Greetings from Boston!
I have been very neglectful of my blogging this summer and there is no excuse for it. Well maybe there was….There were too many high notes! I spent this summer preparing and singing Ravel’s Sheherazade first in Boulder, CO and then at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. This was one of the most exciting and scary times of my life for many reasons.
1. Its high.
2. It was going to be my first time singing the piece at the Edinburgh Festival with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting.
3. I had never worked with EPS one on one before
4. Its high.
So the problems were an EPS sandwich with the high notes being the less attractive part (I mean who doesn’t like the filling?)
But I just planned it out. I made it happen. I became proactive in my attack on this piece and it was very fulfilling in the end BECAUSE of that groundwork. Massive thanks go out to Michael Christie for allowing me to perform the piece with him and the wonderful Colorado Music Festival. Without that chance to see how it went FOR REALS who knows what would have happened in Scotland.
Things I learned while being in the zone for this piece:
Set aside time to learn it. I mean really learn it. Translate it, speak it, listen to everyone and their mother and their dog sing it, work with people on it (I will take any reason to spend 2 weeks in Santa Fe with Nina!), know what you need to do your best. Stay in a nice hotel, don’t be a chatty Kathy, don’t party and sing it every day no matter what.
So basically I was a hermit but I am telling you…it was worth it. I finished my Dress Rehearsal and I thought to myself, “That was good. I mean really good. I mean like the best I have ever sung! Like the best Sheherazade in the world!” (well okay maybe not but it was good!) and I totally lived in that moment. I relished it. And EPS knew it too. We shared the most amazing musical experience I have had to date. I was singing like I was supposed to sing and communicating and creating all at one time. Oh that that would happen every day! But then I wouldn’t appreciate it. And I truly did. At that moment I was truly grateful for my gift. Truly grateful. It isn’t often that we realize our own potential. I have seen what is possible and I can wait to recreate that again.
Thank you Esa Pekka for leading me there….to where I didn’t know I could go!
Today is the day! My recording of the Neruda Songs is available for purchase!
I had the privilege of recording these songs last November in Atlanta with the ASO and Robert Spano. My “hometown” band. It was a complete honor and pleasure to work with these amazing musicians and also with producer extraordinaire Elaine Martone. I love this woman.
Neruda in Atlanta
In June of 2010, I did three live performances of the Neruda with the ASO and felt that some of those were the best I have had of the piece. I was sitting with Bob after one of the shows and he casually said “We could record this, right? One day?” Sure why not! So there you have it. One four hour recording session and we have a CD. That is a pretty tall order. The piece already been recorded by the woman it was written for, live with James Levine…hmmmm…that’s pretty much how it should be so what could I do differently? I did what I always do with a piece…make my own version. There is no way to get inside this piece more than Lorraine did. It came from her. So I just have to make it my own and add my life experiences to it. There is no comparison it is just different. And that’s why I am more than happy for other singers to do it. I recently got asked if I feel a possessiveness for the pieces, but I truly don’t. Peter didn’t think no one else should perform them but Lorraine so how could I think that I should be the only one. Everyone should be lucky enough to sing them. They can change your life!
I hope everyone enjoys them!
I am one of the luckiest performers around in that I get to create music with my best friend on stages all over the world. It not only enhances my experience but also inspires me to be a better singer and gives me the freedom to impart all of myself to the audience while performing. There is no way that this journey would be possible without her. She is my right arm (no wonder I was having trouble getting around without her!) and I am truly blessed to have her in my life. Her name is Miss Jessica Rivera.
All that being said, I had the pleasure of being in LA last week for her performances with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic of Gorecki’s Third Symphony. Now I do have to say that I played a rather important role in this all happening….I was on a train traveling from London to Paris with Chad Smith (artistic administrator of the LA Phil) while on tour with the orchestra and I asked Chad when he was going to have Jessica back. He said, “What should we do?” and Gorecki popped into my head and out of my mouth and as it turned out they were doing it in May and hadn’t cast it yet. As Jessica’s Grandmother would say, this was a Godwink. Luckily, it all worked out schedule wise, I got my 10% (paid to me in vegan baked goods) and the best part was that I was free to see it!
As new music singers, Jessica and I rarely come into contact with pieces that have a certain sound associated with them, however the Gorecki is attached to Dawn Upshaw. Every interview Jessica did they asked her about Dawn’s recording. It is the history book for this piece….a little daunting no? But that didn’t faze Jessica. While Dawn’s recording is amazing, Jessica’s interpretation is something completely different. She brought her own artistry to the piece and created a new version of the Gorecki. Even Mark Swed agreed! See his review in the LA times!
I have never been more proud of someone in my life. The connection that I have to Jessica on so many levels really brings me to tears even now. It is truly rare that you come across an artist with purely true intentions who’s only goal is to communicate a message selflessly while having complete trust in their mission. Jessica is one of those artists and it is a privilege to have her in my life. I love you Bu.
There has been a great loss to the music world this week, the inspired composer Peter Lieberson. Peter holds a special place in my heart because of my involvement with one of his greatest works, Neruda Songs. I had one of the most amazing musical and personal journeys with this piece and I feel that now is the best time to share my story.
The Neruda Songs are the ultimate gift of love. Peter was moved by his love for Lorraine to give her this exquisite gift of music. He knew her love of Neruda, he knew her innate musicality and he knew her voice. This gave him the ability to write this piece completely without having to ask Lorraine what she wanted. He did it all on his own because he knew her so well. That is one of the secrets of the piece. I think people assume that they spent hours at the piano going over where she felt comfortable singing, what phrases should be repeated, how low or high the pieces should go, but they didn’t. He just knew. This is divine intervention. Anyone who has the privilege of listening to Lorraine’s live recording with the BSO knows that these pieces fit her like a glove. Not only vocally but as an artist. The pairing of Lorraine and Peter was meant to be. They were supposed to meet and give to all of us the gift of their passion through music. I know that I felt their love when I heard the pieces for the first time. I was speechless and then my first thought was “I have to sing these.”
So begins my journey with the Neruda Songs. Bernard Haitink had heard Lorraine do them in Chicago (one of only 3 performances she did of the piece) and was inspired to program them. He had no idea that Lorraine would leave us all too soon and he wouldn’t have an artist for the pieces he was so moved by. In steps Ara Guzelimian (one of the guardian angels of my career) who recommended me not only to Haitink but also to Peter who had never heard of me. Again, by divine intervention, they agreed to let me do it without ever hearing me live. I had never worked with Haitink, never met Peter…thank God for Ara.
I was so honored to be able to sing these pieces. Now, there were some big shoes to fill….but I told myself that I wasn’t filling them I was just presenting a new pair….That’s all I could do. What Lorraine brought to the pieces was completely unique and personal so I had to do the same thing.
I contacted Peter a few months before we were supposed to do the Neruda in Chicago and asked if he would like to hear me sing them before then. Now, he had never heard anyone sing them but Lorraine which made me a bit nervous, but I think we were both in the same boat. He was recovering from his third round of chemo and told me that he wanted to be “in the sun” so he was going to go to Hawaii and could I come and work with him there. How amazing. Ofcourse. I couldn’t think of a better way to be introduced to Peter and to begin my Neruda journey. I flew into Hawaii on my way back from Australia, Peter picked me up at the airport and we began our relationship. Each day I would wake up in stunning Hawaii, walk to Peter’s house and sing one Neruda song, then we would have a meal and chat late into the night. His lovely daughters were also visiting and so I got to hear stories of his life and his time with Lorraine. I got the inside scoop. It was life-changing for me as an artist. I was able to learn their story so that I could communicate it through the music.
I never had the privilege of meeting Lorraine, but now I feel like I have. I have sung the Neruda songs in 11 different cities and every time I feel as if she is there. I feel as if she is speaking through me to Peter…every time. She wouldn’t miss it. And now he is with her and they are hearing the words together for the first time. I couldn’t ask for a better audience.
Its Mahler 2 week here in Saint Louis! It is so wonderful to be back with this incredible group of musicians. The last time I was here was for my debut in El Nino. It was the first time I had done the piece, the first time I worked with David Robertson (the foremost singer’s conductor I have ever encountered) and my first John Adams piece! Lots of firsts. It was one of the highlights of my short musical life. I walked away loving the piece, loving David and loving the phenomenal orchestra and chorus. It was the reason why I do this.
Now I return. Mahler 2 is a bit of a challenge for someone like me. I battle with how I want to sing the piece and how I actually can. It is quite a struggle…I’m being honest here. The music is glorious. While on stage, I simply cannot repress my joy, grief, bliss, torment…any range of emotions that Mahler brings to the ears of the listener. However, sitting on stage for 20 minutes and then singing the most heart-breakingly beautiful opening phrase (for a mezzo) …is a little tough.
When we had the first rehearsal with DR he gave me a plethora of new ideas and opened my eyes to a different interpretation of this piece. He has such a wealth of knowledge about the music he performs and it just pours out to those musicians around him. He gives you so many new ideas to think about and different ways to do things…It is rare and appreciated. And it wasn’t as if he just wanted to talk about my solo movement. He talked about the whole symphony…the journey…how it all fit together and how the “Urlicht” is really a much more intimate moment than we think. It is much easier to declaim the fall of man and beg for salvation but this is not that piece. This has to reflect a personal empathy for the fall; the awe at the appearance of a “small angel” (not Gabriel with his trumpets as DR reminded me) and a gentle yet certain conviction that man WILL get to Heaven….the path is there…be it narrow….
So, instead of thinking…wow I should sing this quietly because it is marked p or pp or ppppppppp….I should sing this intimately because it is just my personal conversation with the Heavens and I don’t need to shout to be heard…..He can hear me and knows my intentions no matter how loud.
2 more to go…
Back in California after a successful week in DC! The Hussain concerto was wildly applauded by the audience and I believe that Zakir received lots of well-deserved love for his piece. I have never heard an audience go so crazy when the soloists come on stage. It is obvious that Zakir, Shankar and Hariharan are greatly loved in their home country and those people turned out in droves to welcome them to DC. There was a mostly Indian audience for all three nights (with two being sold out!), which thoroughly impressed me. It is always great to reach an audience that would otherwise not be coming to the concert hall. These are some of their idols and they are going to go where ever they were performing…even if it was a classical concert hall!
Celebration after the last performance
The second night felt the best to me. We were in our “groove” and could relax a little bit now that we had gotten through the first one. I thoroughly enjoy being part of creating something new. This is what drives my love for performing new music. There are no expectations, it is uncharted territory and therefore completely liberating. The audience doesn’t know what to expect so you are free to make the first impression that YOU want. There are no other interpretations in their ears. I participate in a fair amount of world-premieres but the creating that we do here in the West doesn’t hold a candle to what these astonishingly talented performers from the East do. They have a different way of learning music (mostly through aural tradition) and making up the music as they go…that doesn’t keep me from being in complete awe of them. It takes a lot of confidence in what you are doing to have an outline, go on stage and just let the rest flow. In reality though, our Western music scores ARE just an outline and it is up to us as performers to interpret what the composer wanted. We may not make up the tune but we definitely shape what is being communicated. That is how we as Western performers can create on the spot…in the moment. We have a say in what is being said!
Up next Bach with the San Francisco Symphony…
My 3 weeks off have flown by and I am onto the next adventure. A world premiere at the Kennedy Center. It is a piece by renowned tabla player Zakir Hussain called Concerto for 4 Soloists.
I had a quick trip to Santa Fe to meet with my fabulous voice teacher, Nina Hinson, for a tune up and exploration into the Indian sound….well as much as I am doing it. I am the “classical” singer in the piece with Shankar Mahadevan and Hariharan as the Indian singers and Zakir on tabla as the 4th soloist.
Shankar Mahadevan, KO, Hariharan and Zakir Hussain
I met with Zakir and his orchestrator, cellist and composer Alex Kelly (love the last name!) a couple days ago in DC. We were awaiting the arrival of the Indian singers (visa problems…). Luckily, Shankar arrived yesterday and Hari was at the rehearsal today so we got ONE run through before the performance tonight. Talk about throwing something together. However, this is how these musicians work. They meet, talk through the piece, go through a couple of options, pick some they like and GO! Unfortunately, that isn’t always how things work in the Western world. I have found our notation surprisingly limiting given what these amazing musicians do by ear. They are using IPad’s as scores with just words to guide them through the piece….no “notes” as we use them. I am in awe of their improvisatory talents….I freaked out when Z wanted me to join in the Hindu singer’s cadenza since improv makes me weak in the knees….I am more than willing to do different vocal tricks with my voice but when it comes to improv I’m like a deer in headlights!! I can make my voice sound “outside of the box” as long as there is a box. But, it has been extremely enlightening to see how things DO fall into place if you trust that they will. These guys are pros….Eschenbach, yeah he’s a pro….heck I’m a pro…..so lets just do this thing and have some fun doing it!
Here goes nothing!
Oui mon amis! I am in Paris….
Had a great concert here. Really loved singing at the Salle Pleyel (so much that I stole my dressing room key, don’t worry I returned it!) We had 4 curtain calls and they went absolutely bonkers after the Beethoven. I would say that Gustavo’s first European tour with the LAP is going very well. He is receiving the warm reception he so rightly deserves!!!
I had a wonderful dinner last night with the staff of the LAP (whom I love!!! ALL OF THEM!) and my dear friend Sean Michael Gross who is here by chance(!) for the concerts with Dudamel. It was so nice to see everyone have some good conversation, French wine and Grand Marnier doused crepes. Yes it was good. And today was my FREE DAY!! Hallelujah! It was so nice to have a day of non-travel and non-singing…..relief. Sean and I walked around Paris 5 times and managed to loose the feeling in our hands and feet (its mighty cold here) but it was beautiful.
For me this leg was especially nice as well because I was a little more social. We all took the train from London to Paris and I ended up talking to more orchestra members during that trip than on any other time on the tour! Then Chad I and went to dinner and got matching chapeau’s (Le chapeau de Chad) and I rested up.
A little fun fact, en route to our hotel in Paris, there was a car blocking the way off our bus so members of the orchestra and several bus drivers got out and MOVED THE CAR….picked it up and put it on the sidewalk….amazing…..something I didn’t count on seeing!
Next up is Budapest and then Vienna and the place where Mahler DID Mahler….I can’t wait!
Greetings from Londontown!
We had our third performance of the tour last night at the Barbican to a sold out crowd who were eagerly awaiting the Dude. I heard that these concerts have been sold out here for months and there was lots of buzz for what the Dude would bring to this orchestra and this music. And I have to say he has delivered. He has delivered in every city we have gone to. The Beethoven 7 is simply something other-worldly. Its as if Dudamel is creating the music in the moment with his gesture. I simply adore watching him.
That is pretty much the only time I am spending with other people. My 30 minutes on stage for the Jeremiah. It is a crazy life…the life of a singer. I am traveling ahead of the orchestra as I mentioned in a earlier post which means I’m pretty much “hermitizing” (yes its a word and yes I made it up). Which means I’m not sight-seeing, I’m not walking around the city absorbing all that I can, I’m not going to Gustavo’s 30 birthday extravaganza….basically its a very solitary existence. I know that not all singers are like this. I know these people and wish I could be like them, but I feel an obligation to be in top form, well rested and fresh which to me means I don’t socialize. It is quite against our human instincts to travel the world as I am on this tour and not see anything. I mean these are some nice hotels. I could tell you all about them…but Cologne? I don’t know I didn’t go outside. Don’t get me wrong….I’m not complaining just making an observation that what can seem glamorous to other people is my job and I have to take responsibility for myself and stay well…Several members of the orchestra are ill and are having to cancel or not make it through a performance so I have to say I am glad that I have chosen to travel solo and take care of myself…but it doesn’t mean that I don’t miss all the fun !!
Here is a review from our Barbican performance.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalconcertreviews/8288782/LA-Philharmonic-Dudamel-Barbican-review.html
I travel to Paris tomorrow with the group (hand sanitizer in tow!) and I am hoping to get more pictures and have my fun time with some of my favorite people…
More to come….
Greetings from Lisboa!
We had an amazing concert last night. I don’t think I have ever heard an audience applaud for that long! Both encores were played and they just kept bringing Gustavo out for bow after bow. The Philharmonic played a completely inspiring Beethoven 7. And the Jeremiah was pretty great as well! Relief! Actually the best I have felt about a performance of it. The 2nd day of jetlag is not always the easiest, so having that be a performance day is a little tricky. I have to say that I am still not on the right sleep schedule (I just woke up after a 4 hour “nap”) but as long as I get two of these a day I think I should be fine!
We then had a dinner (it was about midnight when we reached the restaurant!!! almost breakfast time for me!) It was a very hip place with a DJ and a tree in the middle of the restaurant. Just our style. There was great food and dancing until the early hours. It was nice to relax some!
Yesterday was a free day for me. So I had a lovely lunch with two of my favorite people Chad and Gail, which ofcourse lasted 2 and a half hours as it does in Portugal. Then we took a trip to an exhibit called “re rite” (http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/re-rite/). This was an idea conceived by the Philharmonia orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen. The orchestra is filmed while playing the Rite of Spring but instead of the normal general orchestra shots, each section has the camera on them the entire time and when you are looking at one section you hear their instruments as if you are in that section playing with them. It gives you an idea of what is going on with each of the individual lines in the piece. You can also try your hand at conducting like Esa Pekka and seeing yourself on the big screen next to him or try to play the bass drum in time with the percussionists who are telling you how to do it. I have to say I thought it was a pretty amazing idea. There were about 1000 who went the day we did and they all seemed mesmerized by this “inside the orchestra” experience. I also loved the venue they chose for the show. It was an old abandoned bank building. Everything was very rough around the edges and deconstructed which made perfect sense. You had to wind your way through the orchestra. I hope there will be more of these in the States in the future!
Then I finally got my 8 hours of sleep (hallelujah!) and now for my relaxing diva day. Including many a spa treatment!
More to come from Cologne!
Things I learned while being in the zone for this piece:
