Monday 19 December 2011

Art Thou Troubled Mr Spock?



Mr Handel and Mr Spock

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Well, finally my term is over! I needed to record a couple of songs for young R , and as she is a high soprano, the recording of repertoire for those whose are in the vocal upper echelons, becomes more tricky year on year! I had a very usable top B flat as a professional mezzo, but as age creeps up, so my range trickles down! Trying to warble a half decent V'adoro Pupille from Handel's Julius Caeser, becomes a game of octave swapping! Often I can manage the first section of the aria, but when the decorated return comes I surrender, so as not to offend the ears of the pupil by trying to dot around at the upper edges of the vocal cosmos, and failing dismally. Even the dog hates it! (I think) ?!

Anyhow, she had her half recording, and a link to the superb all singing all dancing performance by Danielle de Niese in the 2005 Glyndebourne production. So it worries me not that she will be struggling with a half sung, half played version, because she will hear a 'cool' opera singer perform it beautifully.

My very first song in my by first singing lesson was 'Art Thou Troubled' by Handel, and I fell instantly in love with glorious Handelian melodies. Few composers can write a cracking tune like Mr Handel, few knew the human voice as well as he, and few composers stand the test of time and come up shiny and newly scrubbed with each new performance. From the Messiah to Julius Caeser he 'has been and always will be the singer's friend', to misquote a well known character in Star Trek.

Live Long and Prosper!

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