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I had
attended a Messiah concert in December of 2004 because a colleague and
wonderful performer, Andrea Brown, was the soprano soloist. I have tons
of respect and admiration for Andrea's artistry. Back then, we had been
on faculty at The Haddonfield School of Performing Arts. I was a tenor
very interested in getting more involved and wanted to sing more
auditions, especially with organizations that performed with orchestra.
So after that Messiah, I introduced myself to Valentin—nothing ventured
nothing won—boldly expressing my interest in working with him, and he
referred me to Bronwyn Fix-Keller, the associate music director of
VoxAmaDeus. A few weeks later I auditioned and was engaged for the
following season.
RAS: What performances, either as a soloist or ensemble member, do you consider to be highlights of this association?
DW:
It is a bit difficult to pick standouts, being that Valentin Radu's
leadership with Baroque music is a vital strongpoint of his. However,
many of the concerts featuring Baroque works remain at the forefront of
my mind. For example, I remember the obscure yet extremely brilliant
Bach Cantatas 160 and 182 from Bachfest 2005 and the Messiah from 2006,
where once again solo artists like Suzanne Duplantis and Andrea Brown
joined the ranks and added to a satisfying and complete artistic
experience. There was also Handel's signature Baroque opera Acis and
Galatea, where I thoroughly enjoyed performing the role of Damon,
another Evangelist- or Messenger-type role. Then came the 2010
performance and recording of Handel’s highly dramatic oratorio Judas
Maccabaeus. Before that I had been unfamiliar with this work, and it
certainly proved to be one of Handel’s most musically satisfying to
experience as a performer.
As a vocalist, I enjoy the solo work,
but most satisfying is when voices come together to make music as one,
especially within small chamber ensembles. In this type of musical
project, a vocalist can be involved intimately within the music, losing
his sound within the others’ to create an experience that’s always about
a collective whole. Such was the experience for Vox’s Renaissance Noël
Christmas recording in December of 2009. It was an honor to participate
in such a recording in Old St. Joseph’s Church in Society Hill, which
always satisfies as an artistic and acoustical treat.
Finally,
how can I forget the Vox Renaissance Consort performances. Everyone
enjoys them, with their bright costumes, bringing the joy of
music-making and Renaissance royal courts to life just as it could have
been three to four hundred years ago. Valentin and the people of
VoxAmaDeus love to share their passion for this type of revelry in music
and fun.
RAS: As a performing artist with wide-ranging and
musically diverse experiences, what makes the VoxAmaDeus experience
stand out for you?
DW: I find it quite amazing how Vox seems to
consistently corral such a diverse group of people as soloists, as
choristers—blending both community members and professionals—and the
devoted and enthusiastic professional orchestra members. As a contract
artist, I always feel this sense of community and a great cycle of
appreciative energy. The enthusiasm is always fantastic among everyone
involved, even when there are occasional moments of stress here and
there, which, given the enormity of certain musical projects at times,
is understandable. However, everyone has a communal sense of what needs
to be accomplished and it always comes together.
RAS: Your next
concert with VoxAmaDeus this season will be in the pivotal role of the
Evangelist, the Narrator of the story, in J.S. Bach’s monumental Saint
John Passion on Friday, March 29, in the Kimmel Center’s Perelman
Theater. What is especially challenging and/or meaningful to you about
this major part?
DW: Well, performing musicians, whether
vocalists or instrumentalists, know the many difficulties and challenges
of performing the music of J.S. Bach. For a tenor, it's not just the
technical difficulties of the vocal phrasing that Bach demands over a
very extensive vocal range. Beyond the music, and above all, Bach
requires an advanced intellectual comprehension of his music and,
especially in the Saint John Passion, the text as well. Before one can
sing the role of the Evangelist in public, one must grasp, and then
master, the text and its intense message in order to make sense of
Bach’s music and, most importantly, convey all this with musical meaning
and pathos to the audience.
The part of the Evangelist is an
extensive and sometimes daunting task: a marathon of a role! This is
because the soloist is not only singing but communicating a highly
dramatic text in a speech-like narration that runs through pitched—how
shall I put it?—ear-opening, harmonic developments that were extremely
progressive for the time period [1724]. Within them Bach captures the
entire spectrum of human emotion and expression. Further, there is a
tremendous mental focus demanded of the Evangelist in order to stay in
touch with the task of clearly conveying 30-plus narrations that depict
and communicate the life and drama of Christ's final days, which, being
from Biblical texts, must be consistently accurate.
RAS: Bach set the story in German. Yet this performance will be done in English.
DW:
Yes, VoxAmaDeus will perform the Saint John Passion in English, and
this poses even more of a challenge! The genius of Bach married the
poetic German text, with its shifting rhythms and pathos, to a very
difficult melodic line underpinned by harmonic progressions specifically
intended for the German language. So not only does one have to
concentrate on the music but also to translate, and occasionally amend,
the old-fashioned, “King James-esque” English text to maintain the flow
of communication that will satisfy a very specific and challenging
standard that Johann Sebastian would have expected from a performance of
his work.
RAS: Dana, please tell our readers something about
your “instrument,” especially as it relates to performing Baroque period
music.
DW: Well, I try to maintain a diverse range of repertoire
and perform music from Gregorian Chant up through contemporary Jazz.
Growing up in New Orleans I had a lot of Gritty Jazz and organic Blues
that very few beyond the people of the Bayou truly can embody. So it’s
not just the passion for Brahms, Bach, Schubert, Schumann, Beethoven,
Fauré and many others, but it’s also the music of artists like Harry
Connick Jr., Sam Cooke, and Otis Redding, and even other pop-rock
vocalists like Freddy Mercury of Queen, Billy Joel, Sting and Peter
Gabriel. There are so many more contemporary artists/vocalists whom I
enjoy, and all of these contribute to—how shall I say it?—a gumbo like
concoction of music that pleases me and keeps my passion for music and
singing fresh and inspiring.
But getting back to the standard
choral and orchestral repertoire: with whatever I take on, whether it’s a
Palestrina Mass, Handel’s Messiah or Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes, I
feel that, although there are very specific senses of style that must be
conveyed, a great artist is able to use a common plane of technicality
and style to maintain the integrity of the task at hand and stay true to
the sound that the composer desired.
An artist needs to keep an
open mind and stay flexible, especially when performing timeless music
like Bach’s. Not only must there be respect for what it has been for so
long, but also one must be able to bring a bit of himself/herself to it
to keep it fresh.
I am often hired to perform the music of Bach
and Handel, and my voice works well with this repertoire because of the
lyrical nature of my instrument. I don't want to toot my horn here; I
think distinguished professionals such as Bronwyn Fix-Keller would be
able to articulate the reasoning. I prefer to let others talk about my
voice, for when one talks too much about one’s own ability, people
eventually stop listening.
RAS: When you think of other
professional ensembles with which you have performed, what makes
performing with VoxAmaDeus meaningful and/or different?
DW: The main difference is the sense of community, and even family, that the people of VoxAmaDeus offer.
There's
a pure and raw passion always, which everyone involved brings to the
performances, and no one is afraid to walk the plank and just go for it.
There's always an honest love for the music and passion. The people of
Vox are never afraid to not simply embrace who they are, but to embrace
others and invite others to enjoy the communal sense of celebration in
music performance! This I feel is most important and is a life lesson,
not just for music performance. VoxAmaDeus embodies this message and
sense of life celebration.
RAS: What else would you like to tell the VoxAmaDeus readers and audience?
DW:
First, I'd like to tell the audience, “Thank you!” for the last eight
years. I've never ceased to be amazed at how enthusiastic, committed,
faithful and supportive the followers of Vox have been. It's a testament
to the unique and incredibly special rapport that has been created.
There's something special about the Philadelphia musical community. It
has a rooted respect for Vox, and always honors our performances with
the kind of enthusiasm that is freely given, without reservation or
unnecessary critique. I always feel welcomed and embraced as a human
being, not put on the critic's stand as an artist alone.
Lastly,
there are many amazing individuals, without whom Vox just wouldn’t be
the complete organization that it is, and these people I hold in my
heart with great love, warmth, and appreciation for all they’ve done for
me in the last eight-plus years.
Especially, there is Maestro
Radu whose energy, passion and enthusiasm for bringing music to life in
Philadelphia will never be dampened. As an artist hired by such an
artistic director, I know that I am expected to bring my best and be
committed to the task at hand no matter the enormity!
There are
many names that come to mind and too many to thank and mention, but know
that I feel blessed and honored to always be able to share in the
celebration of life, people and music-making. Cheers to all, especially
to the man without whom none of this would have been communicated, Mr.
Johann Sebastian Bach!
