Ho, Soundwave

I think you could well be on to something with the idea of music-colleges rolling-out identikit performers who all look and sound the same.  On the rare occassions when I get involved in auditions for singers, the first question I ask them is  "can you tell me what this aria is about?   Who is singing it, and what has just happened to them before that makes them feel or act this way?".  30% of the time they haven't a clue what the aria is about - 50% of the time they have no idea who their character is.   I don't do this to catch them out, but you can't even start on interpretation if you don't know who you are or where you are

They're all Russian citizens, Mary, although they might be of varying ethnicities  (ie tatar, ukrainian, bashkirian etc).

For example, I was doing a Masterclass (on "Stagecraft in Opera")  in Krasnodar with students of the Conservatoire there (The Krasnodar Philharmonia, of which the Conservatoire is a "department", is a magnificent former Palace built in the 1820s) as part of our "outreach" programme for a Music Festival we had toured down there (muchos gracias as ever to the British Council for funding work in the further-flung provinces of Russia).  The students were on different levels, so we worked with them at the level they were at. A youngish tenor sang a rather nice performance of "I attempt from love's sickness to fly in vain",  and he had clearly done his homework - he could give me a fairly accurate line-by-line translation of what he was singing.  However, an exceptionally good lyrico-spinto soprano (obviously their star pupil and they saved her until the end) did the first aria in "Manon Lescaut"...  but couldn't tell me who Manon was, or what was happening, where the scene was set... or really anything at all    She seemed to approach the whole thing as a huge vocalise, and was rather upset that I wanted her to walk around, strut about, etc - and was highly offended when I suggested that Manon was really a scarlet harlot?   (Even worse, the Head Of Vocal Faculty took me aside afterwards and complained that I had said this! And I'd used the most delicate euphemism in Russian, too.)  I could sense the antagonism when I was getting her to pout and preen.   A coloratura sang "Caro nome", and the same story there...  she was also singing from a "single sheet" of the aria, and it cut-off at the end before Marullo's men appear and sing off-stage.  (Blimey, it was lucky in retrospect that we didn't go into any detail of what happens to her after being delivered to the Duke Of Mantua...)

The Dean Of Studies brought the whole thing to a close with some kind of coyly tactful remark that "opera production in Britain obviously differs from our great Russian traditions".  Ho-hum...

The funniest irony is that "Miss Manon Lescaut" (who was very beautiful and would be ideal casting for the role) had her "claque" of followers in the audience (it was an open masterclass) and as soon as they were freed,  they gathered around her in deep sympathy, whilst she pouted and preened and behaved like exactly the kind of spoilt diva I'd wanted from her in the scene ;-)

Doesn't sound at all pompous to me, S/W   They were the poor ones...  there were two others who were better, but had done Russian repertoire, which they obviously knew better. Their problems were slightly different - enough ham to feed a wedding party, but the material (BRIDE FOR THE TSAR) unfortunately encourages this kind of approach.  In fairness to all concerned, none of them were over 22-23, and if anyone's heads should have been hanging in shame, it was their pedagogues'.

I went to HMV today to change a CD set (faulty case and one of five missing) and there was a CD playing in the dept. I could not recognise it to start with, then realised that it was 'One Fine Day', sung very slowly in a 'pop' sort of style. I asked about it and the soprano is a young NZ girl who apparently is very popular. So what can I say that is positive? Well, she has a lovely clear voice...and if she can encourage young people to listen to the real thing, then that is good. But definitely not for me!

I guess it was Hayley Whateverhernameis (Listeria?) The sad things are (a) I don't think hearing it WILL lead anyone on to explore Madame Butterfly (b) it may well sell more copies than a genuine Puccini soprano singing it.

I agree with you, smittins. One episode of CD Masters tells me enough: it was better in the old days. I appreciate it very much that you focus on singers in your message. I think the decline of classical music can be seen best in the vocal genre. Last Saturday we had the pleasure of hearing a feature on Radio 3 about Fritz Wunderlich. What a voice! You just don't get this type of singing anymore these days.

One of the reasons for the decline in quality is the response by the public. A few weeks ago, I visited a lunch concert by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Claus-Peter Flohr. They played the Organ Symphony by Saint-Saens. The real concert was the following day, but they decided to give a performance of the whole symphony during rehearsel. It was a nice performance, but it was nothing compared to the marvelous recording Willem van Otterloo made of the same piece more than forty years ago with the Residentie Orchestra. After the performance the whole audience rose and gave a standing ovation. Do you think you would get a standing ovation after a rehaersel performance (!!) fifty years ago? A standing ovation was a rare thing in the Netherlands in the 1930s: if it would happen, it was mentioned in the newspapers. The present audience isn't critical enough.

The other problem is the fact that musicians (especially conductors!) are travelling too much. They just don't want to work the whole season with one orchestra, like the way it was done in the old days. The days when simple provincial orchestras were turned into first class orchestras. Nowadays, orchestras are disappearing. How lucky we are that we have recordings of a great era of music making that has sadly come to an end.

In the UK, many orchestral players are trained firstly as technicians, secondly as musicians. Student wind groups are rehearsed with the emphasis on intonation, ensemble etc; there is little regard for style, and for students to "know the repertoire" is rare. I always think of the recordings by Ansermet and the Suisse Romande Orchestra; by modern standards, the sound could be pitiful, but the musicianship shone through in every phrase, particularly in French repertoire.

A violinist friend of mine, after 6 (SIX!!!) years study in a UK conservatoire, came out of an extra work audition, complaining that she didn't recognise one of the orchestral excerpts. "What was it?" I asked. "Oh, it was called Till something or other - never heard of it." An aspiring orchestral player? It makes you wonder...

Roslynmuse, Here it is even worsel. One can play three pieces every year to pass an exam. Imagine 3 X 8 (years) = 24 pieces and you are in grade 8.
There is BA in music, where you dont expected to play. Where do you learn performance? I heard people play before they take their exam (BA) thinking that they are going to fail only to learn that they have pass it with honor. How is it possible when it was awful one day before. And noone is playing by heart.

Some string players I know play more traditional than classical or even combine the two, which is difficult.
On the other hand there are good people coming to say Limmerick and give master classes for strings (not piano). Youngsters that learn classical violins listen more to pop music. On the way to exam a young violin player was  listening to some easy pop music.