More Aria Questions and Audition Guidelines

Catching up with some more questions from the comments section of previous posts – answers from yours truly and my colleague CameraMan:

Recently in an audition (where I offered Tu che di gel, Je veux vivre, Ach ich fuhl’s, and Sul fil d’un soffio etesio), I was chastised for offering both the Juliette and the Pamina arias because “everybody sings those [pieces].”I realize that these arias (esp. Pamina’s) are sung very often, but I wouldn’t categorize either of them as easy and I put a lot of thought and work into picking arias that really show me off. What is your take on this matter? Are you so sick of Ach, ich fuhl’s that if someone really sang and acted it well – it still would be an unwise choice? I’m so curious.

These arias are sung a lot because they show a lot. Both can be a minefield of breath control and intonation but can also highlight that you do those things really, really well. That said, because they are done so often, you have to work that much harder to distinguish yourself from other sopranos. Every voice type has its own national anthem, but sing it stunningly and we won’t notice. Continue to explore other audition repertoire, though. You may find something that fits equally well that will add more interest to your package and that you can embrace as your own.

The biggest problem with Pamina’s aria is not that it’s overdone, but that it’s far more difficult than most young singers believe it is. We hear it so very often sung under pitch, and without the requisite beautiful legato and sensitive phrasing it demands.

A side note: the arias that actually stand out on this list are Tu che di gel and Sul fil which typically aren’t sung by the same voice type. If a person can sing Sul fil well, they probably don’t have the heft for Tu che di gel.

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As a lyric mezzo, my struggle is in finding an excellent piece in English. When I am Laid in Earth is currently my English selection, but I feel I could benefit from something more modern. I just haven’t found an aria that speaks to me.The rest of my audition package looks like this: Una voce poco fa (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) / Fatime’s Aria (Oberon) / Ah! mon fils! (Le Prophete) / Ombra mai fu (Serse) OR Ah, se a morir mi chiama (Lucio Silla)

I don’t know what kinds of things speak to you, but here’s a start. This is a particular soapbox of mine, because having Must the Winter Come So Soon as the hands-down default English aria for mezzos is just overwhelming.

• Scorned! Abused! Neglected! Baba the Turk’s aria from The Rake’s Progress – a wonderful character piece, but sung by mezzos with real vocal chops (in Boosey American Arias anthology
• Things Change, Jo from Little Women – sweet, lyrical (Perfect as We Are is also lovely, but so long for an audition) (in new Schirmer anthology)
• I Was a Constant Faithful Wife from Walton’s The Bear – good comedy
• Estella’s Aria from Argento’s Miss Havisham’s Fire (in the Boosey American Arias anthology)
• Waiting from Harbison’s The Great Gatsby (in the new Schirmer anthology)
• Stay Well from Weill’s Lost in the Stars – slightly crossover, but shows true legato, line, and honesty (in new Schirmer anthology)
• Where is the Son I Never Knew from Musto’s Volpone (particularly biased in favor of this one:)

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I also have a question about filling in the French hole in my audition package. My current rep is: Dove sono (Le Nozze di Figaro), Father I beg you (Tartuffe), Tu che di gel sei cinta (Turandot), and Klänge der Heimat (Die Fledermaus).

A few standard suggestions:

• Micaela’s aria
• Jewel Song
• Elle a fui from Les contes d’Hoffmann

Slightly less conventional:

I know you’ve posted about this before, but I get confused about how much moving and gesturing I should be doing and whether it’s ever okay to just be simple and still. I do pretty well when I’m acting on stage, but auditions are so weird and artificial. I know this is something I need to work on on my own, but I’d love guidelines or warnings.

Auditions are a separate beast from doing an actual production, and I would equate it more to a recital or concert experience. Always keep proximity to the piano (and your pianist!) and make gestures purposeful. Showing us what the aria is about in your voice and face is always preferrable to having it mimed for us, and being simple and still can be extremely powerful during certain arias.

Don’t feel straight-jacketed, though – just remember that the amount and intensity of the physical gestures need to be in sync with the intensity of the communication from your voice and your face. If you’re bouncing all over the place, and your vocalism is pale, all we will notice is the physical movement.

If you have doubts, sing for friends and colleagues and ask for their feedback or videotape yourself. Are your gestures and movements purposeful (as opposed to random and/or nervous), and are they completely integrated both in quantity and quality to the rest of your perrformance?

We’ll stop one step short of actual guidelines that enumerate how many steps you can take or what size and type of space your gestures circumscribe. For that sort of description can backfire. I’ve seen plenty of kick-a** auditions that go much further than I would think, and I’ve seen other unsuccessful auditions that fall well within what we would consider normal limits.

Photos courtesy of Carol Pratt, from WTOC’s 2008 Tales from the Vienna Woods recital.