Youtube Singers #21/#22

Singer #21... Judith Blegen, coloratura... singing L'elsir d'amore sung in English..

Wow. What beautiful control! This is most evident when she sings melismas and soft passages in her higher register. She is not only a beautiful vocalist but a rather pretty woman. Most of the diction is discernible but on occasion the text is hard to understand which is problematic when singing in English, especially. Her breath support is so activated and this coupled with an incredibly clean and clear tone spells success. It is apparent that she understands not only the music, but the voice as well. Her tone seems so heady, in a good way... It seem to ring just where one would want it. However when she sings a fewer pitches in the lower register it seems grounded. Love it. I want to be her. My sympathetic resonators have no 'problems' when she sings!!

Singer #22... Barbara Bonney, lyric soprano... Singing Oh! Quand je dors by Franz Liszt.

What a great feel for the French language. No problem with the nasal vowels... Her voice is powerful, and yet clear and pleasing to my ear. Her facial expression is right on the money but I could have used less of a dramatic stage presence (less is more). She is able to negotiate registers in a most beautifully relaxed manner - impressive. Her ability to sustain notes in the upper register in an unforced way is certainly attributed to her use of breath support. There were a few times when I hear more breath than tone in her sound, but perhaps that's for effect?
She seems to understand the nuances of the French language, and expresses it well. Remarkable.