How happy was I today to read this quote from Kate Royal<\/a> in BBC Music Magazine?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201dOpera is a tag people latch onto without seeing the whole picture. Some people think it means singing loudly with a wobbly voice. But I can\u2019t believe in an \u2018opera\u2019 singer who doesn\u2019t sing opera on the stage. A three-minute aria is not <\/em>opera. Many of these so-called opera stars cannot sing without a microphone. I was gobsmacked the first time I saw Die Walkure: how did those singers project over a huge orchestra and fill an opera house? If you are involved in opera you have to relish the challenge of taking on a role, forming relationships with the cast and entering into the drama- you forget there\u2019s no amplification!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Of course, Kate\u2019s just suffering sour grapes because she doesn\u2019t have the glamour and good looks of\u00a0today’s favourite \u2018opera\u2019 girls\u2026..<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 opera singer- Kate Royal\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘opera’ singer- KJ\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n or, ah, maybe not\u2026..<\/p>\n In any case, it’s the SINGING that counts! Trust me, you’d never listen to someone singing sharp and warbly for an enitre Wagner opera and think- “well, at least she’s hot,” and a great singing actress can convince an audience of her overwhelming sex appeal (if the role calse for it) regardless of her shape or age.<\/p>\n The stereotype of the nitwit singer is a bit like the stereotype of the egomaniac incompetent conductor. Actual sightings are rare, but the stereotype is so ingrained that all verified sightings of nitwit singers are reported to the world.<\/p>\n Like many conductors, I have built a list of singers I know and trust. When I moved from Cincinnati, a singing mecca, to Oregon, it took me a few years to rebuild that list from scratch, but now I have a network of people whose singing I love and whose opinions I trust. We just had a late cancellation of a soloist for Mahler 4 at the Oregon East Symphony. In such a situation, you can be assured I do not start calling agents and conductors- I call singers in my network. They\u2019re the ones who know voices, attitudes and skill sets, and they know that our working relationship is founded on mutual trust and respect, so they\u2019d never steer me wrong. Within 72 hours, the problem was solved. No small feat when I’m 5000 miles away and can’t audition anyone.<\/p>\n One thing you\u2019re not likely to hear me say often is \u201cwow, the Vaughan Williams was amazing!\u201d It\u2019s not that I dislike his music, but I often feel there\u2019s not enough structure, rigor and purpose to sustain his musical thoughts in long forms in spite of his incredible ear for color. I’m sure I’ll get it some\u00a0day.\u00a0However, a few days ago, I came out of a concert saying just that after hearing James Gilchrist sing \u201cOn Wenlock Edge\u201d with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Afterwards Tadaaki Otaka (who was conducting) and I were chatting about it and it was the first thing he said to me-\u201cwasn\u2019t the Vaughan Williams wonderful? First time for me, but such a beautiful piece.\u201d Both he and I were stunned at Gilchrist\u2019s singing- so musical, so intelligent and so natural. He\u2019s apparently got a new recording of the piece out which is doing very well- no. 20 on the classical charts (Classical Barbie is no. 3, however). I don\u2019t see how a recording could begin to do justice to that kind of communicative immediacy, flexibility and command, but you may want to check it out anyway. It\u2019s Vaughan Williams French-iest piece. Fanstastic stuff. There’s always been a slightly snooty tone associated with the phase “English tenor,” but having heard Gilchrist and Mark Padmore both this month sounding amazing, I think we can put that old prejudice to rest.<\/p>\n However, we can\u2019t hide from stereotypes, and I have to say that this post from Michael Hovnanian<\/a> made me laugh out loud. I know we\u2019ll miss Pavorotti, and the guy could flat-out sing even if he didn\u2019t read music (and he was an opera singer, not an ‘opera’ singer, no question), but a bit of perspective might not be such a bad thing admidst all the hyperbole about the “greatest tenor of the last fifty years.” Wasn’t there some other guy who sang, like, a thousand roles in eightly languages from\u00a0memory named Flamingo<\/a>?\u00a0King-Kong versus Godzilla. You gotta love it\u2026..<\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/www.musicomh.com\/classical\/mozart-requiem.jpg\")
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