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Turandot opened last night at The Civic Theater to a sold out audience.
Before the show, I sat down to chat with Lise Lindstrom, the American soparano performing the title role.
Lise was sitting in a chair having her Ice Princess makeup applied and she deftly answered my questions while remaining still for the makeup artist.
During the course of our conversation, several of the principal artists and management stopped in to deliver toi, toi, toi (opera’s break a leg), cards and flowers.
Her personal story has been well covered of late here in San Diego.
Long story short, she was about to hang it up when she was cast in the role of Turandot, a role Lise did not audition for and never dreamed of singing. She now owns an international opera career and is considered by many, including myself, to be the leading Turandot currently singing.
I decided to talk shop and asked about her favorite singers.
Lise: “Nilsson, Dimitrova, Gwyneth Jones, Maria Callas…anything Maria Callas sang. I love baritones—tenors, Pavarotti, Domingo.”
Birgit Nilsson, Ghena Dimitrova, and Gwyneth Jones were all tremendous Turandot’s of the past. If I could go back in time and pick one of those three to hear live, I would go with Dimitrova.
Lise: “I’m a fan of squillo and anyone who has found a balance between squillo and resonance, you have to have the bright sound with a dark space but it’s not a throaty sound.”
Squillo in Italian means “ring” as in a bell ringing. A singer who tries to produce too much squillo will end up sounding shrill or piercing—generally unpleasant. A singer without enough will sound throaty and the voice will not carry very well—also unpleasant.
A “dark space” basically means singing with an open throat. To sing with an open throat, the soft palate is raised but more importantly the larynx is lowered.
The next time you yawn, put your hand up to your throat and notice how far down your larynx, Adam’s Apple, is. This is where the larynx should be while singing.
A singer like Lise who has a balance of squillo and a “dark space” will be heard in any dramatic situation while maintaining a pleasant sound.
This balance also allows the singer the option to sing with a darker or brighter color based on the drama.
A singer without balance will have no choice.
Turandot’s first aria is the unrelenting “in questa reggia” wherein she recounts the brutal rape and murder of her ancestress.
When Lise sang the climatic high B flat, she sustained it and at the end added just a little extra color or darkness to the tone. The note and the moment are dramatic in and of themselves but that little extra characterization made my hair stand on end and brought a tear to my eye.
Because she has found a balance between squillo and a dark space, Lise was able to make a dramatic choice with the color of the voice and underscore Turandot’s emotional commitment to avenging the tragic murder of her ancestress.
This is the genesis of artistry. A singer with the technical ability to create additional character in the voice, at a moment like that, is rare.
It is also courageous. By adding that extra color, Lise risked cracking the note and then dealing with the aftermath of what some would consider a disaster.
I would rather hear a singer risk adding the character and crack then remain safe.
It is our job to have ears to hear and understand the artistic vocabulary of great singers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uplEjMCjHag
Turandot opened last night at The Civic Theater to a sold out audience.
Before the show, I sat down to chat with Lise Lindstrom, the American soparano performing the title role.
Lise was sitting in a chair having her Ice Princess makeup applied and she deftly answered my questions while remaining still for the makeup artist.
During the course of our conversation, several of the principal artists and management stopped in to deliver toi, toi, toi (opera’s break a leg), cards and flowers.
Her personal story has been well covered of late here in San Diego.
Long story short, she was about to hang it up when she was cast in the role of Turandot, a role Lise did not audition for and never dreamed of singing. She now owns an international opera career and is considered by many, including myself, to be the leading Turandot currently singing.
I decided to talk shop and asked about her favorite singers.
Lise: “Nilsson, Dimitrova, Gwyneth Jones, Maria Callas…anything Maria Callas sang. I love baritones—tenors, Pavarotti, Domingo.”
Birgit Nilsson, Ghena Dimitrova, and Gwyneth Jones were all tremendous Turandot’s of the past. If I could go back in time and pick one of those three to hear live, I would go with Dimitrova.
Lise: “I’m a fan of squillo and anyone who has found a balance between squillo and resonance, you have to have the bright sound with a dark space but it’s not a throaty sound.”
Squillo in Italian means “ring” as in a bell ringing. A singer who tries to produce too much squillo will end up sounding shrill or piercing—generally unpleasant. A singer without enough will sound throaty and the voice will not carry very well—also unpleasant.
A “dark space” basically means singing with an open throat. To sing with an open throat, the soft palate is raised but more importantly the larynx is lowered.
The next time you yawn, put your hand up to your throat and notice how far down your larynx, Adam’s Apple, is. This is where the larynx should be while singing.
A singer like Lise who has a balance of squillo and a “dark space” will be heard in any dramatic situation while maintaining a pleasant sound.
This balance also allows the singer the option to sing with a darker or brighter color based on the drama.
A singer without balance will have no choice.
Turandot’s first aria is the unrelenting “in questa reggia” wherein she recounts the brutal rape and murder of her ancestress.
When Lise sang the climatic high B flat, she sustained it and at the end added just a little extra color or darkness to the tone. The note and the moment are dramatic in and of themselves but that little extra characterization made my hair stand on end and brought a tear to my eye.
Because she has found a balance between squillo and a dark space, Lise was able to make a dramatic choice with the color of the voice and underscore Turandot’s emotional commitment to avenging the tragic murder of her ancestress.
This is the genesis of artistry. A singer with the technical ability to create additional character in the voice, at a moment like that, is rare.
It is also courageous. By adding that extra color, Lise risked cracking the note and then dealing with the aftermath of what some would consider a disaster.
I would rather hear a singer risk adding the character and crack then remain safe.
It is our job to have ears to hear and understand the artistic vocabulary of great singers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uplEjMCjHag