OPERA BABES
The OperaBabes - Renaissance
Interview: The OperaBabes
By Martin Barber
Singing sensation the OperaBabes are set to enjoy a quiet Christmas following their whirlwind 2007 tour of the UK which finished in Norwich. They featured in Christmas With The Stars on BBC Radio Norfolk on Monday, 24 December, 2007.
The gorgeous OperaBabes, Rebecca Knight and Karen England, are looking forward to a well earned rest over the festive season after spending much of 2007 on tour.
The final date played at the Norwich Playhouse, making it something of a homecoming for Rebecca who lives on the Norfolk border.
After being discovered by a talent scout whilst busking in Covent Garden to to support their singing lessons, they went on to release their debut album Beyond Imagination. The record went straight to number one in the UK classical charts - selling in excess of one million copies.
The duo subsequently went on to perform at the Royal Albert Hall for Her Majesty The Queen, and more recently have starred alongside Placido Domingo at the Los Angeles Opera.
They've also made history by becoming the first classical act ever to perform in Las Vegas at the legendary Stardust Casino.
Having recently released their second album Renaissance, produced by Noel Vine, to overwhelming critical acclaim - Rebecca and Karen are also rather pleased to have met George Clooney during 2007.
They'll admit they still haven't quite regained their composure from the experience!
Speaking during the BBC East Children In Need Gala Concert in November, they told Martin Barber about their plans for Christmas, the night where punks met grannies in Norwich and it soon became clear - a love of wine!
Help playing audio/video
MB: The final leg of the tour must, in many ways, be like coming home as you finished the tour in Norwich.
Rebecca: Yes it's so lovely actually. It's the first time we've played in Norwich.
We've played King's Lynn before but it was the first time in Norwich and for me – not for everybody else of course who had to travel miles to get here – but for me, it was great.
I was home in bed – well I wasn't in bed, I was there with a glass of wine – but I was home within about half-an-hour so it was fantastic.
MB: Life on the road is busy, people think it's very glamorous, but actually it's lots of cars and hotels and dressing rooms. Karen, do you enjoy the touring lifestyle?
Karen: Yes. Because we've been doing UK touring we've stayed away sometimes but a lot of the time we've been able to get home so it's not quite as desperate as some people think.
But it's been quite exciting because we've done two different types of show.
We started a year ago doing a really Madonna-meets-Mozart show with laser lights and fantastic dancers and that was really just an amazing experience to do that.
This year we've been touring our more intimate show with our string quartet and pianist so it's been really eventful and exciting.
MB: Which in a way reflects in your music. Although I hate labels, it is broad brush-stroked as crossover so it seems you've taken that very much into what you're doing on stage.
Rebecca: We do like to experiment, there's no doubt about that.
Rebecca Knight (left) and Karen England
We have got very classical roots and a lot of the things we do in the show that we've just been touring really are quite classical, but because of the way we present it - we do a lot of chit chat with the audience - it's very informal and we all have a laugh.
The quartet and pianist are hilarious and there's a lot of messing about that goes on as well. It just keeps the whole thing quite accessible I think, which is quite important to us.
When we first signed the record deal... I don't think we had any idea what we were signing up for and the kind of experimental stuff sort of happened all at that time. We hadn't intended to go down that road at all.
We're always coming up with different ideas of where we'd like to take it and ask 'Have we pushed this a little bit too far, are we going to scare people', but the thing is you might scare some people but then you'll also be inviting in another audience as well.
It was great in Norwich the other night when we had a full house and some of the audience were our more typical slightly older people and then there was a load of spiky haired mohican-clad looking people. It was brilliant! I love that.
We do attract a load of different people which is what it's all about. Everyone's sitting in there together, punks and grannies, it's great.
MB: Christmas is a time when a lot of people will got to church. So if we're off to midnight mass this year… come on, tips. Tips from the OperaBabes on how to sound good at midnight mass. What should we do?
Rebecca: Several glasses of wine I should say!
Attack the sherry before you leave home, that's always a good start! I don't know! I think the thing is about that is it's not about what you sound like is it really?
You're there enjoying the community spirit so if you want to go, just go and throw yourself into it.
Karen: I must say I absolutely hate singing in church.
I think when you're a trained singer the temptation is just not to want to sing out very much because you don't want everyone to stare at you at such a special moment.
And if you've had four glasses of wine or whatever, you don't want to make a fool of yourself. That's my reasoning!
Rebecca: You know we're both alcoholics don't you!
The OperaBabes at Children In Need
MB: If we were buying you a CD for Christmas what would you be hoping to get in your Christmas stocking?
Rebecca: That's so difficult because my taste is so ridiculously diverse. Anything jazzy would be absolutely fine.
Not trad jazz, more modern jazz. Anything like that would be absolutely cool. I wish Rufus Wainwright would churn out a CD a month because I'd buy them all! I don't know really, I'm quite open I suppose.
MB: Karen what are your thoughts? Apart from wanting a case of wine, what would you like?
Karen: And a case of Champagne! Obviously an OperaBabes album would go down a treat because I haven't got one!
MB: Because you haven't heard it enough!
So Christmas happens, you're putting your feet up for a bit and then obviously we're looking towards 2008. What does the new year bring for the two of you?
Rebecca: Actually as soon as Christmas finishes we're pretty much jetting off at the very start of January to perform on the inaugural cruise of the Queen Victoria which is very exciting.
We did the inaugural cruise of the Queen Mary a couple of years ago so that's going to be very exciting. And lots more work in the pipeline.
Help playing audio/video
Comments