Posted on 06/24/2007 3:42:55 AM PDT by BlessedBeGod
A 36-YEAR-OLD dentally challenged cellphone salesman wins a nationally televised talent contest in Britain, and suddenly, all sorts of questions are raised about the role of classical music in our world.
That is because the winner, Paul Potts, from Wales, triumphed with a rendition of “Nessun dorma,” the tenor aria from Puccini’s “Turandot,” at a contest with the trappings and audience — seemingly — of the mass entertainment world.
By the standards of music critics who ply their trade in opera houses and concert halls, it wasn’t a particularly earth-shaking performance.
“Mr. Potts is the sort of bog-standard tenor to be found in any amateur opera company in any corner of the country,” wrote Philip Hensher in The Independent of London. “His tuning was all over the place; his voice sounded strained and uncontrolled; his phrasing was stubby and lumpy; he made a constipated approximation only of the fluid sound of the Italianate tenor....”
On the blogs, many comments seemed to reflect resentment that the “snobs” of the opera world would look down on their swoon for Mr. Potts. On freerepublic.com, a conservative forum, dougfromupland addressed “all you opera snobs.”
“He may not be the greatest opera singer. But we who don’t know dip about opera like him and can’t wait to see him perform. We know what uplifts us and makes us feel good. Go away, snobs.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Here is the YouTube thread with almost 5 million hits. Perhaps some FReepers can make some comments. Come on, be nice. http://youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA
The very hot actress Amanda Holden.
This snobbery is reminiscent of Harry Chapin's "Mr. Tanner"
Not sure what you’re tyring to say here, mom — but if you are making some comment about a DFU post, at least have the courtesy to ping the man.
This is rich! The Times quotes DFU—but about OPERA and not Shrillery! Un-effin-believable...
He began recording in the studio on Saturday. They think his first CD will be out in a month. I hope he sells a ton, but I don’t know that the music will bring people to tears as did his initial performance. That was as heartwarming a human interest story as there is.
Yes, they quote regarding something about which I know absolutely nothing, opera. I’ve got loads of quotes ready to go for them on Hillary.
Here is the best Paul Potts performance on the Internet — http://youtube.com/watch?v=UtW9Ptcmm-8 :)
Growing up down-home we'd listen in. Minnie Pearl was great to listen to. I can't get it on the radio out here in California though. Maybe I've become less sophisticated, I don't know.
A conundrum - technical flaws interfere with the enjoyment of music but flaws are what make it music and not a computer program.
I’m waiting for the NY TIMES to leak some highly classified opera secrets that get those involved in opera killed.
Up theirs. Mr. Potts made a joyful noise and I enjoyed it!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA
zaohad1 (5 minutes ago)
I saw the NYT article.
Those people will always have their heads up their own arses, too full of self importance to care about anyone common.
Well, NYT critics I have news for you, your cosy self contained little world has just been blown away by popular vote and mass opinion.
Apparently Britain has talent and America doesn't.
Gee, the New York Times reads FR!Way to go DOUG from UPLAND!!!
"That is too funny.pingThey left out the part about being called French wine drinking, cheese-eating, and limousine liberals." - doug from upland
Opera started out as a yard sport for Italian lunatics in the 15th Century.
I posted the lyrics to the song on the original thread. Here they are again. I posted them before I knew the critics were panning Mr. Potts’ performance.
Mister Tanner was a cleaner from a town in the Midwest.
And of all the cleaning shops around he’d made his the best.
But he also was a baritone who sang while hanging clothes.
He practiced scales while pressing tails and sang at local shows.
His friends and neighbors praised the voice that poured out from his throat.
They said that he should use his gift instead of cleaning coats.
But music was his life, it was not his livelihood,
and it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good.
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul.
He did not know how well he sang; It just made him whole.
His friends kept working on him to try music out full time.
A big debut and rave reviews, a great career to climb.
Finally they got to him, he would take the fling.
A concert agent in New York agreed to have him sing.
And there were plane tickets, phone calls, money spent to rent the hall.
It took most of his savings but he gladly used them all.
But music was his life, it was not his livelihood,
and it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good.
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul.
He did not know how well he sang; It just made him whole.
The evening came, he took the stage, his face set in a smile.
And in the half filled hall the critics sat watching on the aisle.
But the concert was a blur to him, spatters of applause.
He did not know how well he sang, he only heard the flaws.
But the critics were concise, it only took four lines.
But no one could accuse them of being over kind.
(spoken) Mr. Martin Tanner, Baritone, of Dayton, Ohio made his
Town Hall debut last night. He came well prepared, but unfortunately
his presentation was not up to contemporary professional standards.
His voice lacks the range of tonal color necessary to make it
consistently interesting.
(sung) Full time consideration of another endeavor might be in order.
He came home to Dayton and was questioned by his friends.
Then he smiled and just said nothing and he never sang again,
excepting very late at night when the shop was dark and closed.
He sang softly to himself as he sorted through the clothes.
Music was his life, it was not his livelihood,
and it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good.
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul.
(And) he did not know how well he sang; It just made him whole.
Doug my hero
Too funny and bizarro. What people will do to get on camera.
Two points:
1) Why was the NY Times permitted to quote so extensively from a clearly superior media outlet without paying compensation to Jim Robinson?
2) Opera and music of orchestral nature has been around so long that it is measured by something more than “we like it”. There has accumulated so much body of work that the various aspects of what is “good” can be defined objectively and evaluated against specific measurements.
Paul Potts is probably not “excellent” in an objective measure. He is probably good, and the key to the entire affair is that he was not merely good, he was astonishingly good. He is a man in a socio-economic configuration from which “good Opera singer” could not be expected.
In the end, money will tell the tale. He is going to give a boost to opera worldwide roughly equivalent to what the Oscar sweeping film Amadeus did for Mozart. As was true when that film came out and afficionados mentioned inaccuracies, the same will be true for Paul Potts. The response will be:
“Yes, there are problems and errors, but how can you disapprove of someone or something that is going to expose so many people to something they might never have embraced, or even encountered, otherwise?”
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