When you search for “Master Class” videos on YouTube, you come across unlikely instructors like Natalie Portman, Margaret Atwood, Neil DeGrasse Tyson—and Kris Jenner. Professional classes were traditionally thought of as public lectures where experts, often musicians, instructed promising novices in front of an audience. Although the name was chosen by a streaming service that offers online “lessons” in many fields, a long tradition of classical musicians offering in-depth, detailed public instruction, and earlier this month, Joyce Didonato continued. her prestigious annual series at Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute and showed exactly why she must be considered the reigning mistress of today's master class.
Famous musicians from Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti to Joan Sutherland and young players of leontyne price coaching (usually at Juilliard) have shown a popular attraction that allows fans who are willing to see another part of the art of their favorite musicians, but these events are not without controversy . Some critics argue that because of their social nature, professional classes only serve as fleeting, superficial exercises designed to satisfy the ego of the “expert” and have little lasting value for young players. How much can really be accomplished in the short time allotted (usually just twenty to thirty minutes) to each budding Mimi or Don Giovanni?
The great German soprano Lotte Lehmann retired to California, where she became noted for her teaching, producing such notables as Marilyn Horne and Grace Bumbry. Some of his master classes have been captured on video, including one from 1961, in which the 73-year-old Lehmann works with a young soprano on a song by Hugo Wolf. In the clip, Lehmann pays more attention to talking to his audience than instructing the singer. His endeavors mainly involve going up to the piano and singing his way.
It's hard to imagine how Lehmann's student felt about the famous way of the diva, but Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, another prominent German translator. watchman, he used to lead professional classes that left his students disheartened by his many criticisms. Renée Fleming, whose deeply detailed classes have been hailed as compassionate and helpful, commented on how difficult and stressful Schwarzkopf's classes were when she participated in them in the early 1980s.
The first time I attended a professional class was several decades ago at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, which hosted the legendary Swedish soprano Elisabeth Söderström. Rather than the usual strategy of performing his work one-on-one with several students, he directed a group of four in a large part of Mozart's second act. The Marriage of Figaro. His sharp, funny interactions with the singers were full of great tips on how to most effectively communicate and present their characters to the audience. I expect that, like me, those new players never forget his wise understanding and kindness.
Generally, classes like Lehmann's or Schwarzkopf's will focus on the interpretation of a particular aria or song, although they may also explore an individual's way of producing their own sound. I understand that occasionally when a guest star is very critical of a singer's art, it can cause conflict between the singer and their voice teacher.
In important ways, the series given by Maria Callas at Juilliard in 1971 and 1972 has become a symbol of excellence in performance classes. It was the subject of a book by John Ardoin, and the recording of the trick—all forty-six hours of twenty-three sessions—was secretly released on CD-ROM. Of those records, EMI put together a commercial three-CD set of excerpts that might have you mistakenly thinking the retired diva practiced arias for herself, as the company followed her sessions with recordings of the soprano singing the arias. he was just training.
Playwright Terrence Mcnally took Callas' Juilliard a step further by creating his own Master Class, a game that simulates a combination of them. It opened in 1995 and ran for over a year with Zoe Caldwell, then Dixie Carter and finally Patti LuPone playing the diva as the fire-breathing comedian.
Those familiar with the game will have a twisted idea of how master classes work. Callas worked diligently with musicians, occasionally showing the score himself instead of educating the audience about his past and his musical philosophy.
Faye Dunaway had long planned to do a McNally film Master Class, but that project failed to materialize. However, Angelina Jolie managed to embody the famous Callas for Pablo Larrain's new elegiac film. Mariaarriving on Netflix in early December.
In two of DiDonato's October sessions that I attended and which were broadcast live worldwide on medici.tv, the mezzo worked intensively with only four singers. It was clear from his comments that the afternoon public meetings were preceded by private morning meetings, which focused more on technical matters. However, during Saturday afternoon's session, DiDonato worked intensively with Canadian soprano Bridget Esler less on interpreting than on accurately interpreting the challenging fast coloratura verses in one of Dalinda's songs from Handel's. Ariodante. Again and again, he ran Esler through the music making sure each note sounded clearly in an effort to avoid the shrill singing one often encounters in baroque music. To accomplish this, Esler initially took the lines very slowly, cleanly attacking each running note and gradually increasing the tempo. DiDonato gave him (and many in the audience there and at home) a very detailed solution to an important problem.
Another thought-provoking discussion took place when he met with bassist Robert Ellsworth Feng. After singing a bad song, he suggested that as a bass, he often sings for the wrong people, but he should try to avoid the expected theme, which is often noted. He showed how an artist must always go beyond the expectations of the audience and dig deep into the text and music to find the most varied colors to highlight this villain or that troubled heroine.
This deep reading of the sung texts also came from working with tenor Ben Reisinger who performed Pinkerton's penitential aria “Addio fiorito asil” in Puccini's final act. Mama Butterfly. Everyone present agreed that Pinkerton must be one of opera's worst bad boys for his handling of the young and vulnerable Cio-Cio-San. After she cried when she started running through the aria, DiDonato probed her and asked her, and together they studied the words and notes and soon found a complex and intricate arc in the music that made a big difference when she repeated the song. a short aria.
One imagines that those three intense days of working alongside DiDonato will have a lasting impact on his foursome, including Filipino mezzo Michelle Mariposa who has a sweet voice with great promise but whose interpretation skills clearly benefited from the advanced development led by the top mezzo. to him.
In each of the two sessions I attended at the Resnick Education Center, DiDonato's warm and empathetic manner reflected the skillful balance of his words to the singers and the audience. Although it was always clear that these classes are hundreds of songs watched there or at home (either live or as archived online sessions), he was very focused on those singers whose song rarely contradicts that of DiDonato.
Before DiDonato returns, Carnegie Hall will continue its commitment to developing young musicians in January when the SongStudio series returns. Its history began with the activities of the Marilyn Horne Foundation, and when Horne stepped down, Fleming took over. The project hosts master classes with singers and, occasionally, accompanists in Zankel Hall, culminating in a Young Musicians' performance. Fleming has recently stepped down from his duties, and the 2025 program will be led by Anthony Roth Costanzo, participants will be announced soon.
