Working in an environment where you deal with a lot of “opera queens” on a daily basis, it is not uncommon to have a customer requesting a recording with certain singers. Even more frequently, when you ask the customer if they have a particular singer in mind, they answer, “someone who can actually sing.” They are referring typically to “golden age” singers like Bergonzi, Bjorling, Callas, Tebaldi, etc. Over the years, this has made me wonder, what exactly do people prefer from singers of the past versus the singers of today?
I personally refuse to believe that the quality of voices does not exist anymore as a lot of people suggest (although I do agree that most of those older singers were far more exciting to listen to). I think a lot of it has to do with the training and technique (or lack-there-of) in singers today; also, unfortunately, priorities have changed. People seem more concerned with being hot and 23 rather than being able to sing…(no comment). I think one major fundamental difference is that a lot of singers today are afraid of taking risks on stage which seems to me to be one component of excitement missing…So much pressure is being put on streamlining this art form as far as financial safety and longevity that we are possibly beginning to see a decline in the “artistry” happening in the...well...art.
We are in a recession. People are much more conscientious of how they are spending their money which means less money is being given to the arts (this topic was briefly covered in “Life in HD”). Less money for the arts (and opera specifically in this case) means that people don’t want to put themselves out there; they don’t want to put money into something that they are not sure is going to mean a financial return. Now I’m sure you’re sitting there thinking, why is he babbling on and on about finances and money as far as risk taking….I thought he was trying to talk about opera and risk taking?? Have patience! We’re getting there.
The problem gets more specific from the general financial woes of the world. While people are worried about taking financial risks, artists are trying to turn themselves more into brands and businesses. Almost gone are the days of opera singers only singing for the rush they get on stage; singers are thinking more broadly, in an effort to try and stay relevant with today’s fast paced society. Singers are on facebook, they are on twitter, they have books, press tours, talk show appearances, and much more. I wonder, in an effort to “stay relevant,” are singers today losing focus on one of the fundamental principles of what opera is: DRAMA?
Everyone today is nice. I love nice, and I have the utmost respect for it, but let’s consider. Everyone wants to be politically correct; no one wants to ruffle feathers because no one wants to lose funding or business or royalties checks. This is great and fine as long as artistic integrity and performance is not sacrificed. This is fine as long as the over-the-top diva drama is not watered down to make everything rosy. Are artists today allowing their amiable dispositions to take away from the reckless risks that their more volatile predecessors took?
In a time when everything is about the visual…best costumes…the skinniest performers…the most lavish sets…the best actors…the best skin…are we losing focus on the music and the drama of the theatre? I hear a lot of complaints from people that they think recordings today, and solo albums, are all boring. The voices “are pretty” but where’s “the drama?”
When you listen to Callas, you HEAR the drama. You don’t have to see her to feel how invested she is in act two of Tosca. You can hear the tears and the pain in her voice. You feel how torn she is between saving Mario and not giving in to Scarpia. You can hear this without even knowing what she is singing about. There is a recklessness in her approach that I feel is mostly absent today. Callas was not concerned with being nice. She was a diva with a capital D! I'm not encouraging this behavior from singers today, but is it possible that her not being as worried about offending people or coming off rudely allowed her to be more reckless on stage? She is not alone in that approach…even singers from just 20 years ago…singers of the past, from my perception, seemed more deeply willing and able to be inconsistent on stage. Callas wasn't always good, but that can be very exciting....you never know what you are going to get; it keeps you on your toes. It keeps the audience engaged and wanting to hear more.
It’s such a difficult balance, also, to be able to “let go” and take those risks. We do have our voices and beauty of tone to worry about. There are phrases thrown up into the stratosphere. There is staging to remember, a conductor to watch and an orchestra to work with (not to mention a non-native language to sing in). There is so much already on our plates that it seems like an impossible task to not think about those and “take a risk.” But opera is about excitement, drama, control. There is an unbelievable rush involved in being able to juggle all of these things at once, and sing unamplified over an orchestra of up to around 100 pieces.
That is one thing I love about Natalie Dessay. A lot of people hate her. A lot of people think she is a terrible singer. I think she is vastly enthralling to watch. She had a different training than most singers today, which may be some of her key to success. Natalie was trained as an actress first, and then came to singing…she approaches everything as an ACTRESS….everything to her is a work of theatre, not just notes on a page. Every high note she sings may not be perfect (who is perfect though??), but you can always expect to see a character portrayed differently than you probably ever have. Her characters are always inventive (see her Marie in Fille du Regiment as a PERFECT example), and almost always keep you guessing...her performances are always exciting and full of unabashed risk.
A lot can be learned from Natalie Dessay, but even more so from singers of the past. Opera is such an exciting art form, and only gets better the more you dive deeply into it. Why limit ourselves to just “singing pretty?” Why not allow ourselves the complete artistic freedom that we are entitled to as artists? We should not worry about offending people, or turning people off. Theatre and Opera is not something that is for everyone…it is so subjective, and that is the beauty of it. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure! I urge my fellow singers (myself included!) to take even more time when learning roles or arias. Be inventive…take those risks which we may be afraid to take. Use these new-found risks as an opportunity for self-growth and discovering even more comfort levels (or not) that you did not know about.
In a coaching I had last summer in Italy, I was being urged by the conductor to take more risks in a particular piece I was working on. I think it was Ideale by Tosti, so not exactly a life-changing piece in the big scheme of things. Here I was, thinking I was singing beautifully (which I may have been), but I wasn’t internalizing the piece, especially the second time through. When prodded by the conductor to push my limits even more, I made the comment (tongue in cheek) that I was not Callas. He laughed, and proposed the question… “Did Callas take liberties and risks because she was famous, or did she get famous because she took those risks?” I’ll let you be the judge…
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