Brigitte Fassbender tells it how it really is
mainFew singers have been subject to more idle gossip than the wondrous German mezzo, now a theatre intendant. In Monday’s Lebrecht Interview, she speaks out for the first time about the real Brigitte. Catch it here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/lebrechtinterview/
and if you check in before Monday night you can still catch Steve Reich talking about the importance of being Jewish.
What an honest and courageous woman. There are not many great singers who dare to answer the question “Why did you stop singing?” with the wonderfully candid response “Because I was finding it more and more difficult”. Usually, one hears variations on “I’d had a good career and felt it was time to hand over the mantle to the younger generation” or “I wanted to stop living out of a suitcase and lead a normal life”, or even “I’d done all the roles I set out to do and wanted to try something completely different”.
I was glad that she commented on the lack of individual timbre prevalent among present-day singers. This is something that I’d noticed too.
Following on from Dessay and Fassbender, I hope you will do more interviews with great singers.