Written by Tania Miller • February 21, 2023
This week I have an unusual task (one that I am looking forward to very much) and that is to work with the multi-talented artist Chelsea Guo. Chelsea is both a pianist and singer, and at this concert on March 10 she will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 AND she will sing the famous and beloved aria Vilja from Franz Lehar’s operetta, The Merry Widow.
Pianist & Soprano Chelsea Guo
How Does a Conductor Work with a Pianist vs. a Singer?
When I accompany a piano concerto, I listen very carefully and I constantly watch the soloist. With Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto, one of the most lovely in the repertoire, there is a certain kind of artistic energy that I first want to understand. What kind of spirit is she playing with and how can I bring that out? With a piano concerto, there are thousands of notes, and they are very spontaneous and flexible. I use both the pitches and the rhythms to stay with her as I listen.
Sometimes it’s a wild ride to follow a piano concerto! Every night is different!
I frequently watch to make sure that I can stay with her left-hand motion – these are her bass notes and they often conform with our basses and cellos. Often I’m asked about who decides on the style and tempo, aka the speed of the piece? In a concerto, it’s the soloist who is bringing their specific interpretation to the audience. But music is always a shared, changing experience. The conductor and orchestra listen closely and start to understand her intentions, but there are also special moments in the orchestra where we lead the music. We will influence Chelsea and Chelsea will influence us!
When I accompany a singer, I am constantly listening to the breath.
I think about the flow of how something is sung, and how much air she has for a phrase. When Chelsea sings, I will be listening to how much space she takes in each breath, and I will be listening to the way she sings through a note. Usually the colour will change when she is ready to move forward, and she will sing in a flowing way that shows me the natural way that she plans to phrase. I conduct in a way that is floating and flexible so that I am like her breath and the orchestra does a mixture of watching me and listening to her. Vilja is music from the heart. In the opera, the chorus sings this melody back to her, and there is this natural feeling that we could all join in and sing along with her. It will be my first time conducting the same soloist both performing a piano concerto and singing. What fun it will be! I hope you will all join us.
Guest conductor and music director candidate Tania Miller will lead the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and guest artist Chelsea Guo in Miller Conducts Schumann & Beethoven on Friday, March 10, 2023 at 7:30pm at the Lyman Center for the Performing Arts at Southern CT State University.
