What Can I Say? I'm an Oldies Type of Guy

When I came to UCLA, I wasn't a great fan of classical or choral music. I thought it was some music some old white guys wrote for European kings that only present-day rich white guys listened to. Then came UCLA Chorale, and oh, how I've changed my tune.

Most of the credit for my transformation has goes to our conductor, Professor Donald Neuen. A few months ago my sister wrote about the "shining eyes" phenomenon, and there's no doubt that this man has it for music. The man is up on his years, but when he gets in front of the chorus, he looks like teenager who's taking his very first car out for a spin. When you're around him, it's hard to not get caught up in his energy. For anyone at UCLA who is serious about improving their singing, Music C90A is a must.

What makes his teaching-style so great is that he's just as concerned about the performance as he is about the technical aspect of singing. He indoctrinates you on the idea that a singer is 1/3 musician (i.e. you can read music), 1/3 engineer (i.e. you can manipulate your internal engineering for the optimal vocal sound), and 1/3 actor (i.e. you can feel the emotional state of the music and can communicate that to your audience). Before every song, Professor Neuen would give us a billion markings, all to emphasize the emotional state of the piece within every accent, crescendo, and decrescendo. To execute one of these pieces, which includes a chorus of over 200 and a full orchestra, requires the greatest focus and precision, and forces you to be the absolute best.

The other important aspect that Professor Neuen brings is the musical analysis. To truly understand a piece requires an analysis of the composer, the era, and the social consciousness of the audience. For example, Bach took melodies that had existed for hundreds of years, harmonized them, and pumped them up with rhythm. As Professor Neuen says, Bach brought jazz to classical music. So if you come to our Chamber Choir's Bach concert, you will notice that each movement is in a consistent tempo and with lots of upbeat accents driving the piece. For Verdi's Requiem, which the Chorale will be performing in Royce Hall, the piece was written in a period when the Catholic Church instilled a great sense of fear of death, and preached about all the horrors they would face in Hell if they did not repent their sins. Combined with Verdi's knack for operatic compositions, Requiem, which was performed during funeral Mass, is characterized by very obvious, very emotionally charged movements, from the fiery "Dies Irae" ("Day of Wrath") to humble plea, "Libera Me" ("Deliver Me"). For Beethoven, his life was full of pain and suffering. His family disowned him, his romantic relationships failed, and by the time he finished his 9th Symphony, with his famous choral finale "Ode to Joy", he was deaf. So in order for him to "hear" his own music, Beethoven could only stand in front of the orchestra and feel the vibrations in the air and in the floorboards. That's why Beethoven's music is dynamically very blunt and forceful, with no hint of subtlety. And from experience, I can tell you that "Ode to Joy" is incredibly taxing on the voice. Hopefully you'll get to hear it when I perform at the new Walt Disney Concert Hall on my birthday in July.

So if you're tired of reading about this and want to experience it yourself, here's a rundown of my upcoming performances. Just show up early for the Bach concert. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SEEING VERDI'S REQUIEM, CONTACT ME ASAP FOR TICKETS. I promise, you won't regret it.

Monday, June 6th (Week 10), 8 PM
UCLA Chamber Singers
All-Bach Concert featuring Cantata #4
Jan Popper Theater, Schoenberg Hall
FREE

Saturday, June 11th (Week 10), 8 PM
UCLA Chorale with Angeles Chorale,
American Youth Symphony Orchestra, and soloists
Verdi's Requiem
$10 (if you contact me ASAP)
Regular price: $40, $30, $20

Thursday, July 7th
Beethoven's 9th Symphony
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Downtown Los Angeles
Price TBA