Hayley interviewed Radio 4 'Midweek' 21/11/07

[postscript]

I cannot believe I'm the only one aware of this. What I can believe is that I am so out of touch I've missed where someone has already posted this thread!

I did not intend to log on but seeing there had been 53 on within the previous 24hours I thought I would clock it up--it didn't, clearly time had moved on for me, or perhaps there is a delay in recording the change? In any case I now found there have been over 120 on at the same time!

At risk of duplication to avoid a lost opportunity in case Dave or similar can record from a station playback and put up for everyone, I'm posting.

I was 'coming to' at 9:20 a.m. when a friend rang to say 'Your Hayley's on Radio 4 NOW'. She was talking to Libby Purves about her book. Not one of her best interviews, far more 'ums' than she usually lets slip but these things do also depend upon the interviewer and I did get the feeling there wasn't quite the rapport she usually shows. It may be Libby Purves, whom I sense drives hard, to get as much in as possible within the time frame--that time frame being her programme overall. Consequently there were several missed opportunities for Hayley to intereject which were overuled by 'rushing on'. I don't know how much I missed as my friend didn't take it on board initially then had to get round to ringing me.

I make the criticism in view of what Hayley said. She talked about a band of loyal followers whom she feared tended to place her upon a pedestal. She felt like living in a gold fish bowl in NZ but happy with the anonymity with which she can pop round to the grocers in London.

Having said what I have she might respond with a wag of that first finger on the right hand: 'Peter, when I said you folk were inclined to put me on a pedestal I didn't mean to give you licence to tear me to pieces instead!'

Peter S.

[Stephany]

Hello Peter,

Glad to see you back and thank you for the information about the Radio 4 interview. You can listen to it again HERE but I don't know if it will be online for a long time. Dave? i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Latest programme 21 November 2007
Hayley Westenra is the twenty year old New Zealand soprano. Having started out as a busker, she is now the fastest-selling debut classical artist in British chart history and the biggest-selling artist of all time in her native New Zealand. Her autobiography In Her Own Voice is published by Virgin Books.

It's a discussion with other people so Hayley speaks at the very beginning and then again after 23 minutes (the programme lasts 42 minutes). She talks about her book, Celtic Woman, the influence of Irish music, her childhood, talent quests, Ghana and her fans . I'm sure she was also very pleased to see that they aired 'Let me Lie'!

Stephany

[Martin]

Ah ha!! As someone has already suggested it may well be that Hayley (who is obviously back in the UK) is going to be on radio programmes this week to promote the book. Let's hope so.

Martin

[dazza]

Hi Stephany,

Thanks for posting the link, I thought that it was a lovely interview, it was interesting to hear Hayley talk about some of the things she has written about in her book.

Dazza

[gra7890]

Thanks again Stephany,
I am just listening to Hayley's Radio 4 inteview. How do you find time to do what you do !!!!

Graham

[graemek]

Thanks Stephany & Peter & hi everyone,

"Midweek: guests include Miriam Karlin

This week Libby Purves is joined by Katy Emck of the charity 'Fine Cell Work' which teaches professional needlework skills to prisoners; the actress Miriam Karlin talks about her autobiography 'Some Sort of Life'; Hayley Westenra, the New Zealand soprano on her book 'In My Own Voice' and Michael Reiss, Professor of Science Education at the Institute of Education talks about the newly refurbished 'Launchpad' exhibition at the Science Museum."

I've edited the interview down to just Hayley's part plus what had to stay in to make sense. It's about 11.5 minutes & 11.31 Mb.

I left "Let me lie in grasses green" as it was.

I found the interview excellent. Loved the part where they were all watching her face as she listened to her own singing.
Hayley is always outstanding in that she does not need to hear the sound of her own voice. (no pun on the book title intended).

click below to download:
www.mediafire.com/?15zz232jyy2

Enjoy, Graeme

[Stephany]

Thanks so much for uploading the interview, Graeme. I'm also very intrigued by Hayley's reaction at hearing her own voice. She sounded very happy that they picked 'Let me lie'. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

gra7890 said:

How do you find time to do what you do !!!!

Hi Graham - I'm wondering that myself

Stephany

[Richard]

Thanks for the link, Graeme!

I found her comment about some fans thinking she's absolutely perfect particularly interesting. I've suspected for a long time that it's an image she's not too happy with, and I think this comes across in her book.

Best Wishes,

Richard

[Jeff]

You can also hear it on the radio 4 website under "LISTEN AGAIN." Fast forward 23 minutes.

[grant]

richnorri said:

I found her comment about some fans thinking she's absolutely perfect particularly interesting. I've suspected for a long time that it's an image she's not too happy with, and I think this comes across in her book.

Hi Richard

I've just listened to that part of the interview again. What Hayley actually says is that she feels she's placed higher than she should be by some fans and that she's not perfect. Isn't she just being her normal humble self?

Incidentally, I didn't think this was as good an interview as, say, the recent coffee shop one where Hayley just chatted with the interviewer. I did not like Libby Purves style at all. Postscript touched on it in his initial comments and it was clear that Hayley frequently had more to say and was simply 'cut off' by the next question. I would have found that very frustrating!

Best wishes
Grant

[Dave]

Hi Richard and Grant,

I haven't yet listened to the interview but from what you and others have said, Hayley is just acknowleging that she ocasionally makes mistakes - like everyone else in this World. I am sure she reviews her own performances critically and when she knows she could have done something a little better but people are saying it was "perfect" it may be disconcerting for her. She might even prefer us to acknowledge any imperfections (within limits, obviously ). I mean to say, how can Hayley improve - which she does i am sure want to do - if she's already perfect?

Alternatively, it could be comments about her "perfect" personality that concerns her, who knows? Especially if the interviewer didn't give time for her to expand on that as seems possible from what i've read.

I tend to ackowledge that Hayley can and occasionally does make little mistakes and i think all of us know this. However, it is natural for many fans (of any artist) to focus on the good points and at the end of the day, a "perfect" and immensely pleasurable album or show doesn't have to have been 100% technically and artistically perfect all the way through. There is perfection and.... errrr... perfection... and some of the most enjoyable shows you ever will see are those containing surprises - even if they are little mistakes or minor gaffes!

Cheers from...
a very much less than perfect Dave

[Stephany]

dave said:

...when she knows she could have done something a little better but people are saying it was "perfect" it may be disconcerting for her.

Hi Dave,

You make a very valid point. May I mention her performance on the NZ TV show 'Good morning' to illustrate that. In her book, she says she completely messed it up and yet, when I read our comments on this specific performance, we all say that she was absolutely amazing.

Stephany

[Dave]

Hi Stephany,

I think I'd like to see that performance and read the comments... do you have a date or link to the relevant thread/book page?

I assume it is not the October 2007 performance as that is too recent to get in the book?

Cheers, Dave

[Stephany]

Hi again Dave,

You can watch the video on the main HWI website HERE and read the comments on this THREAD[/url].
Listen carefully at the lyrics during the first song and you will understand very quickly why Hayley was completely lost (if you read the book, you'll know ).

Stephany

[Dave]

Hi Stephany,

Thanks for the links, which I have duly clicked on to see the contents. I do recall reading about this in the book but now, I am going to argue against (or is it for?) my own point in my post (somewhere up there^ )

It is unusual for me to know the words to a song well enough for me to even notice a mistake like that and I certainly don't know the Abide With Me lyrics well enough to have noticed what Hayley calls her "mess-up". In fact, the only thing i noticed just now when i replayed it is that she seemed to get slightly nervous for a moment, towards the end. Perhaps that is where she got the words wrong but I really don't know. And it certainly didn't alter my opinion of her performance... which was excellent. Almost perfect, in fact! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Hayley, if you ever read this, most of your audience aren't even going to notice mistakes like that and 99% of those who do probably won't give it a passing thought. In fact, that's the most perfect "imperfect" performance I ever did see! It's a good example of how a so-called mess-up can and often does still sound very good indeed.

If the average pop singer ever dared to perform truly live on TV, then, I think, we would soon get to learn the true meaning of the phrase "mess-up" - even if they got all the words right!

Cheers, Dave