Saturday evening, the Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Amphitheater hosted one of the most unique names in cross-over music, Emma Shapplin: a coloratura soprano who has brought opera to the masses with her fusion of “archaic opera with modern trance and pop.” Many of you will remember her from her late-1990’s hits: La Notte Etterna (the Eternal Night) and Le Spente Stelle (The Dimmed Stars), operatic songs of crystal beauty nestled among electronic beats of techno and pop and rock.
As many people may not be aware, she had initially started off her musical career in the field of “hard rock,” in her mid-to-late teens. However, she then did a complete turn around, and sought higher ground in classical music. Her “cool” persona transcended the borders of this genre too, though: She created a unique sound of her own, and complimented it with videos of artistry that catapulted her across TV screens and radio stations across the world.
In the years that followed, she did not hit mainstream media in as big a way as she had had with her 1997 Carmeo Meo and 2002 Etterna albums. However, this made no difference, as La Notte Etterna and Le Spente Stelle had left an eternal imprint on our souls, and we did not forget. In fact, to this day, Emma Shapplin had remained among the “very selective few names” about whom I had made a mental note “to see live someday!” And when I saw the announcement of her performance in Istanbul, I was beyond myself in joy…
After weeks of anticipation, the big day finally arrived. Dark, wet clouds loomed overhead that evening, but there was no stopping me. But apparently, this was not the case for everyone. I was disappointed to see that the Harbiye Open Air Amphitheater was less than half full. I do not know if it was because of the ongoing holidays and the vacant state of the city, or because of the dark clouds promising thunder and rain, but I think it was a performance deserving a full house. And many more people should have been there to witness such creative and unique a talent, such celestially beautiful a voice.
Shapplin stepped on the stage in pop-style. The stage was adorned with a rock-style drum set, electric guitar players stationed here and there and background vocalists in pop-attire and funky hair-styles. Strips of light-bulbs adorned the background, flashing cool colors and visual effects.
On a screen centered in the background, a distant figure, barely visible, started a stride towards the stage, drawing closer and closer, getting bigger and bigger… until at last, Emma Shapplin had stepped on stage, welcoming our enthusiastic applause and cheers!
Dressed in a funky black dress, with high platform heels and rubber soles, and booming drums and guitars, I wondered if she had returned to her “roots,” and gone heavy metal. But, nope… her beautiful, clear, crystal-like voice echoed from amid the rock loudness… I was interested to see what the rest of the evening would bring.
She did not keep us waiting long for what we had come to hear: La Notte Etterna came soon, followed by Le Spente Stelle a few songs later… sang as beautifully and as perfect in pitch as in the recorded CD and music videos. These were songs of not only beauty, but also of power: Of the power to draw one into worlds of music that otherwise would have gone uncharted and undiscovered. Shapplin is among the few names out there who take opera and convey it to the “rest of the world.” She transforms opera from a genre that is unfairly overlooked by “the masses of pop,” and carries it to new peaks of popularity. And, more importantly, she makes possible for millions of people to discover a field of music that they might otherwise have dismissed or overlooked. Despite their beauty, and timeless value, der Holle Rache, Vissi d’arte, Casta Diva – killer arias of classical opera – may not have made it to the awareness of many. And it is through pioneers like Shapplin that the magic of classical music gets to reach mass culture, through “hits” like Le Spente Stelle or La Notte Etterna.
Her new songs were adorned with colorful electrical rays, smokey laser beams and visual effects, and loud beats of the drum and guitar. She juxtaposed this with a voice from the heavens, of unmatched tranquility, or celestial beauty. Once or twice, the guitarist busted a Bach-fugue in booming electronic notes.
Unfortunately, the rain cut this beautiful and unique evening short. A drizzle had started half an hour into the concert. A few songs on, we were caught in a tropical rainfall. Nevertheless, we, the audience, persevered, and Shapplin moved on. We sought refuge in the corners, under constructions, and in the “pocket raincoats” distributed by the organizers, and shared umbrellas. However, when it got so heavy that streams started marching down the steps of the amphitheater, when the colossal hotel building in the vicinity became blurred away by the rain, thunder, and fog… Shapplin found it best to leave the audience wanting more, then to risk getting overcome by even more rain. Our journey with Emma Shapplin lasted only seventy-minutes. However, the spell of her voice and the mystical power of her songs have left an imprint that no rain can wash away.
P.S. Click below to give both yourself and opera one more chance, if you are among the many who has not yet had the chance to become familiar with the genre. Her art fuses the traditional with the modern, and brings out the best of both worlds. You will be drawn into worlds anew.
Melis Kanik is a contributor for Yabangee.
[…] down my “Performances to See Sometime in My Life” list. The month of August started off with Emma Shaplin, an artist to whom I was introduced in the late 1990s and who had always been someone I wanted to […]