Celebrating over sixty years as the nation’s first state-supported arts school, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) next month on April 14 at 7:30 P.M. brings a special concert to the Washington National Cathedral. Half of the program will be UNSCA alum and composer Malek Jandali’s Symphony No. 5, and the other half will be Mahler’s Symphony No. 4.
In advance of this not-to-be-missed concert, I recently had the pleasure of speaking with soprano Claire Griffin, who is featured as the soloist in the fourth movement of the Mahler symphony. Griffin, in her third year of the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute at UNCSA for her professional artist certificate, was selected for the opportunity by the faculty out of two sopranos in the program. “Being a third year, by default they knew my voice,” she said. “We get our assignments in the summer before the school year begins, and they thought this would be a nice fit and a good thing to learn now. I had never heard the symphony, I had never seen it live, but it’s been a lot of fun to dive into. Truly, I’m totally green to Mahler. I’ve heard quite a few of his art songs, and I’ve heard a couple of the other symphonies, but I’ve only been in the audience position on those occasions.”
Claire Griffin in The Threepenny Opera by Kurt Weill with Janiec Opera Company. (Photo by Alan Hunt and Matthew Queen)
And yet, this soprano is clearly not at all green to crafting a great, thoughtful performance, down to considering the venue. “I’ve been to D.C. a few times, but I’ve never been to the Cathedral, oddly enough,” she said. “It will certainly be one of the most unique places I’ve performed in terms of the layout and how the sound is received. It is probably the most intriguing to me in that way. I’ve had a couple of friends who have sung there before and they say it’s very interesting how your sound goes toward the ceiling and is received that way instead of back to you immediately. It’ll certainly be a fun experience to test out the acoustics.”
Also in consideration is the audience. “I think in a church, no matter the size, truly it feels more of an intimate space, because everyone is attuned to what is happening in a service setting,” Griffin said. “The Mahler and the other work the orchestra is premiering are not in any way a service, but it does have that feeling, as opposed to doing a recital, oratorio, or opera, where it’s about the audience coming to be immersed in the world you’re creating. This is a nice blend of the two: Mahler based it so much on his idea of Heaven, all of the wonderful things and the reality that comes with it, so it’s interesting that the audience will be in this intimate setting of the cathedral, still witnessing a story being told and a world being created with instrumental painting and text painting when the singer comes in.”
The text being painted here is “Das himmlische Leben” from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, which depicts a child’s view of Heaven, and that in itself informs Griffin’s performance. “I think because this poem is from a set of German folk poems, you have to extract the poem first of all and see who’s talking, in this case a child.” While sopranos are often cast as children, Griffin noted that she had to strike a balance between her adult self and playing a child. “Often times, I’m not necessarily playing a small child, and I really had to be careful with how much wisdom I brought to it and leave some of that behind, because what this is really about is describing the innocence of the child’s view of heaven and the reality that they’re living in. Children can go off on tangents; that happens in this poem quite a bit as we list lots of vegetables and fruits and all the things. It is very stream-of-consciousness in the way that the child is saying this. Maybe they’re alone, maybe they’re talking to someone; I think the effect is there either way. It’s interesting that so much of it is positive, but in a child’s way they’ll suddenly shift to something a little bit darker, reminding us about leading the lamb to the sacrifice, and then all of a sudden we’re back to ‘wine doesn’t cost anything in heaven.’ It’s very black-and-white in there in the child’s brain, and I had to be careful. That affected how I sang it as well, not necessarily in a way that I would soften the voice to sound like a child, but in the line, instead of making wise accents like you could in an art song or opera. In this, it was about getting the full thought out and singing to the end of the phrase and the end of the line in order to help the innocence of ‘let me say all of these things at once’ as a child would, so that I didn’t have to change my vocalism, I just changed the way the voice approached the line.”
Claire Griffin in Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss Jr. with the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute (Photo by Allison Lee Isley)
Beyond the approach to the text, there is the fact that Mahler included it at all. “I think because his first three symphonies gained him this bombastic, loud reputation,” said Griffin, “and almost too purposeful in this, he brings that back and totally omits the trombones, which were seen as the loudest instrument at the time in an orchestra. I think it’s really clever to have this childlike voice, even in the way he puts it in the fourth movement instead of the first or second. He was trying to put this song that he had written into his symphonies, and it never seemed to work. He was fascinated with this melody and these motifs that came with the voice. I think it found its place in this because a lot of the opening themes and variations that come from the third movement are present in the fourth movement, so that we end in the same key in which we began. It’s a full circle, and I think it’s almost a relief putting it in the fourth movement. We are all drawn to poetry, so it’s interesting to hear it from what is supposed to be the lips of a child.”
Finally, there is the integration of the voice with the orchestra that Griffin had to prepare for. “I definitely approach it differently than I would singing with a piano because of what is happening underneath the singer,” she said. “I approach the orchestral score in a way that I normally wouldn’t look at what’s happening in a piano edition to see what instruments are under me and why they’re there and why the composer chose those specific instruments to create whatever feel or theme they are trying to evoke. I always look to the orchestral score for that, and then because of different vocal techniques that can be used, what is underneath you is going to let you know whether you need more of that or less of that. I always think that it’s a great way to then collaborate with the conductor a bit more, because they have their own idea about what is trying to be painted, and you can bring those things together and they can talk you through some of the instrumentation and you can bring what you have to that conversation as well. For instance, why did Mahler omit the trombones from this symphony? Why are the bass clarinets and oboes given the melody at this point? Why are flutes used to create the sleighbell sound? And then I of course look at how I fit into that because I’m just one piece of the puzzle in an orchestral work. It’s really a partnership. We’re still just getting started, but it’s great to have them and especially maestro Allbritten in the room, because he’s looking at the whole picture. He’s keeping all of us moving on one track and not allowing any one theme or voice veer off and be outside of the texture. It’s really great to have him guiding in that everything reaches the same destination at the same time. He has wonderful ideas about how the orchestra is coloring all of this music. It’s so complex, but it’s meant to be so simple in a way. The whole thing evokes a childlike innocence. He has spoken to the orchestra about how Mahler was influenced by Schubert in a lot of ways and how the melodies are a very important part of this, and that Mahler favored extended melodies that seem to go on and on forever in the way that Schubert did. So he’s wonderful at guiding us through: When the themes come back, why are they coming back, and in the fourth movement especially there are a lot of melodies that are heard in the first and third movement, and so it’s been a great help to know what something means in the first movement and then what it means in a different movement.”
As mentioned before, this is a concert not to be missed, for the venue, the voice, the orchestra, the composers, and the premiere of Jandali’s fifth symphony. As Griffin noted: “I think it’s a wonderful thing that we’re premiering an alum’s piece. I know there will be a program note from the composer, and I’m interested to see that and compare how Mahler fits into the idea of this concert.” Indeed, this is something very special to witness, and what an opportunity for the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra and everyone involved.
Maggie Ramsey
Top image: Claire Griffin in L’elisir d’amore by Donizetti with Janiec Opera Company (Photo by Charles Gilmore)
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Interview with Claire Griffin, Soprano Soloist for Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the UNCSA Orchestra at Washington National Cathedral
Celebrating over sixty years as the nation’s first state-supported arts school, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) next month on April 14 at 7:30 P.M. brings a special concert to the Washington National Cathedral. Half of the program will be UNSCA alum and composer Malek Jandali’s Symphony No. 5, and the other half will be Mahler’s Symphony No. 4.
In advance of this not-to-be-missed concert, I recently had the pleasure of speaking with soprano Claire Griffin, who is featured as the soloist in the fourth movement of the Mahler symphony. Griffin, in her third year of the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute at UNCSA for her professional artist certificate, was selected for the opportunity by the faculty out of two sopranos in the program. “Being a third year, by default they knew my voice,” she said. “We get our assignments in the summer before the school year begins, and they thought this would be a nice fit and a good thing to learn now. I had never heard the symphony, I had never seen it live, but it’s been a lot of fun to dive into. Truly, I’m totally green to Mahler. I’ve heard quite a few of his art songs, and I’ve heard a couple of the other symphonies, but I’ve only been in the audience position on those occasions.”
And yet, this soprano is clearly not at all green to crafting a great, thoughtful performance, down to considering the venue. “I’ve been to D.C. a few times, but I’ve never been to the Cathedral, oddly enough,” she said. “It will certainly be one of the most unique places I’ve performed in terms of the layout and how the sound is received. It is probably the most intriguing to me in that way. I’ve had a couple of friends who have sung there before and they say it’s very interesting how your sound goes toward the ceiling and is received that way instead of back to you immediately. It’ll certainly be a fun experience to test out the acoustics.”
Also in consideration is the audience. “I think in a church, no matter the size, truly it feels more of an intimate space, because everyone is attuned to what is happening in a service setting,” Griffin said. “The Mahler and the other work the orchestra is premiering are not in any way a service, but it does have that feeling, as opposed to doing a recital, oratorio, or opera, where it’s about the audience coming to be immersed in the world you’re creating. This is a nice blend of the two: Mahler based it so much on his idea of Heaven, all of the wonderful things and the reality that comes with it, so it’s interesting that the audience will be in this intimate setting of the cathedral, still witnessing a story being told and a world being created with instrumental painting and text painting when the singer comes in.”
The text being painted here is “Das himmlische Leben” from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, which depicts a child’s view of Heaven, and that in itself informs Griffin’s performance. “I think because this poem is from a set of German folk poems, you have to extract the poem first of all and see who’s talking, in this case a child.” While sopranos are often cast as children, Griffin noted that she had to strike a balance between her adult self and playing a child. “Often times, I’m not necessarily playing a small child, and I really had to be careful with how much wisdom I brought to it and leave some of that behind, because what this is really about is describing the innocence of the child’s view of heaven and the reality that they’re living in. Children can go off on tangents; that happens in this poem quite a bit as we list lots of vegetables and fruits and all the things. It is very stream-of-consciousness in the way that the child is saying this. Maybe they’re alone, maybe they’re talking to someone; I think the effect is there either way. It’s interesting that so much of it is positive, but in a child’s way they’ll suddenly shift to something a little bit darker, reminding us about leading the lamb to the sacrifice, and then all of a sudden we’re back to ‘wine doesn’t cost anything in heaven.’ It’s very black-and-white in there in the child’s brain, and I had to be careful. That affected how I sang it as well, not necessarily in a way that I would soften the voice to sound like a child, but in the line, instead of making wise accents like you could in an art song or opera. In this, it was about getting the full thought out and singing to the end of the phrase and the end of the line in order to help the innocence of ‘let me say all of these things at once’ as a child would, so that I didn’t have to change my vocalism, I just changed the way the voice approached the line.”
Beyond the approach to the text, there is the fact that Mahler included it at all. “I think because his first three symphonies gained him this bombastic, loud reputation,” said Griffin, “and almost too purposeful in this, he brings that back and totally omits the trombones, which were seen as the loudest instrument at the time in an orchestra. I think it’s really clever to have this childlike voice, even in the way he puts it in the fourth movement instead of the first or second. He was trying to put this song that he had written into his symphonies, and it never seemed to work. He was fascinated with this melody and these motifs that came with the voice. I think it found its place in this because a lot of the opening themes and variations that come from the third movement are present in the fourth movement, so that we end in the same key in which we began. It’s a full circle, and I think it’s almost a relief putting it in the fourth movement. We are all drawn to poetry, so it’s interesting to hear it from what is supposed to be the lips of a child.”
Finally, there is the integration of the voice with the orchestra that Griffin had to prepare for. “I definitely approach it differently than I would singing with a piano because of what is happening underneath the singer,” she said. “I approach the orchestral score in a way that I normally wouldn’t look at what’s happening in a piano edition to see what instruments are under me and why they’re there and why the composer chose those specific instruments to create whatever feel or theme they are trying to evoke. I always look to the orchestral score for that, and then because of different vocal techniques that can be used, what is underneath you is going to let you know whether you need more of that or less of that. I always think that it’s a great way to then collaborate with the conductor a bit more, because they have their own idea about what is trying to be painted, and you can bring those things together and they can talk you through some of the instrumentation and you can bring what you have to that conversation as well. For instance, why did Mahler omit the trombones from this symphony? Why are the bass clarinets and oboes given the melody at this point? Why are flutes used to create the sleighbell sound? And then I of course look at how I fit into that because I’m just one piece of the puzzle in an orchestral work. It’s really a partnership. We’re still just getting started, but it’s great to have them and especially maestro Allbritten in the room, because he’s looking at the whole picture. He’s keeping all of us moving on one track and not allowing any one theme or voice veer off and be outside of the texture. It’s really great to have him guiding in that everything reaches the same destination at the same time. He has wonderful ideas about how the orchestra is coloring all of this music. It’s so complex, but it’s meant to be so simple in a way. The whole thing evokes a childlike innocence. He has spoken to the orchestra about how Mahler was influenced by Schubert in a lot of ways and how the melodies are a very important part of this, and that Mahler favored extended melodies that seem to go on and on forever in the way that Schubert did. So he’s wonderful at guiding us through: When the themes come back, why are they coming back, and in the fourth movement especially there are a lot of melodies that are heard in the first and third movement, and so it’s been a great help to know what something means in the first movement and then what it means in a different movement.”
As mentioned before, this is a concert not to be missed, for the venue, the voice, the orchestra, the composers, and the premiere of Jandali’s fifth symphony. As Griffin noted: “I think it’s a wonderful thing that we’re premiering an alum’s piece. I know there will be a program note from the composer, and I’m interested to see that and compare how Mahler fits into the idea of this concert.” Indeed, this is something very special to witness, and what an opportunity for the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra and everyone involved.
Maggie Ramsey
Top image: Claire Griffin in L’elisir d’amore by Donizetti with Janiec Opera Company (Photo by Charles Gilmore)