French baritone David Serero is releasing his new album The Broadway Baritone in the UK on 15th March.
THe multi-talented performer is tackling some of the biggest and most recognisable Broadway hits for the album. It’s a celebration of the world he inhabits and one that he’s at the forefront of.
We caught up with David to talk about the new album, find out more about his work on stage and discuss his plans for the rest of 2014.
Hi David. How are you doing?
Hello my dear friend! I’m always very well! Thanks. I hope that you are doing great as well and congrats, as always, for your wonderful website. I’m in Paris getting ready for my UK Tour and the worldwide release of my new album!
You’re releasing your new album The Broadway Baritone on 15th March. Tell us about the album.
I believe that this is the best album I’ve ever done and it’s the one that I’ve always dreamed to make. I’m so proud of it! I’ve always performed this great material and my baritone voice loves to sing them. I always wanted to promote the baritone voice on Broadway musicals. In the old days, we had great baritones to perform such iconic songs such as Some Enchanted Evening (South Pacific) or If ever I would leave you (Camelot) which appear on this album, which deserves a true classically trained baritone type.
The album was recorded with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. How did that collaboration come about?
This is legendary orchestra had started their opening to crossover music but always keeping a classical technique without to forget the right style for this Broadway music. That’s exactly what I do as a singer. It’s the beginning a long collaboration with them.
There are so many great musical songs. What process did you go through to select the tracks that appear on the album?
They naturally came to my mind because I’ve been performing all these musicals for a long time during my concerts for the last ten years such as Camelot, Phantom of the Opera, My Fair Lady, Beauty and the Beast, Show Boat, South Pacific, South Pacific, Les Miserables and Man of La Mancha among others. Regarding vocals, I also wanted to mix the old and new technique by opening more my voice and belting unlike I was trained as an Opera singer.
You’ve played many roles on stage, most famously Don Quixote from Man of La Mancha. What would be your dream role to play and why?
I’d love to perform the title role of Phantom of the Opera, even though I’ve performed it on a concert version at the Paris Opera in 2011. This part is very challenging especially for me because it’s more for tenor than baritone, so I always need to change colours in my voice and add some mystic in it (as I tried to do on my version of Music of the Night on my recording). And also the character is fascinating and it’s a legendary role to perform. I will do it someday!! (fingers crossed!)
Musical theatre has been given a boost in the past few years thanks to shows like Glee and Smash opening it up to a whole new audience. Why do you think musicals are such a popular part of Broadway?
For me Broadway is about musicals. It started with musical revues and then thanks to Eastern musicians and composers who emigrated in the 1920s in the US, who brought their operetta style which was a combination of a libretto (Theater) and Music.
Today we need to work with new medias and to understand the 2014 audience. That’s something that the Opera world (where I come from) has missed and why their audience numbers have declined. An artist has to understand and analyse his audience. The audience that was at the time when Mozart wrote his operas is not the same as today. It’s important to know how to present your craft to you people without change its own style (example: Nespresso didn’t invent coffee but made more glamorous!). In the UK and the US they are really well advanced for that. I hope that it will change in the rest of the world. When I perform in Russia or in Asia, they know the lyrics by heart of Music of the Night and The Impossible Dream!
Your UK fans can see you on tour in April and May this year. What can they expect from the show?
It’s a full show of Music and Comedy! I love people and my biggest pleasure in the world is to entertain them. I love to make them laugh and to perform for them. My show will feature selections from my album The Broadway Baritone, as well as some Opera, Jazz and World popular songs. Between songs, I add some comedy by telling jokes, improvising with the audience, inviting them on stage, making them sing..etc.
What is it that you love about UK audiences?
They’re really well educated and very elegant. But among all they love to have a good time!
You’ve performed a lot of shows so far in your career. Have you had a favourite show?
Every show is a unique experience and it’s not the job of the audience to make it good but it’s mine. That’s why after 600 solo performances, I still record and analyse every single shows of mine. I always look for new material and give them all my best!
What else does 2014 have in store for you?
The release of The Broadway Baritone (March), a Tour in the UK (April/May), my show in Paris (May/June), European Tour (July/August), Tour in Asia (September), my show back to Broadway (after my Broadway debut last December) and Tour in America (October/November/ December). After having directed and produced all my video clips, I will be writing and directing my first short film. To be continued…
David Serero’s new album The Broadway Baritone is released on 15th March 2014.
