Classic CD, November 1996

Bibliography   72 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 UK & Ireland weeklies UK & Ireland magazines UK & Ireland newspapers US newspapers US rock magazines US music magazines US magazines US alternative weeklies European magazines European newspapers Canada  •  Mexico  •  Asia Australia  •  New Zealand South America  •  Africa Blogs  •  Fanzines  •  Books Online publications Magazines  Concerto Details Entertainment Weekly Esquire Forbes Il giornale della musica GQ Interview magazine Life Music Maker The Nation New Yorker Newsweek Nöjesguiden Opera News People Spy Time Total Guitar Uncut Vanity Fair Village Voice Vox The Word — Rocking the medieval boat Mark Funnell Combining medieval polyphony, jazz and renaissance magic with Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and other literary masterpieces, John Harle’s new album is a strange brew. What does it all mean? JH “I am trying to create something completely new that has a historical context in the words, not in the music. Juxtaposing these elements creates a surrealism and a sense of expectation in listeners that one can knock down, taking them by surprise.” How is early music relevant to your style? JH “As a saxophonist I feel pre-baroque music is fair game – it's music that has no properly registered performance practice. In the last 10-15 years I've also been obsessed with that early music sound. It's always hit me hard in the stomach, and I've found great depth of feeling there.” How does Elvis Costello’s voice fit into this? JH “I've long admired Elvis Costello. In Twelfth Night I tried not to alter the way he normally sings for this music to work. I want people to hear the level of detail and nuance in his voice throughout. As producer, I recorded his voice very closely, with high levels of detail; in the first song he sings "Oh Mistress Mine", it’s almost like your head is on the same pillow. I was keen to get his voice as clearly and untarnished as possible.” What about Sarah Leonard’s voice ? JH “What I wanted from Sarah is hardest to get from a classical singer – simplicity. I didn't want all the paraphernalia of classical training. So I stripped away all the facets of a classical voice that detract from the words being clear.” Elvis, how confident were you that your voice fits into early music-based repertory? EC “We just don't know how people in those days actually sang. There’s no way I would say ‘I fancy singing Wotan this week’, but the kind of colloquial music John's drawn on feels to me as acceptable sung by someone with my kind of vocal production as by a classical singer. What qualities in your voice did John use? EC “I'm singing predominantly in the lower ranges which meant my voice broadens out in tone, the vibrato gets wider and its quite warm sounding. I made a record live at Meltdown the same time I met John where because of the amount of work I was doing, I was actually very tired; the edges go off my voice when I’m tired – it becomes a different kind of instrument. But there was a lot of adrenalin rush through this very thrilling time: being completely awake to the possibilities at the same time as wrestling with your own fallibility makes for very affecting music. With John it was similar but I was able to make it a little more beautiful.” How did you find singing this music? EC “I like singing at a slower tempo where you’re able to actually think about tone. At high speed it's all about the attitude of the words and what the rhythm’s giving you. I'm also not miked in the classical way – it's somewhere between pop and classical. “ Did you enjoy working with John? EC “John uses combinations of Elizabethan instruments with modern ones, making a wholly new sound. I believe John is taking inspiration from a period when things weren’t quite so formalised. We hope to do more work together.” •Reviewed this issue, p. 102 Classic CD, November 1996 Mark Funnell interviews John Harle and Elvis Costello. Barry Witherden reviews Terror And Magnificence. Images Article. Review article. Cover.