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Nashville
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Church displays wide range of capabilities with symphony
By
Alan Bostick
staff, The Tennessean
published: September 11, 2000
Charlotte Church
At her first entrance last night in a shimmering pink gown, light brown hair framing her pretty face, Charlotte Church could have been making her operatic debut as some semidivine Egyptian princess basking in the adulation of an adoring crowd.
That illusion was just as suddenly shattered, however, as she began chatting into a microphone about Nashville's muggy weather, displaying both her unmistakably Welsh accent and that teen-age penchant for nervous, rapid-fire delivery.
But just when you'd adjusted your ears and eyes to that Charlotte Church, she stopped all the jabbering and -- launching into Rossini's La Pastorella -- revealed still another persona to the capacity crowd in TPAC's Jackson Hall. This time, it was that of a generously gifted soprano whose voice possesses enough dark, deep and sultry hues to charm a sphinx.
In nine selections (including one encore) with conductor Kenneth Schermerhorn and the Nashville Symphony, this charming youngster showed herself capable of entertaining on many levels.
Wasting time trying to work out how much is "real" and how much manufactured is just that -- wasting time. An international celebrity at age 14, Church is simply to be watched and heard.
Yes, one could quibble over details in her vocal performance, which regrettably was amplified, depriving us of the chance to sample and perhaps savor her true capabilities. How big is that voice, anyway?
As you might expect from a "crossover" artist, she was less successful in the purely classical moments, such as Puccini's beloved O Mio Babbino Caro (My Darling Daddy). She burst through nuances and hammered home the tops of phrases. But in Summertime, the sole Gershwin selection, and particularly in the Irish tune My Lagan Love, sung only to harp accompaniment, Church was on target and then some.
Not to be overlooked last night was the outstanding work of Schermerhorn and the orchestra, who mixed in several purely musical selections that were anything but filler.
From the opening Wagner to Bernstein's West Side Story overture, the sound of this cleverly constructed program was largely crisp and confident, with the brass particularly alive. The Verdi excerpt from La Traviata and Puccini's rather obscure Preludio Sinfonico were given thoughtful readings that revealed textures both rich and delicate.
Symphony
goes to Church
By
Alan Bostick
staff, The Tennessean
published: September 10, 2000
Welsh teen sensation sings classical numbers like an old pro
Somehow, Charlotte Church manages to inhabit two very different
worlds. When home in Cardiff, Wales, the 14-year-old hangs out with her three
best friends, Abbey, Jo and Kim. "I have sleep-overs and go shopping and I do all the normal stuff," she
says.
But every few weeks she leaves home to hang out with the Pope, the
Queen, Elton John and Placido Domingo as she traipses around the
world performing in top venues. After all, Charlotte's an acclaimed
soprano whose first two albums have already sold more than five million
copies.
Today and Tuesday -- in the footsteps of Pavarotti and Bocelli who
appeared here earlier this year -- she's set to perform with conductor
Kenneth Schermerhorn and the Nashville Symphony. It's a special
"Legends of Music" event -- a program mixing Charlotte solos of
Puccini, Gershwin and Andrew Lloyd Webber with rousing orchestral
selections -- and kicks off a month of intense activity for the orchestra,
which later makes its debut in New York's Carnegie hall.
Speaking from a stop in Minneapolis, Charlotte explained how she
leads what amounts to a dual existence. "When I'm home with my family, unless they ask, I don't talk about my
work," said Charlotte, who got her start on an English Star Search-type
show three short years ago. "It's the same with my friends, unless they
ask."
But her friends don't often ask. Not being performers themselves, they
mostly stick to more standard stuff, and that's fine with Charlotte, who
still sounds far from letting her celebrity inflate her head.
Not only does Charlotte hope to attend college to study ancient history -- she was particularly smitten after reading The Lives of Cleopatra and
Octavia by 18th-century author Sarah Fielding -- but she freely
acknowledges that her current vogue owes much to her tender age.
(Not the sort of concession one often hears from adolescent
phenoms.) "Being 14 is the biggest advantage possible, because it's what sells
me," she said. "If I was 25 and singing like this, no one would think
anything of it. I sing this more maturely than my age."
What happens later? "All we do is look for a new angle. I'm not really
sure at the moment. I'd like to try some different styles of music and
acting, too."
OK, so what styles does she like? Is she into those favored by her
peers -- Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera, 'N Sync and Britney
Spears?
"I used to be, like six months ago," she said. "But I have gone off poppy
music," and now says she's more into Destiny's Child, an R&B girl
group from Houston, and Pink, an R&B pop diva. "It depends on what kind of mood I'm in. If I was in a mood just relaxing,
I would probably listen to some classical. But if I'm in an energetic,
ready-to-go mood -- like always -- I'd be listening to what I mentioned."
It seems then, for the near future, that Charlotte Church fans can expect
her to keep doing what she's doing -- being a kid who's anything but.
Nashville
Symphony gets set for Charlotte Church
By
Alan Bostick
staff, The Tennessean
published: September 3, 2000
Charlotte Church, the 14-year-old singing sensation from
Cardiff, Wales, joins the Nashville Symphony for two
concerts, Sept. 10 and 12. You know the story: Welsh
kid materializes out of nowhere, displays brilliant voice,
takes music world by storm.
Happens all the time.
Yeah, right.
Charlotte Church is a crossover phenom the likes of which
we've seldom seen. But how good is the youngster from
Cardiff? Is it merely the cherubic face? Her cute accent?
The charming naivete?
You can reach your own conclusions after next week, when the
teen-age sensation joins the Nashville Symphony for two
concerts at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.
At first, the symphony's executive director had only booked
Church for a single engagement next Sunday. But as
that concert approached sell-out status, Alan
Valentine did the obvious thing: he added a second
night for the following Tuesday.
"She's a young, rising star that a lot of people think
has a big career ahead of her," Valentine said of
Church, 14, whose albums Voice of an Angel and
Charlotte Church have sold more than five million
copies worldwide and who has performed live for everyone
from Pope John Paul II to President Clinton.
Part of the beauty of bringing in Church, it seems, has
little to do with music. At least with her music.
As the orchestra plans for a Sept. 25 date in New York's
Carnegie Hall -- not to mention a season-opening Sept.
15-16 engagement here to preview and showcase that
program -- Valentine and conductor
Kenneth Schermerhorn are anxious for the players to have a
last good workout of sorts, the equivalent of a final
preseason game.
Since the idea is for Church to offer several solos (from
Puccini to Gershwin to Andrew Lloyd Webber)
interspersed with orchestral selections (Wagner and
Verdi, among others), Schermerhorn and company can
bring out some sturdy instrumental works, primarily
overtures, to further tone musical muscle.
If the orchestra had again invited an Itzhak Perlman or
Jessye Norman -- recent predecessors in this special
"Legends of Music" timeslot -- it would have
been more difficult to expose the orchestra, Valentine
says.
"Let's say we had brought in someone else, a major
concerto artist, for example," he said.
"In that case, a big chunk of the program would have
been dedicated to the concerto and we would have put
the orchestra in a supporting role."
Church, by contrast, offered the symphony "a perfect
opportunity to build things around that for the
orchestra to get a terrific workout with classical
literature before launching into that (Carnegie)
program with (guest violinists) Mark O'Connor and
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg."
The upcoming Church performances -- part of a series of
special offerings this season outside of the classical
and pops subscription packages -- are billed as an
"Overture to a Season" and include her in
such selections as Puccini's familiar O mio babbino
caro, Bach/Gounod's Ave Maria and Lloyd Webber's Pie Jesu --
the work Church sang on British TV in 1997, catapulting her
into the international spotlight.
The orchestra's offerings include Ralph Vaughan Williams'
Overture to The Wasps, Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story
overture and Verdi's Prelude to Act III of La Traviata.
"She has a wonderful natural gift and that's her
voice," Schermerhorn said of Church.
"Everyone sings her praises, so I'm really looking
forward to a splendid experience."
Church's trip to Nashville is only the latest stop in a busy
schedule that has taken her into some pretty sought-after
company.
Elton John, Will Smith, the Spice Girls, David Bowie, Kiri
Te Kanawa, Placido Domingo, Kathleen Battle and even Andrea
Bocelli, the Italian tenor who recently appeared at
the Gaylord Entertainment Center, have met the young
star, according to her Web site.
Asked about meeting the Pope, Church said, "It went
really well. I've met so many people. ... Everyone's
been really nice to me." Given the rush for
tickets here, that warm welcome will likely be
repeated in Nashville. getting there...
Teen-age singing sensation Charlotte Church joins the
Nashville Symphony in a pair of season-opening
concerts in TPAC's Jackson Hall, 505 Deaderick St.
Times: 7 p.m. next Sunday and Sept. 12. The Sunday
concert is virtually sold out. Tickets for the Sept.
12 show are $20-$75 via TicketMaster at 255-9600.
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