Sarah Clarke of The Torbay Bookshop reviews the latest releases.
Bibliophiles across the whole of the country will be fascinated by the numerous detailed entries in the Oxford Guide to Literary Britain and Ireland, edited by Daniel Hahn and Nicholas Robins. The sometimes very detailed entries are arranged by region, and include many photographs and illustrated maps of the major literary centres, with useful indexes of places and writers making it easy to look up a favourite author. Great fun, I can see it accompanying many a traveller.
The Oxford Guide to Literary Britain and Ireland, Daniel Hahn and Nicholas Robins (Eds), 12th, 9780198614609
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July 17th, 2008
Donna-Marie Hughes adores singing. Lee Morgan talked to her about her voice, her career and Rigoletto, which kicks off with New Devon Opera tomorrow from the Royal William Yard, Plymouth
‘Singing is the closest thing to touching your soul,’ says Donna-Marie Hughes. She’s sipping tea in the Grande Hotel, Torquay. It’s an ideal setting to hear about the strength of New Devon Opera in the south west.
The art form often seems down but never out and it’s always had that edge of sexy glamour, from Maria Callas right up to Katherine Jenkins. Combine that with the deliciously emotional melodrama of the stories and wonderful technical precision then you’re surely onto a winner.
Donna-Marie has a part in New Devon Opera’s summer production of Rigoletto, which takes place throughout the county at the end of July.
Bay lights twinkle above the dark waves crashing outside as she explains that it’s only a small part. ‘I’m the Countess Ceprano,’ she says. ‘I only have two lines in the first half.’
But it’s no small feat for a home-grown singer to land a part with the exacting professional opera company, which aims to be the south west’s resident touring opera company by 2009. And it’s a feather in the cap of the artiste who has been developing her voice through years of performing and lessons.
For three years Donna was the ‘classical’ singer at Babbacombe Theatre performing 100 shows between February and October, but she had always been musically minded – singing, playing the piano and doing the odd bit of tap.
It was when she hooked up with singing teacher Isabel Morrow that Donna’s voice grew into what has been described as ‘rather heavy lyric soprano’. After nine years studying with Isabel one year ago Donna moved to Alison Kettlewell, in Honiton.
‘It was scary after so long with Isabel, but she couldn’t do it any more and a friend recommended Alison,’ says Donna. The change proved beneficial, and the new teacher propelled Donna’s voice ‘to the next level’.
‘Different teachers have different ways. Alison had a new technique and I was using my body in a completely different way. In a way, I suppose I fought it, but after a year I could see totally where she was coming from.
‘It’s like driving a car for the first time. To begin with there are so many things that you need to think about. It’s the same with singing – great singers just do it automatically.
‘Italian is a beautiful language to sing, with all its vowel sounds. In English all the consonants get in the way. With my first singing teacher I built up my repertoire, now I’m ironing out the edges, improving my quality and learning tricks – trills and runs – it’s hard work but great.’
During that time Donna has been singing throughout the county, performing in Macbeth with Opera South West, at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth, and as Susannah in their production of The Marriage of Figaro, compering an evening of singing at the Dartmouth Regatta Prom Night, leading the Torbay District Funeral Service and singing throughout Torbay and at the Torquay Christmas lights switch on. As well as her own cabaret repertoire and appearances at weddings.
‘At weddings, when it’s just you and the organist, the acoustics work with you, and a breath can last for ages, I love it,’ says Donna.
With experience as a character actor, you’d think the acting aspect of the operatic performance would be the easy bit. ‘It’s difficult to act and sing. Performing all those times in Babbacombe certainly helped. It’s important to feel comfortable in front of an audience and to lose yourself in the role,’ she says.
As part of New Devon Opera’s approach to raising standards, its patron, the ‘compelling’ and ‘charismatic’ tenor and conductor José Cura, who is ‘known for his intense and original interpretations of his characters’, according to Wikipedia, took part in a masterclass project with 15 singers over eight days in April and May last. The project also included a repetiteur seminar run by Anthony Legge, director of opera at the Royal Academy of Music and conductor Alex Ingram. Donna also took part as a soloist who was used as part of the repetiteurs seminar.
‘Your voice always grows and develops,’ she says. ‘To think José Cura was walking around hearing me sing - if only he could hear me now.’
That being fixed in the present is an element of Donna’s approach to her musical career.
‘All I’ve ever done is to focus 100 per cent on the now. To be as good as I can be now. The rest should happen naturally,’ she says.
And it’s an approach that seems to be working, especially for someone who just wants to perform, and who feels the ‘tingle’ of singing from the tips of her fingers to her toes. ‘Singing is a mind, body and soul experience,’ she says and is convincing.
PERFORMANCE DATES:
• Friday 18 July: Royal William Yard, Plymouth (courtesy of Urban Splash)
• Sunday 20 July: Loyton Lodge, Morebath, nr Bampton (01398-331051)
• Wednesday 23 July: The Flavel, Dartmouth (01803-839530)
• Friday/Saturday 25 & 26 July: Elizabethan Courtyard, Ugbrooke House (01626-863605)
• Tuesday 29 July: St Peters Church, Budleigh Salterton (01305-445275)
• Thursday 31 July: Delamore House, Cornwood, Ivybridge (01752-837441)
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July 17th, 2008
