An interview with countertenor

Philippe Jaroussky
January 25, 2010 in Cleveland, Interviews | Tags: Cree Carrico, Philippe Jaroussy | !y
clevelandclassical
!y Cree Carrico
ClevelandClassicals Oberlin intern Cree
Carrico reached countertenor Philippe Jaroussky by phone the day before his Mixon
Hall Recital at CIM in Cleveland on January 1! Jarousskys appearance "ith pianist
Jero#e $ucros "as sponsored by %pollos &ire' "ho "ill brin( hi# in for concerts next
season!
Cree Carrico) I hear youve *ust co#e fro# +e" ,ork "here you #ade your Carne(ie
Hall debut yesterday!
Philippe Jaroussy: "es, yesterday evening#
CC) Ho" did it (o-
PJ: $h it was cool# I was in good %or& and the concert was in the s&all hall ' that was
very receptive# The hall had great sound and it was really a great concert# I a& very
happy and loo %orward to co&ing !ac# "ou now so&eti&es as a &usician you have
so&e drea&s# To per%or& at Carnegie, you thin, it(s not %or you, its i&possi!le, and
when its happening it(s a !ig )oy# "ou have to en)oy each &o&ent#
CC) Ho" excitin(! .ill your Mixon Hall pro(ra# be the sa#e that you perfor#ed at
Carne(ie Hall-
PJ: "es, a!solutely# It will !e the sa&e progra&, a progra& o% *rench songs# It(s +uite
strange %or &e that I(& doing &y %irst recital at Carnegie and in Cleveland with repertory
I(& not nown %or# *inally, its &y *rench touch you now# ,hen I did this progra&, I
did a C- also and there were so&e very strong reactions# . lot o% people in *rance say
this repertoire isn(t appropriate %or a countertenor voice# I did this progra& a lot outside
o% *rance, in Japan, in /ra0il, in 1er&any, in 2ngland and %inally here in the 34.#
5ay!e here its &ore logical, !ecause !e%ore I(& a countertenor, I(& a *rench &usician#
It(s not so stupid %or you to invite &e here and sing this repertory#
CC) Ri(ht' and all the &rench co#posers "rote for the &rench' so "hy not co#e and
share it "ith us!
PJ: "es, that is why I(& singing this repertory# I lie very &uch to sing )ust with a piano#
It(s )ust a &eeting !etween two &usicians# It(s &y opportunity to e6press &ysel% directly
in &y own language# In !aro+ue arias I have not a lot o% things to e6press# This is really
&y secret garden# I can really e6press and %eel deeply each word o% each poe&# It(s
so&ething special %or &e# I(& very surprised to see how open &inded the pu!lic is here
in the 34.# In *rance, this &usic is su%%ering !ecause o% so&e pre)udice !ecause people
are thining it is +uite old %ashioned &usic, !oring &usic# I thin it(s a!solutely to the
contrary# It(s very %resh &usic# I hope that the pu!lic in Cleveland will react lie
yesterday# I(& sure that they will !e very curious a!out this *rench &usic#
CC) I think the #usic offers so #uch to an audience' and hearin( this repertoire throu(h
your voice "ill be a #uch different experience!
PJ: "es# "ou now I will !e co&ing to Cleveland again ne6t year !ecause I have to
per%or& with .pollo(s *ire and o% course, it will !e with !aro+ue arias# /ut to &ae &y
%irst appearance with this progra& is +uite original# It(s not usual# That(s cool#
CC) I think its fantastic that you #ade your Carne(ie Hall debut sin(in( #usic that
#eans so #uch to you/ so#ethin( that is really a part of yourself!
PJ: "es o% course# There are so&e progra&s in which I can show o%%# I could sing so&e
7ivaldi or 8andel arias where you can de&onstrate &ore virtuosity and things lie this#
/ut %inally in singing *rench repertory, particularly this one, I a& showing &ore &y own
personality# ,ho I a& really#
CC) Is there any specific piece you love #ore than the others-
PJ: I lie very &uch the co&poser 9eynaldo 8ahn# These songs are a huge success with
the pu!lic# 8e is the 7ivaldi o% this repertory# 8e(s so %resh and so si&ple, it(s touching#
People are always reacting very well to this co&poser, so&eti&es &ore than to -e!ussy
or *aur:# 8e was a char&ing person and he lied to char& the pu!lic# "ou can see it in
the &usic# ,hat is di%%icult &ay!e and a challenge is the level o% the poetry# 2ach piece
is generally +uite short, appro6i&ately ;<= &inutes each and is an entire world# The
pu!lic has not a lot o% ti&e to enter into each piece# $ne has to understand it per%ectly
%ro& the !eginning# I lie also to !uild the progra&, to choose which piece co&es a%ter
another, and to !uild dra&atic structure#
CC) 0o#ethin( a lot of #usic lovers dont kno" is that a countertenor isnt your only
voice type! .ere you ori(inally a baritone-
PJ: "es, oh yes# I have a very !ad !aritone voice# I have no reasons to sing in this voice#
*ro& the !eginning I wanted to sing as a countertenor# I cannot e6plain why# 5ay!e
!ecause I was a violinist and I was attracted to high notes and har&onies# 5ay!e i% I were
a cellist it would !e di%%erent# I can see the !ehavior o% &y colleagues, other
countertenors, and I %ind &ost o% us, we act a little !it lie !ig children# ,e want to eep
so&ething o% our childhood, the pure innocence # .s a countertenor, I have the %eeling o%
%inding so&ething which is not touched !y li%e# It(s so&ething special# I thin that even
people who are prepared to hear this countertenor voice, are always very surprised a%ter
the %irst note# 4o&e people don(t lie the countertenor voice# There are very strong
reactions# Its not grey# It(s always !lac and white# People love this voice or hate it# I lie
this point o% view !ecause &ost o% the ti&e, the pu!lic who lie countertenors will %ollow
you#
CC) I love the countertenor voice and I especially think your voice is really fantastic so I
appreciate that youve decided not to sin( in your baritone voice for us!
PJ: Than you# The voice, it(s very personal# ,hen I was a violinist or a pianist I could
hide &ysel% !ehind the instru&ent# "ou cannot do that with the voice# Its so direct# It(s a
direct re%lection o% your personality and that(s why people lie singers# It(s )ust your
voice# "ou cannot lie# ,hen I started to sing I had this %eeling o% !eing co&pletely
naed#
CC) In this #onths Classical 0in(er Ma(a1ine' your face is seen in an advertise#ent
next to those of +atalie $essay and $iana $a#rau! ,ou have also received several
a"ards and have perfor#ed "ith so#e of the "orlds best orchestras! .hat "ould you
say has contributed to your star status at such a youn( a(e-
PJ: It(s easier to have a renaissance when you are countertenor !ecause there are %ewer o%
us# It(s &ore di%%icult %or a soprano voice, !ecause there are such lot o% very talented
sopranos# ,hy &e> 5ay!e !ecause when I started to sing I was +uite a high countertenor
voice# ,hen I started 10 years ago, &ore and &ore conductors and stage directors wanted
to have so&e &en in &ale roles, particularly the ones written %or castrati# 2verything
went very %ast %or &e 10 years ago# I was a &usician, !ut &y !ody was not ready to sing
such di%%icult pieces# 5y voice was too young and I needed so&e years &ore to &ature in
&y !ody and techni+ue# *a&e is so&ething you cannot e6plain so&eti&es# I &et a lot o%
di%%erent people, did such a lot o% concerts with &any conductors and a%ter &any years I
had a pu!lic which was %ollowing &e# It(s di%%icult when you are young to assu&e all
these things !ecause you are thining, why &e> ,hy a& I deserving all this> I(& +uite a
lucy guy, everything was so easy %or &e# I thin now there are a lot o% good
countertenors and I have a lot o% ad&iration %or &y colleagues#
CC) $o you prefer sin(in( in operas or concert for#at-
PJ: 3ntil this &o&ent, I did &ore concerts and recitals, !ut I want to do &ore opera# To
progress as an actor I need to do &ore opera# /ut, I lie very &uch to !uild a concert
progra&, though so&eti&es recitals are &ore tiring# "ou are singing all evening !ut you
have the ti&e to !uild so&ething# *or &e it(s %rightening# .n opera is an entire society
and I don(t thin it(s so %ree# ,hat is good in opera is that you can learn a lot %ro& the
other singers# "ou can react with what they are proposing to you and you can really wor
deeper on your interpretation# Then, %inally, when you co&e !ac to the recital you can
%eel the di%%erence# /ut really, I need to do !oth#
CC) I a(ree! 2ach discipline is so different!
PJ: It(s very di%%erent# In a concert you are to !e yoursel%# In opera, it is a &eeting with
the character# I need two wees to enter into a part, to really put &ysel% inside# It(s +uite
co&ple6 !ut it(s also %ascinating#
CC) %s far as your next perfor#ances' are you doin( #ore of this pro(ra#' or are you
#ovin( on to so#ethin( different after this-
PJ: ,hen I get !ac to Paris, I(& doing a piece which was co&posed %or &e !y a *rench
co&poser who wors a lot in the 34.# .%ter, I a& taing part in a production o% 1iulio
Cesare, in a concert version# In Paris# I always drea&ed to sing onstage with Cecilia
/artoli and soon I will reali0e this drea&# .%ter this, I will go directly to do a tour o%
concerts in .ustralia with the .ustralian /randen!urg /aro+ue $rchestra# This year is a
very !usy year !ecause I have to !e everywhere# Its very e6citing, !ut %rightening at the
sa&e ti&e#
CC) Have you ever (one throu(h a lon( stretch like this before or is this the first ti#e-
PJ: I don(t lie to sing the sa&e progra&# I lie to change# /ut you have to prep yoursel%#
5ore and &ore I can %eel that &y )o! is not )ust to sing# I have to travel, I have to &ae
so&e interviews# .ll these things you have to eep in &ind and not to tae too &any
concerts# *or &e it(s di%%icult when so&eone proposes a pro)ect !ecause I(& always
enthusiastic# 4o&eti&es I reali0e, ?&y god, its too &uch@# I have to wor to preserve &y
voice# I lie to change the country, &y colla!orations, the &usic, and not to !e where
people are e6pecting &e# I lie surprises#
CC) .hat is your vie" of 3aro4ue #usic in %#erica-
PJ: I thin in the 34 there is a lot &ore interest in !aro+ue &usic# I(& trying each year to
do concerts here# In 2urope, people now !aro+ue repertoire very well# I(& very happy to
convince a new pu!lic that !aro+ue &usic is very a&a0ing &usic#
CC) %s a sin(er #yself' I feel that "e are often overlooked as people! .hat does your
typical day look like-
PJ: 5y typical day> I don(t thin I have a typical day# That(s what I lie in this )o!# It(s
a!solutely not !oring# $ne day you are traveling to a place you(ve never !een, you do a
concert, and so&eti&es you are )ust at ho&e doing nothing# ,hen I(& traveling a lot and
I go !ac ho&e %or a %ew days, I )ust want to sit down on the so%a and watch the T7#
/e%ore I !eca&e a singer, I was not traveling a lot# This )o! gave &e the opportunity to
now the world# .%ter a %ew days at ho&e, I )ust want to go on holiday and travel again#
The &ore you are traveling the &ore you want to travel# $ne o% the !est things that this
)o! gave &e is the a!ility to now di%%erent cultures, di%%erent languages, and &eet a lot
o% people#
CC) $o you have any hobbies- %ny special thin(s you like to do besides sin(-
PJ: .ny ho!!ies> 5y ho!!ies are +uite cra0y# ,hat I lie &ost is to %ind scores# It(s lie
you(re looing %or a treasure# I spend a lot o% ti&e on the internet, and in li!raries looing
%or &anuscripts# I lie to collect unnown arias, things lie this#
CC) $o you have any rituals for relievin( stress-
PJ: I(& a sleeper# I a& sleeping a lot# *or the voice, it(s very good to sleep# *or 2 or ;
years I a& getting &assages %or the !ody# .%ter a %ew &onths o% singing I %eel I need to
e+uili!rate the energy in &y !ody# Its helping &e a lot to have the &assage a%ter !ig
travel# It helps &e very &uch to eep &y energy#
CC) One "ay I deal "ith stress is throu(h food! $o you have a favorite food or dessert-
PJ: *avorite %ood> I lie %ood very &uch# I lie red wine particularly, !ut %or %ood I lie a
very re%ined cuisine# . very good stea can !e one o% the !est &o&ents o% your li%e# /ut
it depends# *or e6a&ple, I was in Japan so&e &onths ago and have to say it(s one o% the
countries where you(re eating the !est# 5y god# Its so so %resh ' there is such variety# I
lie it very &uch#
CC) .ell I dont have any #ore 4uestions and I# lookin( very #uch for"ard to your
perfor#ance to#orro"5
PJ: 1reat# Than you and see you to&orrowA 8ave a nice evening# /ye !yeA
Cree Carrico' a vocal studies #a*or at the Oberlin Conservatory' is .inter 6er# intern
for ClevelandClassical!co##