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Bass-baritone Mark Glanville, opera singer and author of an honored memoir, “The Goldberg Variations,” has enjoyed a lifelong passion for Schubert lieder and affection for Yiddish songs. When he began introducing Yiddish and Hebrew songs successfully into his classical recitals, it was not long before memories of family members murdered at Auschwitz materialized.

So it was that he awoke at three one morning envisioning a cycle of songs with a Holocaust context. That revelation would soon evolve into “A Yiddish Winterreise: Elegy for a Vanished World.”

During his first meeting with pianist Alexander Knapp at London’s Westminster Synagogue to perform classical Jewish music for high festival days, Glanville discovered that Knapp was a scholar, arranger of Jewish music and an expert in the Yiddish language with its medieval, oriental flavor and intonation that differs from German. Thus began their partnership in developing the song cycle.

Glanville emphasizes that the Holocaust always figured significantly in his sense of who he is and where he is from. Schubert’s “Winterreise” is about a man wounded in love and reminiscing wistfully as he travels away from his beloved. Glanville’s hero has just witnessed the destruction of his world, Vilna, the great Jewish city liquidated by the Nazis in 1941 and the home of his father’s family.

It made sense that his hero would be a professional singer, someone he can identify with, so the cycle begins with a favorite song of his traditionally performed by a badchen (wedding singer). This is the last thing the protagonist sings before the ghetto is destroyed. When he arrives on stage, he is in trauma, so he uses songs to reminisce about the world he has lost and lift himself up.

The words and melodies Glanville chose to replicate the sad journey taken by the Schubert protagonist are traditional Yiddish art songs. Some of them are upbeat, but as the cycle progresses, the terrible things he has witnessed, including the murder of his children, are revealed. In the end, he becomes mad with grief and calls on his own father as if he is a child himself. The last song, sung in Aramaic, is a kaddish associated with funerals or memorials.

In this series of quick articles we will explore all the different types of entertainment there is to offer for your events, meetings, trade shows, private functions and more. Along with suggestions as to where and when to use these entertainers to produce their maximum impact and receive the best return on investment possible.

This weeks feature is: The Angle Grinder!

The Angle Grinder is defined as a performer who uses an Angle Grinder and some sort of metal strategically placed on their body to create sparks. They range from solo acts that perform with various types of metal and grinders to troupes that produce sparks and pyrotechnics on each other as well as other props. They usually requires a little bit of setup time as to insure the safety of themselves as well as the audience. The extra work required is absolutely worth it! Make sure they are insured do to the use of fire or pyrotechnics!

Angle Grinder’s have been entertaining in circuses, festivals, theaters and other events for a while now. They go to extremes and produce spectacles not seen in everyday entertainment. Choosing an Angle Grinder can be tricky if you do not know how their act can be set so its always important to ask them what kind of set up they use and can it be done in the room or space you are having you event in.

They are great for thinking way outside the box. They can range from Adult Themed to Family Friendly and everything in between. They are perfect for customized events.

When all the preparations are in place and the right Angle Grinder is booked your event will be memorable!

Here are a few great ways to use an them:
Making an impact for a product launch.
Burlesque type events.
Trade show booth presentations.
Atmosphere entertainment for galas and awards nights.
Night Clubs.

Some examples of Angle Grinder would be:
Solo Grinder – One person producing sparks and pyro from their body and or costume.
Duo Grinders – Two performers doing a choreographed routine involving the grinders and other props.
Troupe of Angle Grinders – Three or more performers often providing interesting manuevers not capable with less than three people.

Wow factor:

I have written this article with mature singers in mind, but you singers who are just starting out may also be interested in this story about the struggle to be discovered.

This week I received notice from several older singers (in their 50′s and 60′s) who were planning to do big-scale auditions and competitions.

Three of them wrote to me with a similar theme. They were wondering why they were still pursuing the wild dream to sing so late in life. One person in particular seemed to be having quite a struggle with her need to be finally recognized for her great talent.

I think it is a common feeling among musical artists.

If you have enjoyed some singing success early in life, you understand the enormous pleasure that comes with performance: the great joy of singing with deep feeling, the thrill of filling a packed room with musical energy, the excitement that comes with the sound of spontaneous applause, the nearly unmatchable feeling when waves of love and admiration pour over you from an appreciative audience. You give your all. And it comes back to you with powerful immediacy.

You imagine that this could be your life! Here is the unique opportunity to do something you love with all your heart, while enjoying some measure of fame and fortune.

It is a powerful and seductive tug at a person’s heart. Especially if you are pretty certain that you have what it takes, – if only that big break could come in time.

Few of us ever hit the big time, and it is not necessarily due to a lack of worthy talent. Instead, it could be due to a combination of other issues that were beyond our control: bad timing, wrong location (we did not live in the right city), family pressures, lack of funding, or ill health at the wrong time.

It could also be due to early-made decisions: a reluctance to be constantly on the road, the fear of taking a major risk, the desire to be free of big-time artistic constraints, or even the fear of eventual success.

And one day, perhaps many years into the career struggle, you realize that you must get practical. You shift gears and move on. Your life changes and it may be a great life. You do well in another job, – have a wonderful family. Your life is full and deep. But somewhere inside, the dream of vocal stardom still sits and waits.