Carolyn Sampson: My Elly Ameling Top Five
In an exclusive IDAGIO playlist, the soprano Carolyn Sampson chooses her top five tracks by an artist who has inspired her: the great Dutch singer Elly Ameling.
Read more…Thinking about these tracks, this artist, this short article, I looked up a definition of the word "inspire". My favourite was: "Fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative" (Oxford Dictionaries)
That is exactly what Elly Ameling does for me. She has a radiance in her sound that makes me smile and reminds me that what we do is beautiful and important. My first choice is an aria by Bach, which is full of joy and demonstrates an ardent optimism and hope that we can experience heavenly joys on earth. The atmosphere is set up immediately with the shapely phrasing of the oboe da caccia and continuo, and Ameling takes that and runs with it – her effortless sounding soprano stylish and precise, but also always musical.
Poor Luise has been betrayed and is burning the love letters from her faithless lover. Mozart's short song packs in her feelings of hurt, anger, and the acknowledgement that she she still loves him. Ameling manages to show us all this – for example, her colouring of the repeat of the words "Geht zu Grunde", or her tender "Doch, ach…" while remaining true to the classical style.
I particularly love this live recording of Schubert's "Die Blumensprache". Ameling announces the song very simply, then has such a conversational way of singing it that it sounds completely natural. There are very few singers who can achieve this. To have a technique that allows you to be accurate with the sound production and pitch etc., and to make it feel as easy as speech is incredibly rare. And this is not an easy song to sing!
After three very contrasting tracks in German, it's extraordinary to hear Ameling enter the self-indulgent tragedy of Chausson's "Le Temps des lilas". Again, it's her way with the words which always pulls me in, and the way that she works with the appropriate style to find the colours needed to express both individual words and wider sentiments. Shout-out here also to her pianist, Rudolf Jansen; listen to the way he stretches certain notes so very subtly in the introduction. It never disturbs, but the effect is full of yearning for a time and a love that no longer exists. The whole song has an internal pace that draws us along and makes us go on this emotional journey with them.
Finally, another world. Namely, Mahler's 'child's vision of heaven' from his Fourth Symphony. Without ever resorting to coyness, Ameling gives us a sense of wonder at the riches on offer, and seems to enjoy every image and story she relates. Her diction is astonishing! Somehow, she makes everything sound spontaneous, and she has a voice that sounds fresh, yet is absolutely under control. It's simultaneously exciting and comforting to listen to. Inspiring indeed.