More
friends in opera...
Jean-Yves has attained superstardom, yet he still frequently performs in recital
with opera singers.On these occasions, he of course does not get star billing
- this is reserved for the diva (or the diva-in-waiting as the case may be)
- but there is never a feeling of diminishment here, only joy in making music
together.
shown here with Jean-Yves afte their first "official recital ever"-
a Benefit Recital held at Rice University in Houston in November 1995, the month
she performedLa Cenerentola at the Houston Grand Opera
(The music you're hearing is Cecilia Bartoli singing the aria "Voi che
sapete" from Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, with Jean-Yves at the
piano.)
Of opera singers, Jean-Yves has this to say:I learn more from opera
and from singers than any piano or violin teacher can teach you in a lifetime.
Things that should come up in piano lessons but often don't - breathing, phrasing,
legato, making a connected line.
And of Cecilia Bartoli and her singing: Cecilia is so easy to follow
because her singing is totally logical, as natural as breathing. Playing for
her is like having a conversation. I give her a phrase, she answers back. Is
there another who sings like her? She's phenomenal in the most literal sense
of the word.
Cecilia of course needs no introduction. The winsome Italian mezzo-soprano
is perhaps today's most popular young opera singer, almost like a pop star!
Need it be added that the popularity is deserved? There is magic in the voice,
the personality and the stage presence.
Jean-Yves and Cecilia perform together most often in Europe. They are scheduled
to make their first recording together in June 1998.* Hopefully they are building
tomorrow's audiences today. - FanFaire 1998
*Their first joint recording, Live in Italy, was released in October
1998. The clip you're now hearing is from that album.
A MESSAGE FROM JY (1999) 
UK
