BocelliOnline

[MK]

I was listening to "Many Voices" in Barnes and Nobles this morning. I was wondering about the reviews of this CD. I noticed that Rolando Villazon had the lion's share of the vocals, more than 20 minutes. I ended up ordering from Amazon used at a very cheap price. Just wondered what others thought. It is surely an interestingg mix of operatic voices.

[MK]

Thanks to Karen from Ohio for posting a link to a NY Times review of this CD. What I got from this article is that Anne Midgette thinks this CD is too highbrow for Bocelli fans and a guilty pleasure for opera fans. She ponders over the 20 minute tenor and orchestra song sung by Villazon. She realizes that this is the kind of song that really has no audience. She seems to be questioning the fact that there is no ongoing development of this artform. I await my CD. Any opinions for those of you who have this CD?

[Anna in NY]

Hello MK,
I"ve not yet heard the CD, but did just read Ms. Migdette's piece in the New York Times. I simply have to remark on the following:


Anne Midgette wrote....
"But vocal seduction is the stock in trade of classical crossover; think of Il Divo, the hit male vocal quartet, or of Mr. Bocelli’s crooning."

Are we then supposed to believe that lovers of opera are not seeking vocal seduction when listening to Domingo or Pavoratti, Sutherland or Sills? If not, well, then, I have to ask....Why bother ??!!Is it mediocrity the music listener is supposed to seek? I can't for the life of me imagine a singer NOT wanting an audience to consider his/her performance "vocally seductive" !

Ms. Midgette then continues...

"And the issue goes beyond vocal music. Today people who simply ask of their music that it offer melodies, attractive sounds, clear emotional contours and lavish orchestral accompaniments are far more likely to turn to Mr. Bocelli or “Titanic” than to a performance of a new work in a concert hall, which guarantees none of those elements. "

First of all, to assume that enjoying the music of Andrea Bocelli means we "simply ask" anything is rather presumptious. However, for the sake of this discussion, I'm going to ask....Is there something wrong with "melodies, attractive sounds, clear emotional contours and lavish orchestral accompaniments"? Operatic sets are some of the most wonderful spectacles the eye can behold. The choruses that grace such stages only add to the lavish factor that is an integral part of the opera experience. Do not misunderstand me...I have great respect for the traditions of opera...but please don't try to tell me one is incapable of true musical appreciation or that one is not willing to explore new musical territory if they seek enjoyable music with an emotional connection! Opera contains each and every one of those mentioned elements. And thank goodness it does!

Silly...silly...silly.....

Respectfully submitted,
Anna
_________________
Beddu Turridu !!!!!!!!!!!!

[MK]

Opera News has favorably reviewed Many Voices, however there was a slight dig at Andrea's singing, indicating that Giordani sang Andrea's song better than Andrea did.

[westsider]

Have you read this article from the same woman?

Go to That Opera Again; Singers Are Only Human

[excerpt]

"After I began writing this article, a passionate debate on the same subject erupted in an online discussion forum: how can you presume to judge a singer after a single hearing? It’s a thorny question, particularly for those of us whose job it is to do just that. Had I been reviewing Ms. Baglioni, I would have written a blistering assessment of that first performance and never gone back to learn how wonderful she could be at her best.

"Yet anyone who listens to music can cite performers who have varied wildly from one evening to another. I recently reviewed a gifted cellist who on the night I heard him happened to have trouble with his intonation. I’ve been assured that he has been brilliant on other nights.

"Or take the tenor Salvatore Licitra, who has by now sung quite a few performances in New York, ranging from brilliant to so-so. Audiences here have had a chance to form their own opinions. Yet when he sang Canio in the Metropolitan Opera’s “Pagliacci” this fall, some of the problem spots in his voice seemed to have improved strikingly: the upper middle, once strained, was strong. He had been working on his approach. Is it still possible for him to change fans’ minds?"

Link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/30/arts/music/30midg.html?_r=1&oref=slogin


_________________
"Canto alla vita alla sua bellezza ad ogni sua
ferita ogni sua carezza..."

"I sing to life, to its beauty, to each of its
wounds and each of its caresses..."