Anglický tenorista Peter Wedd se v Ostravě představí jako bájný rytíř Lohengrin. S ostravským operním souborem se v těchto dnech intenzivně připravuje na březnovou premiéru. I přes svůj nabitý program si našel chvilku k milému povídání, při kterém nám prozradil něco o svým oblíbených rolích, pěvcích a Leoši Janáčkovi, který patří mezi jeho nejoblíbenější skladatele.
Jak jste se vlastně dostal ke zpěvu, od kolika let zpíváte?
Se srovnání s mnohými kolegy jsem začal zpívat až dost pozdě. Pěveckému studiu jsem se začal věnovat v pětadvaceti letech. V té době jsem začal chodit do londýnské umělecké školy Guildhall. Téměř deset let jsem pracoval ve stavebnictví. Vyrostl jsem v severní Anglii na farmě svých rodičů, což bylo ve své podstatě velice praktické. Byl jsem farmářův syn; každý den jsem pracoval s otcem, pomáhal mu s hospodářstvím. Tento styl výchovy a práce na venkově mi ukázal další cestu v uměleckém směru. Jako umělec musíte být velice flexibilní, je nutné mít určitou formu vnitřní rovnováhy. Člověk se naučí být praktický a do jisté míry i moudrý.
Se srovnání s mnohými kolegy jsem začal zpívat až dost pozdě. Pěveckému studiu jsem se začal věnovat v pětadvaceti letech. V té době jsem začal chodit do londýnské umělecké školy Guildhall. Téměř deset let jsem pracoval ve stavebnictví. Vyrostl jsem v severní Anglii na farmě svých rodičů, což bylo ve své podstatě velice praktické. Byl jsem farmářův syn; každý den jsem pracoval s otcem, pomáhal mu s hospodářstvím. Tento styl výchovy a práce na venkově mi ukázal další cestu v uměleckém směru. Jako umělec musíte být velice flexibilní, je nutné mít určitou formu vnitřní rovnováhy. Člověk se naučí být praktický a do jisté míry i moudrý.
V té době
jsem docházel ke skvělému učiteli zpěvu. Na druhém stupni základní školy jsem
byl členem uměleckého sdružení. Každý rok jsme zkoušeli a připravovali několik hudebních pořadů pro
rodiče. Když mi bylo třináct let, kamarád mého učitele, který vedl místní
pěvecký kroužek v Derby, potřeboval chlapce, který by zpíval roli
Parpignola v opeře La Bohéme. Do divadelního a
hudebního světa jsem se dostal v období naprostého kulturního rozkvětu. V té době
bylo v Anglii mnoho lidí, kteří měli peníze a umění podporovali. Bohužel
dnes už to tak není. Můj učitel, který mne tehdy nezávazně vyučoval, mi jednoho dne
řekl. “Docházíš sice na hodiny
zpěvu, ale v zásadě máš pořád připomínky k tomu či onomu. Proč tedy nezkusíš štěstí na universitě. Jdi a zkus předzpívat několika učitelům.”
Předzpíval jsem tedy na dvou univerzitách; první byla v Manchesteru a druhá v
Londýně, kam jsem nakonec začal také docházet. Zde jsem se poprvé setkal
se profesorkou zpěvu Johannou Peters. Byla to fantastická žena.
Řekla mi, že se jí líbí můj pěvecký projev. Díky ní jsem se seznámil se skvělým
umělcem a učitelem, kterým byl pan William McAlpine.
Nejdůležitější věcí v
kariéře operního pěvce je dobrý učitel. V dnešní době existuje spousta učitelů,
kteří mají různé kvality. Najít ale toho pravého, který opravdu ví, co dělá a o čem
mluví, je velice obtížné. A to především v začátku kariéry, kdy je hlas mladý a vy sami nemáte žádné zkušenosti. Pan McAlpine pocházel také ze stavařské
rodiny. Ve své době zpíval úspěšně v Německu i v Anglii. Byl to velice laskavý muž.
Profesionálně zpívám patnáct let a začínám si uvědomovat, jak se můj hlas vyvíjí Od začátku cítím, že styl mého zpěvu byl vždy lyrický. V minulosti jsem
zpíval také Mozarta, něco z italského repertoáru. Opravdu ale miluji českou
operu, především Janáčka. Měl jsem velké štěstí, že jsem mohl několikrát spolupracovat
se Sirem Charlesem Mackerrasem.
Je zajímavé, že se na to ptáte, protože si nemyslím, že jsou to role tak odlišné. Víte, já jsem se celý svůj život snažil zpívat svým vlastním hlasem. To je ta nejzásadnější věc, kterou každý pěvec může a měl by dělat. V minulosti jsem byl obsazován do rolí, které jsem přijal a zpíval. Nakonec to často dopadlo tak, že si se mnou vlastně agentura nevěděla rady. Lidé si nebyli jistí, který repertoár bych měl vlastně zpívat. Dnešní problém v opeře jako takové není v tom, do čeho umělce obsadíte. Problém je v marketingu. Spousta operních domů začíná obsazovat pěvce či pěvkyně do rolí hlavně proto, aby prodaly co nejvíce vstupenek. To je ale velmi nebezpečné.
Osobně znám několik velice dobrých pěvců, kteří si takto zničili hlas a kariéru. Ano, operní domy a agentury toto dělají. Pěvci by se třeba k daným rolím během své kariéry propracovali sami. Umělci jsou dnes nuceni zpívat některé role příliš brzy. A výsledek? Dnes skutečně nemáme kvalitní a dobře technicky vedené hlasy jako tomu bylo v minulosti. Můj učitel pan McApline mi vždycky říkal, že tenorista by neměl dosáhnout svého profesního vrcholu před padesátkou. Když bylo panu McAlpinovi 71 let, stále zpíval. Jeho hlas zněl velice svěže a krásně.
V minulosti to bylo jinak. Operní instituce napsala dopis s nabídkou a zpěvák posléze odepsal zpět. Poté se obě strany sešly a diskutovaly další možnosti spolupráce. Dnes vám zavolají ráno na mobil a zeptají se, jestli můžete večer přijít a zpívat. Jednoznačně musí být něco špatně.
K mým velkým pěveckým vzorům patří Lauritz Melchior a Franz Völker. V minulosti měli pěvci prostor. Hlasový prostor. Starší generace herců a pěvců dovedla s tímto prostorem a hlasy pracovat. Spousta dnešních zpěváků se snaží pouze něco napodobit. A diváci to dovedou velice rychle rozpoznat.
Amanda Roocroft (Káťa Kabanová) Peter Wedd (Boris Grigorjevič)
Credit: Robert Workman, Welsh National Opera
Diváci byli nadšeni! Většina představení byla vyprodaná. Trochu mne mrzí, že Sir Charles dnes nežije, aby viděl, jak moc Janáčka lidé po celém světě milují. Janáček je jako Wagner mým oblíbeným skladatelem. A zjistil jsem, že tito dva skladatelé přitahují také stejnou skupinu operních diváků. Ti jsou schopni na opery Leoše Janáčka cestovat přes půl světa. Když se potkám s lidmi, kteří nebyli nikdy v opeře, často jim dám či pošlu CD některé z Janáčkových oper. Vždycky mi s nadšením říkají, jak se jim hudba líbila. Má v sobě stejnou krásu jako třeba Pucciniho díla, je ale o poznání reálnější, prezentovaná v reálném, skutečném momentě.
Měl jsem vždy velké štěstí na skvělé publikum Myslím si, že Smetanova Prodaná
nevěsta je překrásné hudební dílo s mnohými
dramatickými momenty. Opera je mnohem komplikovanější než si lidé myslí. Já
jsem si osobně musel dávat velký pozor na to, co a jak zrovna zpívám. Byla to
pro mne v každém případě velká škola.
If I look into your list of roles it seems to me that you have made some very interesting choices. Laca, Boris, Don José, Florestan and on the other hand Tamino. I think Lohengrin and Tamino are quite different from each other.
I don’t think these roles are that different. I have always tried to sing with my voice. That is the main thing anyone of us can do. People used to put me in a role and I would do it. It’s not only about singing, it’s about the character and how you feel about that particular role. It ended up with people not knowing what to do with me, not sure which repertoire I should go to. The big problem of today’s opera is not about casting, it’s about marketing. Today, many opera houses start putting people in the roles because they think it will help them to sell tickets. And that is a very dangerous road. I know some very fine singers that have been ruined because they have a name. And if the opera company thinks they can put them in this role and maybe they would end up in such role or repertoire in some point in their lifes. I feel singers are often pushed to early. As a result we don’t have the great singers we used to. My teacher Mr. McAlpine would have said that voice, especially tenor voice, is not at its prime until you are 50. He was 75 and still could sing like a young man of 40. At 71, he sang his last concert and sounded fresh and beautiful.
How did you enjoy working with the opera company in Ostrava?
You did sing Jeník in New Zealand and Laca in Australia. That is interesting because I don’t think many people in these coutries get the chance to hear many Czech operas. How did people enjoy and reacted to Czech operas?
Did you sing any Czech role that you had to also learn in English? Is it difficult for you?
I have done Laca and Kudrjáš in Czech and in English. I don’t think it is that difficult. If you can do a role in a good translation, the one very near to the original, it is indeed a fantastic way of learning. Everytime I have done it in English everyone and especially the conductors made sure that we go from word to word and know that it meant. If we had problems we still know what the meaning is. So the English text is never far from the Czech original. There is nothing as fulfilling as singing a role in original language. It’s also a great test wherever you feel it in your body.
I came across a wonderful recording of Mahler's song cycle Das Lied Von Der Erde that you recorded at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. Do you have any other song cycles in you repertoire? I know there are tuns of wonderful English songs that should be recorded more often. Not just Britten but Ralph Vaughan Williams, Michael Tippett..
The former director of Welsh National Opera John Fisher asked me if I do song cycles. And I told him I had done a few. Song cycles are great to take the voice on a voyage. Today, it is more about theatre and I am very passionate about theatre. But I am even more passionate about the production of the voice. Everyday I alway think how I could approve my singing.
I also know you are a great admire of Stephen Sondheim.
I am a great fan of Sondheim. In the past I was in Into The Woods, I sang Anthony in Sweeney Todd. I have done lots of concerts with music by Sondheim. I have not listened to so much Sondheim prior to my performances; I would rather sing it with my voice and do it my way. I remember I was in New Zealand and we did a little afternoon concert for the sponsors. We would all sing one or two arias. One of my colleagues came and sang Being Alive from Sondheim’s musical Company. I had not heard the song for so many years. I have to say I really cried when I heard him do it. The words and the music are very powerful.
Zpíval jste tedy roli Jeníka v angličtině,
je to tak?
Ano, ale přiznám se, že bych roli raději zpíval v
češtině. Anglické verze Janáčkových oper mají fantastická libreta. Překlady
jsou velice dobré, zkuste si schválně někdy některou z anglických verzí poslechnout. Samozřejmě to není tak kvalitní jako český originál. Já bohužel česky nemluvím, ale jednou bych se
opravdu rád vaši řeč naučil. Čeština je jednoznačně mým nejoblíbenějším operním
jazykem. Má tolik zajímavých a zpěvných
samohlásek. To je naprosto fascinující. Moje první role v Janáčkově opeře
byl Kudrjáš v Covent Garden. Tehdy jsem měl velice lehký a lyrický hlas.
Byl jsem členem souboru a měl jsem štěstí, že jsem dostal příležitost si roli
zazpívat. Byla to pro mne tehdy velká výzva. Určitě bych se rád někdy do Covent Garden vrátil a
zazpíval si třeba Borise nebo Lacu.
Později jsem zpíval pod vedením Sira Charlese Mackerrase také Števu. V Sydney jsem ztvárnil roli Alberta ve Věci Makropulos. Technicky je to velice náročná role. Je to také dramatická a překrásná opera. Když jsem poprvé začal roli Alberta studovat a poslouchat různé nahrávky, role mi tak složitá nepřišla. V reálu jsem měl každý večer slzy na krajíčku. Věc Makropulos je jedna z mých nejoblíbenějších oper.
K dostání na CD je také Vaše
nahrávka Mahlerova písňového cyklu Das Lied Von Der Erde, kterou jste natočil před
několika lety v Manchesteru. Máte některé další písňové cykly v repertoáru? Ptám se především kvůli tomu, že existuje mnoho
nádherných anglických písní, které by měly být interpretovány ve větší míře. Nejenom skladby Benjamina Brittena, ale také Ralph Vaughan
Williamse či Michaela Tippeta...
Bývalý ředitel Velšské národní opery John Fisher se mne na toto také ptal.
Skutečně jsem několik písňových cyklů v minulosti zpíval. Písně jsou
skvělou očistou pro hlas. Dnes se většina z nás ale soustřeďuje především na
divadlo, já osobně jsem velkým divadelním nadšencem. Ještě více se ale zajímám o tvorbu a vývoj hlasu. Každý den si kladu otázku, co bych mohl ještě na svém pěveckém
projevu zlepšit.
Jeden z mých nejoblíbenějších písňových cyklů je Songs Of Travel od Ralph Vaughan Williamse. Když jsem byl mladší, tyto
písně jsme často zpíval.
Podle mého názoru je v dnešní době nejlepším interpretem anglických
písní Gerald Finley.
Vím o Vás, že jste velkým příznivcem děl Stephena Sondheima.
Ano, jsem velký obdivovatelem Stephena Sondheima. Před lety jsem dokonce zpíval v několika jeho muzikálech. Jedním byl Into The Woods, ztvárnil jsem roli Anthonyho v muzikálu Sweeney Todd. Zpíval jsem jeho skladby na mnohých koncertech. Předtím, než jsem začal Sondheima interpretovat, jsem vlastně moc jeho tvorbu neposlouchal. Chtěl jsem si raději udělat svůj vlastní obrázek a zpívat jak se říká po svém.
Vím o Vás, že jste velkým příznivcem děl Stephena Sondheima.
Ano, jsem velký obdivovatelem Stephena Sondheima. Před lety jsem dokonce zpíval v několika jeho muzikálech. Jedním byl Into The Woods, ztvárnil jsem roli Anthonyho v muzikálu Sweeney Todd. Zpíval jsem jeho skladby na mnohých koncertech. Předtím, než jsem začal Sondheima interpretovat, jsem vlastně moc jeho tvorbu neposlouchal. Chtěl jsem si raději udělat svůj vlastní obrázek a zpívat jak se říká po svém.
Když jsem byl
pracovně před lety na Novém Zélandu, uspořádali jsme jednou takový odpolední
recitál pro sponzory. Každý ze solistů přišel a zazpíval árii či píseň. Bylo to
moc krásné. Jeden z mých kolegů si vybral skladbu Being Alive ze
Sondheimova muzikálu Company. Já jsem osobně skladbu neslyšel několik let a
musím říci, že jsem byl dojat k slzám, když jsem ho poslouchal.
Sondheimova hudba a především texty jsou velice silné a nutí Vás k zamyšlení.
__________________________________________________________
Interview with Mr. Peter Wedd in English:
Can you please tell us more about your musical beginnings? How did it
all start for you?
I didn’t start singing until I was a little older compare to other opera singers. I was about 25 when I started a formal training at Guildhall in London. I was in a construction industry for 10 years before that. I did grow up in a farm and was always very practical in my nature. I was a farmer’s son; I would help my father with manual work. I believe that really helps me because as an artist you must have a lot of flexibility and inner strength. You can be philosophical and pragmatic with it. These are two important things that you should arm yourself with. When I left school I had a wonderful teacher. When I was about 11 to 15 we used to put on a very good musical shows for the children. I was always involved with theatre and music. When I was about 13 a friend my teacher who ran a local company in Derby needed a boy to sing Parpignol in Pucinni’s La Bohéme.
I didn’t start singing until I was a little older compare to other opera singers. I was about 25 when I started a formal training at Guildhall in London. I was in a construction industry for 10 years before that. I did grow up in a farm and was always very practical in my nature. I was a farmer’s son; I would help my father with manual work. I believe that really helps me because as an artist you must have a lot of flexibility and inner strength. You can be philosophical and pragmatic with it. These are two important things that you should arm yourself with. When I left school I had a wonderful teacher. When I was about 11 to 15 we used to put on a very good musical shows for the children. I was always involved with theatre and music. When I was about 13 a friend my teacher who ran a local company in Derby needed a boy to sing Parpignol in Pucinni’s La Bohéme.
I entered the music
and dramatic scene which was enormous during the years I was young. There used
to be many groups of people with big budgets. Sadly, it is not like that
anymore Back then I had a singing teacher who helped me with my hobby and told me: "You have come to the lessons and you kind of complain about the economy
situation. Why don’t you go to college and sing and see what happens, make an
audition." I went and auditioned in two places - The Manchester Northern and then
to London’s Guildhall
where I got to know a great teacher Johanna Peters. She was an amazing woman. She told me she
liked my voice and introduced me to a great man and teacher Mr. William
McAlpine. The most important thing in an artist's career is a good teacher. There
are so many teachers with different qualities. To find one who really knows
what he or she is talking about is very important. Especially when you are
starting in business and your voice is very young and slim.
Mr. Alpine was also
a builder like me, had a successful career in Germany and was a wonderful human
being. I have been singing professionally for 15 years now I am starting to
realize who my voice is developing. My philosophy from the singing point of
view has always been lyrical. I have sung Mozart, some Italian roles; really
love my Czech roles and Janáček especially. I was also lucky to work with Sir
Charles Mackerras a couple of times.
If I look into your list of roles it seems to me that you have made some very interesting choices. Laca, Boris, Don José, Florestan and on the other hand Tamino. I think Lohengrin and Tamino are quite different from each other.
I don’t think these roles are that different. I have always tried to sing with my voice. That is the main thing anyone of us can do. People used to put me in a role and I would do it. It’s not only about singing, it’s about the character and how you feel about that particular role. It ended up with people not knowing what to do with me, not sure which repertoire I should go to. The big problem of today’s opera is not about casting, it’s about marketing. Today, many opera houses start putting people in the roles because they think it will help them to sell tickets. And that is a very dangerous road. I know some very fine singers that have been ruined because they have a name. And if the opera company thinks they can put them in this role and maybe they would end up in such role or repertoire in some point in their lifes. I feel singers are often pushed to early. As a result we don’t have the great singers we used to. My teacher Mr. McAlpine would have said that voice, especially tenor voice, is not at its prime until you are 50. He was 75 and still could sing like a young man of 40. At 71, he sang his last concert and sounded fresh and beautiful.
In the old days, the opera
company would write a letter and singers would answer and say yes, I will think
about it and would come back to it at that time. Today, it’s a mobile phone call with a question can you
come today? There must be something wrong.
My great dramatic repertoire heroes are Lauritz Melchior and Franz Völker. In the past people had some space to
be. I feel the old actors and singers seemed to make the space to allow their voices to come out. Lot of singers today try to imitate something. And operagoes can easily recognize that.
Wagner’s Lohengrin is such a wonderful role
that you will soon sing in a new production in Ostrava. If I am not mistaken
you have already sung in Czech Republic before, is that correct?
Yes, some years ago I came to
Brno with the Covent Garden Company. We came here with Martinu’s Greek Passion,
it was David Pountney production. I sang together with Sir Willard White, it
was a wonderful experience for me. Yes, it means this is my second time in your country. However, Lohengrin will
be my first complete opera production in Czech Republic.
How did you enjoy working with the opera company in Ostrava?
I
really love it here. I have always been lucky, have worked with nice people.
It is really lovely here, like a family. Robert Jindra is just an amazing
conductor and really one of the best I have ever worked with. In his heart he
is a great technical conductor. The opera team around him has been really
wonderful to me. Nothing is too much trouble, it’s helpful, creative. I would like to keep the relationship with this company and surely would love to
come back.
I
also enjoyed working with Rocc, I really like his direction. I think Rocc
created such a beautiful piece, such great design. I like the way he works, he
has strength. It’s like a dream job to me.
Have you seen any other opera productions
while working in Ostrava?
Yes, I have seen La Wally which I enjoyed very much. I also planned to go and see Káťa Kabanová but at the end I didn’t get to see it. I feel a lot has to do with Wagner because you can almost go insane. When you get involved with a Wagner production it gets to the point you can’t listen to or look at anything else. I had the same experience when I was doing Tristan early this year. I have made all the rehearsals for Ben Heppner and it went tremendously well. Some people think I am mad but for me it is slightly easier to sing Tristan then to sing Lohengrin. It has been a big thing for me to get my head around Lohengrin. It has also been a great challenge. I love the darkness in the voices and the dramatic sound like Melchior used to have. I also want to hear the beauty. Today, lot of singers can’t sing Wagner properly; they are shouting and not singing the roles. That is very unfortunate.
Yes, I have seen La Wally which I enjoyed very much. I also planned to go and see Káťa Kabanová but at the end I didn’t get to see it. I feel a lot has to do with Wagner because you can almost go insane. When you get involved with a Wagner production it gets to the point you can’t listen to or look at anything else. I had the same experience when I was doing Tristan early this year. I have made all the rehearsals for Ben Heppner and it went tremendously well. Some people think I am mad but for me it is slightly easier to sing Tristan then to sing Lohengrin. It has been a big thing for me to get my head around Lohengrin. It has also been a great challenge. I love the darkness in the voices and the dramatic sound like Melchior used to have. I also want to hear the beauty. Today, lot of singers can’t sing Wagner properly; they are shouting and not singing the roles. That is very unfortunate.
We
have to remember and singers sometimes overlook that we end up taking roles because it’s work rather than because it’s us. I have done it myself in the
past. I have taken jobs and I wanted the money rather that it was good for me.
I have been lucky I have survived.
You did sing Jeník in New Zealand and Laca in Australia. That is interesting because I don’t think many people in these coutries get the chance to hear many Czech operas. How did people enjoy and reacted to Czech operas?
They enjoyed it very much. Most
of the performances were sold out. I think from the Western point of you it’s a shame that Sir Charles Mackarass could not see the real passion for Janáček that people around the world have today. I have the same passion for this music like I have for Wagner. And I realized that these two composers and their works
attract the same type of audiences. People are starting to go and travel a
great deal to see and hear Janáček's operas. When I meet people who have never
been to the opera I often send them a CD of one of Janáček's works
and always ask them what they think. They always tell me how much they love his
operas. It has all the beauty of Puccini but it is done in a real-time, real
moment. It’s a true piece of theatre.
I have always enjoyed fantastic
audiences. I think Smetana’s Bartered Bride is a little unusual for me. Musicaly I
find it enormous, there are a lot of dramatic moments in the orchestra. It is much more complicated opera than people think. I really had to watch what I was
doing, it’s quite educational for me.
You sang the role of Jeník in English, is that right?
Yes I did but I would have
prefered the Czech version. English
versions of Janáček's operas have really fantastic librettos. The translations
are in a way very powerful. However, it is nothing like the original Czech
language. Unfortunately, I don’t speak Czech. It is really my favourite
language to sing in. I think it is open like Italian. It has got these very
interesting, passionate consonants as well. That is really fascinating.
My first ever Janáček was Kudrjáš at Covent Garden. Back then I had very light and lyrical voice. I was a
principal member; sometimes they use the soloists to do smaller roles in opera
productions. Kudrjas was a great experience for me. I would love to go back and
do Boris or Laca there.
Later on I did Števa with Sir Charles. In Sydney I sang Albert in Makropulos Case. Technically, it is a
really hard role. It’s such a moving piece. When I looked it up on
the paper and I listened to it it didn’t seem that difficult. I was in tears
every night.
Did you sing any Czech role that you had to also learn in English? Is it difficult for you?
I have done Laca and Kudrjáš in Czech and in English. I don’t think it is that difficult. If you can do a role in a good translation, the one very near to the original, it is indeed a fantastic way of learning. Everytime I have done it in English everyone and especially the conductors made sure that we go from word to word and know that it meant. If we had problems we still know what the meaning is. So the English text is never far from the Czech original. There is nothing as fulfilling as singing a role in original language. It’s also a great test wherever you feel it in your body.
When
my voice started to change about two years ago, I went to this fantastic coach.
We tried some more dramatic pieces. I did bring some Italian stuff with me and
I knew I could sing it. I realized that when I sing Janáček or Wagner, I don’t
have to approach it too much, it is really there in me. On the other hand when
I tried some Italian arias I realized I had to think about what I was singing
and doing. I am not a latin person and don’t feel that Italian repertoire is
for me.
Amanda Roocroft (Káťa Kabanová) Peter Wedd (Boris Grigorjevič)
Credit: Robert Workman and WNO
Which of the Janáček's characters do you like the best?
From the philosophical point of you it has to be Laca. It’s an enourmous personal journey he goes on. For me it is the most fulfilling character. The idea of reduction and forgiveness is something I can identify with.
One think that sometimes annoy me is that Janáček has become a refuge for people who don’t sing so well. I have seen in it the UK. Mostly with people who are really good actors. They are better actors then singer. Sometimes I feel frustrated because of their vocal ability. You can hear it is not sang the right way it should be. I think that some people take a certain role to hide their wobbly voice.
I really love Boris as well. I like the hopelessness, he is a little spoiled perhaps and can’t really express himself. I grew up in the countryside, my father was very strict. He loved culture as well. Some people who come from very safe counties, the middle class families, don’t have really a lot of input into Janáček because they don’t know the peasant path. I don’t mean it as disrespect. There is something of experiencing the countryside upbringing and people’s hardships.
I came across a wonderful recording of Mahler's song cycle Das Lied Von Der Erde that you recorded at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. Do you have any other song cycles in you repertoire? I know there are tuns of wonderful English songs that should be recorded more often. Not just Britten but Ralph Vaughan Williams, Michael Tippett..
The former director of Welsh National Opera John Fisher asked me if I do song cycles. And I told him I had done a few. Song cycles are great to take the voice on a voyage. Today, it is more about theatre and I am very passionate about theatre. But I am even more passionate about the production of the voice. Everyday I alway think how I could approve my singing.
One of my favorite song cycles is
by Ralph Vaughan Williams, it is Songs Of Travel. When I was younger I sang these
songs; they are sometimes done with a baritone. I would really like to sing
some Schubert lieder, I would like to come back to it.
Today, I think that the finest
interpret of English songs is Gerald Finley. I don’t thing there is anybody
better.
I also know you are a great admire of Stephen Sondheim.
I am a great fan of Sondheim. In the past I was in Into The Woods, I sang Anthony in Sweeney Todd. I have done lots of concerts with music by Sondheim. I have not listened to so much Sondheim prior to my performances; I would rather sing it with my voice and do it my way. I remember I was in New Zealand and we did a little afternoon concert for the sponsors. We would all sing one or two arias. One of my colleagues came and sang Being Alive from Sondheim’s musical Company. I had not heard the song for so many years. I have to say I really cried when I heard him do it. The words and the music are very powerful.