Countdown to the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2007: Evan Dickerson looks forward to reporting the entire competition (ED)

 

There are only a few days to go now until the world’s most prestigious singing competition gets underway in the Land of Song. It runs from 9th to the 17th of June. Every two years devotees of opera and lieder descend on Cardiff to hear some of the future hot properties in the music business.

The twenty-five hugely talented singers, ten jury members, and the official accompanists – pianists Simon Lepper, Llŷr Williams and Philip Thomas, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera under the batons of Jacek Kaspszyk and Carlo Rizzi respectively are all busying themselves for the intense yet exhilarating experience that makes up this pair of closely coveted prizes.

All singers compete for the main prize and title of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World and most also compete in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Rosenblatt Recital Song Prize competition. The Song Prize is held in the early afternoon at the New Theatre, from where keen audience members may  decamp across town to St. David’s Hall for the Main Prize, which starts at 7.30p.m.  The schedule gives full details of the singers’ repertoire for the first round concerts and  in addition to the major prizes, an Audience Prize can be awarded to any of the 25 competitors. New to this year’s competition, the Richard Lewis Award will also bemade.

If anyone one doubts the value of the competition, they need only take note of past winners and participants  who have gone on to forge world class careers. 2005 belonged to American soprano Nicole Cabell, but many  of the top singers on the world circuit today first came to wide international prominence during the competition. My personal favourites from years past include sopranos Karita Mattila, Ailish Tynan, Elina Garanča, Ha-Young Lee and Soile Isokoski; mezzos Ruxandra Donose, Tania Kross, Nino Surguladze and Wendy Dawn Thompson; tenors Andrew Kennedy and Tito Beltran, and the bass-baritone John Relyea. Bass-baritones have always been something special in Cardiff since the 1989 showdown of Bryn Terfel vs. Dmitri Hvorostovsky passed into the realm of singing legend. Whilst something similar cannot be guaranteed to happen again there is sure to be plenty of high drama along the way – and more than a few divided opinions, even outside the jury room!

This is my first time attending the competition in person, so what will I bring to Seen and Heard’s readers? Reports on both prizes will be posted daily throughout the competition, so that you can keep pace with all the action before the next day’s concerts take place. My hope is that it will help you further enjoy and reflect on the media coverage of the competition’s progress should you follow it on radio or television.   Of course,  there will be coverage of each aria and every song – just getting my head around the repertoire that will fill those days has been a mind-boggling task, not to  mention keeping track of the languages involved.

But I’ll be looking to convey more than that: my impressions of each singer’s stage personality, their presentation, their way with words, their potential for stardom – be it immediately obvious or a little way off. In short, I suppose I’m looking for what is called “the complete package” with musical intelligence at its very core. Or failing that, then the promise of it. And I’ll also bring you some of the audience buzz and reaction to the juries’ decisions, be they spot on or wide of the mark, with analysis of why I think that.

A packed time is to be had then, but there’s more: masterclasses with jury members and fun elements such as Frockwatch mean that it’s worth keeping an eye on the competition website. You might choose to start by brushing up your general knowledge about the human voice or repertoire areas. If you want to get a competitor’s point of view on the competition why not read their blogs or previous competitor soprano Katarzyna Dondalska’s comments on life as an opera singer.  Or be a judge in your own home… I have been for the past few competitions. (So far I have chosen the overall winner three times after the finalists were announced.)

Let’s not forget the 2009 competition either. A bit premature you may think, but I already know of some young artists intent on applying to be auditioned.

There is  no doubt in my mind that – aside from conducting – there is no more mercurial aspect of music making than the human voice and the act of singing. That’s why I find it fascinating. I wish everyone involved  well so they might give of their best and I have a few hunches about singers I’ll be listening out for. I#ll  will say no more now, apart from the fact that I go there with no partisan affiliation to any country or singer. I’m keeping an open mind as well as open ears.

So, let battle commence!

Evan Dickerson

Evan will send daily reports throughout the competition which we will post in the early afternoon, to provide visitors with  previews of the televised concerts in the evening. (Ed)