Philip Langridge

Well, after reviewing so many "Emulatable singers" i've chosen Philip Langridge who sings The Dream of Gerontius by Elgar with the BBC symphony. Oh how I wish I could do this! Starting off on a high note, he really seems to have the technique down, but already I can see why a teacher may not enjoy him. He shakes so much when he sings some big notes, his shoulders even raise a touch. Honestly, I can't find much more wrong with that unless I get really nitpicky and say that some of his consonants are slightly scooped... Singing in his native language, he really understand the meaning of the text, though his interoperation is a bit dramatic, it really sells. He sounds fantastic. the emotional content and understanding of the text is simply stager ing. Even in his histrionics he seems to pull the pianos into a sweet sound pleasing to my ears. Sometimes his eyes close, and it works for this performance. Perhaps excessive? 

Jussi Björling

For this tenor, I picked from Faust, Salut Demeure. Another calm and composed performance. Oh, how I love the old singers. They truly seem to understand the history of their craft, not that today we don't. But the art has evolved into this pop industry (not that I personally think this a bad thing) and it really makes me appreciate the recital form of these arias and art songs that we so lovingly perform. 

Personally, for me, I think he is a little stiff. It's grand, no doubt, but for this french song sometimes his swells feel slightly Italian. But what do I know. I wish there was a little more back space in his sound, it sounds very pingy, and it totally works, but just for my taste I wish there was a little more space in the back. He certainly gets it through his mask, and the notes are there in that ringing place. Perhaps it's the recording that makes me feel like the pitch is quavering slightly. Honestly, after hearing the bravado and weight of the mezzo-sopranos such as Mrs. Bumbry and Mrs. Baker, I just wish there were a little more roundedness… all that being said, after about minute 3:30, he really goes into his technique, as if the previous parts of the song couldn't even compare to the divinity of the high C he utters. Simply fantastic.

Grace Bumbry

Grace Bumbry, what a fox. So I'm looking up more Mezzo's and stumbling across the acclaimed Mezzo-Soprano Grace Bumbry. Her charm and poise is stunning. She is clearly a performer who understands the importance of standing still. In the Habanera her lines are absolutely silky smooth. Almost unsettling so, how little effort it seems to take for her to produce an adequate and brilliant sound. Presently I am faced with this difficult question, how is it that opera has evolved to include movement, sometimes superfluous, when the picture that is created but the incredibly costumes and voices used to be enough? In her red dress Grace Brumbry is a startling singer with incredibly consistency. It is clear that she understands her text, and she brilliantly tells the story of this aria, really captivating the audience, and even the singers on stage with her calm. An observer can really enjoy the stillness in that her earrings, big hoops, are not flailing about. I'd like to imagine what it must have been like to be on stage with his woman, to be truly inspired by someone so clearly passionate enough about their craft to sell the entirety of their being by their complete and total stillness.

Janet Baker

This morning, I've chosen to begin with Janet Baker in her stunning performance of Nuits d'été by Berlioz. Born August 1933, she was a fantastic lieder, concert, and opera singer. With her sparkly purple dress it's easy to discern that her shoulders aren't moving up and down at all. No trace of strange facial expressions line her face. Her movements are so natural, it feels like this mezzo is just pulling her voice from the very earth. Her fingers are delicate and seem to accent the music in their small movements, though not distractingly. Her tone quality is really full and brilliant, but not too chesty, a real Mezzo voice with a fantastic bottom. I particularly enjoy the way in which she carries phrases emotional until the very end. Suffice to say, her singing is quite entrancing. Even in the quiet and piano bits, she maintains this energy that really spins her tone into the large fortes in parts of her phrasing. One thing I really enjoy is how she doesn't over-sing, she uses her body efficiently to convey the message of the song. She really does see the Spirit of the Rose.

Peter Glossop

Peter Glossop

What was garnered from the Wiki page was that he was one of the only Englishmen to sing Verdi! Again another older singer with fantastic technique-- the video I found was of him singing Travatore! In which he fantastically demonstrates his vocal prowess and passion at some castle in Orange France in July 1972.

Though the video has a lot of the soprano singing, (Irina Arkhipova) he really shines in the role and fantastically carries himself on stage in a very relaxed appearance. He did seem a touch stiff, but then, anything is stiff in comparison to Geraint Evans. In my estimation, he was leaning a little forward during his singing, but that could just be his natural posture. He does have a HUGE neck, and a very commanding look. In general, his lines are quite full and vibrant. There is a passion in his eyes that make it impossible not to be entranced by his ability.

In this second video (sound) of Attila is done in Buenon Aires Teatre Colon, in 1966, he really shows off his high notes, and they are FANTASTIC. You can tell from listening that his breathing mechanisms really come together as he does a great job of producing a convincing line that doesn't seem to grow weak in its stream toward the end.

Sir Geraint Evans

Sir Geraint Evans
The first video that came up when i googled this singer was this vdeio from "Elisir d'Amore" -- This man clearly has a developed mind and presence for stage craft, and theatrical performance. Besides the fact that he's HILARIOUS, he always seems to stay right on his voice, no crazy shoulder raises, or inappropriate postures. He looks quite relaxed, as if there were no place he'd rather be then on stage. As is often with famous old singers, no one's heard of him.

A Welshman, he is one of the only singers with an Encyclopedia Britannica! Not only did he serve in the air force, but has toured the most famous companies including Glyndebourne and even in Covenent Garden.

Here he sings Madamina in Don G, and holy mackerel, the recitative continues to astound me. He just sounds like he's having a blast. His lines are really complete, but there is no lack of personality in each note. It's clear that he has command over the language, the interpretation, and the song itself. The reception after this song makes me wish I was there to see it myself.

His voice is absolutely incredible.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/geraint-evans/
Here's a particularly interesting biography which includes his decision to turn down Don G to do Leporello. Apparently a talented violinist AND pianist, he worked as an amateur window-dresser until WW2!

The Vocal Equation

Good day to you humble reader.

As this is the first blog to be received in the vocal pedagogy class, I wont' pretend I know what I'm doing, instead, I'll assure you I know what I'm doing. Evidently we're supposed to review a singer?

Today has been a particularly stressful piece of a pie belonging to an equally stressful week, the raising of one of Massanet's beloved Operas, "Werther" ! 

It has been a particularly cultural adventure this week, thus far, finishing listening to the 5-CD Leonard Bernstein recording of Tristan und Isolde, followed by a Jessye Norman/Thomas Allen's recording of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. As I'm well into ACT III, It's guaranteed that I'll have finished Puccini's Turandot with Tebaldi by the end of Friday. 

And for a visual treat, how about Austrian painter, Egon Schiele?

While this very blog is being written, I've been diving into the wonderful and tragic world of Shostakovich… 

It's a pretty incredible production, performed in Lyon, 8/10/2011. The singer in this fantastic production is none other than Vladimir Samsonov.  It's not the full production, but it is definitely a showcase of this man's talent, more than and hour and eighteen minutes worth.

His work is quite incredible, as an actor, and as a performer (at least in this one performance). Now, I can't tell if it's the fact that he's not supposed to have a nose in this production, or he's got a cold, but a lot of his singing seems a little, well, flat. I'm not sure if it's the stress of the performance, though it seems like he has enough support, but his laryngal equation seems a little depressed to my ear. All things considered, his technique (to my ear) is sound. It is certainly consistent. I can't find too much of his work otherwise to discriminate upon or even analyze because there is a Table Tennis player by the same name (unfortunately the table tennis player is much more important to the world than this man).

OK, so maybe this isn't the best review of Samsonov, let's move on to a more well known singer. Two days ago our favorite Mezzo Stephanie Blythe popped up on my Facebook, (my good friend and Soprano was in a masterclass with the famous Mezzo this past week in Toronto)

The first thing that strikes me about Stephanie Bylthe, not having listened to her nearly enough, is the poise and depth for which she pulls each breath. Her shoulders don't seem to raise at all! The following tone that ensues is so even and flowing in that, with this whale of an instrument, her ability to navigate through quickly moving passages is Herculean at the very least. Her tone makes me think that the phonation is akin to hang-gliding, no breaks, not to heavy handed or too light, just simply riding through the skies. (now I'd just love to see Stephanie Blythe hang-gliding)

I'm hoping that with all this explanation, this will stand as a sufficient piece of work to be (graded?) interpreted, and hopefully delighted upon the eye and ear, perhaps even to fascinate the mind… or at least a placeholder until the next blog wherein the writer will understand the necessary requirements of this task.

Sincerely and Gratefully,

John