Shakespeare in Song

Introduction
On the Saturday of March 27, I attended “Shakespeare in Song” in the Jonsson Performance Hall on UTD campus. It was to be performed by a choir comprised of UTD students. The performances were basically Shakespearian plays converted into a musical piece in the form of opera.

Music
The piano and the choir together make a very powerful duo, yet they were accompanying one soloist. In Roger Quilter’s “Five Shakespeare Songs op. 23,” the harmonies of the soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts as well as the accompaniment of the piano flow rather harmoniously with the main vocal part. “Fear no more heat o’ the Sun” is written and performed mostly in a simple quadruple meter or common time. At some parts it feels that the time signature changes to 3/2 where there are 3 beats per measure and the half note gets the beat. The tempo is about andante moderato. There is a lot of expression from the piano at the beginning of the piece with the crescendos and the poco ritard along with the a tempo. Already in the first few measures of the piece there are many dynamic changes. This piece is mostly legato and flows smoothly and beautifully. The rhythm for the most part is fairly simple, the main vocalist does not have anything particularly tricky as there are mostly quarter notes and half notes. The singer has an operatic style of singing, the way she pronounces the words are almost British-like and there is a natural vibrato produced. The piece overall contained a lot of expressivo, crescendos and decrescendos that kept the performance itself lively and entertaining. The dynamic changes along with the lyrics by Shakespeare (although hard to understand and decipher at times) easily captivated the audience along with the melodious and harmonious work of Roger Quilter

Performers
The performers consisted of UTD choir students. They were dressed in very convincing attire. The flamboyant and frilly costumes really contributed to the creation of the atmosphere of the play. Without the costumes, they would look like random people you find walking about, talking is silly accents. The more flashy outfits were reserved for performers with the lead and important roles. They also had spoken lines which were directed towards each other. Not only singing, the performance incorporated a bit of acting. At one point, a performer recited lines as if he were in a drunken stupor; using a beer bottle as a prop.

Audience
The audience consisted of people of all ages. I saw little toddlers as well as older people with less than dark hair. The performance was open to anyone who was willing to listen and enjoy. Most of the audience however, seemed to consist mostly of students from UTD. For many, it seemed as though it was their first time attending such an event.

Time and Space
Because this was the second day of the performance, the auditorium was less than packed. Since the event took place during the earlier portion of the afternoon, everyone was awake and alert. Because it was the first performance of the day, the performers were quite energetic and lively. For a smaller sized audience, the applause and feedback was exceptional.

Conclusion
This was the first time I had experienced an opera perform in the style of a choir. The costumes really made it feel as though I was watching a play. The performance was not merely a choir performance but it also integrated acting you might find in a play. Solo performances added variety and enhanced the overall experience.