After a brief and colourful hiatus in Amsterdam, London, Norwich and Salzburg (where I had a fantastic lesson with Barbara Bonney), I met with my lied-duo partner Ella in Vienna for some rehearsals and coaching before we headed to deepest, darkest country Austria for a month-long summer school with Lied Austria International.
The idea behind Lied Austria International is a very deep engagement with the poetic texts of lieder before any attempt is made to get to grips with the musical settings, because many of the greatest lieder composers have been quoted as saying that rather than actively setting the texts to music, they were in fact trying only to reveal the innate musicality within the poem. LAI treats lieder with a passionate recognition that the particular choices of words by the poets are in fact an inherent part of the musical texture, and that the very SOUND of the language is an important part of the final musical product. From an initial period of working on the poem deeply and learning to declaim it not just intelligibly but (hopefully) with great nuance, you can then transfer what you have learnt into a richer dialogue with the material then presented by the composer. It was a fascinating - and incredibly, surprisingly challenging – journey which has changed my perspective on lieder forever.
The idea behind Lied Austria International is a very deep engagement with the poetic texts of lieder before any attempt is made to get to grips with the musical settings, because many of the greatest lieder composers have been quoted as saying that rather than actively setting the texts to music, they were in fact trying only to reveal the innate musicality within the poem. LAI treats lieder with a passionate recognition that the particular choices of words by the poets are in fact an inherent part of the musical texture, and that the very SOUND of the language is an important part of the final musical product. From an initial period of working on the poem deeply and learning to declaim it not just intelligibly but (hopefully) with great nuance, you can then transfer what you have learnt into a richer dialogue with the material then presented by the composer. It was a fascinating - and incredibly, surprisingly challenging – journey which has changed my perspective on lieder forever.
My beloved swimming holes
Between a demanding schedule of literature study, private coachings and voice lessons, intensive German lessons and rehearsals (as well as Ella and I trying to privately prepare for 3 different masters auditions), this is not a program to undertake if you are looking for a European summer school that is also a European summer vacation! The numbers are small which means that it is excellent value for money, but the pressure can be intense. That having been said, it took place in a picture-book beautiful part of the Southern Austrian countryside, a wine-growing region called Styria. The weather was also INCREDIBLE – for better or worse (mainly for worse, with the one saving grace being the fabulous local water hole, where I swam amongst water lilies every night at dusk to the chorusing sounds of frogs) the temperatures hovered between 30 and 35 degrees every day for four weeks whilst the local papers talked of how the region was sweltering and respite was nowhere on the horizon! (I know, I shouldn’t complain, I had a much better summer in Austria than I had in Sydney this year!)
The month of study culminated in two performances in the tiny hamlet of Gamlitz, of a diverse program of lieder including that of Brahms, Marx, Schoeck, Pfitzner, Schubert, Schumann, Strauss and Wolf. Then, on my penultimate night in town, the lady who ran the farmstay where I’d been living took me along to a traditional Steierische singalong at a local cellar door where I drank too much wine, attempted yodeling, and ended up giggling like an idiot in the corner because the dialect had me completely bamboozled. Totally. Awesome. I do however feel that I have eaten enough meat, cheese and bread to last me a lifetime. My jeans agree.
For more information about Lied Austria International, visit this address: http://www.liedaustria.com/index.html
The month of study culminated in two performances in the tiny hamlet of Gamlitz, of a diverse program of lieder including that of Brahms, Marx, Schoeck, Pfitzner, Schubert, Schumann, Strauss and Wolf. Then, on my penultimate night in town, the lady who ran the farmstay where I’d been living took me along to a traditional Steierische singalong at a local cellar door where I drank too much wine, attempted yodeling, and ended up giggling like an idiot in the corner because the dialect had me completely bamboozled. Totally. Awesome. I do however feel that I have eaten enough meat, cheese and bread to last me a lifetime. My jeans agree.
For more information about Lied Austria International, visit this address: http://www.liedaustria.com/index.html