Café Concert: Susanna Phillips
The soprano Susanna Phillips brought to the WQXR Café a set of Mozart songs that have their roots in salon music, meant to be sung by mainly amateurs in living rooms and at social events. In keeping with this sensibility, she sat beside pianist Myra Huang at the keyboard in a strikingly un-diva-like approach.
Phillips compares Mozart's music to “a really great Gucci or Armani suit," with clean lines and timeless quality. “I find that Mozart is the bellwether for a good vocal technique and whenever I’m not doing well vocally I go back to Mozart and find what my voice is again," she said. "You can’t hide in Mozart. You must vocally be very pure and lined up.”