I don't see why people want new plays all the time. What would happen to concerts if people wanted new music all the time?
I've performed in concert halls thousands and thousands of times in my life.
To finally be able to actually play the piano with vocalists and actually do, like, a proper concert - that feels really good.
When I do my solo concerts, I'm used to being on the stage for two hours solid, singing 16 songs. And when I did 'Funny Thing,' I was on the stage the whole time. This is much more difficult. It's the difference between racing and sprinting. This is sprinting. And I have to learn to pace myself.
One learns how to change gears within a concert repertoire.
There are lots of Joy Division songs that are so powerful when played live, some of which we did either never play or played very rarely.
Everything I chose, I had already played in concert. For the competition, I wanted to pick pieces I know that people like.
Some of my songs I don't do on tour because they don't work well live.
The MTC is known for singing music by great master composers, hymns, American music, Broadway numbers, popular songs, and inspirational music. If the audience doesn't like one genre, they need only wait for the next number.
I try to write songs. At our concerts, we take the cream of the crop from my back catalogue and I don't know if I could write something now that would replace any of that. We don't lose any of the standards. We have lots of songs in rotation.
I am so envious of my colleagues from 100 years ago who only sang new works, they hardly ever sang revivals.
