The Recital: The Opportunity for Autonomy

When it comes to being a performer, you frequently have very little say in what you do. You audition and are either cast or you are dismissed politely (if you're lucky). If you are fortunate enough to be cast it is your task to learn your music, research your role and come in with a characterization in mind. But for all that work, the performance itself is not up to the performer. It is shaped by the producers, directors and designers. You thought that prayer sequence would be sung kneeling in a chapel set? Well this production is set in a circus and you will instead be singing the prayer while hanging upside down from a trapeze.

Long before it was Tim Gunn's catch phrase, performers have known they have to suck it up and "Make it work!"

But there is a venue where a singer can take control of every aspect of the performance and exhibit their personal aesthetic and interpretation without interference- the Song Recital. No music student is stranger to this format, from assembling their own joint or degree recitals to attending countless recitals by colleagues and friends. In university, the recital is usually structured with requirements of language and period in order to display range, proficiency and just make the grade. (Do I hafta do an early music piece? Fine. *grumble Mozart Concert Aria grumble*) But once you're outside the education system and that infrastructure falls away the possibilities available can also become overwhelming. (What do I want to sing? How do I make it unique and legitimate?) The definitive books on this topic is The Art of the Song Recital by Shirlee Emmons and Stanley Sonntag which chronicles the process from conception to performance. I'm not about to give a book review of it here but it is a wonderful resource. And one I am turning to as I begin work on my own recital.

The concept for my project came about this past Bloomsday (June 16) at Symphony Space. I've been singing songs referenced in Jame Joyce's Ulysses for six years now and as I was chatting back stage with Kathy Minton, their Director of Literary Programs, about the music she said "I bet you've got enough material now to do an entire concert." I laughed and agreed that I probably could at this point! I probably said something after that but I don't remember what as the idea suddenly took off running inside my head, careening up and down the sides of my skull like a halfpipe. "I could, couldn't I? I know where the music is and love singing it. Plus I have incredible resources available to me in the research I've done and people I've worked with at Bloomsday."

So I had the idea. But now comes the most difficult part for me, programming. I knew where to find the music which has been harvested, referenced and analyzed by scholars over the decades from snippets, allusions and excerpts throughout Ulysses. My go-to resource has been Ruth H. Bauerle's James Joyce Songbook. Currently I've collected over 50 songs I could sing in this recital ranging from comic music hall tunes to old Irish ballads; Opera arias and duets; Political songs and wartime anthems; Even offensive and even a selection of very risque pieces that show just how far diversity has come in our society. I've got groupings for sets by theme, character (particularly Molly Bloom) and even by episode. (Instead of chapters, Ulysses is divided into episodes like Ithaca, Circe and Penelope.) Inevitably what I have with enough material to easily fill 3 or 4 recitals, is too much. Especially since I want to include some readings as well. I mean, it's Joyce! The very reason I know about this material is because the work is meant to be read aloud. As Joyce deemed it vital to weave the songs into his text, so I must observe this interdependence. To my credit, I've already whittled this down from the original 200+ songs I reviewed and researched for this program. I will continue to pare away the selections, discarding some and saving others for another day.

I'm also plagued with concerns that go well beyond timing issues and figuring out which songs sound good together:

• Programming controversial material - Racism wasn't so much a problem then as an expectation.
• Stylistic authenticity versus vocal integrity - As a classical singer and not a traditional Irish singer, how do I pay attention to authentic style and performance technique but still maintain my aesthetic and vocal integrity? (For example: I recently saw Mick Moloney perform a concert of Irish and Jewish music hall songs and loved his renditions. He even sang a couple of the songs I'm working. But he posesses a keen and bend in his vocal quality I would not presume to mimic. I'm just not that... Irish!)
• How do I pursue collaborations and with whom?
• How great are the demands of scholarship for an performer, especially when working in Joyce where scholarship can constitute a lifetime of work?
• Most importantly, I must determine who my audience is and how I will make this program interesting for them!

As I develop this recital and move towards a performance, I'll continue to flesh out some of these questions and any other pitfalls I know I'm bound to encounter.