30 January 2006 @ 02:52 pm
revisiting old music
My recital is a mix of new and old.
Old meaning I sang it four years ago in a completely kind of different voice- the days when I would never run out of air because there was nothing to support but the tiny bird sounds of easy runs and coloratura passages.
Now as I revisit a Mozart concert aria with both mid-high range recitative and extremely high coloratura runs in it, I find a different challenge. First, the interpretation of Mozartian line in the recitative. Second, how to support these long runs that are not "difficult" for me now, but they are definitely not the same sing as I roll out of bed things.
It just feels different. It could feel a bit sluggish because it's old and not polished yet. But it could also be because of voice changes.
I just got a few comments back from the met competition judges, who we were invited to call and speak with on the phone.
Judge#1: Doll- well prepared good technique, good intonation, good lang/interp/style
Vgood school
Why didn’t we push you forward? Level of everyone else?
Ok- that sounds cool with me. Most of the contestants were a. older and b. from a very very top famous residency program that happened to be in that same auditioning city.
Judge#2: high is spectacular, sustaining that G is amazing. Must cultivate middle register so it has as much core and carrying power as the top.
As I go down the scale it becomes relatively smaller in the middle.
Work on rounding out the middle voice ‘quality’ –it sounds placed in the nose…in the middle core register.—which for a whole role like donizetti’s would start to “wear” on the listener after a bit. Fine for soubrette and character roles, but not for a whole real role.
Ok- I suppose nothing I didn't know either, except for the nasal thing which I've never heard of. I don't place anything anywhere, but I definitely have tried to work on the middle voice and have been successful with certain pieces or roles in really feeling that out and figuring out how to use it.
I don't quite think that O luce is the best song to show for that, nor is Doll- both of which they heard.
And I do know that the Recit to O luce was NOT the best in terms of my "middle voice" that I could give them- most likely because I was a bit dry, nervous, and it was the 2nd time I'd been ask to sing it in an audition or competition situation.
You learn from everything.
One more judge left that I haven't been in touch with.
But that's the thing with the middle voice. Is that I can do it the right way or the wrong way. I can color it or I can put weight on it or I can just do it well and it's right. All of the other ways are wrong, and they tire me out faster than I should be tired out when singing..anything.
So I lightened up on the Mozart today and suddenly the 2nd time around the recit was more there and easier and the runs weren't hard or bad. Now, I don't know if the tone sounded lighter or less rounded? or do they even have anything to do with each other?
But I felt like I was supporting well but not giving that extra push to make myself sound mature or older or more right for the dramatics of this particular piece.
I do that in performance when I think I'm "acting" or being dramatic, or just "being a singer"..but I should really just forget all that crap, let go, relax and sing how I know I sing without pushing or adding or rounding or coloring or doing anything to mess up what the normal output from my body is.
hmm.
-g
Old meaning I sang it four years ago in a completely kind of different voice- the days when I would never run out of air because there was nothing to support but the tiny bird sounds of easy runs and coloratura passages.
Now as I revisit a Mozart concert aria with both mid-high range recitative and extremely high coloratura runs in it, I find a different challenge. First, the interpretation of Mozartian line in the recitative. Second, how to support these long runs that are not "difficult" for me now, but they are definitely not the same sing as I roll out of bed things.
It just feels different. It could feel a bit sluggish because it's old and not polished yet. But it could also be because of voice changes.
I just got a few comments back from the met competition judges, who we were invited to call and speak with on the phone.
Judge#1: Doll- well prepared good technique, good intonation, good lang/interp/style
Vgood school
Why didn’t we push you forward? Level of everyone else?
Ok- that sounds cool with me. Most of the contestants were a. older and b. from a very very top famous residency program that happened to be in that same auditioning city.
Judge#2: high is spectacular, sustaining that G is amazing. Must cultivate middle register so it has as much core and carrying power as the top.
As I go down the scale it becomes relatively smaller in the middle.
Work on rounding out the middle voice ‘quality’ –it sounds placed in the nose…in the middle core register.—which for a whole role like donizetti’s would start to “wear” on the listener after a bit. Fine for soubrette and character roles, but not for a whole real role.
Ok- I suppose nothing I didn't know either, except for the nasal thing which I've never heard of. I don't place anything anywhere, but I definitely have tried to work on the middle voice and have been successful with certain pieces or roles in really feeling that out and figuring out how to use it.
I don't quite think that O luce is the best song to show for that, nor is Doll- both of which they heard.
And I do know that the Recit to O luce was NOT the best in terms of my "middle voice" that I could give them- most likely because I was a bit dry, nervous, and it was the 2nd time I'd been ask to sing it in an audition or competition situation.
You learn from everything.
One more judge left that I haven't been in touch with.
But that's the thing with the middle voice. Is that I can do it the right way or the wrong way. I can color it or I can put weight on it or I can just do it well and it's right. All of the other ways are wrong, and they tire me out faster than I should be tired out when singing..anything.
So I lightened up on the Mozart today and suddenly the 2nd time around the recit was more there and easier and the runs weren't hard or bad. Now, I don't know if the tone sounded lighter or less rounded? or do they even have anything to do with each other?
But I felt like I was supporting well but not giving that extra push to make myself sound mature or older or more right for the dramatics of this particular piece.
I do that in performance when I think I'm "acting" or being dramatic, or just "being a singer"..but I should really just forget all that crap, let go, relax and sing how I know I sing without pushing or adding or rounding or coloring or doing anything to mess up what the normal output from my body is.
hmm.
-g
Current Mood: kinda tired
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