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 ...
If you see it as a "war" that "they started," I don't see the point in discussing this further. Authors have the right to control and profit from their works. Here or anywhere. There are exceptions, which I've explained ad nauseam, and which explanations you've ignored. I fold.
Sorry—I guess I was talking in broader societal terms, not to you specifically (though I confess to being relieved that you hold none of the 3 examples in any esteem). There is nothing wrong with you liking PP any more than there is anything wrong with my liking both Journey and Mozart, Bjork and Stravinsky. The negative feelings I have are mainly from elsewhere in the blogosphere where he is held up as a fine example of classical singing, and of opera on the whole. I’ve been singing opera for most of life and it is my love, art and profession. I make a tidy living at it and do not feel jealousy for the attention or money he is receiving. what I do feel upset at is the devaluation of achievement and hard work that is the undercurrent to this PR’d to death story. It holds up something mediocre as great, and therefore, by implication, devalues the truly exceptional artists in this genre. This culture is not a meritocracy, I know, but I do feel that as time passes it becomes even less so. Being famous is a goal unto itself, regardless of merit, and the public is taught less and less that they themselves can be elevated by art in it’s highest form. It’s very objectivist, perhaps. But if you want to make everyone feel groovy about themselves and have a truly “egalitarian” society...then don’t try and tear down greatness....just train people to call the mediocre great until no one knows the difference.
So again, apologies if it seemed like a personal attack. Wasn’t meant to be.
B.
Ok, guys, here are a group of real opera singers (ok, one came from a pop background).
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kQKLUeZi4Ls&mode=related&search=
Caution: female viewers may wish to place a soft object on the ground when the inevitable thud occurs (c;
My husband wants to know if opera is sung in english in Italy.
No problemo.
Ugh. PLEASE. This is to opera what pablum is to fine cuisine. This is manufactured popera....crappy rewrites of pop tunes, translated into spanish or italian to make it seem exotic, add some soft guitar and sweeping strings...Poof. Bromide for the masses. And I say this having gone to school with and sung with David Miller, one of the members, who can in fact sing legitimate opera....not like you can tell from this crap, but hey...he’s making some $$. Just don’t call this real opera singing. It belittles the art form.
Is there a link to this performance somewhere?
Paul Potts -- Original Audition -- "Nessun Dorma"
Paul Potts -- Semi-Finals Performance -- "Con te partirò" (Time to Say Goodbye)
Paul Potts -- Finals Performance -- "Nessun Dorma"
Announcement of Paul as the Winner, and Encore Performance of "Nessun Dorma"
You know, Mr. Potts was a little off...but I heard potential....Let’s just say he gets back into intense voice training and works a bit on those bobbles...shoot a good opera tenor doen’t even hit peak until age 50 or so, assuming good training and technique!
Let him get back into training even for 6 months and let’s hear what he sounds like then. There is a quality in his voice, like a bell that I’ve only heard in one other tenor...a certain Luciano Pavrotti!
Ahh don’t listen to the nay sayers,,,Mr. Potts will be taken under somebody’s wing and he’ll get back into the voice training discipline he needs to get if he really wants to make a go of it! A good tenor doesn’t even peak until age 50 or so, that is if he is training and using his voice correctly. Let’s see what he sounds like in about 6 months or a year from now!
I heard the bobbles and uneveness of tone, having had voice training myself and could hear some of the flaws. But I also saw the man singing with his whole self thrown open nakedly. And I hear a certain bell like clarity ringing through in his higher register, a certain clarity I’ve only heard from Pavrotti or Domingo! He is a lyric tenor with exceptional potential and at 36, still a “baby” in terms of opera.
He certainly caused me to boost the number of hits on youtube for opera singers.
Paul is very good and it was easy to see his music came from someplace deep inside him.
Gee Phil, in my circles we'd call you jealous. This guy's been drinking some real sour grapes.
All in good time.
If you’re not moved by Paul Pott’s audition tape, your heart is a bag of rocks.
..and you are ever so ever so ever so wrong!
My Paul Potts CD arrived this afternoon and I have been playing it ever since.
No live audience...
..Just his pure ethereal voice that brings joy to my soul!
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