Blog #1

In response to Blog #1's comparison of Mr. David Daniels and Mr. Christopher Dallo singing 'Ombra Mai Fu" by Handel...

When I listened to David Daniels sing the recitative and aria from Xerxes, I noticed first off that he sang the recitative with great ease. Secondly, his aria performance was sung very expressively in that he effectively portrayed the text through his use of word stress, and facial expression... It appears he is singing in a supported manner on account of his vibrato being very even. His tone sounded supported throughout his entire register.
When I listed to Christopher Dallo sing this same aria, I noticed right away that he seems to posses a very different voice than David Daniels, in the quality of sound, perhaps even that they are two different voice types. It appeared Christopher's larynx moved up when he reached the higher register as there was not only an audible shift, but a physical change as well in regards to the way his alignment appeared to change. During his performance I noticed a few glottal stops when a word began with a vowel... Perhaps this was because he is still learning to maneuver that musculature and a lack of breath flow caused the cords to come together forcefully.

I really think there is something to be said about the growth that occurs when one has time to discover what their voice is capable of doing. In that regard, perhaps Christopher is learning how to glide easily through, and modify to fix the few above mentioned concerns. This piece seems to sit in perhaps a difficult tessitura for many tenors, and I can appreciate the interpretation of both singers in these videos.