On Wed, 2 Jan 2002 sopran@a... wrote:
>
> In a message dated 1/1/02 8:08:50 PM, nfiniti@n... writes:
>
> << I am sometimes at a loss for words
> between songs. Will this improve with time or are there some things I
> can do to learn how to be a better performer? Are there books on the
> subject of performing live? Any performance coaches out there? >>
>
> Why not PLAN what you're going to say ahead of time? Write it down and
> memorize it, and rehearse it until you are very comfortable with it. As you
> go on, you can improvise and vary the script if you feel inspired to do so,
> but you'll never be just fumbling for words.
There was once a time when the singer wasn't expected to say ANYTHING
between songs, sets, arias, etc. in recital or concert. Oh for the good
old days, when a bit of formality was not just welcome, but expected!
Even in these days of "chatty" recitals, there are still times
when spoken comments between songs/sets aren't just unnecessary but are
downright inappropriate. How, for example, is a singer possibly expected
to get into the right mood to sing as emotionally (and vocally) draining a
piece as Mahler's KINDERTOTENLIEDER if the singer has to precede same with
a verbal explanation of what's just about to be sung? Much better,
methinks, to *write* such commentary down and include it as *program
notes* printed in the program (along with translations) - and then allow
the songs to speak for themselves.
Other times, I feel quite gregarious, and will be happy to verbally set
the scene of the aria I'm about to sing, sometimes serious, sometimes
"fractured". But I never feel *compelled* to do this - particularly when
the aria or song I'm about to sing is either (1) very demanding vocally
and/or emotionally; (2) pretty much self-explanatory and lacking in any
interesting "tidbits" about its history or inspiration.
I've been to a few recitals in recent times where the artists were so
"chatty", I wished they'd shut up and get to the *singing*, which is what
I paid to hear! This has been true both of "scripted" and "off the cuff"
remarks in some recitals. Julia Migenes' chronic "patter" between Viennese
operetta songs was an egregious example. I also deplore those
"educational" recitals that combine a scripted lecture about the featured
composer or poet with the actual songs. Frankly, if I wanted to hear a
lecture about Goethe or Schubert, I'd go to a lecture series - NOT to a
concert.
Karen Mercedes
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
***************************************
What lies behind us, and what lies before us
are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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