Where to?

It's dangerous to allow two voice teachers to sit down to chat a spell.They come up with the most wonderful ideas! Today my friend and I started talking about nothing in particular and got into the most wonderful conversation about words and music and direction and lots of other issues having to do with vocal performance. I had asked her opinion of a very well-known singer who is famous for her machine-gun like style of singing runs, and I was happy to find out that my friend detests her singing as much as I do. While it is mind boggling how anyone can sing that many notes that fast, it really boils down to: 'Who cares?' It is so un-musical and un-interesting that speed is beside the point.

We went on to discuss another soprano who has one of the most beautiful voices on stage today but who fails to move either one of us with her singing. My friend said that what this woman does are 'vocal effects', rather than becoming involved with the text and character and emotion of whatever she is singing. As our mutual former voice teacher, Olga Averino, used to say when hearing this kind of singing, 'Now, what else can you do?'

We decided that when someone is born with this amazing type of natural instrument, it is easy to fall into the trap of falling in love with your beautiful voice and leaving characterization and emotion in the other room. What a pity.

My friend said that she was once asked by the writer Charles Michener 'when you are singing, to whom do you sing?' She answered, 'I sing to the Universe.'

What a great concept. Interestingly enough, Jose van Dam, on being asked that same question, gave the identical reply. Singers take note! Aim for Infinity!

Charles Michener did  an article for the New Yorker on Lorraine some years ago and got an in-depth look into her soul. Lorraine always sang for the Universe, and often, I believe, the Universe sang right back to her.

Driving home from my friend's house today, I was listening to the Met broadcast of Boris and Rene Pape was being interviewed. He was asked where he goes mentally and emotionally when he is on stage in any given role. His answer was similar to the others. He said that when you are on stage you enter a different world from reality. You make your own reality within what ever role or song you are singing.

Maybe this is all about a sort of 'Out of body' experience to which we must open ourselves if we wish to be really fine, complete performers. We need to give up a part of ourself to become Boris or Violetta or whom so ever.

This is undoubtedly the reason why there are lots of very good singers about, with beautiful voices, but only a few complete artists who have somehow given themselves up to the emotional, dramatic and musical components that allow us to 'become the song.