I finally got back the Carmen videos. They are extremely well done (by the narrator's father, for no charge - other than my giving him all the leftover food because the number of attendees was so much lower than I had budgeted for). He knows how to pan in to the singers' faces, which is key. The woman who was paid to video the September 11 concert did not do nearly as good a job, mostly because she just videoed the entire stage, with the piano at the left, and the singer at the right, leaving the singer very small.
First of all, I will say that except for the B flat (written as a B natural) at the end of the Sequidilla, I am happy with how everything sounded. I sound better than I ever have. A lot of things have come together this past year (except that my range has not increased and perhaps never will). My voice is much bigger, has less tension, and the notes that I do have at the top and the bottom within my "Wikipedia" two octave range from low A to high A sound much better and are just easier to sing. I also think I acted well with one or two exceptions. I am certainly pleasantly surprised by how well I move onstage, considering that I have bad scoliosis, age-related deterioration of the lumbar spine, arthritic hips, and a fractured knee that never healed properly. The only concession I made to "disability" was to change into my flat shoes for the final scene because I wasn't able to fall easily in heels. If anything, my one shortcoming is that I still use my upper body a lot as an aide to vocal technique (raising my arms, for example) rather than to create a character. And of course the humongous gaffe was that my glasses were on a lot of the time. This was not a staged reading from books (other than Micaela singing her aria from a book, which should not have happened) and I had all my music and words memorized. I had my glasses on when I was offstage so I could look at the score and read the narration. As I said in another posting, if this had been a professional performance or even a well organized amateur one, there would have been a stage manager of some kind who would have noticed that I had my glasses on and taken them off.
The only video I am almost completely happy with is Act IV, so I have sent it to friends and posted it on my Facebook page. I sent all of them to the concert producer, the other singers, and my voice teacher, and will of course send more to any friends who ask for them.
I am mostly happy today, of course, but also a bit sad, because I can see all the rough edges that need smoothing, and I know that people who went to conservatories and young artist programs got to get up and sing in front of people over and over and get constructive criticism that would help them smooth those rough edges, and of course I do so rarely. So I fall further and further behind. Even if I count from when I started singing again at 54, which is 10 years ago, I have not advanced as far as someone like Little Miss Conservatory, who at 22 has probably been studying for less than that, because she has had total immersion and I have not. It's a miracle even that I practice 6 days a week.
In other news, the producer got back to me about the Handel and said it was too long, and that she would find two shorter songs for me to sing on September 11. I am game for anything, I am just now wondering what she has in mind, as she thought the two shorter churchly pieces in English ("The Call" by Vaughan Williams and "He that Keepeth Israel" by Schlosser) were "dull".
I debated whether or not to post the video here and have decided not. I posted it on my Facebook page. If anyone here wants to see it, just leave a comment with your email address. I screen all comments, so it won't be public.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Friday, June 20, 2014
The Ear is Quicker than the Eye (or the Pencil, for that Matter)
I was planning to write anyhow, because I now am pretty sure that I will be singing something in both the Hispanic Heritage and the September 11 concerts, which has lifted my spirits.
Wednesday I went back to the concert producer (who had helped me produce Carmen). Interestingly, although it was she who had suggested the Garcia songs to me, after I sang through them (and I am pleased with how I sounded; I nailed the ending to "Contrabandista" to my satisfaction) she said she didn't think they were really "for me" and she suggested another song from the book called "Tirana del Cangrejo", which is quite risque. I can't find a good video of it, or I would link to one. The style of the music is quite old fashioned; the composer is Pablo Esteve and it was written in the late 1700s, but the text is about a crab that a woman is hiding in her bosom. So I can have a ball singing it. I am also going to sing one of the more lyrical Nin songs. I found one called "Canto Andaluz" that has some of the nice melismas that Spanish songs are famous for.
For September 11, I had suggested two churchly songs: "The Call" by Vaughan Williams, and "He that Keepeth Israel" by Schlosser. The latter was totally new to me but it sits in a good part of my voice and will make a nice church solo. The text is similar to the choral piece "He Watches Over Israel" from Elijah. The producer didn't care for either of those; she thought they were "dull". So I have taken a huge leap outside the box. Something I had thought about for September 11 because the text is so perfect was Ruggiero's "Sta nell'Ircana" from Alcina. That is one of the coloratura trouser role arias that I sang in the 1970s (I don't actually recall ever singing it in public) that I have not looked at in decades, but the text is about a tiger who is debating whether to attack her enemy or protect her cubs, and it is full of vocal fireworks (with nothing written above a G). I listened to a few versions, and decided that the one I liked best was the original one I had worked with in the 1970s, sung by Teresa Berganza, who is most famous for Spanish songs (and for Carmen) and whom my choir director has told me I sound like (I had thought of my voice as bigger and more dramatic, on the other hand he does not let me sing that way, although he did hear my Azucena). I no longer see myself as a "dude" (as a younger gay woman who was five foot six 130 pounds I was a shoo in for those parts and they kept me on safe ground in my social circle) but this is an aria that can stand alone on its own merits and once I get back in the groove with my rapid fire coloratura (not something I have focused on recently) I think I can shine in it. It also is in line with my mission to find flashy pieces for lower voices. Like all Handel arias, the reprise has ornamentation, which brings me to the subject of this post. The ornamentation is not written down, because each singer does her own. As I once mentioned, I have a "phonographic" memory, and, after about 10 listens, can sing Berganza's ornaments note perfect (I didn't say vocally perfect, I said note perfect.) There is no way in Hell I would be able to write them down, nor am I going to bother. I may do them a speck differently each time, but so what? I remember my mother of all people telling me that bel canto singing was a lot like jazz - that singers improvised. Since it will all be in rhythm it will not throw off an accompanist, particularly as any variations will be minor. I feel a bit defensive about this, because all singers now have music theory training and talk about chord structure etc. and when I hear that sort of talk my eyes just glaze over because I don't know what they are talking about. But I don't think this is something I need to sing this piece well. I think nontraditional approaches to singing have gotten a bad rap lately. I'm not talking about faulty technique; more about where you start from, or how you learn things.
So here's the aria, for your perusal.
http://youtu.be/93yxE06t1Lw
Wednesday I went back to the concert producer (who had helped me produce Carmen). Interestingly, although it was she who had suggested the Garcia songs to me, after I sang through them (and I am pleased with how I sounded; I nailed the ending to "Contrabandista" to my satisfaction) she said she didn't think they were really "for me" and she suggested another song from the book called "Tirana del Cangrejo", which is quite risque. I can't find a good video of it, or I would link to one. The style of the music is quite old fashioned; the composer is Pablo Esteve and it was written in the late 1700s, but the text is about a crab that a woman is hiding in her bosom. So I can have a ball singing it. I am also going to sing one of the more lyrical Nin songs. I found one called "Canto Andaluz" that has some of the nice melismas that Spanish songs are famous for.
For September 11, I had suggested two churchly songs: "The Call" by Vaughan Williams, and "He that Keepeth Israel" by Schlosser. The latter was totally new to me but it sits in a good part of my voice and will make a nice church solo. The text is similar to the choral piece "He Watches Over Israel" from Elijah. The producer didn't care for either of those; she thought they were "dull". So I have taken a huge leap outside the box. Something I had thought about for September 11 because the text is so perfect was Ruggiero's "Sta nell'Ircana" from Alcina. That is one of the coloratura trouser role arias that I sang in the 1970s (I don't actually recall ever singing it in public) that I have not looked at in decades, but the text is about a tiger who is debating whether to attack her enemy or protect her cubs, and it is full of vocal fireworks (with nothing written above a G). I listened to a few versions, and decided that the one I liked best was the original one I had worked with in the 1970s, sung by Teresa Berganza, who is most famous for Spanish songs (and for Carmen) and whom my choir director has told me I sound like (I had thought of my voice as bigger and more dramatic, on the other hand he does not let me sing that way, although he did hear my Azucena). I no longer see myself as a "dude" (as a younger gay woman who was five foot six 130 pounds I was a shoo in for those parts and they kept me on safe ground in my social circle) but this is an aria that can stand alone on its own merits and once I get back in the groove with my rapid fire coloratura (not something I have focused on recently) I think I can shine in it. It also is in line with my mission to find flashy pieces for lower voices. Like all Handel arias, the reprise has ornamentation, which brings me to the subject of this post. The ornamentation is not written down, because each singer does her own. As I once mentioned, I have a "phonographic" memory, and, after about 10 listens, can sing Berganza's ornaments note perfect (I didn't say vocally perfect, I said note perfect.) There is no way in Hell I would be able to write them down, nor am I going to bother. I may do them a speck differently each time, but so what? I remember my mother of all people telling me that bel canto singing was a lot like jazz - that singers improvised. Since it will all be in rhythm it will not throw off an accompanist, particularly as any variations will be minor. I feel a bit defensive about this, because all singers now have music theory training and talk about chord structure etc. and when I hear that sort of talk my eyes just glaze over because I don't know what they are talking about. But I don't think this is something I need to sing this piece well. I think nontraditional approaches to singing have gotten a bad rap lately. I'm not talking about faulty technique; more about where you start from, or how you learn things.
So here's the aria, for your perusal.
http://youtu.be/93yxE06t1Lw
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
And the Work Goes On
Yesterday I spoke on the phone with the woman producing the Hispanic Heritage Concert and told her I would be coming back to her get-togethers some time next week, if she was having one. I said I was working on the Manuel Garcia songs.
I took them to my lesson yesterday and worked especially on some of the melismatic passages. I know that for most of the songs I will be expected to use correct Spanish diction (including pronunciation of the vowels) which is fine, but I intend to beg off for the high trilling in the "Contrabandera" song.
Dare I say that I think I may finally have made some kind of breakthrough with using the "h" sound to begin all the exercises? I am still not vocalizing above a B, but certainly the G, A flat, A natural, and even the B flat are much bigger and fuller, and there is much less tension in my voice overall.
My teacher is going to be singing Alvise in a concert production of La Gioconda (in years past he sang Enzo) so he said I should take a look at that duet again so that I can sing it at my next lesson. Here's a peek at what it sounds and looks like (let's hear it for sexy bodice rippers as well as for singing!)
http://youtu.be/gg_wpIu13wM
This entire role is tailor made for my voice, even moreso than Verdi, because it is a little lighter and sits higher, but has no strenuous high singing. There is one B flat at the beginning that is in the middle of an arpeggio-like progression, three or four As (mostly in the first half of the opera) and that's it! And she gets lots of breaks. And of course gets to look luscious and have two guys chasing her. Probably the hottest mezzo role after Dalila and Carmen, except that she is a sympathetic figure.
You can read more here.
I mean there is not a prayer in Hell that I will get to sing the role in this concert as it is triple cast already (there will be 5 or 6 performances of it in different locations) but if I keep it fresh, who knows?
Lastly, I think the videos from Carmen may finally be available soon. The man who took them is having a hard time uploading them to Youtube, but he is still working on it.
I took them to my lesson yesterday and worked especially on some of the melismatic passages. I know that for most of the songs I will be expected to use correct Spanish diction (including pronunciation of the vowels) which is fine, but I intend to beg off for the high trilling in the "Contrabandera" song.
Dare I say that I think I may finally have made some kind of breakthrough with using the "h" sound to begin all the exercises? I am still not vocalizing above a B, but certainly the G, A flat, A natural, and even the B flat are much bigger and fuller, and there is much less tension in my voice overall.
My teacher is going to be singing Alvise in a concert production of La Gioconda (in years past he sang Enzo) so he said I should take a look at that duet again so that I can sing it at my next lesson. Here's a peek at what it sounds and looks like (let's hear it for sexy bodice rippers as well as for singing!)
http://youtu.be/gg_wpIu13wM
This entire role is tailor made for my voice, even moreso than Verdi, because it is a little lighter and sits higher, but has no strenuous high singing. There is one B flat at the beginning that is in the middle of an arpeggio-like progression, three or four As (mostly in the first half of the opera) and that's it! And she gets lots of breaks. And of course gets to look luscious and have two guys chasing her. Probably the hottest mezzo role after Dalila and Carmen, except that she is a sympathetic figure.
You can read more here.
I mean there is not a prayer in Hell that I will get to sing the role in this concert as it is triple cast already (there will be 5 or 6 performances of it in different locations) but if I keep it fresh, who knows?
Lastly, I think the videos from Carmen may finally be available soon. The man who took them is having a hard time uploading them to Youtube, but he is still working on it.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
The Work Goes On....
After I made my last blog entry, I had a fabulous runthrough of the Amneris/Radames duet, including the dreaded high B flats. Yes, OK, I took a brief pause to focus myself before that ascending passage, but I did it.
This made me both happy and sad. I was happy because as I was singing through the duet (and most of the duet, in fact most of the role is tailor made for my voice) I got a glimpse of what I could/should sound like, in fact would have sounded like if I had begun at the beginning and moved into this repertoire at an age when I could devote myself to it. This is what I should be singing, give or take a few outlier notes that are very hard to acquire at my age. But no one is going to (I am not going to use the word "hire" and am groping for another one) invite (by which I mean ask me to sing on their dime in a situation where they do all the organizing) me to sing this repertoire anywhere. I don't even think I would be considered good enough to sing it at SingThrough Central, based on who sings there. (The woman who sang Carmen has sung with the Met Chorus, for example). And at my age I am not spending one penny to sing a comprimaria role in a venue like that. And although at the pay to sing group that my teacher is involved with I have heard some singers in big roles who do not sound as good as I do (meaning their intonation is faulty), for some mysterious reason, they can nonetheless hoist their voices up to those B flats and B naturals even if (in the case of one mezzo I can think of) the B flat is really in that quarter tone limbo between an A natural and a B flat.
So I am left with what people are likely to want me to sing. Several people have told me what I should be singing is Spanish art songs (sacred or otherwise). What is meant, I think, is that those sit in my upper middle register where my voice is clearest and most comfortable, and most of these do not go above a high G or below middle C.
So how can I be saying two conflicting things? Well, they aren't really. There's what my voice was made to sing in ideal circumstances, if I had had the right training and had been able to devote myself to building my physical stamina and increasing my range (both things that could have been done, and can sorta kinda be done now but not to the necessary extent). Then there's what I always can sing, pleasantly and comfortably with enough polish never to offend, but with nothing to wow! either.
That means church solos that can create a pleasant mood for communion (or - on rare occasion - some Bach in a range that will not get too loud) and some nice songs that can be sung in the classical vein with a nice line and with thoughtful interpretation, in a concert with other people of all ages and abilities.
In real world terms, what that means is that I am now putting Amneris aside to work on the songs by Manuel Garcia. There's one, http://youtu.be/6BNFOWeWu44 "yo que soy contrabandista" that requires a lot of fast singing, with diction forward. And trilling. Basically the same skills I used to sing "Chanson Boheme". I hope to get a spot in the Hispanic Heritage concert, which is not guaranteed. If I can get some interesting instrumental accompaniment it should be fun. And I can wear something flashy.
This made me both happy and sad. I was happy because as I was singing through the duet (and most of the duet, in fact most of the role is tailor made for my voice) I got a glimpse of what I could/should sound like, in fact would have sounded like if I had begun at the beginning and moved into this repertoire at an age when I could devote myself to it. This is what I should be singing, give or take a few outlier notes that are very hard to acquire at my age. But no one is going to (I am not going to use the word "hire" and am groping for another one) invite (by which I mean ask me to sing on their dime in a situation where they do all the organizing) me to sing this repertoire anywhere. I don't even think I would be considered good enough to sing it at SingThrough Central, based on who sings there. (The woman who sang Carmen has sung with the Met Chorus, for example). And at my age I am not spending one penny to sing a comprimaria role in a venue like that. And although at the pay to sing group that my teacher is involved with I have heard some singers in big roles who do not sound as good as I do (meaning their intonation is faulty), for some mysterious reason, they can nonetheless hoist their voices up to those B flats and B naturals even if (in the case of one mezzo I can think of) the B flat is really in that quarter tone limbo between an A natural and a B flat.
So I am left with what people are likely to want me to sing. Several people have told me what I should be singing is Spanish art songs (sacred or otherwise). What is meant, I think, is that those sit in my upper middle register where my voice is clearest and most comfortable, and most of these do not go above a high G or below middle C.
So how can I be saying two conflicting things? Well, they aren't really. There's what my voice was made to sing in ideal circumstances, if I had had the right training and had been able to devote myself to building my physical stamina and increasing my range (both things that could have been done, and can sorta kinda be done now but not to the necessary extent). Then there's what I always can sing, pleasantly and comfortably with enough polish never to offend, but with nothing to wow! either.
That means church solos that can create a pleasant mood for communion (or - on rare occasion - some Bach in a range that will not get too loud) and some nice songs that can be sung in the classical vein with a nice line and with thoughtful interpretation, in a concert with other people of all ages and abilities.
In real world terms, what that means is that I am now putting Amneris aside to work on the songs by Manuel Garcia. There's one, http://youtu.be/6BNFOWeWu44 "yo que soy contrabandista" that requires a lot of fast singing, with diction forward. And trilling. Basically the same skills I used to sing "Chanson Boheme". I hope to get a spot in the Hispanic Heritage concert, which is not guaranteed. If I can get some interesting instrumental accompaniment it should be fun. And I can wear something flashy.
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