Sydney Arts Guide had the opportunity to speak with Lachlan McIntyre about his unique new production called AS THE COMPOSER INTENDED.
SAG : Thanks for stepping out of rehearsal to talk to The Guide, it sounded great through the studio wall.
McIntyre: Yes, it’s coming on really well. I am working with wonderful partners in Claire Michelle, as my duet partner, and Ben Burton on piano and and we are really pleased with it.
SAG : So the recital is called AS THE COMPOSER INTENDED. What composers?
McIntyre: Schumann, Brahms, Sondheim, Ivor Gurney, Ellington others mixed in with some Lloyd Webber.
SAG : On the same program? Is that unusual?
McIntyre: The same program maybe but from a practical point of view, classically trained singers in show business have been doing this for years. As a reference, I’m thinking of ‘cross-over’ performers like Marina Prior, David Hobson and Anthony Warlow. Notably, all three are famous for their roles in operettas, which operates as a very happy middle ground for most audiences, in my view.
For me, regardless of the form, whether it’s aria, lied, song, music theatre number … whatever, the singer’s job is to tell a story. It is too easy to overstate the differences between the genres on the basis of musical language and vocal technique- the aim is same, though methods differ. The inspiration came from a reflection on how well certain songs reflected that same idea, a situation in the composer’s life perhaps, despite being quite distinct from each other stylistically.
SAG : It’s not a concert though is it?
McIntyre: No, no. It’s a complex melding of theatre and song where I am playing several of the composers. It all sort of begins with the desk really! There’s monologue, letters being exchanged, their songs being worked on, memories, interior thoughts and I sing the songs associated with them. But to communicate other things, like background and experience, about them, I use other composers’ words.
What separates it from a variety programme is that the contrasting pieces are designed to reinforce themes and a narrative. When Schumann sings a contemporary song in English, we understand that he is communicating directly to us, impossible using his own work- unless you speak German. The contemporary song explicates what is implied in the lied or art song.
SAG : That sounds fantastic has this always been your “style”?
McIntyre: I have carried a bit of a dichotomy through my Graduate and Undergrad – so my repertoire has always been split down the middle. It can be challenging to keep the styles separate.
I have been to a number of classical masterclasses where it’s been suggested, without detectable condescension, that I should go in to music theatre! Music theatre people also sometimes raise an eyebrow at a classical sound. I’m always working at increasing the separation to maintain appropriate styling for the genre, but I particularly relish repertoire like Lloyd Webber, or some of the standards which allow for flexible styling and technique- since ultimately, a unique styling is something to aspire to as an artist.
SAG: For my money, it’s pretty unique recital, will it convert classicists to musical theatre or the other way around?
McIntyre: De gustibus non est disputandum. It’s a maxim most associated with economics- broadly, that ‘there’s no accounting for tastes’. I see it as my role not to change tastes necessarily but cater to them.
It’s a music theatre structure with characters, script and set, but the larger portion of the repertoire is classically styled- even the music theatre pieces and is based on the biographies of classical composers. So a classical audience who will be familiar with the pieces will be interested in seeing the material presented differently- ‘in context’ and a music theatre audience possibly won’t recognise some of the pieces, but the narrative structure will be familiar.
SAG: That’s me … the last one … what I know about classical music you could fit inside a crotchet so I’ll be there and keen to be Lieder-ed to a new appreciation. And what’s next after this show?
McIntyre: I’m singing in a show called A SILENT SPELL ON MUSICAL ISLAND in September. It’s a family show using musical notes and symbols as characters, a kind of fairy-tale thing.
Lachlan McIntyre [Facebook] is performing his show AS THE COMPOSER INTENDED [Facebook event] at the Australian Institute of Music, Room A113 on Tuesday June 14th and 10am. Entry is free.