From Werktreue to Embodied Authenticity: Reclaiming the Performer’s Voice in Art Song Recitals

This doctoral research project investigates alternative formats for performing French modernist art songs, with a particular focus on the repertoire of Erik Satie and the musical circle he formed, Les nouveaux jeunes, specifically Francis Poulenc, Darius Milhaud, and Georges Auric. By departing from the rigid conventions of the classical vocal recital, the project explores how reframing the performer’s role as a creative collaborator can inspire innovative performance formats that challenge stereotypes within classical vocal music. The first performance, En spasertur rundt Montmartre med Erik Satie, applied HIP (historically informed performance) principles to Satie’s cabaret and art songs, focusing on format and audience experience to rediscover the original performative context. The second, En stol, en sigarett og bein, centred on Poulenc’s surrealist song cycles and examined how choreographed movement and poetry recitation can enhance the accessibility of complex texts. The third, En vanlig dag i et vanlig liv, featured songs by Milhaud and Auric, expanding the inquiry into theatricality and biographical texts, and was accompanied by lighting design and projected imagery to create a personal, multilayered narrative. The final performance, Going Passionately Somewhere, summarised the repertoire and methods from the three previous performances and opened new investigative avenues. It also served as a performative articulation of the reflective component of the doctoral result, revisiting central themes, questions, and discoveries that have shaped the research process. Finally, it presented an autobiographical narrative tracing the development of the author’s artistic voice, in which the doctoral work represented a decisive turning point: a moment when questions of voice, agency, and authenticity became consciously articulated and artistically embodied. Throughout the project, the performer reclaims creative agency by designing performance formats that reflect both historical insight and personal artistic vision. While remaining committed to Werktreue, respecting the composer’s intentions and the integrity of the score, the research also embraces a broader understanding of authenticity that includes the performer’s voice, aesthetics, and embodied experience. This reconciliation between fidelity to the work and fidelity to the self becomes a central artistic and methodological concern. Through embodied experimentation, the project demonstrates that freeing the singing body from recital conventions fosters deeper vocal expression and greater performer satisfaction. It argues that the use of multimodality and interdisciplinarity can revitalise the presentation of early 20th-century French vocal music for contemporary audiences. Ultimately, the research advocates a more inclusive and diverse future in classical music performance, in which artists are encouraged to explore and define their own artistic identities, not in opposition to tradition but in dialogue with it. keywords: art song recital, multimodality, interdisciplinarity, performance design, French modernist art songs, embodied authenticity, performer agency, Satie, Milhaud, Auric, Poulenc