4-5 November 2017 Schubert Mass in E Flat (Bern) Link
International Soprano with a vast and varied repertoire (from Bach, Handel
up to Mendelsshon, Offenbach, Ravel and Leonard Bernstein), through the years you have
been building a really impressive Mozartian repertoire: 5 Mozart's operas, 8 masses,
Davidde penitente and many other Sacred Music Works by him. What attracted and what
attracts you the most in Mozart's music? What Mozartian opera character do you like
the most of those you have interpreted? And why? What Sacred music Vocal part do you
like the most of the many Mozartian Sacred Works you have interpreted? And why?
The compositions of Mozart are simply the product of an unrivalled genius.
He knew exactly how to deal with the human voice... how he had to write for each
character in order to make it possible for the singer to show all the colours and
all that necessary diversification that not only effectively builds the character
but also makes the character well defined and interesting. Moreover, the orchestration
is written by Mozart in a very clever way, so that it never arrives to an excess of
demand from the singer. Personally, I do really love the elegance of Mozart’s melodies
and how he musically builds up the characters in his Operas.
The characters in Mozart's operas, which I have interpreted so far, with the exception
of the Queen of the Night, show some similarities: young, adult ladies of nobility,
confronted with the themes of love, loyalty and betrayal.
Mozart's operas are mostly about the emotional entanglements with which the aristocratic
population has to deal with in everyday’s life: love and fidelity, desire and adventure,
power and resignation.
Therefore, a decision about my favourite Mozartian character is not easy at all...
you see, it much depends on the profundity of a character and on the actual musical
part, as well.
Of course, the Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute) has such a special value and
such an intrinsic charm of its own: the great concentration of emotions, the high
drama and also the vocal technical challenge... And all this must happen on stage
and in music in a very short time... she has 3 shows in the whole opera: 2 arias
of approx. 4min each and an ensemble at the end. Within these short periods, all
these characterizing factors must perfectly emerge from your interpretation. This
challenge is always a motive of great enchantment and it is always such a great joy
to accomplish your performance of this character.
On the other hand, the Queen of the Night, as a drama character, has not an actual
evolution nor a distinct development within the opera. If we consider this
point of view, I must say I do prefer the character of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni.
Such character really leaves enough room for the development of the various different
facets, not only on a theatrical level but also, and principally, on a pure musical
level.
In the field of sacred music, I love the Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor in a special
manner.
The enchanting Soprano solo Et incarnatus est represents a great and, at the same
time, a marvellous challenge to the singer, when you are demanded to completely
merge intimacy and virtuosity through your own performance.
Moreover, in general, the Mass itself is a very delightful masterpiece for the soprano.
There are even two of them, who are also ingeniously combined firstly in a duetto,
and then with the tenor in a terzetto.
This mass is so marvellously permeated with an outstanding dimension of love and
spirituality (and all this with a stylistic variety that is, at the same time, so
harmoniously forged into an art product of such a pure and elevated unity), that
it deeply touches the audience as well as the interpreter.
Rebekka Maeder sings Mozart, Mass in C Minor K427, Et incarnatus est.
Rebekka Maeder sings Mozart, The Magic Flute, Der Hölle Rache.
In your Repertoire you have also many works by Joseph Haydn: The Creation, The Seasons
and 5 Masses. What kind of interest led you to his music? What are your considerations
on Haydn's vocal parts in his masses and in his oratorios?
Haydn's music is a great playing field for me as a singer!
I love his strong, sometimes even impetuous temperament, the freshness and playfulness
of his compositions.
Sometimes arias are written in a way, that really recalls the Lied or Song technique,
and can have a very catchy, almost folkish tone, but then... they can be highly
virtuosic again.
His musical talent can achieve also such striking high levels of pictorial dimension.
An extraordinary example of this is his work The Creation in which his compositional
mastery really stands out in all its glorious might... just not to mention that
magnificent musical conception of chaos at the very beginning of his work.
Haydn really manages to break the rigid forms of baroque oratorios... and in such a pioneering
way!
In The Creation he also shows his great talent in tone painting!
Each voice
of nature finds its clear imitation in the sounds of the orchestra and also in the
vocal parts: from the rays of the sun to the foaming waves of the sea, to the lions
and the doves, etc.
All this is so so extremely interesting, if we consider the form
of art itself!
In your repertoire, apart from Handel's works and Beethoven's works, you have many
important composers of the second half of the 18th century/beginning 19th century.
Among them we remember Mozart's friend and mentor Josef Myslivecek, Mozart's and
Haydn's great pupil Hummel with his masses, the brother of Haydn and Mozart's friend
M. Haydn and also Gossec. What can you tell us about your interest in these composers
and in their music? What led you to add them to your repertoire and which one of them
do you consider the most interesting composer?
My musical interest is concentrated mainly on the epochs of classical music and
romanticism.
As a freelance musician I have free choice on the works I sing, of course. I can
decide whether the work or the composer irritates me or not.
Nevertheless, usually the theatres and conductors are those who make their first
choice, as far as the composer and the work are concerned... and this gives me the
lucky opportunity to know and sing music works, which I just did not know.
Moreover, it is fundamental to me also to decide whether the piece fits my voice
or not.
In general, however, I think it is important to have as much diversification as possible in my choices and not to limit myself to interpreting only the great and well-known composers and
works.
This alone arouses my interest, especially when we are considering composers of
these epochs and when such composers, like Myslivecek, are also well associated
with Mozart. This connection, not only in terms of teachers and pupils, but also
friendships and competitions, often has a great influence on the composer's musical
work.
For me, it is in this very moment that music shows one of its most beautiful aspects:
it unites people and people learn and grow together: the creators, the performers
and the audience.
To explore what influences can be found in the music of Myslivecek, Hummel, Michael
Haydn and Gossec has been and is of great interest to me.
And it is always exciting to discover how differently the composers have treated
the human voice in their works.
Since these composers are very different one from the other, frankly I cannot say
which one of them I consider the most interesting. You see, an important attitude for me is
not to evaluate everything in life in a too sharp manner. It's not just about what
is now more meaningful and important, more intelligent, more virtuous, or more perfect.
People are not perfect, in any respect. So I just try to grasp what I find in music,
in terms of what is offered to be grasped, and I try to give it that meaning,
the music itself wants and tries to express: sometimes this is really very much
and of a complex nature, sometimes it is just simple and even, so to speak, casual.
In any case, I must say that, in particular, the works Abramo and Isacco by Myslivecek
and also Gossec's Grande messe des morts have been particularly touching to me.
This year 2017 you are presenting Haydn's St.Cecilia Mass (June), Mozart's Così
fan tutte (May-July), a full Mozartian program (September) and a Schubert Mass in
November plus masses by Mozart (April) and Scarlatti (March) and Schumann and Mendelssohn.
You also collaborate with various projects and ensembles and you are also a regular
guest at various Music Festivals. So what can you tell us about your current and
future projects? And what your suggestions to young singers who want to build a
repertoire on MozartEra music?
I like the diversity and the constant new discoveries in the field of music.
I do not have to move across all the epochs, but I choose, where my voice and my heart lead
me mostly.
I enjoy being able to make opera and operetta and sacred music with choir and orchestra,
as well as chamber music.
Of course, concerts such as Haydn's Cäcilienmesse, the Mendelssohn concerts in May
and the Schubert Mass in November are impressive sonorous experiences, as they can
fill a concert hall or a large church with a large orchestra and choir.
To make music with so many people is also a great accomplishment and it is also
always
so exciting
to work with the different levels of the choirs... I mean, to work with professional
musicians is an utterly different experience from working with non-professional
choirs and often, when church music is involved, both experiences just incredibly
meet each other.
Moreover the audience itself can be also so heterogeneous and of such a different
nature. And this is a real challenge for the musician: to reach people, whether
they are familiar with classical music or not.
And such considerations led me to work in projects like the Cosi fan tutte I’m presenting
again in July: a chamber music version of the beautiful opera, tailored for the
operatic lover as well as for the eyes and ears that are not familiar with the opera
yet. The recitatives were replaced by the narrator Uwe Schönbeck, an outstanding
and well-known actor in Switzerland and formerly a great and experienced singer
who leads the audience through the opera and thus connects the musical numbers.
This makes the opera much slimmer and more intelligible and it can also be easily
financed and this in favour of smaller stages (a major subject in modern times not
to be underestimated) and finally free the untrained listener from the fear of a
visit at the opera house.
This variety of different works and performance platforms also offers great space
for young singers to get acquainted with the repertoire of this time.
The vocal and artistic development of each young singer has its own pace and should
be well reconciled with its possibilities. It must not be conducive to singing the
most difficult and most complex works and roles too early and also the performance
pressure should be handled with care.
So many young talents disappear, just because of a too much, so to say, because
of too big stages and of a too heavy repertoire, which was forced.
Having a good mentor (or even several ones) who always has an eye and an ear on
the singer is more than advisable. He can give good advice in the choice of roles
and, above all, the necessary technical level. Internal and external growth should
go hand in hand.
In contrast to later composers of the romantic period such as Strauss, Dvorak, Mahler,
Verdi, Wagner, etc., the composers of the classical period seduce far less to an
uncultivated and impetuous handling of the voices. The forms are more regular, the
voice is somewhat less endangered.
Among the numerous works of classical music, however, there are also immense differences
in the demands on the human voice. For example, it is advisable to choose, as a
young soprano, the lighter voice parts (with Zerlina instead of Donna Elvira or
with Blonde instead of Constanze), even if the voice shows already the potential
for great drama.
Admittedly, sometimes the outside world does not seem to give a
choice, but ultimately everyone decides more and more on his own voice.
If you are
over-estimated it is actually easier to react, you can always cancel a job offer.
If a singer assumes too much too early, his ego is too great, or he has not dealt
well enough with the part to be sung and has underestimated it (here an experienced consultant
would be important).
If the singer does not take the step to accept or to apply
for a role, although he is able to do so vocally, the ego, i.e. the inner growth,
was not ready yet.
If one is underestimated, i.e. not being heard, this can have
a reason which
can be found in the very singer... the interior does not want to show
itself, although it could. It is always a fundamental matter of balance.
Your favourite work by Mozart and your favourite work by J. Haydn.
Don Giovanni and The Creation.
Do you have in mind the name of some neglected composer of the 18th century you'd
like to see re-evaluated?
I think Louis Spohr (1784-1859) is a very interesting composer.
Next year, one of his works The Saviour's Last Hours will be performed.
Spohr is
anything but unknown, his works range from opera, operetta, oratorios, drama music,
songs, symphonies, chamber music to numerous violin concertos, however,
despite the quantity and the quality of his works, he is rarely found in the concert or in opera agenda.
Name a neglected piece of music of the 18th century you'd like to see performed in concert with more frequency, especially thanks to your special experience as
a MozartEra musician, performer and connoisseur.
For instance, Gossec's Grande messe des morts or Hummel's Mass in D Minor.
Do you have in mind a particular book on Mozart Era you consider important for the comprehension of the music of this period?
For me,
reading books is not the first choice when it comes to understanding the
music.
I rather try to see how a composer has written the music; how he wrote my vocal
parts and how he orchestrated them.
When I read books, I rather choose biographies or, even better, letters from the
composers or from his contemporaries, as is in the case of Mozart.
Mozart's letters are really wonderful to get an authentic impression of his world...
They say a lot about the spirit of his time and about his own character.
Name a movie or a documentary that can improve the comprehension of the music of
this period.
BBC has produced a good number of interesting documentaries on Mozart; e.g. the
chapter A Passion for the Stage from The Genius of Mozart (BBC Documentary).
And Amadeus is also a nice movie to get an impression of that time.
Name a place to be visited that proved crucial to the evolution
of the 18th century
music.
Vienna is such a great place!
You cannot get around this city (fortunately), if you have to deal with the music
of this century.
I have been there several times for masterclasses and sightseeing!
Thank you very
much for having taken the time to answer our questions!