David Daniels' Royal Opera House debut, in Gluck's Orfeo, was broadcast
live on BBC radio 3 last night. Did any other uk Listers hear it?
What a voice! - vibrant, expressive, emotional - and when he duetted
with Susan Gritton at the end, there was none of the uncomfortable lack
of blend that normally occurs with a counter-tenor and a female soprano.
Altogether, it was a triumph.
But I thought truly remarkable was the other member of the cast. Billed
in the Radio Times as a counter-tenor, Tristan Hambleton was quite
clearly a treble, and a treble of powerful size. It was such a
competent performance, skilfully phrased, and in good Italian too, that
I supposed he must be one of these 15-year-olds who are trembling on the
brink of a late voice-break. At the end of the broadcast, we were
informed that he is TWELVE. He's a chorister in St Paul's Cathedral and
is apparently the fourth generation of his family to sing at Covent
Garden.
What are the chances of our ever hearing him there as a
tenor/baritone/bass? Are there any instances of truly top-class trebles
maturing into truly top-class adult singers?
cheers
Linda
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