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From:  "Margaret L. Harrison"<peggyh@i...>
Date:  Fri Jul 12, 2002  3:41 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Classical/non-classical singing

"Caio Rossi" wrote: can anyone mention a non-classical singer who sings like
classical singers, in terms of not belting, no changing his or her timbre
throughout his or her range, etc?

This doesn't exactly meet Caio's criteria, but I find the singing of Mandy
Pantinkin (a TV/movie/stage actor, whose stage work is mostly singing-related,
especially in the works of Stephen Sondheim) very interesting and different
from anyone else.

He recently performed a one-man Sondheim show at the Kennedy Center's Terrace
Theater. He sings with a style/technique that seem unique to him. I've read
that he's worked with a coach to keep his voice healthy, but that he's worked
out his own technique, such as it is. I wouldn't call what he does "belting",
but he definitely sings with several different voices, some differences for
dramatic effect, and I think some technically driven. At the top, he sings in
a thin, flexible, reedy, crooning style that is not beautiful, but gets the
job done, and allows him to communicate the text. Sometimes, at the bottom,
he's using full operatic-style resonance (probably not really operatic, since
he uses a microphone). And at other times, he uses speech-style vocal
effects for purely dramatic purposes.

This is not beautiful singing by any means. And his intense acting style is
not to everyone's taste. But it's clear he uses every ounce of his being to
communicate his vision of the drama of the songs he's singing.

I've never seen a live performance anything like his KC show. It was almost a
cross between a lieder recital and Broadway. He sang his songs in groups of
3 to 5, and sequed within his groups so that applause was not possible. He
was wise to use his "show-stoppers" (such as "Broadway Baby") at the end each
group, to allow the audience to get the applause out of its system before the
next group started. He never took a break, except for one or two sips of
water, in the entire hour-and-a-half show. Which felt a lot shorter.

Some of his songs, he performed almost as a lieder singer would (he was
accompanied only by a pianist). Standing quietly, dressed simply, hands
comfortably at his sides, the dramatic communication occuring only in the face
and the voice. Other times he was as active as if he were performing in a
Broadway musical.

And though we had a stage bill, the audience was handed an insert listing the
songs he performed on the way out of the hall! Clearly, he wanted no
distractions from the performance he'd planned.

Peggy


Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA.




  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date  
19634 Re: Classical/non-classical singingKaren Mercedes   Fri  7/12/2002  

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