Singing to remember | Lydia Caruana

Apart from the obvious benefits of performing in aid of a worthy cause, what would you say is the most important difference when it comes to performing at a concert of this kind as opposed to a more ‘regular’ affair?

A fund-raising concert, because of its ultimate aim, will always attract people from all walks of life, or rather people with different music appreciation tastes than your regular classical music devotees.

This fact nourishes, what I believe to be, a deep ingrained yearning of every opera or classical singer, myself included, to bring the lyric voice and its makings to the attention and enjoyment of a wider spectrum of people. Pavarotti had initiated this trend, way back, by combining different music genres in the same bill, and this has gone on to the present day, with cross-over becoming a dictionary word.

So while my standard work is directed at discriminate patrons who adore the arts, a performance such as the Night for Life requires a repertoire which will also address that part of the audience which champions the noble cause but is not necessarily an avid classic music lover.

The organisers themselves expressed a wish to have an evening with a difference, so this gave me scope to choose outside opera or lieder and to present a novel combination of art song, classical jazz and film songs.

The concert will be made of ‘lighter’ pieces. How would you describe this part of your repertoire, and how do you prepare for it?

For this Night for Life concert I have chosen to sing a collection of Italian songs and pieces from The American songbook. The Italian songs are melodies which many would describe as immortal and they indeed hold extraordinary interpretations from the greatest of world singers. Songs such as Mamma, Non ti scordar di me, Mattinata, Musica Proibita and the beautiful Neopolitan Io te vurria vasa’ impart very touching music and lyrics.  

Notwithstanding their great popularity, these music gems still require a specific artful interpretation so I shall be concentrating on this.

For the American songbook, I shall also be singing quite a few Gershwin favourites, not least of which, the famous Summertime from his opera Porgy and Bess.

This is the only operatic aria billed for that evening, the others include The Man I Love and Someone to Watch Over me. I had sung Gershwin a few years back, but it is only now that I feel that I can take on this composer fully, with enough musical freedom and impetus to imprint my very own interpretation – which is what classical jazz is all about.

I will also be singing Arlen’s Somewhere over the Rainbow (Wizard of Oz), Rodgers’ With a song in my heart (Spring is Here), Chaplin’s Eternally (Limelight) and Fain’s iconic I’ll Be Seeing You.

These songs have an ‘old world’ quality to them, which I find very attractive and which gives plenty of space to the singer for interpretation. The romanticism of the lyrics coupled with delightful music themes, makes for a compelling singing experience which is different from opera or lieder. 

One strives to study in detail the stylistic element of these pieces and to give an interpretation which best describes what the composer had in mind.  Perhaps the most challenging element for singing this repertoire is to refrain from going overboard and losing one’s very own voice characteristics.

Otherwise, this kind of music offers a freedom which is very refreshing because, whereas the confines of classical music dictate adhering to ‘alla perfezione’, in musical theatre and especially in classical jazz, one can, and is even expected, to improvise. 

Pianist Yvette Galea will accompany me for the Italian song collection, while pianist Dominic Galea will take up the American song book section, with a special guest appearance by surgeon Alex Manche’.  It is a pleasure working with all three and together we aim to present a very special evening.

Given your experience of performing abroad, how would you say the Maltese musical scene compares to that of the rest of Europe? What are the main things that Malta should improve upon in this field?

In recent years, Malta’s music scene has shown diversification and a good degree of specialisation, which need to be continued. There are certain categories of music which we fare much better than in others and we should not be afraid of finding our niches and concentrating on these to a maximum.

In this sense as well, we should be more introspective where our music ‘of old’ is concerned. There is a patrimony of music by Maltese composers during the time of the Knights of Malta, which is still untapped.  This is unique to us as Maltese and we should capitalise and brag about this heritage.  This is what other countries do, they unearth forgotten music, set up decently funded projects and make a huge noise when it all comes to fruition.

I must say that Malta has seen a surge of contemporary music composition by some very upcoming artists and this is the real mark of music moving forward. If musicians are being inspired to write than it means that the music scene is alive.  It is in the way that we market our music events that I would like to see more use of the imagination.

I cannot forget Liszt staring at me from behind trendy sunglasses like some cool ‘dude’, from posters all over Vienna during his bi-centenary year of celebrations. Marketing people cheekily pasted a pair of sunglasses over Liszt’s charmless face and suddenly he was all ‘trendy’, enticing huge audiences for every Liszt performance. An example of ingenuity or tongue in cheek, which we sometimes lack, not for loss of imagination, but for fear of doing things differently,  or of taking risks and of letting our imagination run riot.

What would you say have been some of the most important highlights of your career, and what helped to achieve them?

I believe that a career is built with every performance, so in this sense the most important highlight is always the next performance.  This credo has kept me going throughout the years, enabling me to always work with the most positive of energy and to aim at giving a hundred and one percent of myself for every engagement. Having said this, I do humbly treasure some moments which somehow marked my career in a distinctive manner. My favourite operatic roles remain, in their opposing personalities, Norina (Don Pasquale) and Elvira (Don Giovanni), both of which I have sung in Italy. 

My concerts with Jose Carreras and with Andrea Bocelli come to mind, and especially my performance with Joseph Calleja in Germany. Conductors who inspired me most include, Manfred Honeck with the Berwald Symphony orchestra of Stockholm and Markus Poschner with the Stadttheatre orchester in Ingolsadt.  But then I so enjoyed singing some particular recitals, such as the ones in Vienna performing Haydn and Liszt and recording at ORF, and the ones in Slovakia with Buranovsky.  Touring, although tiresome, builds your stamina both as a singer and as a person, so the concert tour in Germany was important for my career as well. 

What advice would you give to aspiring Maltese singers?

My advice would be to remain in the service of music and never to be side-lined into other issues. Once this great respect oversees any other, than the resulting performance will always be one of quality and sincerity, and any choices connected to the career will have only music in mind. Once you’re born with the voice, you’re duty bound to develop it properly and professionally. It is a gift but also a responsibility.  I have been very lucky to have had by my side, my mentor the renowned soprano Antoinette Miggiani, who has not only taught me the rigours of voice technique and interpretation, but has always encouraged me to remain faithful to my call. 

‘A Night for Life – the Helen Muscat Memorial Concert’ by Soprano Lydia Caruana will be held on June 7 at 20:00 at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta. Proceeds will go to Action for Breast Cancer Foundation and the Research, Innovation and Development Trust of the University of Malta. Bookings from the Manoel Theatre website: http://booking.teatrumanoel.com.mt/, 21246389.