone in music journalism breaking the mold here, while still writing a constructive review. She makes the interesting point that listeners may not be to blame for thinking a classical music performance is dull:

"For me, as someone who loves opera, the point [of a review] is actually to encourage everyone to think more critically about what they did and didn't like and challenge the things that didn't work, rather than simply praising it for being lovely and letting people continue to believe that if they don't like classical music, the fault lies with them rather than a possibly indifferent performance."

I've long lamented the state of most classical music reviews. It seems that more time is spent on dissecting the work and the composer than actually talking about the performance. Look, if I wanted to read about the Mozart 'Requiem', I'd go to the library and read a book on it. I read concert reviews to find out which performers to watch for, how the performing forces were able to respond to the challenges presented by the given work, and in opera how the drama was presented and what the sets and costumes looked like. For concertgoers reading reviews the morning after, they are hoping to find out what a literate, intelligent person has to say about the performance. If anything, it should make their next concert experience more enjoyable because they will have additional things to listen for and a broader way of perceiving the concert. I'm often appalled at how inadequately many reviews address these issues. Education, people! That is how classical music will survive. People need to feel like it's okay to not get everything or to find some things boring. We in music need to train people how to listen and to feel confident that their perception matters. It is okay to have questions about music and wonder why certain things did not work.

I am encouraged both by Anne Midgette's review and by City Opera's inventive way of opening their season. It's too bad that Paul Kellogg has decided to move on from his post as general director there. Big shoes to fill...

The Best British Songs of All Time

2005-09-12T12:48:00.001-04:00

From the BBC: The Beatles' A Day in the Life was ranked the best British song of all-time. Does this mean that Dowland, Purcell, Vaughan Williams and Britten didn't make the grade, or were simply discounted because they weren't pop? The phrase "of all-time" is a bit presumtuous in my book. Still, I think the article has probably identified the best British pop song ever. The mixture of avant-garde elements, lyrics as well as solid pop craftsmanship gives A Day in the Life its strength. So now it's time for me to identify just a few of my top British pop songs. Of course, this does bring up some questions. Do I list my favorite British pop songs, or songs that I feel contribute something signficant to the field of British pop music but that I may not like as much? I decided to just list my own skewed list of favorites (sorry Elvis Costello, Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Pink Floyd).

1) A Day in the Life (for the reasons discussed above).
2) Reel Around the Fountain-The Smiths.
-Who would think to put a melancholy, simple ballad like this as the first track on a first album? Well, that's exactly what The Smiths decided to do. Usually bands go for a big bang that will get the album off to a good start. But this really is a quintessential Smiths track: Morrisey's limited but effective monotone, dryly funny and melancholy lyrics, jangly guitar with the occasional odd chord change and a subtly interesting bass line. Highly influential for most mopey Brit groups out there today.
3) How to Disappear Completely-Radiohead
-There are so many Radiohead songs I could put on here, but this is probably my favorite. It may lack some of the complex structure of some of their other songs, but it more than makes up for it by being so emotionally compelling. Radiohead is great at subtle details which lend depth to their songs. In this song, the bass is in duples against the triple meter of the acoustic guitar while strings interact seamlessly with electronically altered guitar samples in a slow orchestral layering. The simple chord changes and somewhat lilting feeling are hypnotic enough to lend a sense of comfort, which is slowly undermined by subtle dissonance. Eventually the song disintegrates into atonality (much like A Day in the Life, giving the sense of "disappearing completely") only to come through on the other side into a gorgeous falsetto vocalise and the introduction of a simple E major chord. It is truly ravishing.

Some Facts

2005-09-04T22:57:00.000-04:00

Some of these figures may help us understand how the situation in New Orleans got to be as bad as it is. This is more than a terrible natural disaster - it lays bare how large the class gap is in this country. Take a look:

-28% of people in New Orleans are under the poverty line. Compare this with 9% of the general American population. (NY Times)
-Of those under the poverty line in New Orleans, 84% are African-American. (NY Times)
-50,000 households in New Orleans do not have cars. 35% of black households do not have cars, compared to 15% of the white households. (NY Times)
-Public assistance checks are typically mailed on the first of the month. Since the hurricane came at the end of the month, many did not have money they could have used to possibly evacuate. About 4.5 percent of the population in the disaster area received public assistance; nationwide, the number was about 3.5 percent. (AP)
-Nationwide, about 7 percent of households with children are headed by a single mother. In the three dozen worst hit neighborhoods (in N.O., Mississippi, and Alabama), 12 percent were single-mother households. (AP)
-Many of the poorest neighborhoods are in low-elevation areas of the city and were therefore hit with the most severe flooding.
-New Orleans was ranked the eighth most dangerous city in America in a study published in November, 2004. (Morgan Quitno).

There are some interesting maps showing demographics, crime statistics as well as the extent of the flooding.

If anyone has any more important facts and figures, please feel free to post a comment.

Records

2005-09-01T12:06:00.000-04:00

I've been meaning to write a post about the record industry for awhile, and the appearance of a few recent articles makes it that much more appropriate.

First, from the pop world . It's been reported that many "legacy" acts such as Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones are having difficulty selling albums even though they still bring in $1000 a ticket for live shows. The article says that rap is having the opposite problem, with healthy record sales but weak ticket sales. Only a few bands are managing to have their cake and eat it too: Coldplay, U2, Josh Groban and a few country artists. Classical music fans should be somewhat relieved that even the mighty Rolling Stones are having trouble selling records. The reasons are somewhat similar too: fans feel they have all the Stones records they could ever want and are hesitant to buy a new album, even if it's good. How many times have you been in the record store and seen an interesting looking recording of a Beethoven symphony and thought: "You know, I already have 3 recordings of this." This leads directly into the next article which discusses the end of the era of big-budget opera recordings with Placido Domingo's new recording of Tristan und Isolde. Record companies have (finally) realized that full opera recordings don't sell well, no matter how much money is spent on the production and marketing. I guess the future of opera recordings lies in DVDs with their bonus features, sub-titles and of course the visual element (which I think is essential to the appreciation of opera). Still, it is kind of sad to know that there will never be another blockbuster recording of Tristan; kind of like a major movie studio deciding they can't make big-budget epics anymore. I can only imagine the glory days of old when a major opera recording would arrive in stores every week. Of course, what's at play here is simple economics. There is an immense amount of money that goes into financing a project like this. Still, I think record companies are not doing all they can to keep the industry healthy. I am a bit baffled by the fact that the majors are not grabbing at the chance to digitize all their music and sell it online. There is much less overhead, out of print works can stay in the catalog and it cuts out the middleman (sorry, record stores). As much as I love I Tunes, why does it still have the lion's share of the marketplace? I suppose it's because of their technology, but still. Think about it: you could log onto Sony's website and have the choice of any recording released under the Sony umbrella. Naxos has done this a bit, where the user can pay a membership fee to stream any music in the Naxos catalog. This is good, but what if you want to listen to recordings in your car or on the train? I guess price is a bit of an issue as most record labels would want to charge more than the $.99/song at I Tunes. But by making the whole catalogue available in one place, they could have a much larger selection than I Tunes ever will and eventually cultivate a loyal base of customers. In addition, encryption technology has improved, so it is harder to make infinite duplicates of an album. So what's the hold up?

The last article talks intelligently about the crisis affecting Hyperion Records. It is sad to see such a wonderful label on the ropes financially. It would be shame if multi-disc projects like the absolutely brilliant Schubert Edition were never made again. Save Hyperion Records!

Pharewell

2005-08-29T10:02:00.000-04:00

Goodbye Philly! Thanks for the memories!

Things I will miss:
1) Family and friends
2) Eagles games
3) Cheesesteaks
4) Sitting in Rittenhouse with coffee from La Colombe
5) Tree-lined streets with rowhouses
6) All of my wonderful choral groups

Things I will not miss:
1) South Eastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority
2) Rudeness
3) Awful summer humidity (with no AC!)
4) Running to rehearsal after a full day of work
5) Expensive beer

Handel?

2005-08-25T10:23:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I really like Handel now. I think for so long my view of Handel was shaped by the post- World War II-super-slow-treat-it-like-a-museum-piece approach. This music is so human and so passionate, and that does not come across at all when it is bogged down with inarticulate lush playing and heavy and slow vocalism. I don't think Handel is as multi-layered as Bach, in fact I don't think anyone is as multi-layered as Bach. But when Handel is really done well, there's this noble beauty where time stops, much as in Mozart's best moments. It's simply the sustain of a powerful emotional moment as only a true dramatic composer can do. I see a lot of parallels between Handel and Mozart. No matter what they are writing it's influenced by the theater. And is our job as performers to bring out that theatricality. This is why I so enjoyed doing 'Messiah' with Nicholas McGegan: he made it seem like an opera with all of these different emotional contrasts. And that's what Handel is all about really.

On a side note, Radiohead is recording again. Hurrah! And what's more is I found out from another classical music blog. It seems as if much of the classical community is beginning to embrace Radiohead as the big hope of contemporary popular music (though they're not really "pop" at all). I've been arguing for awhile Radiohead is creating music that's as interesting as a lot of contemporary "classical" music. I wait with bated breath...

2005-08-21T17:25:00.000-04:00

Three recent articles in the New York Times of note:

It's nice to see Belfast highlighted as a tourist destination. I've been telling everyone how much I liked it since I visited last summer. I was impressed with how generous the people were - they were so happy to have Americans coming to visit their city. I found it much more satisfying than Dublin, which was overrun with American tourists and very crowded. In Belfast, we felt as if we had the city to ourselves. In some ways, Belfast felt like an equivalent to Baltimore - port cities that have had difficult times but which are in the midst of revitalization. Still, it's worth going on a "black cab tour" to get a sense of the divided neighborhoods and to see the murals highlighting the Troubles of the past 40 years.

All the talk in Philly lately (besides the Terrell Owens situation) has been about this article calling our city "the sixth borough" of New York City. Are people just finding out about Philly now? We had a ball making fun of the future Philadelphians who will have to deal with our expensive booze and early bar closings, sorely lacking public transit system, smoking in restaurants and bars, and the legions of Eagles fans. Don't get me wrong, I love Philly, but it could be a shock for those expecting the comforts of New York.

And finally another interesting "State of the Classical Music World" article. The article mentions various marketing strategies by major orchestras to attract younger audiences, which include multimedia presentations, free food and shorter more accessible programs. This raises a few questions for me: If people are initiated into classical music this way, do you think they'll expect this all the time? Can they be weaned off of the multimedia presentation and appreciate the music for what it is? The primary reason for all of this is education. People need to learn about classical music before they will willingly shell out money to attend concerts. I think Simon Woods' (formerly of the Philadelphia Orchestra) analogy comparing classical music to museum education is interesting. The difference is that music, while it may be centuries old, is recreated every time we perform. It is a living, breathing artform. How do we as musicians get people to realize that what they're seeing is a truly unique experience? I think it is easy enough to get people to attend a concert, but how do we get them to attend that second or third time?

Berkshire Recap

2005-08-18T10:03:00.000-04:00

I’m not even sure where to begin my summary of BCF. So much was compressed into 5 weeks that it’s quite difficult to summarize it effectively. I am glad that BCF lived up to my expectations (expectations arrived at rather hastily as I applied for the position on a whim rather late). I love it when a plan comes together.

In a way, this program was all about acquaintances - faculty, my fellow apprentices, 5 very different but gifted conductors, 1,000 choristers, and the music of some great composers. In addition to all of the music, I was thankful to be around such an easy going and fun group. It really made the weeks go fast and not seem as tiring.

In regard to my fellow apprentices, you never know what you’ll get for colleagues when you are all thrown together from different places in a cramped, hot dormitory for a few weeks. I think this group had a good chemistry, with each person bringing something different musically and socially. I especially enjoyed our four recitals and appreciate their professionalism and musicality. It was good for me to meet some people my age who are multi-talented as singers, conductors and pianists. That’s one of the things I took away from this - that my diversity of musical interests could be a good thing because it means that I have more possibilities to pursue.

It was great meeting and working with all of the conductors and finding out how they got to where they are now. Most of them had multiple interests and did not follow a prescribed path. They realized they had a particular talent or a particular love and so utilized it to begin to make a career. This was another reinforcement idea for me - there is no specific path that we must follow as musicians. We must simply do what seems right and what seems like it may help us in where we are going. It takes a special kind of conductor to accept the challenge that BCF offers: to prepare a major choral/orchestral concert with 250 volunteer choristers whose performing ability you know nothing about in the span of a week with only 2 orchestral rehearsals.

I am glad to have rediscovered my voice. Singing 6 hours a day for five weeks, I was able to gather some focus and really concentrate on my voice. I haven’t had to work that hard in awhile, but in many ways, I feel as if I’m singing batter now than I have in awhile.. I’ve missed the immersion that happens in a summer program or an academic atmosphere. It was so hard for me to make any growth working in an office, spending much of my time commuting and only singing at night after a long day. I am hoping that some of my momentum will be carried through to York. I enjoyed working on repertoire again and having the chance to perform something for an audience multiple times. The choristers were very vocal about their appreciation and sometimes it was good to get a sort of "man on the street" opinion about my performances.

So I guess this kind of sounds like an advertisement for BCF, but that’s okay. As our artistic and executive directors suggested in our farewell brunch: Pay it forward.

Now for some rest (sort of)

2005-08-15T13:30:00.000-04:00

BCF finished with a rousing (i.e. loud) performance of Verdi's 'Four Sacred Pieces' and the Prologue to Boito's 'Mefistofele' on Saturday night. Yesterday was for striking the stage and a farewell brunch. Tomorrow I'm back in Philly. Look for a more in depth reflection on BCF sometime soon. For now I'm enjoying not having 6 hours of rehearsal a day and having my own bathroom!

Tanglewood (Parts II and III)

2005-08-08T15:26:00.000-04:00

I caught two more Tanglewood concerts this weekend - Friday with BSO, Ingo Metzmacher and Matthias Goerne doing Mahler's "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" songs and Stravinksy's "Firebird" suite and Sunday morning with a program of contemporary music at Ozawa Hall featuring my former teacher William Sharp.

Goerne was as good as the last time I saw him a few years ago, and I enjoyed hearing him with a full orchestra (he was miked up though since it's an outdoor space...). He's such a dynamic and interesting performer and breaks all of the recital rules that I discussed in my last post. Goerne (and Ian Bostridge now that I think about it) kind of propel themselves around the stage, letting the music take them. My impression of Goerne is that he looks like a boxer, with his movement, his sturdy build and his strange habit of touching his nose before phrases. He is such an original artist that he does not need to worry about "spots on the wall" or addressing the audience; he simply does what the music tells him to do at any given moment. It doesn't hurt that he is a brilliant vocal colorist with a beautiful mixed voice and the ability to sing a smooth and purposeful musical line. That's really what's going on here: he is able to achieve all of his artistic objectives vocally, so why worry about the physical stuff?

I also enjoyed the Stravinsky - the BSO seems to be having some sort of Stravinsky mini-fest this summer. I like "Rite of Spring" better than "Firebird" but you can already hear the rhythmic impetus and instrumental coloring that form the core of the later work. The orchestra sounded a bit rougher this week, which could have been due to a number of reasons.

Sunday's concert was terrific. It featured pieces by Steven Mackey, George Perle, Yehudi Wyner and Nicholas Maw, all of whom were in attendance. The performers were student fellows at the Tanglewood Music Center. I think the presence of the composers drove the performers to travel that extra mile and it was a pretty exciting atmosphere. Mackey had two pieces on the program, a new piece called 'Gathering' and an older piece entitled 'Indigenous Instruments'. Unfortunately I couldn't really hear the first piece as we were a bit late and I was oustide waiting to take my seat. What I could hear I liked, as it featured the unusual instrument combination of trombones, harp, marimba and two female singers. The second piece, which closed the program, is a kind of imagined world music which featured unusual tunings and instrumental effects to create something odd-sounding. It was very creatively done and vibrantly played by the student musicians. The Perle piece, 'Critical Moments 2', featured some pretty kick-ass percussion writing and was made up of a series of intense short pieces. The instrumental colour and rhythmic drive made it very exciting to listen to. The Wyner was a virtuosic duet for clarinet and piano and the interplay between the two performers was great to watch. My favourite piece was probably the Maw (a Peabody composition prof) which featured my former teacher William Sharp. The text was by Robert Browning and the scoring was for voice, flute, harp and viola. It is a seamless text setting which ebbs and flows with the emotions of youthful love present in the poem. Maw is a natural vocal composer and the score featured moments of Romanticism but with colourful modern harmonies. Mr. Sharp was masterful, and the architecture and beauty of the text really came through. His voice blended very well with the student musicians and there were many moments of intense beauty. It's definitely a piece I would enjoy hearing again.

I'm so glad I've had a chance to get to Tanglewood a few times this summer, it really is one of America's musical treasures and is a hotbed for young talent. It almost made me want to apply to be a TMC fellow sometime in the future...