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Date sent: Sun, 30 Jan 2000 06:59:40 EST
Subject: Re: Musical Theatre Fachs?
To: vocalist
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

no jennifer, it is not what you are used to that determines what you want to
hear. i saw my first opera when i was three years old (it was boheme. didn't
care about rudy and mimi. colline's 'coat aria' stuck in my mind though. at
that age, coat equaled teddy bear). i heard opera through my childhood. i was
a voice major in college. i have studied with mac morgan, phyllis curtin and
richard cassilly. i have sung papageno, twice, figaro (nozze), falke, sam in
'trouble in tahiti'. the only musical theater i have ever done, is an evening
of sondheim selections. i am more used to singing and hearing opera than
anything else.
i have made a point of exposing myself to a wide variety of singing. so,
given the choice of what kind of voice i would like to hear in that role,
whose name escapes me, i would not choose christa ludwig. if i were to choose
an operatic singer, it would more likely be teresa stratas or julia migenes,
or, if you must have a mezzo, patricia ewing. however, i would probably pick
some whisky-voiced belter if i absolutely had my way.
what has really affected my thinking most, is that opera, to me, in it's
current state, seems to be turning itself into a novelty act. without getting
into a dissertation
on the subject, let me direct your attention to two recent cds; michael
bolton's opera disc and samuel ramey's broadway disc. now i'm sure a lot of
you are horrified by bolton's cd, however, his enthusiasm is obvious, whether
or not it makes you puke. ramey's broadway cd has 'how to handle a woman' on
it. the first time i heard it, i thought "gee, i didn't know europe was a
part of oklahoma!" if he sounds this incomprehensible in his native
language...
compare the current crop of singing techno-bots with singers in the
early twentieth cent. battistini, ruffo, sobinov, etc.. it is not the same
art form. after listening to the older singers, you may be relieved that it's
not like that anymore. you make think opera has never been so vibrant and
alive as it is today and you are welcome to do so. in matters of taste, there
are no right answers.
in restating my original point, i will amend the previous statment. in
matters of taste, he who signs the checks has the right answers.

mike