Soprano Reri Grist...
Well, who knew about our dear gal Reri here? Love West Side Story and I'm delighted to find out that I've heard this voice previously. What a strong sense of the musicality elements of singing -- evident in each excerpt I listened to. She seems to wrap her entire mind around what the text requires and then gives it the necessary time and importance. An unhurried voice with focus throughout each part of her voice.. I find it very refreshing. The 'ah's in 'Caro Nome' are each sung with lilt and spin. What a controlled cresc/decrescendo... My goodness! She obviously is using support and everything is aligned as it should be for such a sound to be created. As well, though there is no live video to this performance, I hear the text sung without extreme changes in her mouth shape. Stunning.
Soprano Galina Vishnevskaya...
Russian born Soprano.. I must say this woman has a rather lovely voice to me. She sings the (?) aria from Verdi's Aida with passion and a large sound... However, when she sings in her lower register the sound falls way to the back of her throat, and unfortunately is a swallowed sound...
I could stand to hear the text a bit more clearly too. The leaps in the 'Love Duet' from Tosca do appear to come out of nowhere, but the sound created is resonant, and supported, so I must give her that. She seems to more effectively sing the Russian text as in Rachmaninoff's 'O ne grusti.' Though the large leaps again require the pitch center to be solid, and there are a few moments where it varies a bit. 'One must be interesting rather than exact,' says Voltaire...
Friday, February 12, 2010
Youtube Singers #5/#6
Soprano Leontyne Price... 'Vissi' d'arte' from Tosca..
I have a confession: It is my pleasure to see and hear Ms. Leontyne Price for the first time right now. WOW. She is not only capable of singing the Italian text beautifully, but she sings so incredibly evenly across her voice. What a pleasure to listen to. She appears to have such an open throat with no unnecessary tension and breathes knowing she will sustain long phrases. After studying with Ms. Moulson, my mind instantly says she would be pleased with this woman. She encourages, "Just opening your mouth and singing." Ms. Price does just that.
There is a real sense of forward motion in her singing, and an even vibrato or spin on all pitches sung in this excerpt. The transition from her lower register to the upper is rather smooth as well.
Secondly, Susanne Mentzer... 'E amore un ladroncello' from Cosi fan Tutte
How delightful is she!! Ms. Mentzer sings with a real buoyancy in her sound, and her voice is so supported through the entirety of the piece. I think she is simply using the various parts of her make-up; her breath support, an un-messed with mouth shape and her palette is lifted so that it all comes out in her sound. She seems to sing the Italian text without modifying it much, aside from perhaps a small adjustment when the eighth note runs require it. And her acting skills in this performance make the piece come alive! Yay Susanne! This piece also seems to fit her voice really well.
I have a confession: It is my pleasure to see and hear Ms. Leontyne Price for the first time right now. WOW. She is not only capable of singing the Italian text beautifully, but she sings so incredibly evenly across her voice. What a pleasure to listen to. She appears to have such an open throat with no unnecessary tension and breathes knowing she will sustain long phrases. After studying with Ms. Moulson, my mind instantly says she would be pleased with this woman. She encourages, "Just opening your mouth and singing." Ms. Price does just that.
There is a real sense of forward motion in her singing, and an even vibrato or spin on all pitches sung in this excerpt. The transition from her lower register to the upper is rather smooth as well.
Secondly, Susanne Mentzer... 'E amore un ladroncello' from Cosi fan Tutte
How delightful is she!! Ms. Mentzer sings with a real buoyancy in her sound, and her voice is so supported through the entirety of the piece. I think she is simply using the various parts of her make-up; her breath support, an un-messed with mouth shape and her palette is lifted so that it all comes out in her sound. She seems to sing the Italian text without modifying it much, aside from perhaps a small adjustment when the eighth note runs require it. And her acting skills in this performance make the piece come alive! Yay Susanne! This piece also seems to fit her voice really well.
Beethoven's Missa Solemnis Blog #4
Mmmm... just a treat for the ears.
After listening to this excerpt, I have a few thoughts on sensitivity. Leonard Bernstein's way of showing sensitivity appears differently than that of the tenor soloist, for instance, but you can feel it, or rather hear it in both men.. The tenor soloist seems to sing with support and tenderness, when I can hear him.
The soloists seem to be well prepared, even though I hear more SA than TB. When the women sing together in minute 7, their vowels don't seem to quite match... Perhaps this is because of the need to modify the vowel in the extreme upper register? When the tenor enters in this same spot, I hear an even-ness to his tone. The soprano seems to narrow her vowels when she sings lower in her voice... I don't really hear extremely odd shifts in tone in the extreme registers, aside from the soprano voice as she modifies the shape of her mouth quite a bit in her uppermost register, or so it appears... Probably to make the most powerful tone she can..? The violinist plays so sensitively, especially at minute 4 when the chorus enters- it appears they are falling right in line with the mood he has effectively set up. At the end of the movement, he compliments the imitative lines of the chorus well. A nice contrast.
I am embarrassed to admit, but I do not really hear the soloists sounding distressed... if they are singing powerfully, it sounds fitting to my ear considering the text of this movement. Perhaps the soprano voice has a distressed quality at times...? I think her voice is supported throughout, and very controlled. Love it.
The bass voice seems to blend into the background a bit.. his voice is not especially prominent to me.
The conducting is surely expressive, and Leonard Bernstein's facial expression is appropriate, and probably helpful to the chorus in this case. His left hand gives them more direction when the right hand isn't enough. While I don't hear the chorus very loudly, they appear to have a sense of the texts' translation and how it fits within the context of the work.
After listening to this excerpt, I have a few thoughts on sensitivity. Leonard Bernstein's way of showing sensitivity appears differently than that of the tenor soloist, for instance, but you can feel it, or rather hear it in both men.. The tenor soloist seems to sing with support and tenderness, when I can hear him.
The soloists seem to be well prepared, even though I hear more SA than TB. When the women sing together in minute 7, their vowels don't seem to quite match... Perhaps this is because of the need to modify the vowel in the extreme upper register? When the tenor enters in this same spot, I hear an even-ness to his tone. The soprano seems to narrow her vowels when she sings lower in her voice... I don't really hear extremely odd shifts in tone in the extreme registers, aside from the soprano voice as she modifies the shape of her mouth quite a bit in her uppermost register, or so it appears... Probably to make the most powerful tone she can..? The violinist plays so sensitively, especially at minute 4 when the chorus enters- it appears they are falling right in line with the mood he has effectively set up. At the end of the movement, he compliments the imitative lines of the chorus well. A nice contrast.
I am embarrassed to admit, but I do not really hear the soloists sounding distressed... if they are singing powerfully, it sounds fitting to my ear considering the text of this movement. Perhaps the soprano voice has a distressed quality at times...? I think her voice is supported throughout, and very controlled. Love it.
The bass voice seems to blend into the background a bit.. his voice is not especially prominent to me.
The conducting is surely expressive, and Leonard Bernstein's facial expression is appropriate, and probably helpful to the chorus in this case. His left hand gives them more direction when the right hand isn't enough. While I don't hear the chorus very loudly, they appear to have a sense of the texts' translation and how it fits within the context of the work.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Verdi Requiem Blog #3
Recordare...
After hearing both Martina Arroyo and Josephine Veasey sing this movement of the Requiem, I have a few comments.. First off, to answer the question asked of us, the women increase their space as they crescendo and as they decrescendo and it is so controlled that I am amazed. Perhaps this is what makes them real live 'opera singers' and capable of singing such rich repertoire. I think their mouths represent the vowel they are singing, so that no confusion occurs, and yes, they definitely still have their own roles though it appears they are considering one another in blend. Yay for choir teaching something of substance! I do hear much less of the alto voice than the soprano, but probably for the obvious reasons that she is singing in a much lower register. The text comes across rather clearly though in both women's voices...
Pavarotti singing the Ingemisco..
From the looks of it, this appears as easy as eating ice cream while sitting in your favorite chair watching soaps...
Nonetheless, all of Pavarotti's vowels seem to remain very tall throughout his singing, and his sound seems very connected to the breath at all times. When he sings in the uppermost register, I wonder if there is any tension in his throat cavity? I can't really tell, to be honest...
Sometimes in these moments as mentioned above, it seems a little 'in your face' where I wonder if such a loud dynamic is needed at such a high point in his register? I sense Pavarotti's support coming from his breath for the most part...
Finally we have Mr. Rene Pape singing the Confutatis maledictis...
Man, this gentleman's mouth is more active than other vocalists I've considered in this blog. And his throat space seems to be more than other vocalists I've seen... Is it really necessary that he open his mouth as such in minute 3:03? His singing is really rather supported throughout the registers and seems to match the instrumental accompaniment well. His dynamic contrast is rather impressive I must say.. singing with increased intensity where the text seems to require it. I see that he is a German born bass.. given that information perhaps one needs to remember the way he would form words in his own language... texts in languages other than German can't be formed exactly the same for him, right? Impressive nonetheless.
After hearing both Martina Arroyo and Josephine Veasey sing this movement of the Requiem, I have a few comments.. First off, to answer the question asked of us, the women increase their space as they crescendo and as they decrescendo and it is so controlled that I am amazed. Perhaps this is what makes them real live 'opera singers' and capable of singing such rich repertoire. I think their mouths represent the vowel they are singing, so that no confusion occurs, and yes, they definitely still have their own roles though it appears they are considering one another in blend. Yay for choir teaching something of substance! I do hear much less of the alto voice than the soprano, but probably for the obvious reasons that she is singing in a much lower register. The text comes across rather clearly though in both women's voices...
Pavarotti singing the Ingemisco..
From the looks of it, this appears as easy as eating ice cream while sitting in your favorite chair watching soaps...
Nonetheless, all of Pavarotti's vowels seem to remain very tall throughout his singing, and his sound seems very connected to the breath at all times. When he sings in the uppermost register, I wonder if there is any tension in his throat cavity? I can't really tell, to be honest...
Sometimes in these moments as mentioned above, it seems a little 'in your face' where I wonder if such a loud dynamic is needed at such a high point in his register? I sense Pavarotti's support coming from his breath for the most part...
Finally we have Mr. Rene Pape singing the Confutatis maledictis...
Man, this gentleman's mouth is more active than other vocalists I've considered in this blog. And his throat space seems to be more than other vocalists I've seen... Is it really necessary that he open his mouth as such in minute 3:03? His singing is really rather supported throughout the registers and seems to match the instrumental accompaniment well. His dynamic contrast is rather impressive I must say.. singing with increased intensity where the text seems to require it. I see that he is a German born bass.. given that information perhaps one needs to remember the way he would form words in his own language... texts in languages other than German can't be formed exactly the same for him, right? Impressive nonetheless.
Blog #2 Didonato/Pearl Fishers
Ms. Joyce Didonato sings 'Una voce poco fa' by Rossini...
Are you kidding me? That's got to be one of the most beautiful voices I've heard. Ms. Joyce sings with even-ness in her tone all throughout her register, and seems consistently grounded. Her energy seems to be coming straight at us, the audience through her core. Love it. I really do not notice when she 'flips' into her head voice, it's so smooth all the way across the board. She seems to interact with the instrumentalists well as though they are all one entity. Every single eighth note has spirit, and vitality, and I want to be an opera singer. The held long note at the end of the aria is just stunning... no strain to be found. Is this woman a mezzo?
She effectively represents the text, but doesn't get in the way of it.
Duet from the Pearl Fishers by Bizet.
Nathan Gunn, Bill Burden
This is beautiful... kind of a lot of tenor, but if you're into that kind of thing. Kidding..
These men both sing with support, and Mr. Gunn's breathing is indeed low and relaxed... I do hear the voices interweaving beautifully, so good call Bizet. The singing does sound even and not pushed in both men's voices. As in the other example, the singers do sing right from their core, and I understand every word.. now if only I knew the storyline...
I do hear that the tenor voice requires maybe a smidge different modulation, (for lack of a better term) than the baritone voice... though it appears they are both effectively doing what they need to be doing.
Are you kidding me? That's got to be one of the most beautiful voices I've heard. Ms. Joyce sings with even-ness in her tone all throughout her register, and seems consistently grounded. Her energy seems to be coming straight at us, the audience through her core. Love it. I really do not notice when she 'flips' into her head voice, it's so smooth all the way across the board. She seems to interact with the instrumentalists well as though they are all one entity. Every single eighth note has spirit, and vitality, and I want to be an opera singer. The held long note at the end of the aria is just stunning... no strain to be found. Is this woman a mezzo?
She effectively represents the text, but doesn't get in the way of it.
Duet from the Pearl Fishers by Bizet.
Nathan Gunn, Bill Burden
This is beautiful... kind of a lot of tenor, but if you're into that kind of thing. Kidding..
These men both sing with support, and Mr. Gunn's breathing is indeed low and relaxed... I do hear the voices interweaving beautifully, so good call Bizet. The singing does sound even and not pushed in both men's voices. As in the other example, the singers do sing right from their core, and I understand every word.. now if only I knew the storyline...
I do hear that the tenor voice requires maybe a smidge different modulation, (for lack of a better term) than the baritone voice... though it appears they are both effectively doing what they need to be doing.
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