Howell voice students, these comments are for you:
Did you notice?
Ms. Graham's mouth changed shape quite a lot. At one point in the Purcell there was quite a long melisma which started in the lower register and went into the upper register and back down again. Her mouth changed slightly for almost every note change but the vowel did not change a bit to our ears. It stayed true and recognizable. This would be an excellent example of Vowel Modification. To put it simply, in order for the vowels to have the same acoustic pattern, the instrument has to change shape. (I feel sure you have heard this somewhere before.) That was a real live example.
Did you notice?
Even though much of the recital was in languages other than English and not many of us in the audience are fluent in all of the included languages, we could always tell that she was saying SOMETHING. Even if we didn't know exactly what it was, we could tell there was a meaning there. There were even a few verbal jokes that many of the audience members were able to understand through a combination of the singer's intent and the information in the program.
Did you notice?
Related to the above... Ms. Graham used quite a lot of hand gesture and even (gasp!) moved around the stage a good bit but none of it seemed staged or fake. The gestures were a natural part of her communication like she was "speaking with her hands" as they say. One specific example is the line "Il vole"in the Poulenc set. "Il vole" means "he flies (away) and she gestured as if she was showing us that he had flown.
Did you notice?
Ms. Graham didn't sing loudly the whole time. In fact, there were times when she sang VERY softly. Remember folks, that's all we've got. Loud/Soft, Dark/Light, High/Low
What did you notice???
I agree with you on how natural her communication was with the audience. I could really sense that a story was being told
ReplyDeleteMs. Graham is an amazing performer and she presents a whole package to the audience, with so much attention to detail. I was so impressed with the use of her whole body in communicating, her eyes, mouth, hands, and movement on the stage, all with meaning and perfect timing. As you said, none of it was fake, it was all very believable. Of course, her diction was also very clear and the dynamics were superb. I was completely drawn into the music. Then, when I thought there could not possibly be any more details to attend to, she explained her programming and why she used the costume change from white to the black sequined gown.
ReplyDeleteIt was such a privilege to have heard her in person. I am left with the lasting sound of her rich voice in my ears as well as the sight of her lovely stage presence and energetic communication with the audience.
I was so amazed by Susan Graham's performance. I understand now why Dr. Amos has us have our "k"'s and "c"'s so pure and clear. And also, her presence on stage and focus was spectacular. I absolutely love how she could snap back into her character even though the lights went out during the performance. I would love to have an opportunity to hear her again. It was a complete delight. (Plus, he outfits were BEAUTIFUL!)
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed her performance. Though I must admit the second half was the most entertaining for me. During this half I felt more of the chararcters she was portraying. This is most likely because there were fewer foriegn language songs in the second half. It was also a little less serious. There was less of the "woe is me" feeling and more of the "Here I am!" vibe.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main things I noticed was how clear her vowels/consenants were without out being "over the top". She had the perfect blend of use of diction and artistry. Even though she is a mezzo she had a strong range working for her as well. There was no hiccups so to speak when transitioning from the lows to the highs.
ONe last thing is that you could tell she was enjoying herself. Every song had a purpose. And as Jesica mentioned even when the lights went out she just let it roll off her back and made jokes about it. She is a true professional!
(By the way I am obsessed with the sparkly outfit she wore!)