I just recently came across this quote from Mark Knopfler - one of the most influential rock guitar players over the last 50 year:
- You've got to stop associating emotion with tension.
And it hit me as something extraordinarily relevant also for classical singers. Too many student singers mix emotion with tension. Tragedy or love manifests as lifted shoulders, tight hands, stretching up towards heaven, getting up on your toes, pushing the head and neck forward or tensing the voice.
But too often this comes out as theatrical expression that does not add to, but takes away from the emotions where it should be - expressed in colors in a free and relaxed voice. A free and relaxed voice comes from a free and relaxed body. This doesn't mean we cannot express emotions through the body - on an opera stage you will need to act in addition to sing - but it still will have to be conscious, relaxed movements free of mannerism and tension.
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