Tamino, technique, teaching...

Hi there, this week I did not have any performances, and I am glad about it. I wanted to have some time to study and explore somethings with my voice on the passaggio and the high notes, and because I did not have any preformance I had the time for it, I do like a lot to have the time to study. Also this weeek I study Tamino, after last season, discovering the role again and to put it on my voice again. I must say after singing Tito and Edgardo in the last few months, to sing in german again is not so easy and I knew it, the different closed vowels require a different positition and somehow not so pleasant as singing in Italian. I know I must get use to it but I do feel definitely more freedom singing in Italian. I do put a lot of work on singing the best german I can, as a foreigner we must do it better or at least try to do it better than the germans because they will pick on anything that is wrong, so I am really focused on my pronountiation.

I have been teaching as well a japanese tenor (online) and a chinese tenor. The japanese tenor I met last summer in Japan and over the last few months we have been meeting online to work on his voice. It is really nice to hear that he is taking my advice, although it is difficult to really work optimally via online, as I can not work on the really fine details of the voice production but I try my best. Musically he has a lot to work on, the way one interprets the arias or lieder is crutial for a good performance. We worked this week a lot on the "i" vowel, which he sings in a very nasal position, so I try through different ways to help him to get out of the position. It is of the most importance that the us as singers really hear when we are not singing the right way and for that, one must be really honest. So he has to hear that his "i" is nasal, for example, he does not really notice that he is singing it nasal most of the time, either because he really does not hear it, or which is what I believe, that he got use to it, so for him is normal to sing with that quality, and just accepted it. His teacher at the music school tells him " yes, your i is nasal" but somehow he does not work on it, just accepted his student is singing like that. For me, is really important to take that sound out, as his other vowels are in a much better shape, so this week we focused on bringing his "i" to a better quality. He managed to improve in some places but, working on the voice is a matter of patience and persistance, rather than working hard better working smart, because working smartly is already hard, but if you work hard and not smart is even harder.

Next week we start with the stage rehearsals of Magic flute, and I am looking forward to it. Last season we did so many performances of the it, this season we have I think 6 or 7 shows. I am curious how they will be, we have some changes in the cast and overall I want to find out how the whole team will play it. We are also going to do it with another conductor so the musical shape will be slightly or very much different, but I hope it will be good and for the benefit of the orchestra and singers.

Take care and see you next week.