Susan Bullock Soprano
I’ve spent some months in Paris working on Missy Mazzoli’s opera Breaking the Waves. I’m always struck by the amazing colours that she brings to her music, and the way she combines instruments to create extraordinary soundworlds. Her styling is very eclectic: the way she uses voices, in almost sprechstimme style, evokes mystical or religious chanting. For her latest release, Dark with Excessive Bright, she has reverted to Baroque influences. Once again, she finds unusual combinations that just seem to work, creating incredible atmospheres.
Being in Paris switched me back onto lots of beautiful French music. Branford Marsalis’s lovely album with Andrew Litton and the English Chamber Orchestra contains so many of my favourite French, Fauré’s Pavane, Debussy’s . It’s quintessential, impressionistic French music – brought to life on a saxophone! Hearing that wonderful music in a whole new interpretation, with totally different colours, was an uplifting experience.
