the odd couple

The first time I saw the famed Freddie Mercury/ Montserrat Caballé duet about 4 years ago, my jaw dropped to the floor. How had this existed for nearly 15 years, and I'd never heard nor even heard of it ? Since that discovery, I've heard a variety of opinions about the duet, as well as various other crossover combos. The general rule is: if you've studied classical music, you hate it. And these people are quick to generalize that those who do enjoy this diluted classical recordings are most probably totally ignorant when it comes to high culture. I can sympathize with this, as I have often been guilty of such judgements myself-- see my previous post on 'popera' singing. However, I'd like to clarify that I appreciate any artist that can broaden an interest in classical music. Whether or not I personally want to listen to that artist on my own time, or whether I think they should be able to call themselves an opera singer when the likelihood of their singing through an entire opera anytime in the future, is another matter.

With this said, I do find the unlikely classical/popular duets a terribly charming, though slightly indulgent repertoire. There is something exciting for me as a singer to hear two voices from totally different genres coming together in one piece of music. These collaborations are not a recent revolution, however. I've always found a smile on my face after listening to this trio of the late Dame Sutherland, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dinah Shore:



But the most fruitful resource I've found thus far for unlikely duos is a simple search for "Pavarotti and friends", in which Pavarotti proceeded to invite every musician he liked to participate in a charity concert. Quite possibly my favorite from this treasure trove of delightful duets is that of Pavarotti & Miss Liza Minnelli:



and as kitsch as it may be, what's not to love about Pavarotti and Stevie Wonder ?



Next time, my favorite duets of opera singers & fictional characters !

starting off the season

Yesterday I had the pleasure of hearing my first opera of the season. With my pass jeune in hand, I was off to the Bastille for a matinee performance of Der Fliegende Holländer by Wagner. I showed up an hour before the performance, and managed to snag a seat in the second row (one of the many beauties of being under the age of 26 in Paris). Though I do not particularly advise the second row for Wagner, as my ears were still ringing hours after the performance.

While familiar with the plot and music of the Dutchman, this was my first time seeing it in person, and it most certainly delivered. I enjoyed the staging for the most part, though the stage entirely slanted downwards towards the audience was slightly unnerving at times. James Morris, well-known for his interpretation of Wagner, was the headliner for the afternoon, but for me it was the full-voiced and ravishing soprano who the stole the show. The performance marked both a role and house debut for Canadian Adrianne Pieczonka, and it was easy to see why. I especially enjoyed her beautifully nuanced high notes--quite exceptional for a repertoire usually associated with the "park and bark" method of singing. I also enjoyed the fresh voice of swiss tenor Bernard Richter.

As this was her role debut, there was no video available of Pieczonka singing my favorite passage of the opera, Senta's Ballad. Here is Nina Stemme instead:




And here is Pieczonka singing the aria from Dvorak's Rusalka:




My first opera was quite breath-taking, and I have high hopes for the season to come.

la rentrée

I've had a hard time starting this post, as it will mean that la rentrée has truly arrived. It's alway difficult, coming back, the feeling of beginning again each september. Wondering what the year has in store, wondering what you will accomplish, if this will be the year. One would think this feeling would end with school, perhaps begin again with having children. But in France, the great return is every year, for everyone. August in Paris is dead, so even if you must stay, the atmosphere, the energy will have changed greatly by the beginning of September.

I have started, more or less, observing this ritual in the last few years. Though as the ticket prices in August have become predictably exhorbitant, I usually leave just as most people are preparing to come back. While I was gone, I received news that Mr. le President had a particularly, uhm, interesting way of celebrating this great return. He had publicly, and forcefully deported hundreds of Roma people in the early hours of the morning. Since this announcement, many members of foreign governments, as well as some within his own administration have denounced the action for understandable reasons. While I am certainly interested in the political ramifications (I am, afterall, also an immigrant in this country), my mond instantly jumps to the music.

Roma music is not known as such--but more likely, as gypsy music. It means many things, in many cultures--the typical sounds of soulful singers, accordeons, and fast-fingered guitarists ringing in our ears. Gypsy music is free and joyful and fantastic. So in honor of those who were deported (and I'm sure will find their way back in a couple of months), some of my favorite Romani musicians:

Probably the most well known translation of Roma music is that of Jazz Manouche. The culture is strong here in Paris, and great jazz manouche musicians always sought-after.

Django Reinhardt is more than often credited with the development of this style. Here he is playing my nana's favorite song:



and one of the more modern manouche stars, Bireli Lagrene, playing an Elvis classic in an unmistakeably manouche style:



An awesome example of the genuine sound, complete with violin and aforementioned soulful singing is Taraf de Haidouks:



And a less known Romani influence, is that in Spain. The style has been popularized as Flamenco, but it's origins are, indeed, in Eastern Europe. While the Gypsy Kings are probably the most popular example of this influence, I've been enjoying Diego 'El Cigala' these days:



That's all for now ! And yes, I'm officially back, so look out for more regular posting ! Happy autumn, friends !

how it was; how it should have been

It's happened again. Tragedy has struck the airwaves. Another "opera singer" has been "discovered" as the result of a televised "talent show". Sorry for all of the quotations, folks, but I can't help but cringe whenever a new popera star surfaces. This time it's ten-year old angelfaced Jackie Evancho. The poor thing, no doubt another victim of stage parenting, was skyrocketed to fame this week on America's Got Talent. She is adorable, I will give her that. But no ten year old should be singing Puccini. Who decided this was a good idea ? She has a couple nice notes, but for the most part, the actual singing is marred by inconsistent breathing, the fact that she has already developed a sizeable wobble, and no technique to speak of. One could argue that since she is only 10, she hasn't had time to learn proper technique--but then what is she doing singing opera in the first place?

This shining example of what happens when supposed opera singers are judged by people who know nothing about singing, and by a public looking for the next heartwarming story, has inspired a new segment on my blog. We will call it how it was; how it should have been. I will show you first a video or two of unfortunate popera singers trying to interpret a classic aria, then I will show a video or two of how, in my opinion, the piece was meant to be sung.

Edition #1: O Mio Babbino Caro.

Jackie Evancho (how it was)




Haley Westenra (how it was)



Kiri Te Kanawa (how it should have been)



and of course, Maria Callas, how it always should be

Remembering Abbey Lincoln

Terribly sad news this week in the (jazz) world. Abbey Lincoln had an unforgettable voice, both in her music and her convictions. I first learned about her when putting together a jazz combo in high school, through some of her interpretations of the standards. But I fell in love when I learned that she also wrote and performed her own compositions, and completely lost it when I learned of her collaborations on albums composed to speak out against racism. There was a clear depth to her enchanting voice. Lincoln's eternal presence will certainly be missed in the music community, where she remained active until her death. What I would have given to happen upon her at her usual table at the Blue Note.

I heard this song for the first time at a concert sung by an old jazz teacher, Christine Correa. I loved the song so much, I went straight home to find a recording, and thus discovered Lincoln's singing for the first time:



The first of Lincoln's own compositions I heard, and my favorite to this day:



And finally, Lincoln's lengendary collaboration with Max Roach in support of the civil rights movement:



Rest in peace, Abbey.

Corsica part III: The Music !

Seeing as how the justification for my 10 days in Corsica was that I was attending a small opera festival, I guess I should write a bit about the music, n'est-ce pas ? Les Nuits d'été de Corte was founded six years ago by an opera-loving couple wanting to bring more music to Corsica. A fantastic initiative in my opinion, and one I hope to emulate some day on my own island. Originally the festival consisted of a couple different opera-themed concerts, but this year the organizers decided to go the extra mile and produce a fully-staged opera, as well as a themed concert. The opera they went with was Don Giovanni, and it was terribly well received. While I do think it was slightly lacking in certain departments, it was surely a valiant first effort, and I'll be interested to see how they improve on it in the future. What I most enjoyed about the production was to hear some up-and-coming talent. Two voices in particular I found particularly impressive-both deep and dramatic, yet playful at the same time. Those were that of Sophie Angebault and Alexandre Duhamel. Lucky for me, they both live in the Paris region, so it will be easy to keep track of what they are doing in the future.

An old recording of one of the more recognizable moments from the opera:




While Don Giovanni might have been the big seller of the festival, I greatly enjoyed La Nuit de l'Opera. I felt the program was well balanced, with a French half and an Italian half, and a variety of composers, yet the music moved smoothly and sensibly. And in addition, the evening featured young tenor Andeka Azurmendi (who, unfortunately, as not yet jumped on the personal website boat), whose voice is terribly powerful, yet also sensitive. The highlight of the concert for me was the duet of Angebault and Azurmendi singing Nuit d'Ivresse from Les Troyens. Enjoy !

carolinesongs!

It's my birthday ! youpi ! And that means that I get to write about whatever I darn well please! I considered a couple different themes for this post -- songs that have influenced me over the years, songs that made me want to become a musician, songs about other awesome ladies named Caroline, songs about birthdays... But I'm going to do something simpler. I just want to share with you a couple of songs I've really been digging these days. Maybe they are new tunes, or super old ones I've only recently discovered. Or maybe I've been listening to them to years, and they've just been essential in putting a smile on my face these days. I guess it's all just great music, which certainly needs no explanation :













So happy birthday to me!

island songs

When I was a toddler, my mother began working at a university outside of Pittsburgh, and during her first year there, one of her colleagues invited our entire family to spend a week at his summerhouse on a small island just off the coast of Maine. I was too young to have any distinct memory of this vacation, but what my parents have described to me must have been truly magical. The smell of the salt air, the clear night sky, the view of the sunset over the bay, how everyone looks each other in the eye and says ‘hey there’. They were in heaven.

And thus began the great Maine love affair. It started out as a week or two each summer, then a month, and then one year they announced that they had bought a house. I was 10, and had been cherishing my summers there already. For the first year, we just stayed for 3 months in the summer, but then my mom received a job offer. I was full of mixed emotions when they said we’d be staying the winter there, but those soon washed away as I adjusted quickly to Maine life, and allowing myself to belong to this small island.

I’ve since moved far away. To a city many dream about, write about, and fall in love with. But there is nothing like coming home to my sweet island paradise. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks, Southport. And because I miss you so much, here are a couple of songs about islands, and loving the ocean as you taught me to !

First, an old favorite. Björk’s Anchor Song:



This is a song I heard first sung by one of my fellow students. This is the only recording available on youtube, which is unfortunate, because my classmate sings it much better. But for now, here is Chabrier’s L’ile Heureuse:



Schubert’s Am Meer from ‘Schwanengesang’. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau sings, and brilliantly:


Jamie Cullum’s All At Sea. The first song I heard of his, normally a bit to pop-rock for me, but the subject matter turned me the other way:



And finally, an exquisite version of Berlioz’ L’Ile Inconnue. I simply adore von Otter’s musical choices in this piece from Les Nuits D’Été:



So there you are-- a couple island/ocean songs for you to enjoy on this humid summer night (at least from where I’m sitting). This should be enough to tie me over until I get a sweet breath of salt air in Corsica next week, and then to my own beloved island in some short weeks.

musical generosity

When it comes to certain types of concerts, I have a respected ritual which involves a combination of excitement/freaking out/listening to everything ever recorded by the artist in question/bragging to my friends about the concert I'm going to see etc. The day of a long anticipated concert is truly the best. So imagine all of this excitement, only to find out that the artist in question is a horrible concert giver. The reason can vary, but usually has something to do with lack of encores/entertaining anecdotes/spontaneity/or general ability to communicate through music. I had my first major disappointment in this field at the age of 16. Norah Jones was all the rage, and I had just found out she would be one of the guest artists at the Interlochen Center for the Arts that summer. Most. Boring. Concert. Ever. Honestly, I could have stayed in my cabin and listened to her CD while taking a shower and had a more moving musical experience.

But this post is not about the negatives ! On the contrary, I'd like to share with you, in no particular order, some of the more generous concert givers I have had the pleasure to hear, and see:

Jamie Cullum- this young jazz singer, pianist, & composer must inject caffeine directly into his blood stream for how long he can last on stage without taking a break. I saw him recently at the Olympia in Paris and was there for well over 3 hours. Everything from jazz standards, to new pop melodies, to mashups (such as an interesting melange of singin' in the rain and under my umbrella) had Cullum sweating profusely, but never tiring. Here's Cullum performing the jazz standard 'I get a kick out of you', with a few twists:



Ray Charles. was a legend. And when I saw him in concert in the summer of 2002 in Portland, ME, it was clear why. His joy and desire to share his musical experience was undeniably clear from the moment he walked on stage. So involved in the music, he nearly fell backwards off his piano bench more than once, and just laughed and grinned like a fool in love each time. Here he is in his most classic prime:



Jennifer Larmore is an irresistibly beautiful mezzo. I saw her perform at Oberlin in 2005, and for the first time, saw someone seduce an entire theater full of people within a couple of seconds. She is playful and giving in her singing and stage presence, and isn't at all afraid to go a bit over the top in a recital setting. Here is she is as Carmen-an encore she does quite frequently, but also terribly well:



Ben Folds- the rumor that summer at Interlochen was that Ben Folds asked to play on the nicest Steinway on campus, but was refused. Why could that possibly be ? Well, besides being one of the most engaging live artists I've seen, he has a tendency to jump on pianos. Here he is directing his audience in harmony from on top of a grand piano:



Anne-Sophie von Otter-I admit that the first half of von Otter's recital at the Theatre des Champs Elysees last year was not so thrilling. I believe the program was some obscure Bach cantatas which could hardly be heard between the overplaying of the backing baroque ensemble, and von Otter's head buried in her music. But at the beginning of the second act, something changed ! Some gutsy frenchman yelled out from the nosebleed section "moins fort l'orchestre", which roughly translates to "hey orchestra ! you are playing too damn loud". Von Otter was incredibly gracious, and asked the chef d'orchestre to oblige. Then she proceeded to sing a serious of baroque arias beautifully, and gave several encores as if to offer an apology. What a beautiful way to apologize, really. Here she is singing a Handel classic:



Bobby McFerrin is one of my earliest music memories. He played a concert with the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops when I was no more than 8, and the memory of that evening was burned into my mind for years to come. Not only is he musically brilliant and terribly funny, but he has a way of speaking to every single person in the audience, regardless of age or musical background. My absolute favorite moment of that evening was his '5 minute Wizard of Oz':



Itzhak Perlman played with the Interlochen youth orchestra in the summer of 2003. Words can not quite accurately describe the experience. Suffice it to say, he is by far the most touching musician I have seen perform live. Here is Perlman, as adorable as ever, on Sesame Street:



Now this is by no means an exhaustive list, as it was compiled from my own personal concert-going experience. I have, however, heard rumours of some terribly generous musicians out there, and I am looking forward to adding more to the list as time goes on.