Performing a new work by a living composer 04/12/2017 Performing a contemporary piece that has never been performed before is a huge challenges. First and foremost – working with the actual composer! An opera singer will mostly perform works by composers long gone, so working with a composer who is there to tell you what they wish for, and someone who has probably has chosen you to perform their work is a great honour but also deeply challenging. You are partly responsible for making sure that their vision, their baby – is well received and
Performing a contemporary piece that has never been performed before is a huge challenges. First and foremost – working with the actual composer! An opera singer will mostly perform works by composers long gone, so working with a composer who is there to tell you what they wish for, and someone who has probably has chosen you to perform their work is a great honour but also deeply challenging. You are partly responsible for making sure that their vision, their baby – is well received and
Researching a play/opera - notes for singers & actors 07/16/2015 Researching a play/opera - notes for singers & actors Being fond Socrates, I believe in asking questions, and that asking the right questions is far more important and complex then finding the right answers. I believe if you arrive at the right questions the answers are come fairly easily! :) I therefore put down some general rules of researching a theatre piece, be it opera, a musical or a play. At the bottom I added a few general rules for working on stage, in the hope they will be useful for
Researching a play/opera - notes for singers & actors Being fond Socrates, I believe in asking questions, and that asking the right questions is far more important and complex then finding the right answers. I believe if you arrive at the right questions the answers are come fairly easily! :) I therefore put down some general rules of researching a theatre piece, be it opera, a musical or a play. At the bottom I added a few general rules for working on stage, in the hope they will be useful for
The consul - a "must know" opera by the great Gian Carlo Menotti 06/30/2015 The day when I first heard the opera "The Consul" by Gian-Carlo Menotti was crucial for me. I was starting out as a singer and the music of this opera, but more than anything its subject touched every fibre of my soul. I vowed that one day I will sing the main character, Magda Sorel – and so it was, many years later. The story takes place in an anonymous European totalitarian state and is as follows - Act I - Political dissident John Sorrell is on the run from the GPU. His wife Magda and his
The day when I first heard the opera "The Consul" by Gian-Carlo Menotti was crucial for me. I was starting out as a singer and the music of this opera, but more than anything its subject touched every fibre of my soul. I vowed that one day I will sing the main character, Magda Sorel – and so it was, many years later. The story takes place in an anonymous European totalitarian state and is as follows - Act I - Political dissident John Sorrell is on the run from the GPU. His wife Magda and his
Musical humour - The inimitable Dudley Moore (19 April 1935 – 27 March 2002) 01/30/2015 Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. To my mind and that of many others he was one of the most extraordinary and talented comedians ever. His musical knowledge and abilities meant he could have easily become a concert pianist; however he chose to use these abilities to make people who love music all over the world laugh, a fact which I, for one, am extremely grateful for! If you are unfamiliar with his work, here are some links to what are to my
Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. To my mind and that of many others he was one of the most extraordinary and talented comedians ever. His musical knowledge and abilities meant he could have easily become a concert pianist; however he chose to use these abilities to make people who love music all over the world laugh, a fact which I, for one, am extremely grateful for! If you are unfamiliar with his work, here are some links to what are to my
