Profiles: Roger Vignoles

Megan Peel talks to Roger Vignoles, BPP student and teacher alumnus

I chatted with Roger when he was here leading the French and Spanish song course, entitled 'Espagna/Espagne: crossing the border between French and Spanish song' in September 2007. We sat on the benches outside the concert hall, over-looking the reedbeds.

Roger began with us at the very start of the Britten–Pears School. His first course was in 1974 on the Study Weeks for Singers. When I showed him the list of students he said, 'oh my goodness!' and launched into an almost perfect recollection of where they are and what they are doing now. He spoke about the early days and said that it was very much fly by the seat of your pants - classes were held on the stage of the Snape Maltings Concert Hall and rehearsals were in the dressing rooms.

What are your earliest memories?

I remember in the very early days, Benjamin Britten being wheeled into the classes in his wheelchair and a certain frisson in the air. And one of my earliest memories is working with Joan Cross and Nancy Evans on Dido & Aeneus and Cosi Fan Tutte all put on in one week.

What is it that makes this place unique?

The natural environment is what makes this place unique and also the model of the 10-day course. Every day here, you are away from reality; just look at these marsh beds. It is possible to concentrate, and when you have 7-10 days you can really develop something with the students and also between the students and the teacher. It should be a model for a conservatoire, rather than having just one lesson a week with your singing teacher and realising that you have to prepare something at the last minute. The other thing is the emphasis on song that this place was specifically founded for. It was started as a place where people studied song.

How did it help your professional development?

I developed almost all of my repertoire from the classes that I attended here. This gave me the opportunity in a semi-performace setting to try out something new. I picked up so much from the amazing teachers and coaching - as much as a way to maintain interest, I would change pedalling one time, the color the next and experiment. Also, working with some of the great singers like Vishnevskaya and Schwarzkopf - and the different styles. Vishnevskaya was very physical and very in your face. She would put her arms around the singers and come up very close. She was always trying to bring singers out of their shells - I remember with a singer called Brian Scoot she said, 'Brian you are a BEEG man, you have a BEEG voice - use it!' Schwarzkopf, on the other hand, would stand ten metres away behind her music stand and peer over her glasses at you.

What is your strongest memory of this place?

My strongest memory of the place was one of the last courses that Peter Pears took. We were working on Handel's Jeptha and an American tenor was trying to sing the Recit and the first Aria. Peter was labouring away tyring to get some passion out of the student's singing. Finally, he said 'I think I'd better show you', and this was after he had had a stroke. Peter was a big man, tall as well as wide - and instantly he became this Old Testament prophet, filled with character. The entire room was transformed and it was a real object lesson in what artistry is and how it is achieved. It was magnificent.

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