K. Alicia Davidson, a UT vocal performance major, will present a very
special recital tonight in an evening of cabaret songs and stories. Her
performance is at 9 p.m. at Ivory’s Piano Bar and Grill. Pamela Butchart
will accompany Davidson on piano.
Davidson’s recital ties in with an Independent Study course she is
following here at UT. Her study is an in-depth look at cabaret, its
history, composers and performers. She says her appreciation of one
singer/songwriter in particular led her to this research.
“Originally, I was focusing my independent study on Edith Piaf,” says
Davidson, “but there was such a well of music sitting there waiting for
someone to pick it up and sing.” As Davidson describes it, the breadth of
style within the cabaret genre is impressive. Classically influenced
composers such as Jacques Brel and Kurt Weill are as much cabaret as pop
composers like George Gershwin and Cole Porter.
While few people are familiar with cabaret singing, Davidson says it is
experiencing a resurgence in popularity. She points out a recent New
York Times article describing fans’ passion for the genre. The strength
of cabaret, according to this report, lies in the intimacy of the
performance.
“A lot of people have asked me ‘What is cabaret?'” says Davidson. “You
don’t really know until you’ve been to one. It’s more of an experience, and
intimate. When I sing opera, you don’t see the people, and they don’t see
you breathe. Cabaret is very personalized.”
The lyrics in cabaret are as important as the music to the intimate
setting. “Most of the songs have an edge to them,” says Davidson. “I like
to call it a bite. They are covered with this lyricism or story, and at the
end there is a twist. All of them have to do with love, the most popular
theme in all music.”
The list of songs Davidson will perform includes “Hymn of Love” by Edith
Piaf, about a lover of Piaf’s who died in a plane crash. “La Vie En Rose,”
also by Piaf, is about “sustained love.”
“It’s a little aria, a tune with poetic words,” says Davidson. “It’s the
most French of all the songs of the evening.”
Davidson will also perform Kurt Weill’s “Saga of Jenny,” a song describing
the pitfalls of making up your mind. It’s about a character who, though
decisive, makes the wrong decisions.
Davidson chose these songs herself, which she says is another important
quality of cabaret. Usually, a singer sings songs someone else has chosen.
Davidson says, “For a singer, it’s a night to say, ‘These are the songs I
chose. These are the songs that speak to me.'”
Davidson also performed this past weekend in the Knoxville Opera Company’s
production of Rigoletto.
