What would you like to give or recommend to young duos?
I would encourage young singers to be aware of the contemporary relevance of the art of song and also that they should try to translate to the present day. Ultimately, the themes of poetry ‘of old’ are the same as those of today: love, comfort, enchantment, humour, sensuality, desire, mortality, dilemma, betrayal, survival, religion and so on.
So I think it is up to today's singers and pianists to make this felt to younger audiences by thinking about the form in which they give recitals. This could be by creating context, a visual frame, but also choosing a non-obvious venue, for example. This should not feel like a proverbial knee-jerk reaction to the way the art of song has often been and is performed so far. At least I think the traditional listener would possibly experience it as a knee-jerk reaction, if just standing next to the piano and singing no longer seemed to suffice.
I therefore think it is very important to emphasise that I do not think that song art would not communicate adequately in itself, but because in the times in which the younger generation has grown up, incomparable ways of communicating have emerged and life is also at a very different pace from when many of the songs were created. These developments have changed the perception, focus and needs of young audiences. It also ultimately requires a specific curiosity, interest and empathy, to want to delve into art forms that sometimes date back centuries. For singers of my generation and before, this obviously needs no explanation, but in order to pass on the beauty of the songs to future generations, to let them enjoy them just as much and be comforted and enchanted by them, I think it is necessary to think about a translation. So that the connection remains. Fortunately, this is already happening more and more often.
The Conservatorium van Amsterdam, for instance, has teamed up with theatre Splendor for a series of GenZ recitals, in which, when making a recital, that is precisely what the students are asked to do. Even in final exams, students often choose to let go of the classical form of ‘standing next to the piano’. Students want to appropriate the songs, shaping them from their contemporary experience. Out of this come wonderful concerts. Of course, I think it should never be at the expense of the quality of singing and respect for the repertoire. I also certainly hope that the classical recital form will never cease to exist! Long live Friends of the Song!
What makes a song recital really special to you?
A recital is special when I feel that I am addressed, in whatever way, that I am ‘allowed’ to be there. That happens in my experience only when I feel the performers have a high degree of integrity towards the text and the music and they can surrender to it, leaving behind the focus on producing sound, for example.
Can you remember a recital that really impressed you? What made it so unforgettable?
Roderick Williams' recital last year during International Song Festival Zeist has stayed with me a lot. Its ability to enchant, its boundless generosity of sound and its colourful way of narration, moved me greatly. But there were also recitals in the finale of the International Vocal Competition ‘s-Hertogenbosch, which this year was dedicated to ‘Theatre in song’, that touched me.
As I said earlier, ‘to hear and see what young artists are concerned about, the themes chosen by people in their twenties and thirties and the diverse forms they chose for it, I found in some cases really special. The themes included emancipation, gender, the dilemma of making choices, fear of world political consequences.’
One of the performances had the theme of ‘war’ and fear of it. This recital was performed against a backdrop of fairly confrontational projections of war scenes. Some in the audience found this too realistic, too lacking in poetry, ‘too much in your face’, they said. I can understand that. This theme obviously touches an open nerve in today's times. For me, the contrast that the form of this recital realised - between the lack of empathy and ‘civilisation’ from which wars often spring on the one hand, and the, so to speak, sublimated form of civilisation that the songs have and their beauty on the other - was an almost unbearable and profound realisation of the grief I feel about the coarsening of the world. My totally unexpected emotional reaction to it reflects that. A realisation in another dimension. I realise for a moment at such a moment again what the clout of art is.
We must not give up expressions of sophistication of thought and feeling. Certainly not in these times of impending impoverishment. That is the most important task of artists in this world. A prerequisite for that is binding your audience to you and being convinced of your clout and relevance. In any case, it is a joy for me to work on this with young people every day and to experience the enthusiasm of young singers. I feel very privileged.
What are your top three favourite songs at the moment?
I find that difficult. There are so many wonderful songs. I will mention a few that I have been working on with singers in recent times, all of which I like in different ways. Traumgekrönt from the Sieben frühe Lieder By Alban Berg, Singing by Salome By Rosy Wertheim, Three early songs By George Crumb, Néère By Reynaldo Hahn, Hexenlied By Felix Mendelssohn and King David By Herbert Howells.
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