As another Countertenor on this list I would like to add my thoughts
about some of the points raised here.
>One of my dearest colleagues describes his as one of the lovliest
>voices out there but a really small voice.
As a member of the current cast of Partenope at the Lyric Opera of
Chicago, I can assure you that David's voice is not small. The house
seats almost 3000 people and he is heard with ease from the top to
the bottom. His voice can be described better as "Lyric." In
contrast, Bejun Mehta's voice is huge. It is even larger that the
contralto Pat Bardon who is also in the cast and just finished
singing Erda at ENO last November. David Walker and I are also
considered lyric countertenors. Neither one of us has a problem
being heard in large halls. I fully believe that it is a result of
the way we are taught here in the U.S. (lots of back space and
squillando). I spent many years at the Akademie voor Oude Muziek in
Amsterdam and no one ever mentioned bringing my voice forward into
the mask. I had to return home for that. It doubled the size of my
voice and allowed me to sing many things in performance that are
considered scandalous (if you want to see the list go to my website
www.mralto.com ).
> The Counter-Tenor voice isn't very large at all. They aren't
likely to sing as beautifully in large, accoustically dead concert
halls with great success.
Again, I must say that I spend most of my time in large halls. This
year alone, I have been at Avery Fisher, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Hall
in Chicago as well as several others. I believe that countertenors
are just like any other voice... we come in all types and sizes and
all are valid.
For many years countertenors have fought all sorts of battles to be
considered viable. In fact, many competitions and schools still do
not allow countertenors past the first round. Although it has been
many years since Mr. Deller and Mr. Oberlin first "brought back" the
voice, it seems we still have a long way to go.
Take care,
Mark
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