Well, no, of course, there's no such thing as too many tenors, but it's good to know we have so many high male voices around these days. One from the present (Rolando Villazon) and one from the past (Beniamino Gigli) are featured in Ed Rosen's recently-debuted podcast, and one for the future is parterre favorite Stephen Costello, who just last night was a first place winner of the George London Foundation competition. Stephen's performance of "Che gelida manina" suggests that, in his case, the future is very near indeed:
76 comments:
Holy shit. That's good stuff.
Speaking of Tenors...
Has anyone heard from our dear friend "The Interpolator"?? I went back and read some of the archives, and was wondering how he's doing. I think I know who he is now (I'm not telling!), but more importantly I miss his wonderful input. I'm sure he'd have something to say about this post.
Oh, and Costello sounds GREAT and DAMN is that boy handsome! If he is careful he should have quite a career. I look forward to his future.
He is a superb singer already. Bravo! It's really too bad, from the looks of it he'll be bald by age 30! But for now he is very cute. It was a lovely performance. No surprise he won.
Welcome to the young ones, indeed. One of my favorites, Bruce Ford, is FINALLY starting to get some much-deserved accolades for his bel canto roles (early Rossini and Bellini, plus Meyerbeer's Italian period). But who's the next/future Alain Vanzo, with the voice and the star power to bring back much of the French repertoire rarely performed these days? Lalo's "Le Roi d'Ys" or Gounod's "Sapho" spring immediately to mind.
Hopefully The Interpolator will find his way back, I do miss all the shop talk. However if he's who I think he is, he's had a lot on his plate these last few months, so it's perfectly understandable. Perhaps we did scare him off, or perhaps he's still among us with a different Nom de guerre.
I agree with Paul that the French repertoire is neglected. One tenor is Yann Beuron who appears in the DVDs of La Belle Helene and La Grande Duchesse de gerolstein.
I'm going to hear him at the Opera Garnier with Susan Graham in Iphiginie in June , so I'll report back.
Paul Groves is singing Julien at The Bastille in Louise in 2007.
Sorry marchallin, you couldn't be more wrong. They are indeed different people.
Nope. I'm having a hard time with it too. Though that last scene was much better. Perhaps I was expecting better tunes from him.
The Forza tonight went extremely well - especially considering what was told to me by those who went to previous performances, the reviews and certainly from what I heard on the broadcast.
Juan Pons was in very good voice tonight - far exceeding my expectations since so many people said that he wasn't doing too well - he really was very good!
Mary Phillips (I don't remember if that was the chick who sang on the broadcast), though a little muddy in the low register gave some really intense and big High B naturals in Act II and gave a very good performance overall! She was also brilliant in the "Rataplan." The only thing that didn't go well wasn't her fault - the conductor sped through a phrase towards the end of the scene in Act II and he didn't wait for her. I was warned about that in advance and payed close attention to it.
Salvatore was in good voice tonight and sang some particularly beautiful phrases in Act IV.
Voigt came through in a way that really excites me about the future of her career. I used to be a very big Voigt fan for many years - I've heard her sing the shit out of Salome's final scene and Samuel Barber's "Andromaches Farewell" with NYPhil, a brilliant Aida with Olga Borodina, a sumptuously gorgeous Sieglinde opposite Domingo's Siegmund, excerpts from a live Macbeth that she did somewhere that are incredible, etc. etc. Then I saw that Ballo earlier this season that really upset me. It was empty, vocally she wasn't really with it, overly cautious, the whole cast crashed and even the orchestra seemed like it just wasn't into the opera that day. I think alot of it has to do with the fact that after her surgury it is taking her a much longer time to get acquainted with her body and for the abdominal muscles to retrain themselves - it's obviously had to be an extreme experience for her to almost relearn how to sing. What I can say is that what I heard tonight was infinitely better than what I heard in that Ballo and even on the broadcast. Even now, Voigt is using a healthy chest voice (something that her coach, Ruth Falcon, is known for not utlizing with her singers) which already makes the drama and the music that much more interesting! Voigt is also starting to move in a way on stage that I had never seen her do before - she is much more physical and active in portraying the characters - it's no longer just a gorgeous voice, but now there is something visually stimulating that reinforces the voice in a way.
I won't say that it was a perfect performance...but I think that given the new physical challenges that Voigt is going through, she seems to be becoming much more comfortable in her skin and is finding the way to realign her voice. I have to say that her 'Pace, pace' was the best part of her performance - hell, the whole fourth act was brilliant on her part! I actually believed what I was seeing and hearing and her Bb on the last "Maledizione!" she held for a good 6 measures with a crescendo at the end - it was the best note she had the whole evening!!! Really, I have to admire her and commend her for her performance tonight. For those of you who may have been disatisfied with what you heard in person or on the broadcast with this run of Forza, tonight would have given you hope!
Lastly, to describe the individual who had, what I felt, was a great triumph tonight - Mark Rucker - Verdi baritone extraordinaire!! I tell you people out there - this is a voice you MUST hear. Go to his website, he has some clips of his singing. Most baritones in the modern era (I cannot include Merrill and Warren and Siepi and Sereni and Milnes amongst others on this list) tend to be extremely visceral all the time. And though it can be so exciting to hear a fresh, vibrant lyric baritone...it is even better when you hear one that can bring it all in and give you a stunningly beautiful, soft, spun phrase. Alot of times, baritones with large voices, I have found, do something strange vocally when they want to sing something in the upper register with sensitivity and end up covering the sound or nasalize it or put it in the back of their throats. This is one baritone that never does that! It's one of the only times I've heard anyone sing the Act II 'aria' (where Lo Studente tells his story) with such a variety of color and dynamics. To describe the experience more specifically:
The way they staged his aria in Act II - he was standing on a large staircase, the people at the tavern all around him...just as he gets to the point in the story where he talks about how the girl is also dead, the character takes his dagger and plunges it into the bannister at which all the tavern-folk jump up and gasp. As Rucker performed, not only did the chorus gasp and freeze but so did the audience...the silence that followed before he crept into his next phrase pianissimo crescendoing to the refrain...each person in the audience was captivated and he held each of us there with him to the conclusion of the scene. At the end of the scene...Rucker interpolated a brilliant, perfectly in tune and full voiced High A natural (ala Milnes/Cappuccilli) which left the audience dumbfounded. There was a dead silence following it where it took a good 10 seconds before anyone started to clap - it caught the entire audience so off-guard they were simply baffled! Rucker also sang a High A at the end of the Act III duet with Licitra. But what really made the performance was his aria 'Urna fatale.' I had tears in my eyes and shivers up my spine following the aria - then he lunged into the short and bombastic cabaletta - never losing sight of the character or of his voice! Truly an outstanding performance!
I also have to say that the clarinettist tonight was simply divine - he phrased the solo prior to Alvaro's aria in the most beautiful way - even up on the High E's and D's, the tone was so mellow and sweet...superb playing!
P.S. We've been through this already - The Interpolator and myself are two different people.
Some sounds files from Costello's management's website.
http://www.funkhouserartists.com/artists/Stephen_Costello/index.pl?file=audio
Or try this one:
http://tinyurl.com/eayzd
Marshallian, do you like ANYONE but Cheryl Studer?
Can you answer my qeustion, marschaillin? I really want to knwo: Who else do you like?
!!INTERPOLATOR!!
Glad to have you back man!
Without giving too much away, I just want to say I'm SO very sorry. (and I'll leave it at that!)
We've missed you very much.
6zSSAO write more, thanks.
Magnific!
Wonderful blog.
Hello all!
Wonderful blog.
Please write anything else!
Please write anything else!
actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.
Please write anything else!
Thanks to author.
Thanks to author.
I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it.
If ignorance is bliss, you must be orgasmic.
When there's a will, I want to be in it.
Beam me aboard, Scotty..... Sure. Will a 2x10 do?
Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake!
The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
All generalizations are false, including this one.
The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.
Energizer Bunny Arrested! Charged with battery.
Clap on! , Clap off! clap@#&$NO CARRIER
640K ought to be enough for anybody. - Bill Gates 81
Beam me aboard, Scotty..... Sure. Will a 2x10 do?
Please write anything else!
Thanks to author.
Hello all!
A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience.
Hello all!
640K ought to be enough for anybody. - Bill Gates 81
Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.
Oops. My brain just hit a bad sector.
Save the whales, collect the whole set
The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
Beam me aboard, Scotty..... Sure. Will a 2x10 do?
Clap on! , Clap off! clap@#&$NO CARRIER
Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.
Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.
Thanks to author.
Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
A flashlight is a case for holding dead batteries.
All generalizations are false, including this one.
The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it.
I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!
Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
Magnific!
A flashlight is a case for holding dead batteries.
actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.
Oops. My brain just hit a bad sector.
Calvin, we will not have an anatomically correct snowman!
What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?
Build a watch in 179 easy steps - by C. Forsberg.
Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies
Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies
Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.
Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.
When there's a will, I want to be in it.
Magnific!
Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.
Magnific!
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