Music & Entertainment
Being authentic has been the defining quality of any artist who has made an impact throughout the history of music, and I had the chance to discuss this topic with Eloisa Francia, well rounded singer (with a career ranging from opera to supporting artists such as Mina, Mia Martini and many more), teacher and vocal coach.
Authenticity: A Journey Through Music
Interview with Eloisa Francia
Take Classical Music as a starting point, which is arguably the most prolific breeding ground for cover artists: for all we know there might be more than a thousand people playing Chopin’s Nocturne right now. How do you define who’s authentic and what works? You start by looking at who is staying true to the music score, without letting ego or personal opinions sully what is written on the paper, while also letting the hands do most of the speaking.
Just to put it out there, morphologically speaking, no two people will ever play an instrument exactly the same because every hand is different and that alone has a huge impact on the artist’s take of any piece really. There’s freedom within the boundaries of the music sheet and if you think that your job as an artist is to change the material ask yourself this: Would I ever re-write Romeo and Juliet or Yesterday by the Beatles? Do I really think I can do better?
Another instance in which there’s no other way to tackle a musical piece is with Blues, you can’t possibly do it differently because then you lose authenticity, you lose the true meaning that lies within. We are lucky enough to be able to express ourselves and really letting our true feelings loose today but that wasn’t nearly the case back then: these people were taken from their home, relocated and put to work in the fields, treated slightly better than farm animals and forced to work under the blazing sun for hours on end. The only way to find solace, to really express their pain and let their voice heard was through music, using their voices as wings to detach themselves long enough to survive. So how can I, as a white lady, relate to that and bring out that authenticity when I’m performing, I don’t know, “Strange Fruits” by Billie Holiday without sounding fake or patronizing? My answer to that will be to be informed, really research what is actually being said in those lyrics and let the feelings that come up be the guide without letting them take full control however.
This is also very true when we move the conversation from Music to performing Arts in general. To give you an example I had the pleasure to coach the students of “Centro Teatro Attivo” in Milan as they were setting up Bertold Brecht’s “The Threepenny Opera”, a very harsh critique of the capitalist world though a play with music. In this particular case we had to work on the concept of “alienation”, helping the young actors completely detach from the utter brutality of some of the heavier themed musical pieces to really portray the hard reality of their inspiration with no judgement or preconceived notions. In this instance the Authenticity of the performer shines through only if they are able to suspend any hindsight knowledge of what historically was unfolding in 1928 Germany, when the play had its first run.
This however cannot be reached if the voice and its delivery aren’t technically flawless: the eyes of the performer need to be clear of any doubt or insecurity. Authenticity does not equal spontaneity especially in the performing arts, where even the littlest slip-up can filibuster a whole performance if the actor isn’t grounded and free to express themselves.
Fashion & Luxury Culture Department - Creative Marketing Director
MARTINO GARAVAGLIA
