>>Auditions are high-pressure enough. Singers don't
> need the added pressure
> >of a crap accompanist!
I had a poor accompanying experience for my
semester-end jury in mid-May. I sang "Rejoice
Greatly" from -- need I even say? -- Handel's MESSIAH.
I gave the studio accompanist the music several weeks
in advance, and we did it together in seminar and met
for two 15-minute sessions to get it right. I even
went to the trouble to sift through several editions
of the score to find a more piano-friendly orchestral
reduction after the first unsuccessful session
together. (What singer does this for an
accompanist??) During the jury as soon as she began
the intro, I could tell that she still hadn't learned
the notes and I would have no support, so I just took
off without her! I ignored the piano as much as
possible while I was singing and only tuned in to come
in at the right moments. I handled it but it's not
fun to have the stress of struggling with the
accompanist added to the nerves of performance.
Fortunately, it was quite obvious to the adjudicators
where the problem lay.
I do feel sympathy for the accompanist having been one
myself when I was in college as a piano major. She
had done a lovely job on all the other pieces I'd
handed her over the school year, and she had a LOT of
students to play for in one week. There was just
something about the Handel which did not work in her
fingers! It was too bad for both of us.
__________________________________________________
Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com
|
