'Oh, Bach is tough," Stephen Diaz says, sounding rueful. The countertenor will 'O take the alto part in the composer's Christmas Oratorio, the first half of which is presented by Bach Musica on December 10, and Diaz is bracing himself for Bach's vocal curlicues.
"Bach writes quite instrumentally for singers. He didn't really consider our facility when he wrote, so the focus is a bit different in terms of stamina, and a lot of the time there's something extra on the phrase that comes way faster than it usually would for a singer, so a lot of preparation goes into phrasing."
This story is from the December 02-08, 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.
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This story is from the December 02-08, 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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