(Copied over from vcafe posts I made and then from LJ)

Tonight there was a benifit concert for the Jessye Normal School of Arts. Jessye Norman is a very, very world famous opera singer who was born in Augusta, GA (where I live, fyi). A year ago she started a school of arts that is basically an after-school program for middle schoolers in a school here, teaching them dance, music, theatre, and visual arts. Anyway, she was one of the people on the program tonight. My grandmother is a big fan of hers and has seen her every time she has sang in Augusta, and a number of other places as well, and I figured that she would take my sister and me to see her this time. I was quite right and very excited.

Well, it was very, very good to hear her sing. Miss Norman has an absolutly amazing voice with what I don't hesitate to call the most amazing control of any vocalist I've heard thus far. If I could hear her and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau do a concert together I would probably wet myself, crap my pants, and then die of a mental overload, but I would die a very happy man. Anyway, I digress.

I was also pretty disapointed in this program... Miss Norman only sang 4 songs (well, six, but three of them were very short ant part of a set of spanish songs by Manuel de Falla) and one of those was a duet with a less than glorious baritone. There was a small set of music by a pianist who started with a rather boring Liszt transcription of Wagner's "Liebestod" from Tristan und Isolde (A fairly beautiful work when sung... it just didn't translate over to piano very well, imho) and some songs by de Falla (this pianist, Carlos Rodriguez, being of spanish descent, it was fitting, and he accompanied Miss Norman on her de Falla pieces.). The de Falla was impressive, but nothing that I have not heard done just as well before.

There was also a set by her regular pianist, Mark Markham. He played some Poulenc, Liszt, and a transcrpition of Gounod by Liszt. All very good and very impressive.

Then the baritone I mentioned earlier sang his set. "I've Got Plenty of Nothin'," "Your Feet's too Big," and "Wheels of a Dream." Eh... I've heard them done way, way better. Sure, he was fairly theatricle, but it just wasn't very effective. He did best on "Your Feet's too Big" but still... Not that great at all... His voice was just.... very, very lacking. I hate to be a vocal snob, and maybe it's just that it's my voice part and I am a bit snobbish about what I like there.... But it just wasn't..... That good.

Then was his duet with Miss Norman, "Let's Call the Whole thing Off!" Well.. She was great, he was the same as on his other stuff. His voice was like... A bad note in a good chord (not that he was off, just that's the best comparison I can come up with). It just didn't FIT with hers, at ALL. Ah well... She did a wonderful job.

Jessye Norman's voice is.... the most amazing thing ever. I was enthralled for Les Chemins de L'Amour by Poulenc, and then when she did Habañera from Carmen I was totaly swept away... Her voice... her control... Oh the control over that glorious instrument of hers... and her presence... Man.. what a woman.

I only hope that one day I will be able to see a concert entierly of her (Or that Norman/Fischer-Dieskau bill that I would love oh so much).

At least I heard her for the little bit I heard.


Oh, I almost forgot to mention the other disapointing part about the concert! The room acoustics were TERRIBLE! Ugh, it was SO FLAT. Not flat like, a note is flat, but flat as in uninteresting... dull... Muffled. Blah to bad rooms. Oh to hear that voice in a glorious hall.....

And because I am a nerd and some of you will care, here is the programme:


I.
Francis Poulenc.....Les Chemins de L'Amour
Georges Bizet.......from Carmen
recit: "Quand je vous aimerai?"
Aria: "L'Amour est un Oiseau" (Habañara)

Miss Norman
Mr. Markham

II.
Richard Wagner....from Tristan und Isolde
arr. Liszt and Rodriguez Aria: "Libestod"
Manuel de Falla....from El Amor Brujo
"Pantomime"
"Danza del Terror"
"Circulo Magico"
"Danza ritual delf Fuego"

Mr. Rodriguez

III.
de Falla....from Siete Canciones Populares Españolas
"el paño Moruno"
"Nana"
"Polo"

Miss Norman
Mr. Rodriguez

IV.
Francis Poulenc....Melancoli
Franz Liszt....Harmonies du Soir
Charles Gounod....from Faust
tr. Liszt "Waltz"

Mr. Markham

V.
George Gershwin....from Porgy and Bess
"I've got Plenty of Nothin'"

Thomas "Fats" Waller....from Ain't Misbehavin'
arr. Fred Fisher/Andy Razaf "Your Feet's too Big"

Stephen Flaherty....from Ragtime
arr. Llyn Ahrens "Wheels of a Dream"

Mr. Hamilton
Mr. Markham

George Gershwin....from Shall We Dance
"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off!"

Miss Norman
Mr. Hamilton
Mr. Markham



There you have it.
- posted by Nick @ 8/28/2004 11:59:00 PM | 0 comments