Comments on: baby love

By: gracegolden

gracegolden — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:59:38 +0000

finger error: 5 should be “I” if anyone wonders whatthe…

By: gracegolden

gracegolden — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:54:40 +0000

don’t forget that great Terrytoon introduction to Opera–The Butcher of Seville–with Oil Can Harry singing The Butcher. 5 think Mighty Mouse was the tenor who saved the cow from Harry.

By: High C's @ 4:20

High C's @ 4:20 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:21:50 +0000

Sanford said: My first memory of opera was seeing Roberta Peters on The Dinah Shore SHow, singing the Vilja-lied. As soon as she started to sing, I decided I wanted to sing (and be a soprano, but oh, well). I really miss the days of TV variety shows.

I say: I didnt ever latch on to it as a kid, but i do recall absolutely knowing who Beverly Sills was from this type of show… Ellen Degenneres does a lot of musical things, lots of time with newer talent… but i had thought i might write her and ask her to consider bringing in opera singers much the way Sanford said… Maybe we should start a letter writing campaign…

By: Kundry's Therapist

Kundry's Therapist — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:54:24 +0000

Could we refine our terminology here, ladies? Sarah Brightman clearly has musical talent. She can sing and she is a trained musical theatre singer/dancer. She is not an operatic singing talent, but neither is she a voice that is studiobound and requires pitch correction and all sorts of artifical effects added to it before it can be released to the public. I don’t like her voice, but she cannot be damned with being called talentless, and as someone said earlier in the thread, she has never attampted to position herself as an operatic soprano…

By: gracegolden

gracegolden — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:42:49 +0000

Way back in the early ’50s before we had a TV there was a weekly radio show prbly on NBC called The Railroad Hour, usually with Rise S and Gordon McCrae and they would sing excerpts from what I found later were 1912 or so operettas–Chocolate Soldier or Babes in Toyland(Victor Herbert kinda stuff). I wish I knew if someone at NBC had made any recordings from this show. It was one of the last gasps of “refined”(bad wording I know) on radio.

By: Sanford

Sanford — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:25:19 +0000

My first memory of opera was seeing Roberta Peters on The Dinah Shore SHow, singing the Vilja-lied. As soon as she started to sing, I decided I wanted to sing (and be a soprano, but oh, well). I really miss the days of TV variety shows. I’m old enough to have watched The Ed Sullivan Show (with chinese food on tray tables). Where else could you see Topo Gigo, Mama Cass, plate spinners, Senor Wenclas, Stiller and Meara, and Anna Moffo all on the same night?

By: gracegolden

gracegolden — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:37:01 +0000

Madame Quickly: a fast rush through wikipedia revealed that Erna Sack was flexible enough to sing Norina, Zerbinetta, and Gilda, and Flagstad spent
years singing musical comedy, operetta, and Agathe and Aida!(Wish there was a recording of her Aida) Two very flexible divas.

By: Famous Quickly

Famous Quickly — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:30:25 +0000

I am among the most renowned and revered opera stars of the 20th century and– though I showcased my optimal flexibility as Lady Macbeth and Eboli– I never went NEAR a bel canto role. Case TRULY closed.

By: Graciella Scusi

Graciella Scusi — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:15:26 +0000

only mildly shocked :
“Yawn.”

Carefull of those yawns OMS ( wouldn’t PMS be more
appopriate? just asking ), you might wind up with
that foot in your mouth again.

By: Dexter

Dexter — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:10:36 +0000

While I take the specific points about the career making roles for Sills, Sutherland and Caballe, it isn’t a necessity – Te Kanawa, the Countess, Freni ran everywhere with Mimi, delos Angeles also used that a a key debut role, Flagstad I suppose the Seiglinde/ Brunnhilde double at the Met (or am I making that up?). The key seems to be that a role that fits makes the splash.

By: gracegolden

gracegolden — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:45:16 +0000

…”music of the era” The post-Napoleon Congress of Vienna Restoration era. What I associate with being the ‘bel canto” era.

By: gracegolden

gracegolden — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:04:59 +0000

I’m aware that learning about Opera from Ed Sullivan might not be the deepest way to learn what it was(Roberta Peters fitted in between Jack E. Leonard and the plate spinner) but far in my past that was all we had access to. And there is a historical background to the music of the era–the opera began(in the 1830s and 40s) and sometime during the show the singers let go with a Sound the Trumpet aria and the crowd cleared the opera house and went out to the barricades and overthrew the Hapsburgs or Bourbons. Like listening to to Euro pop singers in the 1930s–under the music is a nervousness about When the War is going to start again.

By: High C's @ 4:20

High C's @ 4:20 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:58:11 +0000

i have Beverly Sill’s autograph, from a recital at Florida State University. My friend Terry gave it to me.

By: not telling

not telling — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:51:59 +0000

kashnia Sills mightâ€™ve been a star in Brooklyn in the 60s, but what made her really well known internationally was her Times cover as Elisabetta in the 70s. Case closed.

Hardly. The whole Three Queens bel canto revival might not have even happened had Giulio Cesare not made Sills a known quantity. Kashania is right; it all follows from her Cleopatra.

By: only mildly shocked

only mildly shocked — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:19:16 +0000

coward, and you had the words a plenty in your own mouth.

Dork indeed. Hack you are always trying to make the peace.

Whatever, you are dull at best. At worst, you are yourself.

By: RareGems195

RareGems195 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:14:19 +0000

kashnia Sills might’ve been a star in Brooklyn in the 60s, but what made her really well known internationally was her Times cover as Elisabetta in the 70s. Case closed.

Anyway, I made my point about Callas’ debut in Puritani, Sutherland’s debut as Lucia, CaballÃ©’s debut as Lucrezia, and Pabarotti’s success in Fille du Regiment. Bel canto is what made these singers finally HAPPEN.

By: Thackeray Gnomey

Thackeray Gnomey — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:14:05 +0000

Sarah Brightman clearly had a talent for keeping Andrew Lloyd Webber happy in some way. And with that overbite of hers, it must have been a little painful for him. She certainly always sings as though she has something rammed against
her soft palate.

By: ruxton

ruxton — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:57:41 +0000

Thanks Cocky and High C’s. As you can see, this time I goofed- don’t mind a good verbal exchange but next time I won’t pick a dork who can’t read English who tries to put words in my mouth.

By: kashania

kashania — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:08:17 +0000

OK, were we talking about what makes sopranos overnight stars? If so, then Cleopatra made Sills an overnight start. By the time of Roberto Devereux and the Time cover, Sills was an established star.

Sarah Brightman’s recordings are all reverb and studio manipulation. She has become a complete hack. But she once did have a nice voice. I haven’t heard it in years but her Christine in Phantom sounded pretty legit to me.

By: RareGems195

RareGems195 — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:58:00 +0000

Cleopatra’s music needs the technique and coloratura usually, mostly, associated with bel canto. But again, Handel didn’t put Sills on the cover of Times, Donizetti did.

gracegolden if you got your bel canto impressions from the Ed Sullivan show, I have pity on you. Those cheap vocal displays, as glorious as they were, are not what bel canto is about. Also, Donizetti wrote a lot of music but not in the wholesale category that Mozart, Handel and Bach did. In fact, the amount of compositions doesn’t have anything to do with the quality of the music.

By: Quietly anonymous

Quietly anonymous — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:46:51 +0000

I’m also in the camp that thinks S Brightman has no talent at all, other than mugging for the camera, and I’m not sure I’d really call simple money-making a talent. Did anyone else think she sounded like a synthesizer in the olympic video?

I would have thought Oprah would know, or would have researched, what an opera singer is, and not thrown the term about Groban, if that’s what she did. Oof there’s enough sloppy journalism as it is.

By: only mildly shocked

only mildly shocked — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:38:37 +0000

We were discussing those non talents and I feel successful or not that Sarah B is hideous. I, my opinion is she has no talent.
Success means nothing today except to her bank account.
Some people today labor under the underexposed to real opera singers idea that IT is a singer. She is not, Broadway at best. There are Hollywood people who call the equally obnoxious Josh Groban, an opera boy. Oprah yet says this., inflicting a mortal blow because that idiot has more people watching her show than amy other in the afternoon. Elect a president, or try to….horrors.

That is my discussion, not one forced on me by someone who wants to beatify this broadway star, Rux thinks she made it good, I think she made it good without any real talent.

Yawn.

By: kashania

kashania — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:02:14 +0000

I find RareGems’ tone to be coutnerproductive (I hate when someone’s prime objective is to goad others with their posts) but his/her comment about bel canto operas making stars is right on the money. He/she never said that bel canto is the only way to achieve stardom but the bel canto heroines are perfect star vehicles.

Callas, Sutherland and Caballe are perfect illustrations. Sills not as much because Cleopatra made her a star. She certainly sustained her stardom with bel canto heroines but Handel made her an overnight star.

By: High C's @ 4:20

High C's @ 4:20 — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:54:06 +0000

Because i believe i was the first to ask after him… isnt that how it works??? Dont worry… i have had a crush on this guy Randy for over a month and just found out hes got a boyfriend of 4 years… i have really crappy luck so theres probably no chance in either of us with Hairym.

But if there IS… I WAS HERE FIRST.

By: Cocky Kurwenal

Cocky Kurwenal — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:27:12 +0000

High Cs, you have a strong point there. How come you get first call on Hairymusclez?

By: Cocky Kurwenal

Cocky Kurwenal — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:24:01 +0000

Only Mildly, none of my business, but at no point did Ruxton call Brightman an opera singer. Even if your assertion that the general media portray her as an opera singer is correct, which I don’t think it is, that doesn’t mean Ruxton asserted the same thing. He quite plainly did not.

By: High C's @ 4:20

High C's @ 4:20 — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:23:17 +0000

OMS… i think Ruxy was commenting on your calling SB a non talent… and pointing out that she seems to be doing alright… i dont think he necessarily wants to see her step in as Lucia or any character from an opera tho… now that thats settled…

Still waiting to hear from Hairymusclez …

Flirting is LOTS more fun than arguing…

By: Sanford

Sanford — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:22:50 +0000

What media consider Brightman an opera singer. She recorded an album of arias and while she did a respectable job for a legit B’way style singer, she didn’t even approach the technique of Audra McDonald, Kristen Chenoweth, Kelly O’Hara, or Judy Kuhn (my favorite of the bunch). Frankly, I don’t think she can even tough Maureen McGovern (great in Pirates of Penzance and a great recording of Glitter and Be Gay). She has no credentials as an opera singer, other than Valencienne in Merry Widow. The only other live performances that come close to live operatic performance is the Andrew Lloyd Webber Requiem, and perhaps Phantom. I wonder how much her partnership with ALW furthered her career and whether or not she would be an international star without him. And since we were discussing “Ebben Ne antro lontano” on another thread here, she recorded it on her Classics album. La Wally… really?

By: only mildly shocked

only mildly shocked — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:48:24 +0000

va goica yourself there sweetie. You change your point when confronted. You plainly said,

“Oh yea- you mentioned Sarah Brightman. I wasnâ€™t aware that she ever claimed to be an opera singer- but I do know sheâ€™s had a role created for her in one of the top grossing musicals of all time, regularly performs before royalty, sells millions of records worldwide, packs stadiums wherever she goes, and now has been â€œtheâ€ chosen one to sing on top of a 30 meter â€œworldâ€ at the Chinese Olympics before an audience of 4 billion. Not bad for a â€œnon talentâ€- I wanna be one too!”

Someone is impressed ….you. She is regarded by the general media as an opera, or popera singer. I think it is a non talent.

My opinon. Agree or don’t, couldn’t care less.

Dash away,drearie. I am logical enough for your intellect.

By: Sanford

Sanford — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:10:02 +0000

Ebben = Wilhemenia Wiggens Fernandez = Diva