latest posts
Jeff Blumenkrantz: I Won’t Mind
Continuing with our theme of motherhood, “I Won’t Mind” by Jeff Blumenkrantz beautifully captures the feeling of longing for a child, by highlighting all of the seeming mundane things that make time spent in their company exquisite, here sung by Audra MacDonald.
Francis Poulenc: La courte paille
This last year my life has changed rather dramatically with the arrival of my daughter Amélia. So when I was invited to contribute to the Song of the Day series, the natural theme that came to mind was exploring motherhood in song.
Gian Carlo Menotti: Steal me, sweet thief
“Steal me, sweet thief” has been one of my favorite arias since I heard it about 2 years ago. I only started singing it recently because my usual English aria, “No Word from Tom” from Stravinsky’s opera The Rakes Progress (another must-listen), wasn’t quite doing it for me anymore. “Steal me” is one of the only well known arias by Menotti.
Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman: Simply Second Nature
The song is “Simply Second Nature” from the 2013 musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. I heard it for the first time as an undergraduate student, when I was just beginning to delve into the world of musicals. As a classical musician since childhood, I found that I really didn’t know much at all about Broadway. And recently, I’d started to try my own amateur hand at some composition, so I needed all the guidance I could get.
The Chieftains: The Foggy Dew
Before coming to Orient for NYFOS@North Fork I spent two months in Europe. My adventures began with a week in Ireland. It was my second time visiting the Emerald Isle but this time around I really fell in love with the country and became fascinated with its compelling history. After a week in the Irish moors and probably enough pints for a year, I trekked off to Vienna for the Franz Schubert Institut where, lo and behold, I met an Irishman and we became fast friends! Between our escapades into the German Lied, my new friend Seán Boylan would introduce me to his favorite Irish bands and singers.
NYFOS@North Fork: Days 5 & 6
The last few days before a concert are always a little tricky to handle. I want to build confidence. I want to fix the little errors—notes, words, rhythms, dynamics—that seem to be repeat offenders. I also want to keep the cast reaching for the heights of expression from depths of their souls—while keeping their work simple, direct, and open. No navel-gazing allowed.
NYFOS@North Fork: Day 4
I have always had a complex relationship with the piano. But I have an especially complex relationship with the piano I am playing this week at Poquatuck Hall. Oysterponds Community Activities, the hall’s parent organization, proudly bought the piano several years ago, and it was a major upgrade from the weather-beaten wreck it replaced. But when I first sat down to play it, I had the oddest sensation of déjà-vu. In fact, I felt as if I were seeing a ghost.
NYFOS@North Fork: Day 3
Wednesday is always the last play-day. People are still giggling over their memory slips, I calmly look the other way when I play a wrong note (which means I am looking the other way quite often), and a certain amount of experimentation remains the order of the day. Sunday’s performance seems centuries away. Everything changes tomorrow, when the glass is definitely half-empty. But today we were in the song-sandbox all afternoon, with the glass safely half-full.
NYFOS@NorthFork: Day 2
The music is pouring out of everyone—heartbreak from Kelsey, brio from Christine, panache from Miles. I feel as if I am driving a very fast chariot à la Ben-Hur, hoping to emerge victorious like Charlton Heston.
NYFOS@North Fork: Day 1
That whole song is full of double-entendres, and a lot of them come from old slang expressions. “Neither one knew where the trash is” rhymes with “someone to haul the ashes.” I mentioned it was a phrase you might see in a classic blues song. By this time Christine pulled out her phone to look it up online. “It says: ‘to have sexual intercourse.’ Wait, here’s Urban Dictionary: ‘to have sex, homo or hetero, usually casual, but wild, hot, monkey sex.’” “OK, well, then, you get the picture?” She did.
Victor Herbert: Thine Alone / sung by Mario Lanza
When I really think about it, this list wouldn’t be complete without a selection from the man who is the reason behind my choosing this career path. A man who, as I stated in a previous post, inspired countless others to raise their voices and sing: Mario Lanza.
Fionn Regan: Be Good Or Be Gone
Fionn’s music was instantly appealing: mellow, relaxing, with nimble finger-picking patterns and interesting chord progressions. Lyrically, his songs are incredibly poetic. I would wait eagerly for him to complete each phrase, curious as to which direction he was heading. His rhythmic use of words and his sense of imagery are commendable. Lyrically/musically, he evokes Dylan.. both Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas, that is.
Robert Schumann: Die alten, bösen Lieder (Dichterliebe, Op. 48)
When I was sixteen, I began taking formal voice lessons in Philadelphia. I found a teacher via a wonderful book on Mario Lanza I received for my birthday. I had just recently discovered him and was inhaling every book and record I could get my hands on. In this particular book, there were a number of testimonials from people who knew Mario, worked with him, or were inspired by his voice. One of these was written by Enrico Di Giuseppe, a wonderful tenor who enjoyed a long and productive career with the Metropolitan and NYCO from the 60s-80s in a variety of roles. At the conclusion of his chapter, he stated that he was teaching voice privately in Philadelphia. Inspired, I wrote him a lengthy letter requesting lessons. He called me one evening and we set up a trial lesson for that week. I brought him ‘Amor ti vieta’ from Fedora because “it’s short and only goes to an A”… his reaction was pretty priceless. After I bellowed my way through the aria like the sixteen year old baritenor I was, he handed me the “24 Italian Hits” and we started working together. He was my teacher for the next six years until his passing and in that time, he became very much like a grandfather to me.
Ryan Adams: Meadowlake Street
One thing, however, was certain: there would undoubtedly be a song from Ryan Adams… but which one? In many ways it’s the equivalent of a hardcore Beatles fan having to choose a single tune that sums up their feelings. Ryan is incredibly prolific: eighteen studio albums, scores of unreleased material that he teases on occasion, and singles albums he was recording and releasing monthly just a couple years ago.
Giuseppe Cioffi: ‘Na sera ‘e maggio
Anyone who knows me is aware of my fascination (to the point of obsession) with Neapolitan folk song. I’ve performed several recitals consisting solely of these gems, I’ve written numerous undergrad and grad school papers on the subject, and I’m currently assisting an Italian friend and colleague with her dissertation at the university in Vienna. Additionally, we will perform a joint recital there in January for which I’m very excited! While the texts are often very simple and straightforward, dealing with infatuation, heartbreak, homesickness, and love for the sun and sea, the music is staggeringly beautiful and infused with so much emotion.