<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Christian Reif Archives - Cultural Attaché</title> <atom:link href="https://culturalattache.co/tag/christian-reif/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://culturalattache.co/tag/christian-reif/</link> <description>The Guide to Arts and Culture events in and around Los Angeles</description> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2022 20:11:18 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2</generator> <item> <title>Opera Interview Highlights from 2022</title> <link>https://culturalattache.co/2022/12/30/opera-interview-highlights-from-2022/</link> <comments>https://culturalattache.co/2022/12/30/opera-interview-highlights-from-2022/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Craig Byrd]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 30 Dec 2022 08:01:00 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opera: Bravo]]></category> <category><![CDATA[What's Hot]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Christian Reif]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Du Yun]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Elīna Garanča]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Étienne Dupuis]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kevin Puts]]></category> <category><![CDATA[opera]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://culturalattache.co/?p=17601</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Dupuis, Garanča, Gordon, Puts, Reif and Du Yun</p> <p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/12/30/opera-interview-highlights-from-2022/">Opera Interview Highlights from 2022</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p>We may be living in a golden age for opera. It certainly seems so in the discussions we had with composers and artists. Here are are opera interview highlights from 2022.</p> <p>Composer <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/01/27/composer-ricky-ian-gordon-writes-his-italian-opera/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ricky Ian Gordon</a> had two operas produced this year: <em>Intimate Apparel</em> at Lincoln Center and <em>The Garden of the Finzi-Continis</em> by New York City Opera. We focused on the latter when we spoke with him early this year. Because of some strong language, you’ll have to watch this one on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsKo6Tk162w&t=19s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">YouTube channel</a> as it is age restricted.</p> <p>Mezzo-soprano <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/03/11/mezzo-soprano-elina-garanca-believes-in-the-magic-of-opera/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elīna Garanča</a> talked about her career and more with us in March. It has proven to be one of our most popular interviews.</p> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <iframe title="Elīna Garanča: The Cultural Attaché Interview SD 480p" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DV0pcDeAzuo?start=6&feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div></figure> <p>We spoke with baritone <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/03/23/baritone-etienne-dupuis-strives-for-perfection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Etienne Dupuis</a> while he was performing the five-act French language original version of <em>Don Carlos</em> at the Metropolitan Opera.</p> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <iframe title="Etienne Dupuis: The Cultural Attaché Interview SD 480p" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QlfIvxfJBwU?start=2&feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div></figure> <p>Pulitzer Prize-winning composer <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/04/12/composer-du-yun-explores-21st-century-manhood/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Du Yun</a> talked to us in advance of the world premiere of <em>In Our Daughter’s Eyes</em> in Los Angeles.</p> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <iframe title="Du Yun: The Cultural Attaché Interview SD 480p" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SAe22stNWr8?start=6&feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div></figure> <p>The most eagerly-anticipated new opera this year was <em>The Hours</em> by composer <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/11/22/composer-kevin-puts-discusses-his-new-opera-the-hours/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kevin Puts</a> and librettist Greg Pierce. We talked to Puts in advance of a concert performance of the work before it was fully staged at the Metropolitan Opera. </p> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <iframe loading="lazy" title="Kevin Puts: The Cultural Attaché Interview HD 720p" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0FH1vbtHfOU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div></figure> <p>Last week we published our interview with conductor/pianist <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/12/20/christian-reif-reworks-john-adamss-el-nino/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Christian Reif</a> about <em>El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered</em>. Reif, in collaboration with <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/11/02/soprano-julia-bullock-wants-to-rock-your-soul/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Julia Bullock</a> (his partner), truncated the John Adams opera <em>El Niño</em> into a one-hour work. We also discussed Bullock’s first album, <em>Walking in the Dark</em>, which finds Reif conducting and accompanying her and his very new role as a father.</p> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <iframe loading="lazy" title="Christian Reif: The Cultural Attaché Interview HD 720p" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/12evzHIJMMU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div></figure> <p>Those are just a few of our opera interview highlights from 2022. Please go to our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@attache4culture/featured" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">YouTube channel</a> to see all of our interviews and to subscribe. </p> <p>Photo: Elīna Garanča (©Sarah Katharina/Courtesy GM Art & Music)</p> <p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/12/30/opera-interview-highlights-from-2022/">Opera Interview Highlights from 2022</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://culturalattache.co/2022/12/30/opera-interview-highlights-from-2022/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Christian Reif Reworks John Adams’s “El Niño”</title> <link>https://culturalattache.co/2022/12/20/christian-reif-reworks-john-adamss-el-nino/</link> <comments>https://culturalattache.co/2022/12/20/christian-reif-reworks-john-adamss-el-nino/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Craig Byrd]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2022 08:10:00 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Classical: Metronome]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category> <category><![CDATA[What's Hot]]></category> <category><![CDATA[American Modern Opera Company]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Anthony Roth Costanzo]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bob Hurwitz]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Cathedral of Saint John the Divine]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Christian Reif]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Davóne Tines]]></category> <category><![CDATA[El Niño]]></category> <category><![CDATA[El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered]]></category> <category><![CDATA[J'Nai Bridges]]></category> <category><![CDATA[John Adams]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Julia Bullock]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Knoxville: Summer of 1915]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Nonesuch Records]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Rachael Wilson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Samuel Barber]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Cloisters]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Walking in the Dark]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://culturalattache.co/?p=17556</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>"It basically started with us believing that this piece needs to be heard by more people and performed by more people. Not every ensemble has the resources to perform it. John gave us the blessing for it."</p> <p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/12/20/christian-reif-reworks-john-adamss-el-nino/">Christian Reif Reworks John Adams’s “El Niño”</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p>There are numerous pieces of the classical music repertoire that are always played around the world at this time of year. Handel’s <em>Messiah</em> and Tchaikovsky’s <em>The Nutcracker</em> certainly head that list. If conductor and pianist Christian Reif has influence on what gets added to that list he would add John Adams’ <em>El Niño</em>.</p> <p>Reif, along with soprano <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/11/02/soprano-julia-bullock-wants-to-rock-your-soul/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Julia Bullock</a> (the couple are together), have conceived of a one-hour version entitled <em><a href="https://www.stjohndivine.org/calendar/42514/el-nino-nativity-reconsidered" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered</a></em> that will be performed on Wednesday by the America Modern Opera Company. This is his effort to make this nearly two-hour <em>Nativity Oratorio</em> from 1999 more accessible for a wide range of performing arts organizations and audiences alike. The performance will take place at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York.</p> <p>Their revision was first performed in 2018 at The Cloisters in New York. As with that performance, Bullock will be joined by countertenor <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/05/anthony-roth-costanzo-defines-his-place-in-opera/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anthony Roth Costanzo</a> and baritone <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/11/04/baritone-davone-tines-speaks-boldly-about-julius-eastman/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Davóne Tines</a>. Mezzo-soprano Rachael Wilson sings the role at this week’s performance that was previously sung by <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/05/31/jnai-bridges-enters-peter-lorraine-hunt-liebersons-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">J’Nai Bridges</a>. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Anthony-Roth-Costsanzo-JNai-Bridges-and-Julia-Bullock-perform-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Paula-Lobo-Courtesy-American-Opera-Company-1-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17565" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Anthony-Roth-Costsanzo-JNai-Bridges-and-Julia-Bullock-perform-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Paula-Lobo-Courtesy-American-Opera-Company-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Anthony-Roth-Costsanzo-JNai-Bridges-and-Julia-Bullock-perform-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Paula-Lobo-Courtesy-American-Opera-Company-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Anthony-Roth-Costsanzo-JNai-Bridges-and-Julia-Bullock-perform-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Paula-Lobo-Courtesy-American-Opera-Company-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Anthony-Roth-Costsanzo-JNai-Bridges-and-Julia-Bullock-perform-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Paula-Lobo-Courtesy-American-Opera-Company-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Anthony-Roth-Costsanzo-JNai-Bridges-and-Julia-Bullock-perform-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Paula-Lobo-Courtesy-American-Opera-Company-1-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Anthony-Roth-Costsanzo-JNai-Bridges-and-Julia-Bullock-perform-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Paula-Lobo-Courtesy-American-Opera-Company-1-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Anthony-Roth-Costsanzo-JNai-Bridges-and-Julia-Bullock-perform-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Paula-Lobo-Courtesy-American-Opera-Company-1-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Anthony-Roth-Costsanzo-JNai-Bridges-and-Julia-Bullock-perform-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Paula-Lobo-Courtesy-American-Opera-Company-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Anthony Roth Costanzo, J’Nai Bridges and Julia Bullock perform “El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered” (Photo by Paula Lobo/Courtesy American Modern Opera Company)</figcaption></figure></div> <p>Earlier this month I spoke with Reif about <em>El Niño</em>, how Bullock’s relationship with Adams made this project possible and about the miracle of birth. He and Bullock recently had their first child. What follows are excerpts from that conversation that have been edited for length and clarity. To see the full interview, please go to our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQfUdH08rahzGKm2Hcawq-g" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">YouTube channel</a>.</p> <p>The year that <em>El Niño</em> premiere, John Adams gave <a href="https://www.boosey.com/cr/news/John-Adams-in-interview-about-his-new-oratorio-El-Nino/188" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">an interview</a> specifically about this work in which he said, “I want the work to be flexible and not tied to any one way of presenting it.” What were the conversations that you and Julia had when you came up with this revised version of presenting <em>El Niño</em>?<em> </em></p> <p><strong>Julia and I love the piece so much. It’s one of the great pieces of our times and it has this immediacy and this intensity. We wanted to focus on that intimacy and immediacy of the work which is reflected both in the subject matter, but also how we have decided to perform it. It’s so hard to cut anything of John’s music and the poetry, but we tried to focus on the relationship – the bond between mother and child.</strong></p> <p><strong>It basically started with us believing that this piece needs to be heard by more people and be performed by more people. The original, which is so impactful and wonderful, is a big, big piece. It has a six soloists, three of them countertenors, a big orchestra, a big chorus and children. Not every ensemble, not every orchestra, not every chamber orchestra has the resources to perform it. John gave us the blessing for it.</strong></p> <p>I can’t imagine too many composers being open to having their works altered by other people.</p> <p><strong>I don’t know if this is just speculation, but if it was anyone else other than Julia Bullock asking John Adams, since they have such a wonderful close relationship, I’m not sure he would have been quite as happy or forthcoming. Julia approached him for her Met Museum residency and he was supportive of it. That was one iteration of it, but we there were several parameters during this presentation. </strong></p> <p><strong>We played it at The Cloisters so it had to be a certain amount of people only. Also the length was an hour. So there were several restrictions that we wanted to break out a bit now for this iteration. I did a lot of arranging of it for the first one, but I didn’t start from scratch at that point. There was someone else. Now that we’re performing at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine on December 21st, that is my arrangement and Julia’s concept.</strong></p> <p>For people who saw it at the Cloisters in 2018 what’s going to be fundamentally different about what’s getting performed this year?</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Cloisters-performance-of-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Joshua-Bright-for-the-New-York-Times-Courtesy-Modern-Opera-Company-1-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17567" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Cloisters-performance-of-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Joshua-Bright-for-the-New-York-Times-Courtesy-Modern-Opera-Company-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Cloisters-performance-of-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Joshua-Bright-for-the-New-York-Times-Courtesy-Modern-Opera-Company-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Cloisters-performance-of-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Joshua-Bright-for-the-New-York-Times-Courtesy-Modern-Opera-Company-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Cloisters-performance-of-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Joshua-Bright-for-the-New-York-Times-Courtesy-Modern-Opera-Company-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Cloisters-performance-of-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Joshua-Bright-for-the-New-York-Times-Courtesy-Modern-Opera-Company-1-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Cloisters-performance-of-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Joshua-Bright-for-the-New-York-Times-Courtesy-Modern-Opera-Company-1-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Cloisters-performance-of-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Joshua-Bright-for-the-New-York-Times-Courtesy-Modern-Opera-Company-1-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Cloisters-performance-of-22El-Nino-Nativity-Reconsidered22-Photo-by-Joshua-Bright-for-the-New-York-Times-Courtesy-Modern-Opera-Company-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Anthony Roth Costanzo, J’nai Bridges, Julia Bullock and Davóne Tines, sing “El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered” with conductor Christian Reif at the Met Cloisters. (Photo by Joshua Bright for The New York Times/Courtesy American Modern Opera Company)</figcaption></figure></div> <p><strong>It’s not fundamentally different. We have a 10-piece chamber choir which is one of the major changes. Also the instrumentation is different than we played it at The Cloisters. I added both the clarinet and the horn back into it. I went closer to John’s music, especially in <em>El Niño</em>, but also in <em>The Gospel According to the Other Mary</em>. In these two oratorios much the heart of the sound are the keyboards: it is piano, it’s sampler synthesizer and also harp guitar. Those are the heart of it.</strong></p> <p>In that same interview that I referenced at the beginning of our conversation John Adams said, “The piece is my way of trying to understand what is meant by a miracle.” How do you understand what is meant by a miracle? </p> <p><strong>That’s a big question and I’m hoping I can answer it somewhat. John is a father and grandfather and now our son was born six weeks ago. That miracle, I think maybe that’s stereotypical or cheesy, but it is a miracle witnessing birth. Of course we know what is going on in the body and how it’s all happening. Julia and I researched a lot. But there’s something special having this miracle of birth and being so close to it. Obviously I didn’t give birth myself, but I was there every step of the way and that is a very special feeling. So I can only imagine that John was thinking a lot about his own family.</strong></p> <p><strong>What is so fascinating to me is the selection of poems and poets that John and <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2018/03/15/director-peter-sellars-revisits-insanely-hard-work/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Peter Sellars</a> collected for <em>El Niño</em>. It’s not, as usually is the case with a lot of Western European music, the birth is not presented through the lens of white men. Rosario Castellanos, an incredible poet, is featured very prominently in both the original and <em>El Niño</em> in our arrangement. It’s very important to us as well. It’s an incredible honor and privilege to raise a child. And I think that miracle is being brought through and shines through the whole piece.</strong><em> </em></p> <p>Do you feel like the piece is going to resonate differently with both of you now as a result of having given birth to a son? </p> <p><strong>I think so, yes. Even just in these last few weeks, when I read the poetry and studied the music, it hits differently. It always impacted both of us in a very deep way. There’s something inexplicable when you read the beginning that talks about how this other being takes some room in the woman and suddenly your body is not your own anymore. You’re nurturing another human being. This is the only time you’ve been alone. Now you will never be alone anymore. That’s something that you grasp when you have given birth or as the father, the partner being right there. I think that’s something I wouldn’t have thought about too closely before.</strong></p> <p>Does the success of this version of John Adams’s work make an argument for truncation of larger works in a society that demands shorter pieces because of shortened attention spans?</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Composer-John-Adams-Courtesy-John-Adams-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17570" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Composer-John-Adams-Courtesy-John-Adams-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Composer-John-Adams-Courtesy-John-Adams-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Composer-John-Adams-Courtesy-John-Adams-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Composer-John-Adams-Courtesy-John-Adams-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Composer-John-Adams-Courtesy-John-Adams-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Composer-John-Adams-Courtesy-John-Adams-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Composer-John-Adams-Courtesy-John-Adams-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Composer-John-Adams-Courtesy-John-Adams.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Composer John Adams (courtesy of John Adams)</figcaption></figure></div> <p><strong>I think being able to experience this work – it is only an hour long. I think it’s not too much task for anyone. If it was a Wagner opera of four or five hours, I understand that’s a daunting thought. But I think to sit one hour and experience a work like this and being able to really delve into it and let everything else go is good.</strong></p> <p><strong>I think our generation right now wants that, too. They want to be able to let go as well as being impacted deeply. They want an experience. This is some of the most ferocious, most incredible and intense music and lyrics. At the same time, some of the most delicate and wondrous. So I think that is something that would speak to anyone.</strong> </p> <p><strong>And I know from many conversations with my family who have seen this or experienced the full original version, who might not be necessarily the most adventurous contemporary listeners, but were deeply impacted and and taken by this piece. I think this is a piece that people will be drawn to. </strong></p> <p>You serve as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVDAAsWnT0Q" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conductor and pianist</a> on Julia’s album, <em>Walking in the Dark</em>. It should be noted that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK7bQOY3aM0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Memorial de Tlateloloco</em> from <em>El Niño</em></a> is one of the pieces you recorded for the album. What were the conversations that you and Julia had that led to works that were selected? </p> <p><strong>It’s her album, but obviously since I’m conducting and also playing piano and her partner in life, we exchanged a lot of ideas and thoughts. I think it started with her conversation with Bob Hurwitz from Nonesuch Records who told her, “Don’t worry about what sells. Don’t worry if you can tour the album. Think about the time you live in right now. Think of what speaks to you the most. What do you want to say? The album should be a work of art.” </strong></p> <p><strong>That really spoke to her. That speaks to me. She has an incredible gift for curation and that comes through in everything she does. She went through many different versions of different ideas of the album; what it might be, what it possibly could be. She asked me for my input with it. She started with talking and working on </strong>[Samuel] <strong>Barber and John Adams.<em> </em>We were traveling together performing Barber’s <em>Knoxville: Summer of 1915</em>. Since we just are performing Barber, I thought, why don’t you think about anchoring the album with two bigger orchestral pieces.</strong></p> <p>I’m going to go one more time back to that John Adams interview from 2000, because I found it really intriguing. He said, “Entering into this myth, making art about it and finding your own voice to express it, can’t help but put you in a very humble position.” At this point in your career, whether it’s <em>El Niño</em> or <em>Walking in the Dark</em>, how does your work put you in a humble place and what realizations do you have as a result of that?</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Christian-Reif-Photo-by-Stefan-Cohen-Courtesy-ChristianReif.eu_-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17571" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Christian-Reif-Photo-by-Stefan-Cohen-Courtesy-ChristianReif.eu_-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Christian-Reif-Photo-by-Stefan-Cohen-Courtesy-ChristianReif.eu_-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Christian-Reif-Photo-by-Stefan-Cohen-Courtesy-ChristianReif.eu_-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Christian-Reif-Photo-by-Stefan-Cohen-Courtesy-ChristianReif.eu_-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Christian-Reif-Photo-by-Stefan-Cohen-Courtesy-ChristianReif.eu_-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Christian-Reif-Photo-by-Stefan-Cohen-Courtesy-ChristianReif.eu_-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Christian-Reif-Photo-by-Stefan-Cohen-Courtesy-ChristianReif.eu_-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Christian-Reif-Photo-by-Stefan-Cohen-Courtesy-ChristianReif.eu_.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Christian Reif (Photo by Stefan Cohen/Courtesy ChristianReif.eu)</figcaption></figure></div> <p><strong>The act of conducting, being in connection with each other and with the musicians on stage, is very humbling. I never saw myself as the dictator on the podium. Sometimes I just listen and see what is being offered and make music in real time. It is a very humbling experience. The main thing as a conductor is just to bring everyone together and make sure that everyone can perform on the best level possible. And if you’re not humble in that, I don’t think you get that response from people. </strong></p> <p><strong>As a father of a young boy, it’s humbling in a different way where I feel my whole being is in service to this young being. Everything else is taking a little bit of a backseat. At the same time I know when I’m on stage I am onstage fully present. There’s also nothing like it. </strong></p> <p><strong>I did one gig in Colorado a few weeks ago. A sister was able to be here and help out, which was wonderful. I missed Lucas and Julia tremendously, but I was also able to just be with the musicians and be completely present and connect with them. That is a very humbling and very wonderful experience.</strong></p> <p><em>To see the full interview with Christian Reif, please go <a href="https://youtu.be/12evzHIJMMU" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</em></p> <p>Main photo: Christian Reif (Photo ©Simon Pauly/Courtesy ChristianReif.eu)</p> <p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/12/20/christian-reif-reworks-john-adamss-el-nino/">Christian Reif Reworks John Adams’s “El Niño”</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://culturalattache.co/2022/12/20/christian-reif-reworks-john-adamss-el-nino/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Soprano Julia Bullock Wants to Rock Your Soul</title> <link>https://culturalattache.co/2022/11/02/soprano-julia-bullock-wants-to-rock-your-soul/</link> <comments>https://culturalattache.co/2022/11/02/soprano-julia-bullock-wants-to-rock-your-soul/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Craig Byrd]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 03 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Classical: Metronome]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category> <category><![CDATA[What's Hot]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bell Hooks]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Christian Reif]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Courtney Brian]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Florence Price]]></category> <category><![CDATA[History's Persistent Voice]]></category> <category><![CDATA[J'Nai Bridges]]></category> <category><![CDATA[James Agee]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Jasmine White]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Jeri Lynn Johnson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[John Adams]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Julia Bullock]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Los Angeles Philharmonic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Margaret Bonds]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Meshell Ndegeocello]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Michelle Bradley]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Michelle Cann]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Nonesuch Records]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Peter Sellars]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Rhiannon Giddens]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Rock Your Soul Festival]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Samuel Barber]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Valerie Coleman]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Walking the Dark]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://culturalattache.co/?p=17271</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>"I made a lot of peace with who I am and how I also am expanding in the various roles that I can take on and feel comfortable in."</p> <p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/11/02/soprano-julia-bullock-wants-to-rock-your-soul/">Soprano Julia Bullock Wants to Rock Your Soul</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-2-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17279" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-2-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-2-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-2-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-2-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-2-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-2-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-2-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-2-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure></div> <p>This year is going out with a bang for soprano Julia Bullock. She’s curated the <a href="https://www.laphil.com/concerts-and-events/festivals/rock-my-soul-festival" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Rock Your Soul Festival</em> </a>with the Los Angeles Philharmonic that starts in earnest on November 5th and runs through November 22nd. She has her first solo recording coming out from Nonesuch Records. It’s called <em><a href="https://www.nonesuch.com/albums/walking-in-the-dark" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Walking in the Dark</a></em>. Finally she and pianist/conductor husband Christian Reif are expecting their first child any day now.</p> <p><em>Rock Your Soul</em> <em>Festival</em> was originally conceived by the LA Phil as a celebration of the work and friendship of Florence Price and Margaret Bonds. The title harkens back to a spiritual (<em>Rock My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham</em>) and a book by noted author and activist Bell Hooks (<em>Rock My Soul: Black People and Self-Esteem</em>).</p> <p>Amongst the artists Bullock has assembled for the festival are soprano Michelle Bradley, mezzo-soprano <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/05/31/jnai-bridges-enters-peter-lorraine-hunt-liebersons-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">J’Nai Bridges</a>, pianist Michelle Cann (look for our interview with her later this week), singer/composer Rhiannon Giddens, conductor Jeri Lynn Johnson, singer/songwriter <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2019/07/11/meshell-ndegeocello-unplugged-and-unmasked/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Meshell Ndegeocello</a> and mezzo-soprano Jasmine White.</p> <p><em>Walking in the Dark</em> finds Bullock performing works by John Adams, Samuel Barber, Oscar Brown Jr., <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDdUOXpp6Zc" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Connie Converse</a> and Sandy Denny. It’s a beautiful record that is set for release on December 9th. Reif plays piano on the recording and leads the Philharmonia Orchestra of London as well.</p> <p>Bullock’s pregnancy precludes her from performing in <em>Rock Your Soul Festival</em>, but it did allow for other opportunities which she described in our conversation recently. What follows are excerpts from that conversation which have been edited for length and for clarity.</p> <p>I want to start by asking you about something you told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/25/arts/music/julia-bullock-zauberland-lincoln-center.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Zachary Wolff</a> in the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">New York Times</span> in 2019. It was advice your mother gave you: “Make sure that your work is making a difference for the betterment of the world.” You seem to have taken up that challenge and made it your mission. How do you think that has made your career different than others and, by extension, more fulfilling for you? </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17280" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure></div> <p><strong>Well, I don’t know if it’s made it so much different from other people’s. I think every artist has a call in one way or another to have a mission or have their their passion realized. I don’t have a casual relationship with music. In fact, my desire to sing and also share music is because I know the impact that it’s had on my life and also how it’s enriched my life and helps me feel more interconnected and engaged. </strong></p> <p><strong>I guess I’m always looking for ways to deepen that exploration and enjoy it in the process. I find that most of the artists whose work I really love also have this sort of mission. They’re very much conscious of the world that was going on around them and trying to make sense of it or call out hypocrisies. I’m not sure if I feel it’s so different than what other artists are doing. I guess I’ve just given myself permission to expand that in as many directions as I can imagine.</strong></p> <p>I would assume that in doing that, when someone like Peter Sellars says “Her path is going to be our path,” that’s got to be both hugely flattering and also a bit of a mantle to take on on a certain level.</p> <p><strong>I truthfully don’t like to be positioned in any capacity. I appreciate that Peter feels that the way that I work, the reflections that I have, and just the fact that I’m really dedicated to my craft and my own development and learning, is something that he wants to celebrate. I guess I celebrate that, too. That would be part of why, in the performing arts in particular, I don’t take that pressure on because that’s just a projection of something. The work that I do is not trying to live into some projection of Julia. </strong></p> <p>In the liner notes for <em>Walking in the Dark</em> you conclude your statements in the liner notes with “If our intentions are translated well enough and are clearly in focus, it may lead to some moments of illumination.” What has been the process of making your intentions perfectly clear with the <em>Rock Your Soul Festival</em>?</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Florence-Price-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17275" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Florence-Price-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Florence-Price-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Florence-Price-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Florence-Price-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Florence-Price-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Florence-Price-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Florence-Price-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Florence-Price-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Florence Price (Courtesy New York Public Library Archive)</figcaption></figure></div> <p><strong>It was their idea, not the title or anything like that, but just the proposal to curate a program that was focusing on the relationship between Margaret Bonds and Florence Price. Other than their vocal music and really just their songs, I was not too familiar with a lot of their repertoire – the breadth of their repertoire. It was an opportunity for me to again delve into some research and take six, seven months to consider the work of composers that I had not had the time or had this opportunity to look at. </strong></p> <p><strong>I was reading about their personal lives and also this relationship of mutual support. They had this teacher</strong> (Price)<strong>/ student</strong> (Bonds) <strong>relationship.</strong> <strong>When there were really troubling times for Florence Price in her personal life she went and lived with Margaret Bonds for a period of time. That really communicated this beautiful thing. It wasn’t just about their artistic output. It was also about nurturing and respecting each other as human beings and fully supporting each other that way. That was something I really wanted to celebrate and acknowledge besides just sharing their repertoire. </strong></p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Margaret-Bonds-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17276" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Margaret-Bonds-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Margaret-Bonds-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Margaret-Bonds-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Margaret-Bonds-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Margaret-Bonds-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Margaret-Bonds-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Margaret-Bonds-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Margaret-Bonds-Courtesy-New-York-Public-Library-Archive.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Margaret Bonds (Courtesy New York Public Library Archives)</figcaption></figure></div> <p><strong>Every single artist that was invited into the festival there is this feeling of mutual support. Every single composer that I know, that I work with personally and also the composers that I either read their letters or biographies, they openly admit how influenced they are by the people who are around them. And they seek out guidance and advice. They are influenced by what’s going on socially, politically.</strong> </p> <p>I think we can learn a lot from what Florence Price and Margaret Bonds did in terms of shared experiences as musicians and as human beings. Because it goes without saying that a lot of people care more about ideologies and less about each other as human beings right now. Perhaps the festival can find a way to bridge that divide.</p> <p><strong>It can be very closed and people can get very closed. Growing up listening to recordings, my family had vinyls or cassettes playing all the time. A lot of the time we listened to music together. Even if I was alone I was still playing music, not locked into an earphone or earbuds privately, it was something that was heard in the house – the shared space. I think music can foster some really beautiful acknowledgment of each other. It’s not just some theoretical exercise. It’s like actually putting it into practice. I think that’s probably what drove me and that’s what drives most musicians to make music. Because you’re wanting a shared experience and wanting to share your own experience as well.<em> </em></strong></p> <p>Once you became pregnant and knew that being here for the festival wasn’t going to be possible did that give you any opportunities to make changes or add other things that maybe couldn’t fit into the program because you were a part of it at one point and now you were not?<em> </em></p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-4-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17282" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-4-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-4-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-4-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-4-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-4-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-4-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-4-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Julia-Bullock-4-Photo-by-Allison-Michael-orenstein-Courtesy-Askonas-Holt-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure></div> <p><strong>I’m sad. I’m just not going to be there. Obviously I’m growing a human being. So that’s what it is.</strong><em> </em></p> <p><strong>I was supposed to perform <a href="https://juliabullock.com/met-residency-historys-persistent-voice/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">History’s Persistent Voice</a>, which featured a lot of contemporary composers who are all Black women. That was an hour-and-a-half program.<em> </em>I decided to save this for another season and think about another program. </strong></p> <p><strong>That was a great opportunity to perform one of <a href="https://www.laphil.com/events/performances/1796/2022-11-11/bryan-bonds-price" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florence Price’ full symphonies</a>. It was also an opportunity then for me to think about the composers who were associated with <em>History’s Persistence Voice</em> and look at some of their other pieces and see if there was a way to feature their work.</strong> </p> <p><strong>I’m really excited Courtney Brian’s <em>Sanctum</em> is included. Her work is just super powerful and I’m so glad that that is going to have a premiere at the LA Phil. Valerie Coleman’s selections from her <em>Phenomenal Women</em> will be featured as well. It’s the first time that she will have anything performed at the Phil.</strong></p> <p>Your first album is going to be something that was to be considered carefully. Now that you’ve recorded it, and I know from earlier in this conversation you haven’t listened to it recently, but what would you like listeners to know about you from hearing the choices that you made for <em>Walking in the Dark</em> and the performances you give? </p> <p><strong>What do I want them to know about me? I really hope it is just an invitation. All of the music that’s on this is material I’ve lived with for honestly two decades and some of it I’ve performed for a decade. The chance to lay it down and be a part of a recording legacy of some of these pieces that have also been recorded by so many different artists was a rare and wonderful opportunity. It’s not one that I take for granted. </strong></p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="300" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Walking-in-the-Dark-Album-Cover-300x300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17277" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Walking-in-the-Dark-Album-Cover-300x300.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Walking-in-the-Dark-Album-Cover-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Walking-in-the-Dark-Album-Cover-150x150.jpg 150w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Walking-in-the-Dark-Album-Cover-768x768.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Walking-in-the-Dark-Album-Cover-696x696.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Walking-in-the-Dark-Album-Cover-1068x1068.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Walking-in-the-Dark-Album-Cover-420x420.jpg 420w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Walking-in-the-Dark-Album-Cover.jpg 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure></div> <p><strong><em>Walking in the Dark</em>, I mean the title of it. I didn’t write this in the liner notes and I’ve only brought it up to a few people, but I want to make it very clear that darkness is not something that should have, in fact, any kind of negative association. I feel in some ways that darkness, or blackness even, has been conditioned in certain parts of societies or cultures to have negative connotations and somehow promotes the idea of a white supremacist ideology. That really is not something that I can tolerate. </strong></p> <p><strong>I guess it’s been something I have grappled with – a collective question about identity or I have felt that I have had to question my identity for a very, very long time. I made a lot of peace with who I am and how I also am expanding in the various roles that I can take on and feel comfortable in.</strong></p> <p>James Agee, who probably needs no introduction to you since his poetry inspired Samuel Barber’s <em>Knoxville Summer of 1915</em> (which Bullock performs on <em>Walking in the Dark</em>), is quoted as saying, “Some people get where they hope to in this world. Most of us don’t.” I feel like in watching your career over the last number of years that you’re actively working through your art and through your activism to get the world to where you hope it will be. As a soon-to-be mother, what is the world you’d like to see your child living in and how do you think your art can pave a path for that to be a reality? </p> <p><strong>Well, I hope that this child will feel safe. That the child will not be limited in anything that they want to invest in and enjoy. That there will be not be a lot of assumptions made or anticipated projections of this child and what they feel they have to represent so that they can just live their lives. But there’s something in safety that feels really important right now.</strong></p> <p>Photos of Julia Bullock (By Allison Michael Orenstein/Courtesy Askonas Holt)</p> <p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/11/02/soprano-julia-bullock-wants-to-rock-your-soul/">Soprano Julia Bullock Wants to Rock Your Soul</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://culturalattache.co/2022/11/02/soprano-julia-bullock-wants-to-rock-your-soul/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>