Have Yourself a Hunky Little Christmas
UPDATE: The YouTube clip of Stephen Costello singing "O Holy Night" is no longer available. Given Stephen's ubiquity on YouTube, though, surely it can't be long before another performance of this song goes live, and La Cieca promises to link as soon as her veritable army of sources inform her. In the meantime, here's another number. Right religion, even if it's the "wrong" holiday.
Labels: hunkentenor, stephen costello, youtube
POSTED at
12:15 PM
105 Comments:
And the best of the season to you, LC - and to all the people of Parterre, from the Divas to what I like to call the "Keenlyside" of the lyric stage - the hunkentenors and barihunks. Thanks for 'em all!
Cieca, dearest, what DID you do to his hair before you let him go onstage?
And why does he sound like a non-native speaker? He sounds like an Italian tenor trying to sing in English!
Oh the atrocious scooping... Oh the atrocious diction... Oh the beautiful voice...
ear candy NOT, eye candy yes!
Very nice.
I would gladly have my who-hah cut off, shave my body, and tweeze my brows if I could find a man to sing to me like that. He has a gorgeous voice (at least for now...hopefully the Met won't kill him). But he and another tenor I listened to today, Joseph Calleja (also a gorgeous voice - see youtube), have the same habit of tilting their heads back so it looks as if they're singing to the ceiling. As a former singer, I can only imagine that they were taught that by their teachers, but it's very distracting.
What's with all the Scrooges here lately? If La Cieca's cher public aren't good little girls and boys, there might not be any future presents for us under this blogtree.
I agree with Kashania - this is very nice and heartfelt. Thanks for posting it La Cieca.
Sanford--
I think you should cut off your who-hah wether you find a man to sing for not.
Justanothertenor--
remember: he is Stephen Costello who has already sung at the Met in his 20s and you are justanothertenor, way passed your 20s
Someone needs to smack him- make him stand up straight and stop falling all over the piano.
When that's done someone needs to tell him "NO"- Dame Joan has already recorded this so well (starting on an e flat and going up from there) no one else should ever be allowed near a microphone to attempt it.
That aside is nice to see the little ones "having a go". Thank you la Cieca- and Merry Christmas.
Daniel--
And it is nice to see you having a platform for your informative blogs. you are certainly responsible for furthering our musical education(s). It is a shame you don't have a national platform so you can educate, edify, and illuminate a larger number of "the little ones."
Dear Sharon Graham, hoping you are not the former mezzo of the same name, if so che peccato!!! Get off your high horse. Some people love Stephen some don't, who cares. I am sure he cries all the way to the bank. So did Luciano Pavarotti and so did Florence Foster Jenkins. Strange that you seem so overly invested.
To Cieca: Thanks for the clip, and have a very happy Holiday.
A very nice looking boy who sings a little indulgently. I fail to see the apocalypse approaching.
Why is this guy being shoved down our pie holes? He's fine, but what's the big deal? Is he someone's boyfriend or just the prettiest gal at the dance?...hmmm...
Cieca, dearest, what DID you do to his hair before you let him go onstage?
Well, young Stephen DOES seem to have some hair issues - reminds me of Andre Agassi, say in the late 90's when with his long flowing blond ponytail he couldn't take his cap off! I imagine the tossled look is to make things a little less obvious.
His voice sounds HUGE here; it must be a small room. And I find his youthful awkwardness quite charming.
Sharon Graham, I could cut off my who-hah, and it would certainly be a quick way to lose a couple of pounds, but I'm not sure how to feel about someone else telling me to cut off my who-hah, particularly someone who has never seen it. I'm rather fond of it. I was merely expressing my fondness for the adorable and talented Mr. Costello through exaggeration.
Well, yes, he is cute, but for those of you who want to hear a grand but less vocally problematic version, here is the great French tenor Georges Thill (a contemporary of Gigli who sang at the Met only in 1931-32):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS8G_LyYlso
Dear Sharon Graham- thank you so much for your endorsement, Dear and of course you are absolutely correct in everything you say - it's only a matter of time before I'm given some form of platform as I'm already a national treasure.
I wish you a wonderful Christmas and New Year and hope you get what you must surely be hoping for- a sense of humour.
Real "ear candy"!
And, for those of you who prefer perfect diction, no "scooping", and flawless high notes, listen to the master singing "O Helga Natt":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo75jFLjKaw
Daniel--
I am not hoping for a sense of humor. I want to see what his name's who-hah. I may regret this wish.
I adored that someone referred to me as the "former" mezzo
Ms. Graham, I saw the Met Opera Regional Finals one year in Chicago in the late 70s or early 80s. I believe it was the same year as That Harolyn Blackwell sang. If I recall correctly, there was a wonderful mezzo by the name of Sharon Graham. Might you have been she? And the last woman who saw my who-hah was my mummy, quite some time ago. I[m sure there are any number of men in NYC who saw it, however, back in the heyday of J's Hangout, The unicorn, and The West Side Club. Ah, remember those halcyon days when quantity was more important than quality?
I agree that Georges Thill's rendition is magnificent, as is Jussi Bjoerling's. I also love Leontyne's first (with Karajan) and Dame Joan's (although the super-high key makes it sound a little frantic, in my opinion). They all bring wonderful things to this song, and I think this kid also brings some wonderful things. It strikes me as heart-felt and sincere as well as sensitive to the text (although I agree with his English sounds foreigner singing in English a couple times). And his voice is thrillingly gorgeous. I'm sure some of his questionable vocal habits (scooping) will be fixed as he gets more experience and confidence. I suspect people have let him get away with things because the sound is so mesmerizing. I've listened to it 4 times and I keep hitting replay.
Is it me or does the voice seem highly unnatural and fake? I'm sorry i just can't connect with him.
saford--
I am not she. Although I used to know her quite well. I have lost contact with her. I saw her name on the NYCO roster as recently as a few years ago singing Lola or Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria...what a great gorgeous voice...what do you think happened to her?
And I was not serious about seeing your who-ha. No woman since your mummy???? that is quite a track record. And I am sure you exemplify quality over quantity
Hey, when do we get the answer to the last Regie?
http://cultureonthecheap.wordpress.com
Mr. Costello, of the rising career and incredible voice and charm, despite the clucking chicks in here, for or against, is singing this very gorgeous melody at St. Patricks on televison Christmas eve.
Indulgent my ass, so was Franco Corelli. It is his own way of expressing, like it or not.
I love it. And it is goign get even more beautiful and fabulous as he continues to mature. What a joy!
Happy Holidays back at ya, Cieca dear....and to her other not so merry group of bitter bloggers in her wake."BAH Humbug!
OK, of course he's not (insert name of your favorite tenor of yore here). But if I were Gelb, Gockley, or any of them (even Mortier??) today, I'd sure want him for *my* opera company.
Maude: It's La Cieca's blog, so she can feature whomever she likes. La Cieca really likes Stephen Costello's voice and personality, and in particular finds this performance charming and (oddly, since La Cieca has little religion to speak off) spiritually moving as well.
For the record, La Cieca would rather this slightly mannered diction if it fosters so handsome a legato. How Costello sings English is basically how it was sung by artists like Eleanor Steber, Rise Stevens, Richard Tucker and Robert Merrill back in the 1950s, and for my money it's the best way to sing a lyric piece like this one.
In the spirit of the season, La Cieca will stop now before she starts getting ranty and abusive, though goodness knows she has had plenty of provocation on this thread.
Jussilives - thank you so much for pointing out the Georges Thill number.
Quite apart from the voice itself, what a joy to hear French sung with such clarity. I have to confess that Georges is a tenor I prefer to your Swedish namesake, who, though splendid, always sounds too 'blond' to me, at least in Italian repertoire. Lohengrin at the court of Conte Riccardo ...
Talking of French tenors, keep a watch out for young Sebastien Gueze. The samples on YouTube don't show him at his best, but he is no milksop and his French diction is superb.
I agree about the scooping, leaning on the piano and general sloppy platform technique. And he sounds like a pushed-up baritone.
I would have liked to hear it as I admire Mr. Costello, however, when I click on it it says "THAT VIDEO IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE."
What gives? Or doesn't?
Well, I think the general bitchiness of this thread caused the video to stop. Comments like that idiot's who wants to smack Mr. Costello to make him stand up straight. Whoever said that must have been a vocal coach at a CIA torture camp.
Mr. Costello is a young man in his mid 20s who sounds like a real tenor in the theatre and not a pushed up baritone. I saw him in Lucia at the Met. Before the opera I dined at a restaurant across the street from Lincoln Center. I happened to sit at the table next to a group of vocie faculty from the Philadelphia Academy of Vocal Arts (is that the right title?)where Mr. Costello was a student. They were there to support their former student. Their pride was palpable and infectious. Mr. Costello is married...to an anotomically correct woman.
He and his technique are young but his talent is undeniable. I think his stage demeanor projects vulnerability and a fiece desire to be good. He does not project phoney self-confidence that so many opera singers are prone to.I know most people want the stock operatic and recital demeanor from a singer. But maybe things are changing...praise GOD. I also know that some vocal technicians will inevitably write and say one needs to stand up straight to be able to fully supprot the voice. Get over it. We are talking about world class opera, not your small town church chirping.
Stephen Costello is the target of bitter criticism on sites like this. I mean think about it. Here is a good looking man who is straight and married (so he is not available to the gaggle of bitches who frequesnt the hallways of the Met or sing in the opera chorus) and has already sung at the Met in his mid 20s. That is a sure recepie for jealousy to rear its ugly head.
Take a valume everybody and direct your anger and bitterness at your mothers where it belongs.
Sharon Graham, just on the offshot that you were she, I googled her. There is not a mention anywhere that I could find of Sharon Graham on the web. Also, nothing on Youytube, which seems to have everyone. I have no idea what happened to her. I was surprised to not see any mention of her. ALl i found was that CDuniverse has 2 cd's for sale, Madama Butterfly, and Andrea Chenier.
Sanford
Thank you for you valiant efforts. I guess in her absence it is upon me to carry on her name.
sincerely
Sharon Graham
I knew that Mr. Costello was engaged to Ms. Perez. When did they get married?
He's a wonderful young singer who should have a bright future. He should be encouraged.
The cattiness and nastiness of some of the comments here are appalling.
It's a shame if that caused the video to be removed before some of us could hear/see it.
I have done some more research. After singing with Venus in Tannhauser and Roggiero in Tancredi during the 88/89 season of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Sharon Graham appears to have completely fallen off the face of the earth.
Oh, and in the course of my research, I found another hunkenthtenor... Christophe Dumaux.
http://www.imgartists.com/?page=artist&id=126
Click on the pic and tell me he's not dreamy.
Wow, I'm amazed at the bitchiness that this clip has caused. I'm sure that La Cieca didn't post this rendition as the final word on "O holy night". Yes, the Georges Thill rendition is a classic (and deseverdely so) but so what? "Sloppy platform technique" and "pushed-up baritone"? I think we need to settle down (and get over ourselves).
Sanford: La Cieca agrees with you that Christophe Dumaux is dreamy, but he's a countertenor.
Should he be called a "hunkencountertenor?"
Since he's so hot, how about a geigercountertenor. And I think Parterre Box is now on a red alert because of known antitenorism activity. Please report any strange packages left unattended. And if the strabge packages are attached to any hot men, please bring them directly to my office. By the way, I'm currently blasting Il Viaggio a Reims on mt stereo. How about a revival at the met, with Annick Massis, Diana Damrau, Joyce Di Donato (or Jennifer Larmore), barihunk Dmitri Hvoratovksi, and any one of our favorite hunkentenors?
I saw Christophe Dumaux at LOC's recent Giulio Cesare. That's not my idea of "dreamy" but it certainly is my idea of a "nightmare."
He weighed less than Danielle De Niese who certainly could have crushed his twinky little body between her thighs.
He was downright creepy-looking and exactly what turns off the regular opera-going public to countertenors.
Now, Mark. Dumaux was playing a character, after all, and Tolomeo is nothing if not creepy. And let's please remember that hotness is in the eye of the beholder.
The Dumaux Tolomeo, La Cieca would call a "hot mess," which seems to be exactly his intention.
Amateur: I must take exception to your comment: "I have to confess that Georges is a tenor I prefer to your Swedish namesake, who, though splendid, always sounds too 'blond' to me, at least in Italian repertoire. Lohengrin at the court of Conte Riccardo ...."
Granted, we all have our preferences, but the criticism that Bjorling sounds "too blond" (whatever that means) is extremely idiosyncratic. He himself never thought himself unsuited to the Italian and French repertory, which he sang *exclusively.* Unlike his fellow Swede Birgit Nilsson, Bjorling never performed German opera. His was not a Wagnerian voice, and he knew it, and played to his (considerable) strengths.
Bardassa, I'm surprised that only you and me have mentioned the piano etiquette. When I studied singing many years ago, one of the first things I was taught was "how to present yourself on the platform" with all the do's and don'ts.
Top of the list was NEVER to touch the piano as it was considered to be "outrageous familiarity" and never appropriate unless one had reached "a certain status". In other words if you weren't a Diva -keep your mits off the piano!
I noted that in concert Victoria De Los Angeles, when not adjusting her stole, did put one hand delicately on the piano- but nothing more.
There seemed to be a grudging acceptance in those cases, that a hand only, would not cause offence.
Imagine the delight of we students when we found a clip where la Moffo draped herself, leaning against the piano with both arms extended- but of course that was la Moffo, a huge star at the time!
That just proved to us that really, IF you were a Diva, you could do as you damned well pleased.
I know we don't beat our children anymore- but ye Gods- has platform etiquette changed too? I just can't see Mr Costello as a Diva just yet. ;0)
Before someone torches me- I didn't mean that Mr Costello isn't a very exciting talent. Clearly he's got the world before him once he knocks off a few barnacles and gets some stagecraft underneath his belt.
Yes, I know that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" which is why I said that the dreamy Mr. Dumaux was a nightmare "to me."
And, yes, he was playing a character but that had nothing to do with his physique. The last time I saw arms like that they were on my 12 year old niece.
That's what I found so creepy. The twinky, fey look is not for me!
I am incredibly surprised people keep on referencing the "incredible cattiness" and bitchiness. Nobody denies he is a major talent.
I heard him live, and as I said in my previous comment, 'Oh the beautiful voice."
Still, in "holy night," he scooped and displayed what I think is an inappropriate grasp of the style. It is my opinion. No need for everyone (ie: Sharon graham) to get personal about it in the way she does.
Would I go see him in most rep he sings? Absolutely, I just did not care for his "Holy Night." I don't think that is catty or bitchy. getting personal is.
The Cujus Anima is very exciting by the way. And beautifully sung. With appropriate style.
That's enough to make this Jewish girl convert...
http://cultureonthecheap.wordpress.com
Sanford said...
"After singing with Venus in Tannhauser and Roggiero in Tancredi during the 88/89 season of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Sharon Graham appears to have completely fallen off the face of the earth."
Sharon Graham sang Augusta in Connecticut Opera's BABY DOE in 1997 with Mary Dunleavy and Kimm Julian, both very good. She gave a committed dramatic performance but sounded like late-career Nell Rankin on a really rocky night: all bottom and top and nothing in between but rattle and rasp. I was sorry to hear this as I had heard her sing quite well in small parts in the 80s. Well, it happens. Where is Leslie Richards-Pellegrini, who also showed some promise?
Just can't fathom the Costellomania, sorry. Nice kid, nice voice, a long way to go. Don't get that the looks are so special either. Whoever wrote that people are jealous of him because he's straight needs his head examined--his *heads*, I should say, to paraphrase George in re Martha.
Nerva
I too was a little surprised that Stephen gets special points because he is straight? I was a little offended. How many gay top tier tenors are there? I think very few and most I know are committed skirt chasers. Look if his management wants to put up his videos as much as it does then he is game for both praise and criticism.
G
nerva: all bottom and top and nothing in between but rattle and rasp
So very like our own parterre.com.
Looks like Neil Funkmeister and his shoebox PR plan works...Post some videos of a doughy talent and the gays jump on it like white on rice...That's quite a legacy ladies and hats off to Parterre Box for keeping it oh so "real".
eat your hearts out other agents, everyone will want that young man.
Wow, really like Costello in the Rossini. Nice, virile sound, and more than enough polish already. If he keeps improving, he might just be the one to fill Bruce Ford's shoes as the heroic belcanto tenor for the future!
Daniel, the reason Victoria touched the piano is because she had a terrible memory, or at least a memory she didn't trust. She had 3x5 cards with the words for all her numbers, including the most popular lieder, which she would place inside the piano. Then at the end of each number, very casually she would "touch" the piano, i.e., she would move that card to the bottom of the stack and take a quick look at the next one to remind herself of the words. Sometimes she would even peek in mid-song. She was a very charming lady and could manage that without the audience knowing what she was doing. Offstage she would talk of having nightmares about having the cards in the wrong order.
you can overdose on O Holy Night here http://mp3soundfiles.homestead.com/O_Holy_Night.html
which is the best??
you can overdose on this here
http://mp3soundfiles.homestead.com/O_Holy_Night.html
but who gets top marks??
Freniac,
I couldn't agree more. I find that this clip shows off Mr. Costello's true talents. I was not taken with the O Holy Night.
Unfortunately, what should be a marvelous bel-canto career is already being pushed into all the 'popular repertoire' which I have always believed to be a few sizes too large. Pity that so many young (and fortunately attractive) singers all buy into the "Boheme's and Butterfly's and Rigoletto's" just because that is the 'popular' repertoire and that is where they are guided and directed to sing even if their voices aren't designed for them. It seems that in the industry today, there is so much more importance on the attractiveness and sex-appeal of a singer in 'popular' operas vs. great singing in appropriate repertoire. I say, if the sex-appeal is there, great - if it's not,at least we should be able to count on the voice!
(Example: Robert Merrill was not exactly a pornstar material...but you can listen to that voice and call it 'sexy' and be perfectly content to hear it...or you can cast a muscular nude tenor in a beautiful Vivaldi opera and rely on nudity and shock value and sex to sell it when there is no voice to do the music justice and is easier to ignore than listen to. I will always take the former. I can find sex elsewhere, it doesn't need to be on the stage)
This Rossini, however, was wonderful. Congrats to Mr. Costello!
Happy Holidays and New Year to all Parterreboxers!
borsa: Unfortunately, what should be a marvelous bel-canto career is already being pushed into all the 'popular repertoire' which I have always believed to be a few sizes too large.
Have you bothered to take a look at Costello's schedule of current and upcoming engagements? Nemorino, Camille in Merry Widow, Romeo, Alfredo in Traviata. Not everybody has to sing Almaviva and Don Ottavio until they're 40 just to satisfy the conventional wisdom about what is "appropriate" for young singers.
There's also a problem of practicality here. Is a singer supposed to sit at home twiddling his thumbs until just the right offer for Bianca e Fernando comes along?
Thank you iltenordigrazia, she obviously did a great job of the cards because I never noticed her doing them in the two concerts I was lucky enough to see. She was a great lady for sure - and that voice was amazing. Her Butterfly was the first full length opera recording I ever listened to in its entirety at about the age of seven.
Merry Christmas to you and all.
La Cieca,
We shall have to remain at odds on certain issues, and as I believe you have a close relationship with many of the 'important' people in Mr. Costello's career, I feel that it is unnecessary to press those issues.
I have mentioned in the past, as have many other people both in Cyberspace and in the real world, that Mr. Costello's repertoire is not homogenous and there is a fear amongst many people who are supportive of this voice and talent that he, like so many other promising young voices, is being 'convinced' to sing repertoire that either his voice does not do justice or that do not do justice to his voice because of the natural physiology of his instrument. I am not saying that he WON'T ever sing that repertoire, but that perhaps prudence now would be rewarded later.
In this world, I have never understood why, in order to be a 'star' or to be part of the 'hype' in the industry, a singer must therefore sing all of the 'popular' repertoire that the 'lay-public' recognizes and often finds themselves attending. I always worry for the day when young tenors begin singing "Nessun dorma" just because they are "supposed" to sing it because it's a popular aria!
My attack is not on Mr. Costello, but on the industry and many of the influential people in the industry who continue to breed singers to follow these ridiculous molds.
The world is now full of far too many dreadful productions of Carmen with un-Carmen-esque voices filling in the spots only because those singers happen to "look" the parts or because the theatre needs to "make money"...so they choose a "popular" opera, like Carmen, find a saucy Mezzo with no high notes, a young strapping tenor and barihunk who looks but doesn't sound like Don José (but then they argue, Oh it's a small house, they'll survive), and somehow throw it all together and call it Bizet's Carmen - as if Bizet doesn't deserve the respect of his masterpiece being presented faithfully to those who are subjected to listen and view it. And this is the vicious cycle that I, and so many of my colleagues, continue to see the youngest and most recent generations of singers falling in to.
Please don't mistake me for being too rigid, because while I support the 'notion' of the fach system, I do not wholly approve of it's apparent 'infallibility:' in the sense that, if a voice can sing a part it should sing a part regardless of what the fach system says. Why shouldn't a successful dramatic soprano with a round, warm sound, a good solid technique, and the right colors, sing La Favorite or Werther if the voice is well suited to the part and the person suited to the character? But there are always exceptions and unique occurences to every scenario. But I still remain that the fach system has vitures often abused by teachers, casting directors, recording companies, stage directors, business meetings under the sheets, and inexperienced and misguided singers (young and old!).
There are serious flaws in the ways that operas are being cast these days and the ways theatres are presenting productions. The chances of actually having a truly GREAT performance are slim these days. We are often, as audiences, confronted with and affronted by mediocrity on many different levels. The whole process has become too rushed. We complain "where are the great Verdian and Verismo and Wagnerian voices today?" I will tell you, many of those voices were destroyed in the last generation when they began too fast, and too furiously, too soon.
Well, anyway, I could go on further but I'm bored of it all over again: this is a conversation I have far too frequently.
Unfortunately, La Cieca, I find that 'conventional wisdom' in opera is rarely conventional or wise. Your argument is just as valid, but I think part of the answer is that each individual must find their own balance and do so with intelligence, nobility and the confidence that their decisions will bring forth rewards in the future and not just in the present.
Lucrezia Borsa, brilliantly put! Thank you.
Borsa: your argument has become so general and diffuse that it is difficult to address. My impression earlier was that you were claiming that Stephen Costello was currently "being pushed" into unsuitable repertoire, i.e., that he was being given bad advice and acting on it. I don't think this is true. Now you backpedal to say that "there is fear amongst many" that pressure is being brought to bear on him "to sing repertoire that either his voice does not do justice or that do not do justice to his voice because of the natural physiology of his instrument." That's an entirely different matter and certainly a different argument.
Is Stephen Costello receiving offers for roles unsuitable to his voice? Probably. Is he accepting them. Apparently not. So you see there is a difference between the pervasive attitude you deplore and the specific situation.
I have my doubts about the "too soon, too fast" theory as well. "Correct" repertoire is only one factor in maintaining vocal health, along with the basic strength of the instrument, emotional stability, general health, and a number of other factors. For every example you might give of a singer who burned out quickly "because" of bad choices of repertoire, I could offer at least one other example of a singer who defied the conventional wisdom and enjoyed a long and happy career.
I would also argue that a very important reason we don't see many "great" performances is that young singers wait too long to take on important roles, and when they finally do get a chance, they tie themselves up in knots worrying "is this role that everyone is tut-tut-tutting about going to destroy my voice?" Cautious and cowed performers don't give great performances.
Further, I'm going to disagree with your implicit argument that what opera needs is more ugly singers. Just because you're ugly doesn't make you anything special.
You know, there are a lot of factors I see as important in this debate. On the one hand you have opera houses that want the freshest faces (and bodies) to star in their houses because they pull in revenue. And because most opera houses book several years in advance, they book singers into roles they are already singing, or hope to add to their repertoire in the future. The next factor is that smart singers (and I sang for 20 years) know that their voices will mature into roles that aren't suited to them early in their careers. There's a tenor I can think who should never have attempted Otello at this point in his career. But there are also singers who don't care what their supposed "fach" is because their egos or their managers convince them they can sing anything anywhere. At one point in his career, Domingo was asked if he were going to sing Wagner and he said "never". But eventually, when he felt his voice could handle it, he did. But would he still have been singing in his late 60s? Pavarotti, on the other hand, tried Otello, and gave it up. Alfredo Kraus had a very long and distinguished career sticking to his fach. This isn't an "either or" situation; both Ms. Borsa and La Cieca make valid points. But is it necessary to express them with such animosity? This is beginning to sound llike Youtube, where I get flamed if I say I prefer Moffo to Sutherland, or that I don't like Dessay.
It's hard not to agree completely with La Cieca's points about Mr. Costello and about young singers in general.
Borsa seems to just be another one of those "people" who likes to complain and complain making arguments that they later claim they didn't really make.
Just who are "these people" who are so concerned about Mr. Costello's choices? They really don't seem to know what they are talking about.
Mr. Costello has been in great demand since he was a student at AVA and he and his management have turned down more offers than I'm sure they can count because they wanted him to not be pushed too fast.
How could one argue with that and claim that he is "being pushed?" It simply isn't true.
And regarding the crack about Mr. Stains in the obscure Vivaldi opera. Perhaps you should really listen and watch it first before making the rather uninformed judgment that you did.
Yes, on the surface it seems like a gimmick. But once you see it you realize that Mr. Stains has both the vocal and physical goods to carry it off -- and quite splendidly.
Just because one is beautiful -- physically -- doesn't necessarily mean that they don't have the goods vocally which is the claim that Borsa seems to be making.
Sometimes there is something called a "total package" and there has been throughout history. This isn't something new.
Merry Christmas!
La Cieca:
Such immaturity. Really, now?
Romeo, Alfredo, Rodolfo, Leicester, The Duke, Roberto Dev, and Faust (taken from Mr. Costello's repertoire on his agents website) are all unsuitable, along with Edgardo. I also notice the lack of any Mozart in his repertoire - Ferrando and Ottavio would not do him harm. And I find the 'advice' given him that 'pushes' him in this heavier direction to be questionable.
Furthermore, I and many other posters have cited plenty of examples in the past of singers who sang repertoire not suitable to their voices and payed for it.
And I never stated that we NEED ugly singers - but if the ugly singer is going to SING better than the pretty one, it means that the ugly SINGER is doing his JOB better - to SING well.
Thank you, Borsa. I have doubts about the wisdom of him taking on the Duke in Berlin (rather a bigger house then AVA has!!!) and Romeo in Baltimore, though these are roles into which he will grow soon enough and can probably manage now- hopefully without pushing.
But Roberto Devereux is EXTREMELY unsuitable- the part is NOT like the tenor part in MARIA STUARDA, where being cute and singing lyrically are enough. A Roberto Devereux should be able to sing LUISA MILLER (like Domingo and Alexander) and surely even the idol-worshippers would agree that that Mr. Costello should not be going there yet ( if ever).
Actually, La Cieca, considering that you don't know me, you have no position to tell me what I know and don't know. I have heard Mr. Costello several times, in some of the repertoire that I and many intelligent and well-informed individuals consider too heavy for his voice in it's current development. And as one who knows voices as well I as do in the work that I do, one can esteem what is suitable repertoire for a voice when one has heard that voice, henceforth why I suggest Mozart would be a good addition to his repertoire and the aforementioned roles removed. He has plenty of other parts listed on his agents website that are all perfectly suited to his vocal capabilities and colors.
The high demand for his voice in so many theatres is NOT the problem - he is perfectly deserving of the attention and yes, Mark, he has the makings to be a "total package."
I have never suggested anything about young voices being small voices. The fact remains that there are plenty of roles that demand a certain amount of physical maturity to sing as well as an advanced level of experience. Are you saying that Gedda should have sung Bacchus when Karajan offered it to him? Clearly, Gedda, a very "cautious" singer managed and paced his repertoire rather successfully. He even admits that he sang Pinkerton and Don Jose too soon in his career. Obviously, if a young voice is a dramatic voice, they need to sing repertoire that is going to help them move into the heavier repertoire later in their careers, but Mr. Costello is not, by definition, a young dramatic voice.
I absolutely have not backed off my argument that Mr. Costello and plenty of other young singers who share his advisors are being "pushed" to sing heavy and incorrect repertoire.
And Mark,
I listened to Mr. Stain's performance BEFORE having seen the video and I was NOT taken with any of what I heard. I found the voice to be completely unenjoyable. That was NOT a display of good singing.
And the last time I checked, I never stated that someone who is physically attractive can't possibly possess vocal ability. How absurd to even suggest such a thing. What I have stated is that physical beauty has begun replacing vocal ability as regards castings in most theatres and this is a serious problem. Hollywood is Hollywood and now it and it's principles are taking over Opera and we are finding more and more that people are being hired based on appearance over talent and preparation. Of course it's not so in EVERY situation, it is impossible to make such a generalization, but the facts remain that people (audiences in particular) are more forgiving of bad singing (or acting or whatever) so long as the individual is attractive. It is creating serious problems in the musical standards of the operatic art.
I am so sorry that so many of you were offended by comments about Costello being straight. In my own defense I will say that I was experimenting with a new drug my perceptions were a little distorted...of course now that i am sober, it is always to be gay
Sanford- I have to say I find the "comments" on YouTube excruciatingly trite, inappropriate and generally ill-informed. No serious music lover would want to argue the point with many of the tossers who feel obliged to "contribute".
By this I mean it is wonderful to have a selection of clips of various singers, each with their own special magic etc., but if I have enjoyed listening to a clip of Joannie or Renata, or whoever, I don't need to see comments below from some of the contributing dills who usually nearly always start the hoary old Callas debate etc - or that they prefer Moffo or anybody else. Who cares? From the comments proffered many of them haven't a clue about anything - not the opera, not the aria, not stagecraft, not the history etc.
While I am really not meaning to attack you- I have to say that it surprises me that you wouldn't bring your opinions here into "Parterre" which is a great forum for sharing opinions with a much better informed audience- than to waste your time going into "the You Tube assylum" to argue with them. Have a good Christmas.
lucrezia, you are a dilletante at best. Trapped in your little Julliard hell that has given us warped voices ruined by pushing large voices into the SAFE rep of Mozart? ROBOTS singing everything because they are too afraid to sing period.
Bullshit.
Big voices are better served in the Bel Canto roles, exactly what mr. costello is doing...varying the moments when he will stretch a bit for growth. Save us from these freaks who preach about OTTAVIO for a voice like Mr. Costello. Paul Groves can have all that effite bullshit careful crap. Costello is not a tenore di grazia.
You know nothing and it is regrettable to think YOU are the prevailing wisdom. is wise not at all.
Voices sing what they should. Verdi is verdi and the young verdian does not sing Mozart. The bel canto tenor that he is, Costello sings what he is singing/ don't talk about stuff you know nothing about.
I wouldn;t state so fast people who post here are all that knowledgeable. La Cieca apart, I have been hammered by the Hateful and amazingly stupid remarks I have read about this perfectly talented young singer, Costello..
Lucrezia is hysterical to read. So rigid if she took a dump she'd crack in two.
This hair pulling over this young man that has shown nothing except a reasonable and fair approach to a great career in the making.
Makes me root for him.
I don't have to be the many agents that haunt this site knowing how well read it is by all the leading opera houses here and around the world. They must think if they eat the young represented by others, their inferior drek won't be over looked. I see it. With every singer we get the jealous and the rigid....ouch....and the ones content to listen to a young man at the beginning of a major career.
all you folks throwing dirt. Be careful/you will look ridiculous .
Viva steven, the birds pick at the very best. let em hiss . You got them right where you want them!
Why can't we throw dirt? Isn't that what this silly site is based on? It's certainly what I remember when I used to get the rag in the mail...or has it become simply a lame exhibit of class warfare...what a shame...
BY all means, Maude, especially you. Throw dirt, one thing you can do.
You said - "I have to say that it surprises me that you wouldn't bring your opinions here into "Parterre" - I'm sorry but WHAT????? If you have read any of the other topics here, or even just read all of the way through this one, you'd see that I contribute a fair ammount. But I find something of value on all of the sites that I frequent, whether it be NYCOF, Youtube, or Parterre Box. The problem with bringing opinions into Parterre, or any other site, is that so frequently people take your opinions personally and feel the need to attack you on a personal level, rather just having a discussion back and forth. It's one thing to say that I disagree with you, it's quite another to say "you stupid b%^&*, you're wrong".
Borsa: I would be most interested to see a direct quotation of what Mr. Gedda said regarding Pinkerton and Don Jose, in particular a) whether he was referring to stage performances or recordings, and b) what he meant by "too early." (In other words, does he say explicitly that these roles caused him vocal problems that had to be surmounted later, or does he say that he didn't have a success in these roles because he was not well-known enough or his voice was considered by a particular public too light or the wrong timbre. Gedda sang his first Met Pinkerton opposite Renata Tebaldi, so it would seem possible his voice could be perceived as too small by contrast. He was 35 at the time.)
I would further like to know whether Karajan offered Gedda the Bacchus for a staged performance or for the famous EMI recording, and, again, the precise reasons Gedda gave for turning down this assignment.
What's wrong with Costello singing Mozart? It certainly doesn't mean that he has to stick to a steady diet of Mozart. Obviously, his voice is meant for bel canto, and he should gradually take on more dramatic bel canto roles. But singing Mozart will do nothing but good. He is hardly a big voice that would be warped by singing Mozart. Besides, even big voices can sing Mozart (especially early on) to keep the voice healthy, so long as they don't deny the voice what it is meant to do -- sing the big rep. But from what I've heard of his singing, Costello is not a spinto.
Ok Sanford- I think you are almost missing the point probably because I was trying to avoid offending you - and was being a little delicate. As you don't understand I'll be more direct... I am saying that Parterre is a much better place to share opinions than on You Tube- where most opera "commentators" seem to know stuff all about the inside skin of a gnats nuts when it comes to opera.
Also I was trying to point out that some of us detest people who say that they prefer "another singer's version etc" underneath a video clip because a/ its a personal thing and b/ because it often belittles a mighty fine performance. c/ many people don't give a rat's who you prefer etc
E.g. You say you sometimes like to say you prefer la Moffo to la Stupenda and then wonder why you get flamed for it. I was only letting you know I am one of those faceless people who want to strike the match under you when you do it-and why.
I love la Moffo- I adore la Joan- for different reasons. When I watch listen to a clip of either I don't need some stuffwits fatuous comments that they prefer someone else etc. It's an irritating habit and worse- it's a kind of a killjoy. That's why you make people hate you when you do it. I hope I'm clearer now.
So now your declared stupidity has now forced me to be a bitch on Christmas Day and i am probably damned! See how dangerous posting comments on You Tube can be?
mozart is for a master singer.
a young voice needs the discipline of bel canto not the cage that singing mozart is.
The mozart reigning in and prison is something best served by a voice already grown and able to handle the restrictions.
bel canto is the way to go for a young voice period.
Anonymous (maybe the same thundering sure-of-himself person who misspelled "effete") said...
"mozart is for a master singer.
a young voice needs the discipline of bel canto not the cage that singing mozart is.
The mozart reigning in and prison is something best served by a voice already grown and able to handle the restrictions."
The first Don Giovanni, Luigi Bassi, was 21; the first Donna Anna, Teresa Saporiti was 20. The first Susanna, Anna (a/k/a/ Nancy) Storace, was 20. The first Constanze, Caterina Cavlieri was 22, as was the first Blonde, Therese Teyber. Dorotea Sardi Bussani, the first Cherubino, was 23. Need I go on?
Nerva: Yes, and these singers you mention: how much Puccini, Wagner, Strauss, Verdi, Bellini and Berg did they perform?
Mozart is not easy to sing and not necessarily the best sort of music for young voices. (I am talking of roles here, not an aria or two for use as vocalise.) In particular, many young tenors with a fuller lyric sound may choke on Ferrando or Don Ottavio because modern conductors often insist that these parts be sung with their concept of a "Mozartian" approach, i.e., very little vibrato and very soft dynamics, particulary in ensembles. This specialized vocal approach requires either a certain type of very light voice or else an expert technical manipulation of a fuller instrument. A younger tenor with a fuller sound may be bullied into crooning or else simply exhaust himself trying to sing without proper breath support. Neither of these practices conduce to vocal hygiene. In particular, singing off the voice in the passaggio tends to sap one's ability to sing loud, chest-based high notes. And so, after long run of Ferrandos, a tenor may well have trouble readjusting to Boheme and Lucia.
Note that I don't say that Mozart music per se is "bad" for the voice; rather I say that current performance practice tends to encourage bad vocal habits, particularly in an Italianate tenor. This same tenor would likely have little difficulty in Don Giovanni or Cosi if he happened to be working with a conductor who would allow him to sing out in his own voice. But, good luck with that.
Daniel,
Delicate hardly sums you up. I'm sorry I snuck into your home and held a gun to your head to "force" you to be a bitch. No one forced you; you just are, Blanch, you are. You will never see any postings by me that insult or demean my fellow posters, since we are all expressing opinions, and we are all entitled to them. Are you claiming that you've never heard a performance and said afterward that you preferred someone else's more, or are you saying it's all right to think that but not blog it? I'm confused. As we have seen elsewhere on this site, La Cieca has a fondness for Renee Fleming which I don't share. I would never accuse him of "declaring his stupidity" because of it. And rather than see how dangerous it is to post comments on Youtube, I have learned how dangerous it is to post comments here. Because of killjoys like you.