The Pierrot Files

A few months ago, I was hired to do my first performance of Schönberg’s Pierrot Lunaire.    I was thrilled; not only because it’s for the 100th anniversary of the premiere of the piece, but also because a few months earlier I had been making goals for myself and decided that before my death, a performance of Pierrot was mandatory.  (For anyone who cares or who hires, my other pre-death musical achievements will be: Strauss’ Four Last Songs, Berg’s Sieben Frühe Lieder – both with orchestra – Ellen Orford, and maybe just one Juliette before I’m too old and wizened to be remotely believable.)

Well, be careful what you wish for.  When Dave Pay at the Music on Main series in Vancouver hired me, I did a happy dance, then immediately ordered the music.  When it arrived, I dutifully set it on top of the piano and didn’t open it for weeks.  I was intimidated, terrified and absolutely positive that I’d never be able to pull it off.  It’s a huge undertaking and it has been performed so wonderfully by so many people that it feels a little silly to offer my humble, uneducated performance of this piece that has stretched the limits of music, performers and audiences around the world.

So, here I sit with books on the topic, a score that is already looking worn and is sure to look far more so by October, my trusty metronome, a few recordings and a film version that I’m hoping will help.  As I learn things, I will do my best to write them here (while the toddler naps?) in the hopes that they will clarify my own thoughts and maybe inspire a few readers to take the plunge and listen to this incredible piece.

 

Choosing Your Repertoire

Often choosing repertoire for graduation recitals and juries seems to preoccupy students for months.  I’ve only been teaching at the college level for a couple of years and already I can’t count the number of times I’ve been approached for help on finding song repertoire.  The fact is, there are so many options out there that it can be utterly overwhelming.  There are thousands of songs, cycles, languages, styles and instrument combinations from which to choose.  So how does one go about narrowing it all down to just 60 minutes or, even more difficult, just the 6 songs required for most juries?

1. The first and most important point it that you MUST choose music that makes you happy.  It is no fun to find yourself preparing music that you only chose because someone told you it would be good for you.  Does the text move you?  Do the vocal lines fit you at this point in your singing life?  Is it challenging enough but not impossible?  Will you be excited to sing it six months down the road on the night of your recital?  Consider these things closely. A large amount of cash is the only reason that I sing anything that I don’t really love. We all have to pay our bills!

2. Finding the right thing in the required languages can be tricky.  In school we are mostly bound to the Big Four: German, Italian, French and English.  But there is a bounty of songs out there in every language imaginable!  If you can fit it into your program, look in to Sibelius songs in Swedish or Dvorak in Czech or the mountains of glorious Russian songs.  Even these languages are pretty commonplace now.  If you speak Greek or Farsi or Hebrew or (insert language here) find something in your language and if it fits your voice, sing it!  It will open up an amazing world of repertoire!

3. You can’t get away without learning the classics.  There’s a reason that Schubert’s Auf dem Wasser zu singen, Fauré’s Après un Rêve, or Quilter’s Love’s Philosophy are sung all the time.  It’s because they are wonderful, beautiful songs.  They are challenging for singers at all stages in their careers (Strauss’ Morgen, anyone?) and they please audiences like crazy!  I admit that I went through a long phase of not wanting to sing the classics simply because everybody else was doing them and I am the type of singer who doesn’t like going down the well-worn path.  But now here I am in my 30’s and there is an embarrassingly large amount of common song repertoire that I don’t know!  So now that I find myself teaching a lot more than I used to, I am scrambling to learn the details of Nuit d’étoiles, Fantôches and all the songs of Tosti!  It’s kind of exciting, I must admit!  And guess what?  I’m having a glorious time learning music that is considerably more tonal than I am used to.

4. Ask questions of your colleagues, your teachers and your coaches.  Find out what they think would be an exciting musical adventure for you.  Then go to the library and look through the scores and listen to recordings.  Library time is just as important as practice time.  Resist feeling overwhelmed.  Rather, let those rows upon rows of scores inspire you on your life-long journey of learning.

5.  Try everything!  Yes, sing what you love.  But, sometimes you don’t know that you’ll love it until you try it!  Some songs don’t seem very appealing at first.  But think about how your tastes have changed over time.  Maybe the first recording of a song you listened to left a bad taste in your mouth but a live performance changed your mind.  That is the magic of music!  Every performance is thrilling and wildly different.

 

There is a vast amount of song repertoire out there.  The best way to find the songs that will excite you is to dive in, head first.  Few things are more exciting than starting with a blank slate and seeing where you end up!  Have fun!

Here is a photo of two of my favourite artists: Erika Switzer and François LeRoux.  They are pros at choosing repertoire that is unusual and wonderfully entertaining!  (How much do I LOVE that yellow suit?  That’s one for the Concert Frocks category!)