No Song is Safe From Us
No Song Is Safe From Us - The NYFOS Blog
 |  Tobias Greenhalgh

I certainly didn’t plan it this way, but I am writing this blog post while waiting for my departing flight in the Vienna Airport – I am quite literally “going home” to visit my family in Rochester, NY. My nomadic existence as a singer is equally exciting and challenging, with the loss of a sense of home being by far the most difficult thing to deal with. I have learned the importance of bringing “home” with me wherever I travel, whether through the comfort of daily rituals, exercise, exploring, or listening to certain pieces of music.



 |  Tobias Greenhalgh

There are some artists that just embody perfection when at their best. Cecilia Bartoli seems to be able to turn anything she touches to gold. She has superhuman control of her voice, especially in her stratospheric coloratura and hushed pianissimi. In this recording of the “Pie Jesu” from Fauré’s Requiem, she delicately phrases each note with a sensitive musical understanding, adding vibrato at just the right moments.



 |  Tobias Greenhalgh

After Sinatra and Strauss, now for something completely different. There is something ethereal and other-worldly about the polyphony of the late Renaissance. It has the ability to transport the listener and rejuvenate the spirit. In particular, this setting of the Miserere stops me in my tracks whenever I hear it, forcing my mind to slow down and simply absorb the music (usually with my eyes closed).



 |  Tobias Greenhalgh

My second “Song of the Day” stems from nostalgic memories of my time in Europe. After spending a summer with the Lehar Festival in Bad Ischl, Austria, I gained a newfound appreciation for operetta as a genre – particularly for the attitude and energy it takes to make operetta bubble and float. Something I love about this profession is the travel, getting to spend time immersed in different places and cultures.