WASO and Stefanie Iranyi

The WA Symphony Orchestra’s concert of Broadway and Viennese classics attracted a full house on Saturday night. The gilded elegance of Strauss operetta and the jazz glitz of Gershwin’s songs provided opportunity to witness the growing relationship between principal conductor Asher Fisch and orchestra.

The opening notes of Johann Strauss II’s overture to Zigeunerbaron had a golden roundness and the focus on beauty of sound continued throughout the night. The strings in particular navigated the 19^th century Viennese overtures, arias and marches with a robust glow. The less well-known overture to Heuberger’s Der Opernball was an inspired inclusion with its wispy tune passed between the violins and a seductive melody in the cellos. Under Fisch’s supple conducting it was the most persuasive music-making of the night.

Bavarian mezzo soprano Stefanie Iranyi was a seamless addition for three operetta arias. The frivolity of Kalman’s In the mountains (Die Czardasfurstin) was expressed with foot-stomping gypsy abandon; Lehar’s When I hear the sound of the cimbalom (Zigeunerliebe) revealed the fabulous richness of her lower register, while in Lehar’s My lips kiss so hotly (Guiditta) Iranyi’s phrases sighed and stretched seductively.

Iranyi’s smooth classical sound was transformed by breathy vibrato, sliding between notes and a throaty vehemence for Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm, Someone to Watch Over Me and The Man I Love. In both the operetta and Broadway numbers Iranyi’s personalised touches were closely supported by Fisch revealing the shared musical vision between singer and conductor who are partners on and off the stage.

Fisch led Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue from piano in a display of musical camaraderie with his orchestra. Fisch’s fast tempo and plentiful use of the sustain pedal smudged some piano detail and the orchestra was less cohesive without the conductor on the podium. But Fisch’s energy was infectious and the orchestra came striding noisily along for the ride with vibrant brass chords and a gloriously long opening glissando from clarinettist Alan Meyer.

Celebrity Soft Spot Stefanie Iranyi

This month we celebrated International Women's Day so I thought it would be interesting to feature Bavarian mezzo soprano Stefanie Iranyi who will be collaborating with her partner Asher Fisch in concerts with the WA Symphony Orchestra this week. Stefanie balances her role as a mother with her international singing career (she has sung under the batons of conductors Zubin Mehta, Helmut Rilling, Jeffrey Tate and Bruno Bartoletti).

Stefanie shares with us her love for drama (on and off the stage!), the privileged moments of mothering and her seriously impressed reaction to the WA Symphony Orchestra.

What music gets your heart racing?

 Siegfried’s funeral march

What calms you down?

 My daughter falling asleep on me

What do you sing along to?

 Whatever gets stuck in my ears – sometimes not very much to my liking

What are your impressions of the WA Symphony Orchestra?

 I had the great pleasure to hear the Beethoven cycle. It is just amazing that an orchestra far away from the famous orchestras spread out in Europe or the US plays on such a high and, if I may - unexpected level! It seems that they really enjoy playing and making it happen!

How are you preparing for the Gershwin and Viennese repertoire you will be singing with WASO this weekend?

I listen to the music of the period, not so much the songs themselves but more the music around. That gives you a good idea and your ears get used to the style.

Mark Applebaum says music should be above all else interesting. What do you think is the most important role of music?

If somebody comes after a concert and tells you that it was very interesting you should get very concerned….It’s a famous way out of not saying that it was horrible!!

Music should move – literally and also emotionally!

You have a soft spot for laments (your debut album with the Hofkapelle München features laments by Handel, Haydn and Hasse) – what is the appeal of this repertoire?

All these women were suffering badly. They went through big emotions, which is of course then shown in the music and requests a lot of different colours, volume ranges. I would say I have a soft spot for drama. On stage and also at home ;-)

  

What sort of vocal fach do you tend towards or is your voice still growing?

Indeed, my voice is still growing. Especially after I gave birth to my daughter. I was a lyric mezzo and now I am approaching the “Jugendlich dramatisches Fach” [lirico spinto soprano].

You performed a recital with Asher Fisch in Melbourne in 2013. Do you perform together often?

Yes, we do!

What a privilege to be able to share something you are both so passionate about together. But it must also create potential for some competition/conflict?

 We both appreciate each other’s opinion and have no problems to accept the criticism. We are actually most happy if the other one is sitting in the concert or attending the rehearsals. It helps so much if there is somebody whose ears and judgment you can trust. That is very rare in our business! Our conflicts are more based on different ideas how to clean a kitchen ;-)

Iranyi as Despina (Cosi fan tutte) Teatro Regio di Parma 2008)

How did you and Asher meet?

We met on stage. A Parsifal production in Naples.

You have a 2 year old daughter Livia. What do you suggest is a good way to introduce children to classical music?

A natural one. Nothing forced. At this age, kids still do have a good instinct, still not influenced – we should take advantage of this and expose them to all different kinds of music. They will let us know what they like.

I have two preschool children myself and know how hard it is to juggle work and family. How do you manage the work/life balance with a very young daughter and Asher often working away?

For this reason, we moved close to my parents and are now living in a beautiful area in the mountains. Livia from early on stayed with them when we both had concerts. She is so happy there, and I am completely relaxed when I have to leave her. Knowing that she will get the same education and especially all the love, which she would get from us! It is a win - win situation!

We celebrated International Woman’s Day earlier this month. Do you think it is getting any easier for women to have both a career and motherhood?

Well, I only can speak for my country Germany. Something is happening there, but still it is hard to get a place for them in a Kindergrippe, even though by law every child is entitled. Especially in rural areas the idea to send kids from early age to a Kindergarten is being regarded as the wrong decision – to express it in a mild way. I think there is still a way to go!

Singers use their most personal facility – their voice – as their profession. How do you cope with something so personal and vulnerable being under scrutiny? How do you manage the flu/sleep deprivation/hormone changes/emotions and everything else that effects the voice?

You learn very early on not to take critique too personally, especially when it comes to the quality of voice. It is something you cannot change; the earlier you accept it the better! In addition, it is completely subjective. One person is in love with your voice, the next one thinks it is a mediocre boring sound.

Where do you stay when you are in Perth? Do you have a favourite place to go or restaurant to eat at?

In August last year we went to a coffee place in Cottesloe…I love it!

Do you have a soft spot for anything else in life or is it all about the music and the family?

Gardening!

Listen to Stefanie's pearly mezzo/ lirico spinto soprano in the Lacrimosa from Verdi's Requiem, performed in Moscow in December.

Big thanks to Stefanie Iranyi for making time for Celebrity Soft Spot. For more info on the singer go to her website. Full details of her concert with WASO on March 20th and 21st can be found at the orchestra's website.

I hope you are enjoying the new Celebrity Soft Spot series. 

Do you have a suggestion of who we should include on the list? Is there an artist you know doing something exciting in WA?

International Women's Day coming soon

In the lead up to International Women's Day on March 8th the media is full of debate on whether the feminist movement is no longer needed or whether further ground needs to be made to achieve gender equality in areas like health, education, wages and violence towards women.

In the world of music the focus is on the need for more women composers and conductors. It's times like these I'm quietly proud that Women of Note is out there celebrating the achievements of Australia's women composers. 25 percent of our composers are women, more than almost any other country in the world. Their lives haven't been easy but their accomplishments are definitely worth celebrating.

And general consensus is that we should be celebrating the positive rather than focusing on the negative.

Here's a great article in The Guardian by English music journalist Jessica Duchen who says perhaps the battle is beginning to be won.

Why the male domination of classical music might be coming to an end. 

For decades - no, make that centuries - the classical music world has sidelined women, if not ignored them completely. But the balance may be finally shifting, says Jessica Duchen.

In a studio at Morley College in south London, a group of teenagers are learning how to stand. Some postures naturally convey authority; something as basic as a different way of walking can establish the impression of control. The first time a conductor meets an orchestra, first impressions are all-important; she has, after all, to persuade a large group of musicians to follow her instructions.

That’s right: her instructions. Last year Morley College initiated an introductory course at which young female music students could have a try at conducting for the first time. The event was among a number of constructive responses to increasing anger about the under-representation of women in parts of the classical music world. Andrea Brown, Morley’s director of music, says that results have exceeded expectations.

 For the rest of the article go to:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/feb/28/why-male-domination-of-classical-music-might-end

Soft Soft Loud: Giving crossover a good name

Tuomo Prattala, Felix Zenger and Tilman Robinson gave crossover a good name during their concert at the Fremantle Arts Centre. The unusual collaboration between a pop singer, beatboxer and jazz composer is what audiences have come to expect from the Soft Soft Loud concert series, thanks to the vision of artistic director Matthew Hoy who prioritises the collaborative nature of chamber music above the restrictions of ‘genre’.

Zenger, Prattala and Tilman with ensemble, Fremantle Arts Centre Courtyard

The evening began with a free-ranging solo from virtuosic Finnish beatboxer Zenger whose ‘show and tell’ included covers of Snoop Dog, Michael Jackson, The White Stripes and a Stand By Me sing-a-long plus an impromptu lesson with the audience hilariously attempting to mimic the “p, t, poh, tszt” sounds.

Zenger was joined by his compatriot pianist/songwriter Prattala and a nine-piece orchestra of Australian classical musicians for an extended arrangement of Prattala’s compositions. Ex-Perth composer Robinson couched Prattala’s fairly standard jazz and RnB-flavoured pop songs within a rich and complex sound world, fused with references to Scandinavian composers Pekka Kuusisto, Johanna Juhola, Johann Johannsson, Valgeir Sigurossson and Jan Sandstrom.

The ensemble of four string players and four wind/brass gave an organ-like warmth to the jazz-inflected chords in the arrangement of Waiting for Someone, while Zenger and an extra percussionist added textural detail to Ordinary. Robinson directed from trombone when a conductor was required and he and the other instrumentalists added occasional backing vocals and percussion. Three mixing desks of effects (operated by Zenger, Prattala and Robinson) layered drones and loops into the mix.

With this much going on there’s the risk of aural muddiness and it is tribute both to the performers and Robinson’s arrangements that the sound was busy but not cluttered. The breadth and purity of sound quality in The New Mystique was something a producer in a recording studio might spend hours trying to manufacture. And we were experiencing it live, with the emotional resonance that happens between audience and performers when chamber music is at its best.

This review copyright The West Australian 2015.

For an interview with Tuomo Prattala see here.

March Gig Guide

March heralds the end of the Perth International Arts Festival and the re-emergence of the local music scene.

WA Opera have been busy with The Rabbits and Madama Butterfly and now are gearing up for their March 6th Opera in the Park show Barber of Seville. The cast is surprisingly high quality with none other than Emma Matthews as Rosina and James Clayton as Figaro.

The WA Symphony Orchestra season kicks off with Sarah Chang playing Bruch's Violin Concerto on March 13th and Mischa Maisky in Bloch's Schlomo for cello and orchestra on March 27th. On March 20th chief conductor Asher Fisch will lead from piano in a Gershwin program that includes his partner mezzo soprano Stefanie Iranyi singing a selection of Gershwin songs and Viennese operetta. (Stefanie Iranyi will be the feature artist for the next Celebrity Soft Spot.)

On March 18th the Australian Chamber Orchestra will bring their Gallipoli program to Perth. Theatre specialist Nigel Jamieson and one of Australia’s greatest storytellers Neil Armfield are joining with the ACO to present this exploration of the ANZAC story through music, spoken text and visual imagery. The program includes the world premiere of Our Sons by Carl Vine featuring ex-Perth soprano Taryn Fiebig.