Song and Self: A Singer's Reflections on Music and Performance

Ian Bostridge, an international award-winning singer, explored the backstories of many works he has performed during the enforced silence of 2020-2021, questioning his identity as a performer. He delved into Claudio Monteverdi's Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and Schumann's Frauenliebe und Leben, as well as Ravel's Chansons madécasses. Bostridge's Berlin Family Lectures, delivered at the University of Chicago in 2020, explored the meaning of a singer inhabiting these roles and the impact of a performer's own identity on the works themselves.

Format: Hardback
Length: 128 pages
Publication date: 06 April 2023
Publisher: Faber & Faber

Accustomed to being the center of attention on the international stage, award-winning singer Ian Bostridge, like many performers, found himself unable to participate in live music for much of 2020 and 2021. This period of enforced silence prompted Bostridge to reevaluate an identity previously defined by his direct connection with audiences. During this time, he delved into the backstories of numerous works that he had performed, including Claudio Monteverdi's seventeenth-century masterpiece Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and Schumann's ever-popular song cycle Frauenliebe und Leben.

The intricate world of a single song by Ravel from the Chansons madécasses has always captivated and unsettled Bostridge, while his exploration of Benjamin Britten's confrontations with death, life, and art has provided him with a wealth of philosophical ideas. Drawing from his Berlin Family Lectures, delivered at the University of Chicago in the spring of 2020, Bostridge takes us on a fascinating journey beneath the surface of these iconic works. His underlying questions as a performer drive the narrative: What does it mean for audiences when a singer inhabits these roles? And what does a performer's own identity subtract from or add to the identities inherent in the works themselves?

Bostridge's exploration of these questions is deeply personal, as he reflects on his own experiences as a performer and the impact that these works have had on his life. He shares his insights into the emotional and psychological aspects of performing these roles, and how they have shaped his understanding of the music and the artists who created it. Through his performances, Bostridge seeks to connect with his audiences on a deeper level, challenging them to consider the roles that music plays in our lives and the ways in which it can shape our identities.

In conclusion, Ian Bostridge's enforced silence in 2020 and 2021 allowed him to reevaluate his identity as a performer and explore the backstories of numerous works that he had performed. Through his performances and his Berlin Family Lectures, he challenged audiences to consider the roles that music plays in our lives and the ways in which it can shape our identities. His insights into the emotional and psychological aspects of performing these roles provide a unique perspective on the art of music performance and continue to inspire and captivate audiences around the world.

Weight: 250g
Dimension: 216 x 135 x 9 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780571378999
Edition number: Main