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.
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