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2010 0927

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Jean Stilwell: Unzipped & Exposed

It’s late September. A gentle rain is falling. On this Saturday afternoon I begin to explore my newly adopted city - Barrie (Ontario) – eager to escape the many unpacked boxes still sitting in my apartment, their cubistic forms grudgingly silent. I am drawn to the local United Church, not out of any newfound conviction – but for the music that has been promised. I settle into a pew, calm but expectant. Spirituality takes many forms; today I seek redemption through Music - in her phrases and cadences.

in its purest form. Like all true divas, she has the power to elevate and annihilate us with her voice. Like all true fans, I am caught hopelessly in her spell, laughing out loud one minute and weeping quietly the next. Redemption is a rollercoaster.

To listen to Ms. Stilwell is to learn. Today, her program offers a rich blend of opera, cabaret and musical theatre. She renders up Kurt Weill’s “I’m a Stranger Here Myself” in caressing tones that would make Lotte Lenya proud – and jealous. (We’re talking divas here.)  Edith Piaf – The Little Sparrow – smiles down from on high as she spins out a delicate rendition of “La Vie en Rose”. Listening to Ms. Stilwell sing en francais is to be charmed. In “Taylor, the Latte Boy” (Goldrich/Heisler), she confesses falling in love with the handsome young barista who plies her daily with caffeine. (Sigh! And yes, I’m sitting in Starbucks right now – you do the math.) In “Apathetic Man”, another gem from the prolific song-writing duo, Ms. Stilwell gives glorious voice to her frustration with falling in love with a he’s-just-not-that-into-you kind of guy. And lest you should think she is singing the entire concert a cappella, she is performing today with two remarkable artists (and Friends): Pattie Loach on piano and John Loach on trumpet.

The Diva has decided to wear a body microphone today; not for sheer volume which her solid technique brings forth as her exquisite artistry commands it; but rather, for the intimacy it creates between her and her audience – an emotionally-revealing break in the voice, a sudden intake of breath, a painful exhalation. In the songs “How I Love You” (Goldrich/Heisler) and “Temporary” (Bucchino) her voice gives gentle utterance to the poignant lyrics. Her encore – title unknown – is a paean to love, loss and the redemptive power of music. As I listen I reflect on the past year of my life – one shrouded by profound loss and separation. Ms. Stilwell’s voice enfolds me, wrapping around me like a secure blanket, reassuring me that Time will heal all. Time - and Music.
 

The concert is billed as “Carmen Unzipped”. Like the songs in a Schubert cycle, the musical numbers trace a biographical arc, offering a glimpse of some of the highs and lows of the singer’s life and career. Through songs she has chosen, she reminds us that a diva is more than her instrument: she is a doting mother, a loving daughter, a cherished friend. Carmen, the heroine of George Bizet’s famous opera, is a young woman who dares to defy the conventions of her time. In doing so, she places her freedom to choose who she loves above all else. It is the role with which she most closely identifies. It weaves through the fabric of her richly-diverse career, much like the Fate Motive that runs through Bizet’s masterpiece. At the start of this

We love her all the more for it.

You can see Jean Stilwell and Pattie Loach performing “Apathetic Man” by clicking on this link.

Keep the Faith!