Audio Clásica

The complete interview from "Audio Clasica".

I'm sorry because the images are so big.

Best regards,

Diabolus in Musica.

Spoiler:

Diabolus in Musica...many,many thanks!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
...if anyone, ever.. wanted to translate,at least the piece of.....would be completly great! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Diabolus in Musica thanks!

I'm sorry but it's necessary to hide the big pictures under a spoiler. or post small previews instead of a big. In the other way the page is warped and long loaded

Thank you, Nightspell!!

I didn't know how to do it.

Best regards,

Diabolus in Musica.

Joanna wrote:

Diabolus in Musica...many,many thanks!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
...if anyone, ever.. wanted to translate,at least the piece of.....would be completly great! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

If I can I will be happy to do it as long as it is not in Russian or German.(or greek, or slavic languages, or hungarian!!!!) What is it Joanna?
maria

Diabolus

Many thanks!!!!! It should be an good detailed interview!

tuffy

Cara !!!!! You should take a look at the "spoiler" - it is Spanish!!!!

I see that the problem has been resolved [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] strength of a team! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I just realised just how little Spanish I know. By the front cover title I first thought he was moving to LA. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

For all the fans, here is the interview from AUDIO CLASICA from spanish to english.....Sorry for putting the whole thing entirely but I am not too "expert" for uploading files!



Jaroussky
An agnostic that talks to the angels

With his recent appearance in the Teatro Real de Madrid under the conducting of William Christie and the emission of 2 new CDs (as exclusive Virgin Artist ) AUDIO CLASICA has held an enriching interview with one who without doubt is seen as one of the most influential voices in the international picture.

Esteban Hernandez Castello
******************************************************************

Just turning 32 the french countertenor Philippe Jaroussky keeps taking firm giant steps in his career. If on stage he always manages to enchant the public - normally prone to enchantment - his discographic history follows openly in the same road. Technique, patience and a dose of naturally are shown as the base ingredients for a vocal cocktail that amasses a rich success and a dense discography.
After the success obtained by La Dolce Fiamma with castrato arias of Johann Christian Bach, Jaroussky has recently enriched the market with two CDs: a re-emission of Beata Vergine , this time under the name of Stabat Mater and a disc dedicated to the "representation of the glorious Passion of Christ", Via Crucis. VC2010.
To this we can add the recent reunion with the Teatro Real de Madrid under the leadership of William Christie where he played Nerone in a co-production of L'Incoronazione de Poppea with the venetian Theatre of La Fenice, just 10 years after he did his debut in the royal arena with the controversial Celos Aun Del Aire Matan, opera by Juan Hidalgo.
These suggestive ingredients are what has lead Audio Clasica to maintain an extensive interview with a modest and talkative artist in which sensations and feelings about his present ,past and future will be revealed.
*****************************************************************************************
Esteban Hernandez Castello.- Before beginning your career as a singer you studied at the conservatory as a violinist and gathering premature success as such too…what part of the musicianship do you consider that has influenced you in your singing career?

Philippe Jaroussky .-Many things, I have no doubt. To study an instrument that is as demanding as the violin is an education, I would say,an education in 2 essential things for a musician in its widest meaning: patience and precision. To attain a certain level in an instrument like the violin you have to study at least 5 or 6 years, it is then that one really starts to "sound", however voice is much more direct in this respect and this fastness is dangerous if one is not patient in the work. I had not connected this,but curiously, after concerts people have told me my voice sounds like a violin. I never have really known what they refer to exactly but what is true is that after those comments I recall in my head the precision work required in coloraturas; in fact I think this facility I had at the beginning in singing them might come from the instrument, from being used to work in detail all and everyone of the. I think also that since I was little I have been attracted to high registers, also maybe because of my experience as a violinist. I had a talent of singing in head voice and I loved it. I sang over the recordings of Maria Callas and I took it as a game.
When I studied the violin they would always tell me about the relationship between the instrument and one's body. This connection is multiplied in singing, because when we study we talk a lot more about the body, about all the physical sensations you have to feel when you sing. At the beginning, honestly, I found it difficult to assimilate this lesson and I sang more in "head voice", which I also had to learn and correct with the passage of years. I would also say though that the study of violin has brought me some difficulties, because logically when you play an instrument you do not have to pay attention to the text you might be playing, and this is something I had to learn and assimilate.

E.H.C. You start your discographic career in these last ten years with 2 CDs centered upon the sacred repertoire, are you particularly inspired by religious music?

P.J. I am not a believer, I would rather say I am agnostic, but this does not mean I cannot find a spiritual way of singing this repertoire, even if, in answering your question , i do not find too many differences between opera, profane cantatas and the sacred repertory. Obviously there is an objective difference that you can hear: the language, and with it the difference of color between latin and italian, french, english, german, etc
One day a woman came to congratulate me after a concert in which I sang Vivaldi's Nisi Dominus. She said: "when you sing I can feel all the faith you have in God". When I told her I was agnostic she was offended, she felt as if I had lied to her. Obviously I never have that feeling. Our culture and our society has a solid christian foundation and all of this I feel, I was born and lived with this and I think I can transmit it independently of my agnosticism. I am sure that when I sing the religious feeling implicit in our society also comes out.
What I would like to indicate is that in many occasions I am surprised that even in the sacred repertoire you can find music of an incredible sensuality. Besides this sensuality a particular inspiration always comes out singing this repertoire in churches and in those extraordinary places the music gives you access to, where atmosphere and acoustics are so special.

EHC. It is obvious your projects have no qualms after singing the album about Carestini - who from Scarlatti to Handel wrote for- you dared Johann Christian Bach….what figure of the baroque seduces you more, that of the castrato oar the composer?

PJ.-I admire the figure of the composer. For me this represents the highest level of art, that of creating, but I must say that the life of a castrato probably holds more interest in the character himself, and specially for his incredible fate. If I could incarnate as one or the other figure, I would say I am more fascinated by the life of the castrato because of the fact that he dedicated his entire body and soul to this noble art. If we take a look at the biographies of the most important castrati we would see that after stopping their artistic activity they did not live many years more. Their whole life was based on singing and to lose that was like renouncing physically to a part of their being. I am sure that together with the incredible technique they developed, this tragedy could be felt in their voice, and this is something we have of course lost.
With these discographic works I have tried to transmit the importance that both figures had in the history of music. On the other hand I am sure the public appreciates to be able to discover through them new music, independent of the fact that one focuses more on the composer or the interpreter.

EHC. How would you say a project gets started?

PJ . In general I look for the repertory. I am aware that it would be easier for me to have a musicologist help me but I like to do it alone even if it takes more time. (and I don't mean I don't need them). When I discover an interesting aria after hours in a library feel really happy, I see it as my own little treasure. Also when you are searching for something sometimes you find unexpected works and this material usually gives me new ideas for the future.
I was interested in Carestini 12 years ago. After listening the Ariodante aria "Scherza Infida" by Haendel I felt he had composed that piece thinking of someone in particular, and when I worked further into his figure and his repertoire I ended up recording it. But also when I studied the end of Carestini's life I found young Gluck, Jommelli, and little by little I got interested in this rather "gallant" period I did not know. It is without doubt a continual learning process.
The Johann Christian project was born from the concerts that, together with Le Cercle de l'Harmonie, we dedicated to Mozart's arias. We wanted to record a project together but it was difficult to make a whole CD with his arias, because at times they sit too high or too low for me. That is when I thought of doing a disc focused on "Mozart's time". I knew the discography about John Christian and I knew there was practically nothing recorded from his vocal repertoire , and the quality of his music obviously deserved a CD where one could show the influence as well as the transcendence of this extraordinary composed.

EHC In a past interview you said the countertenor voice was being little by little, considered a "normal lyrical voice", is there really anything abnormal in it?

PJ. People think it is not normal because we have obviously lost the habit of listening to a man singing in this register. Even today there are strong reactions on listening to us, in fact a very common one is to consider "anti natural" the relation between my voice and my body. It is interesting, the public either love us or hate us. It is black or white, never gray.

EHC. Perhaps part of the reasons might be the artifice, on occasion "against (illegible….)" that appears reflected in these works. In fact, when you read the original score with those long passages "de fiato", what are you thinking about? How to interpret them or how to get out of the (illegible…)?

PJ. What is really difficult for a countertenor is to sing this "supernatural" repertoire with the possibilities that nature has given me in this case (he laughs) The qualities of a countertenor are also different from those of a mezzo. They are more dramatic.
We have lighter voices. The castrati had the power, the strength and the freedom a young voice gives. It was an impressive mixture and perhaps magical. Us countertenors must be careful when choosing the more adequate repertoire for our voice, to feel our limitations. I have bee asked several times to sing Giulio Cesare but I feel it is too soon for me, or maybe I will not ever sing it, because it is an opera that requires a lower voice and more tragic at the same time.
It is true that Nerone , from L'Incoronazione, is also very difficult and has many highs, but I notice my voice is naturally brighter in this tessitura and my color goes well. Ottone would be different, too low, Max (Emanuel Cencic) has a mixed voice capable of dealing with this role. The important thing is that one be conscious of one's limitations, even though they obviously may change with the passage of time. Five years ago I thought that in the near future I could not do roles like Nerone, or Sesto (Giulio Cesare), that I would lose my high notes little by little, but the work with the technique has allowed me to maintain the same tessitura I had 10 years ago , something that honestly has surprised me.

EHC . Does it bother you when people refer to a countertenor as a "falsettist"?

PJ. Honestly, yes. The term falsettist is used many times in a pejorative way: a fake voice, false, unnatural, a totally artificial mechanism. I would also say it is the same with the term "sopranist". People seems to continually expect high voices, impossible virtuosity, in some cases as if they are watching a circus.

EHC.If you had to describe your voice in terms of percentages, how much is technique, how much nature and how much work?

PJ. I would say the percentage of attributes of nature would be around 20 per cent. The technique is perhaps decisive in my formation, especially if I look back and see the progress I have made and could still make thanks to it. I think in this aspect it is the same in countertenors and castrati. A great part of the result upon listening was due to work and the sacrifice that was behind it.
Work and constancy are also determinant. I would add to these factors the doses of patience I referred to before, the fact of accepting your own voice and being patient in your work. For example many times us singers are afraid not to be heard, and get tempted to force, to show a bigger voice than we have. It is there where the patience comes in, to have to wait till the voice can reach and not force it.

EHC. Do you think then there is still a margin for improving technique?

PJ Of course. To keep improving it is fundamental to impose oneself the same disciplines as other voices. We should not think the countertenor voice is a strange voice, with particular demands or a particular behavior. The technique must be as solid as in the others to face freely the multiple difficulties the repertoire has.
My teacher gave me once a particularly interesting explanation about the relationship between singing and technique.: "Many singers can sing well once, the technique gives you the possibility to sing well many times". Technique also helps you channel the energy and the strength to interpret and transmit. With it you get to know your voice better and therefore your own body, so that when I sing I have the feeling that I get to know myself better.

EHC. Talking precisely about knowing oneself and be known for other roles apart from the "historical" repertoire, how do you see the role of the countertenor in the opera of the XXI century?

PJ. The role of the countertenor in today's opera is largely due to the work of consecrated singers like David Daniels. Largely thanks to him contemporary composers have started to be interested in us. The great advantage of this new repertoire is, without a doubt, that it is created thinking of us and in the particular characteristics of our voice. As well, it is a lovely opportunity to be able to have the composer present, to talk with him as did Carestini with Haendel.
About my personal relationship with contemporary music I must say that interesting projects are emerging. In fact, maybe in a couple of years I might deal with an opera about the life of Caravaggio, which in a way makes me laugh, because in spite of people saying we sing like angels, librettists and composers connect our voice with slightly sinister characters (as in Nerone).

EHC Fortunately in the last years we have had the chance to see you in more than one spanish stage, what is your opinion about our musical environment?

PJ. I must say in some ways Spain is very like France. Both countries are very passionate about the italian repertoire and this has undoubtedly opened many doors for me. In fact, many italian groups I work with tell me they play more concerts in Spain, France or Germany than in their own country. As an example, the auditorium at the Centro Cultural Miguel Delibes in Valladolid - where I had the chance to do a recital a couple of years ago - has wonderful acoustics.

EHC . After that very participation in Celos Aun Del Aire Matan that we referred to in the introduction, have you had any other occasion to connect with our baroque repertoire?

PJ . Unfortunately no, besides that small role you refer to and that was one of my first participations in the operatic field, with only 20 years old. I have to say I have many good memories of those moments and without doubt it is a great honor to return to Madrid and this splendid stage. However I'd like to say I would like to accomplish a particular project based on the repertoire for castrato sung in Madrid thanks to the work of Farinelli (after persuaded king Fernando VI to open a theater for italian opera in the capital). It would deal with interpreting the most significant works of the composers that Farinelli invited to Madrid. Obviously it would be italian repertoire but worked somehow for the spanish public.

EHC. Again you visit the Real and by those things in life, once more with the scenic direction of Pier Luigi Pizzi, but this time you have a big role……

PJ . Yes the role of Nerone is terrible (in the good sense of the word). I have to say it is not the first time I have played this role, in fact I sang it 10 years ago, but then I was probably unconscious of the difficulty it entailed. Youth has the daring (and the unawareness), which can be an advantage or an inconvenience, depending how you look at it. In a way one of my achievements to interpret this role is to try to find the daring I had 10 years ago, to try to harmonize the technique I have developed with time with the cockiness I had when younger. The great challenge is without doubt to find an inner calm that helps me conciliate both aspects to play such a complicated role.

******************************************************************

Dear Philippe!

No, pardon.

Dear Prof. Dr. Jaroussky!

Thank you a lot for sharing with us - so generously - your profound thoughts and wonderfully honest feelings. And your incredible knowledge as well.

I feel myself limitless happy to have the great fortune to be your contemporary and to enjoy our acquaintance in my life.

Thank you , thank you , thank you.

Deep bow.
***********************************

Cara Mashenka!


Mille baci for your great work to translate HIM!


Senza a lot parole.

big *mwuah* to tuffy for translating! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] ...and Philippe of course.. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
I love reading his thoughts on singing, castrati and the music industry. It's always inspiring to hear people so completely invested in and passionate about what they do.

Mamma mia!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Tuffy.... [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] Thank you verrrryyy much for this great work! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I am glad to be of use!

I think it is not necessary to be religious to be spiritual; I believe the spirit is what gives us the art, and obviously Philippe's music comes from deep within. We are grateful he shares it with us and makes us enjoy his art. ( I dislike organized religion because I feel it causes too many divisions between people, but this is beside the point.)
What is important is that the special person he is has brought so many of us together and nurturing our souls.