Barbara Hannigan's Searing Performance of John Zorn's "Jumalattaret" - A Spiritual Odyssey of Sound
When the fearless soprano Barbara Hannigan tackles a challenging work, she doesn't just sing it – she embodies it. Her rendition of John Zorn's "Jumalattaret", inspired by Finland's national epic the Kalevala, is a breathtaking display of musical magic that reduces even her to "a state of panic" over its complexity.
The piece itself defies easy categorization, morphing from a song-cycle to a full-blown sonic seance as Hannigan and pianist Bertrand Chamayou summon a series of spirits and goddesses through sound. The performance is a masterclass in vocal manipulation, with the singer seamlessly shifting between persona after persona – from yelps and keening cries to guttural moans and shouts.
While on paper it may seem like an novelty, Hannigan's delivery transforms "Jumalattaret" into something truly ravishingly beautiful. Zorn's score gathers together a wide range of musical influences before shattering them into glittering sonic fragments, the close collaboration between Chamayou's percussive piano and Hannigan's freewheeling vocals producing exhilarating results.
The contrast with Messiaen's "Chants de Terre et de Ciel", which shares some of the same spiritual ecstasy, is striking. While this 1938 work is a more traditional and introspective affair, Hannigan's performance imbues it with a sense of urgent intimacy that draws the listener in.
What sets Hannigan apart from other singers is her uncanny ability to reinvent not just her sound but her physicality, adapting to every nuance of Zorn's score. Whether she's playing with playful chattering innocence or tenderly caressing Messiaen's texts, her performances are always a testament to her boundless talent and fearless approach.
The performance that followed was more than just applause – it was an expression of admiration for Hannigan's unbridled passion and commitment to her craft. As she took the stage once again for the final piece, Résurrection, it felt like a shared confession between artist and audience, each one acknowledging the profound spiritual connection they'd made through this music.
When the fearless soprano Barbara Hannigan tackles a challenging work, she doesn't just sing it – she embodies it. Her rendition of John Zorn's "Jumalattaret", inspired by Finland's national epic the Kalevala, is a breathtaking display of musical magic that reduces even her to "a state of panic" over its complexity.
The piece itself defies easy categorization, morphing from a song-cycle to a full-blown sonic seance as Hannigan and pianist Bertrand Chamayou summon a series of spirits and goddesses through sound. The performance is a masterclass in vocal manipulation, with the singer seamlessly shifting between persona after persona – from yelps and keening cries to guttural moans and shouts.
While on paper it may seem like an novelty, Hannigan's delivery transforms "Jumalattaret" into something truly ravishingly beautiful. Zorn's score gathers together a wide range of musical influences before shattering them into glittering sonic fragments, the close collaboration between Chamayou's percussive piano and Hannigan's freewheeling vocals producing exhilarating results.
The contrast with Messiaen's "Chants de Terre et de Ciel", which shares some of the same spiritual ecstasy, is striking. While this 1938 work is a more traditional and introspective affair, Hannigan's performance imbues it with a sense of urgent intimacy that draws the listener in.
What sets Hannigan apart from other singers is her uncanny ability to reinvent not just her sound but her physicality, adapting to every nuance of Zorn's score. Whether she's playing with playful chattering innocence or tenderly caressing Messiaen's texts, her performances are always a testament to her boundless talent and fearless approach.
The performance that followed was more than just applause – it was an expression of admiration for Hannigan's unbridled passion and commitment to her craft. As she took the stage once again for the final piece, Résurrection, it felt like a shared confession between artist and audience, each one acknowledging the profound spiritual connection they'd made through this music.
the way she embodies that music is like nothing i've ever seen before, her voice is like a wild animal unleashed 
it's not just singing, it's a full on spiritual odyssey of sound, like she's summoning these spirits and goddesses through her vocal manipulation 
zorn's score is insane, all these different musical influences coming together in this beautiful chaos 
and the way she adapts to every nuance of the score is just mind blowing, it's like she's reinventing herself with every note 
messiaen's "chants de terre et de ciel" is a whole new level of intimacy for her, i love how she draws you in with this urgent energy 
what sets her apart is that fearless approach, she's not just singing the words, she's living them, breathing them into existence 
? she literally gives me LIFE! her ability to transform into different personas is insane 
i mean who else can go from yelps to guttural moans and shouts in one song? 
the way she seamlessly shifts between characters is like watching a masterclass in musical acting 
. and can we talk about the contrast with messiaen's "chants de terre et de ciel"? it's like they're two different worlds colliding into this beautiful sonic odyssey 
for life!
! And can we talk about how she adapts her physicality to match the music? It's like she's channeling the spirits themselves 
. But what really gets me is that she makes you feel all these emotions without even saying anything – it's just pure, unadulterated feeling 
. What is it about her performances that makes you feel like you're sharing something deeply personal with the artist?
. her vocal manipulation skills are INSANE, like how she seamlessly shifts between all these different personas and emotions 
. zorn's score is like this wild ride of musical influences and she just takes it to another level 
. i love how she adapts to every nuance of the music, its like shes an extension of the notes themselves 
. anyways, her performance was literally a spiritual odyssey for me, i felt my emotions being ripped out and put back together again 
her performance of john zorn's "jumalattaret" is literally haunting me to this day 
i love how she can switch between these totally different personas and emotions with just her voice, it's like she's speaking a whole different language 
what's even crazier is that the piano accompaniment by chamayou is so perfectly matched to her vocals, it feels like they're having some kind of telepathic conversation 
. It's all just a bunch of rich people pretending to be spiritual while actually just having a good time 
. I mean, what's next? A concert where they're all like "I found my inner peace through Mozart" 
? Give me a break. Barbara Hannigan's performance was probably just as scripted as the rest of it 
. It's just a bunch of people paying way too much money to pretend to be cultured 
.
. And now they're saying it's sold out? Come on, guys! Can't you just update your software or something? It's not that hard 
. Anyway, I'm really hoping she does a US tour soon... Hannigan's voice is insane 
.
and then I remembered she did this amazing recital with Messiaen's "Chants de Terre et de Ciel" too... like what is it about her that just makes you wanna listen to everything she does?