I adore the Butterworth "Loveliest of Trees". Be aware of two things,
however. (1) It is much harder to sing well than it may seem at first
glance. (2) It - and the songcycle from which it comes - is virtually
ALWAYS performed by a baritone, never by a woman. Nothing about that song
is inherently "masculine", but the entire cycle does tend to be textually
just not quite right for a female voice. I should probably also mention
that I've never heard the song performed OUTSIDE of the cycle, i.e.,
excerpted.
But what about the John Duke Version? That stands by itself doesn't it? I
chose Butterworth because I really don't like the John Duke version. But
perhaps I should just scrap the idea. I tell you guys I am thinking that this
recital isn't going to happen for me...I have a month and a half, I have no
music at all. The Butterworth peice was actually the only thing she approved of
that I had even heard done before. I liked it so much and it didn't seem overly
high or low...but I did recognize the fact that it was hard to do well. So at
the moment I have nothing...and I will be learning this stuff by myself for at
least two weeks out of that month and a half because my teacher is going to take
two weeks off to have her baby. Perhpas I should just tell her I had better
wait til next year. I have NO Idea why she didn't have me working on recital
peices all along...in fact that's what I thought I was doing!!!! But yesterday
when I arrived she had a blank sheet of paper and she asked me if I was still
singing Nel Cor Pui Non Mi Sento...and after I discovered two other people were
doing I thought I had better steer clear. So that left me with nothing...I had
been doing Laschia Chio Pianga...and had been told to work on Cara Sposa as
well...and now I am not sure why I was working on those at all. OH and she had
asked me to start that aria from Maria Stuarda too...and the last time I saw her
she didn't say a thing about any of those...she said Strauss, something in
English, and something in Italian but it had to be light with lots of movement
and be fun. I am SOOOO stressed now!
Lea Ann
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