Happy New Year one and all! My New Year's resolution was to write positive things in this blog about my thoughts on music and its taken me the best part of a month to face it, so, here we go...
I positively choked with laughter when I heard Little Jimmy Osmond murdering "O Sole Mio" on "Popstar to Operastar" a few weeks ago. Oh dear oh dear. Firstly it ain't opera, it's a Neapolitan song. Secondly it should have been buried in a pauper's unmarked grave when the "3 tenors" hammed it up at Italia '90 and, thirdly and most importantly, the producers should not have exhumed it and driven a stake through its heart with Osmond playing Van Helsing.
Teaching a "sleb" to sing a couple of arias is one thing and I'm sure some can cross over very well (eg Freddy Mercury could certainly have cut it as an operatic tenor, Jimmy Somerville and him out of the Darkness as counter-tenors...) but the real test of their mettle would be to send them to music college for four years, then a post-grad year, a couple of of years in the chorus, some time understudying roles then a big break, just like real opera singers have to. The reality tv idea is to change someone instantly eg that programme when the posh girl tried to be a rapper or whatever it was. It was all done over a few weeks with a view to a one off performance. What about a total life change and an attrempt to excel in a totally different arena long term?
The careers of the average popstar (the mighty Quo excluded of course as they are still going strong) is about 4-5 years. Once you're over 30 thats the end of it. Why shouldn't Alex James pursue a new career as an opera singer? Jason Jones (or Jason Howard as he is known professionally) was a fireman until someone heard him sing. But Jason did it the hard - and right - way by going to music college, working like a trooper, learning the ropes and earning the breaks. Russell Watson, as we all know, was heard belting out a tune by Alex Ferguson that well known arbiter of artistic excellence. Watson did not go about it the right way and his voice suffered as a result. I know he's had serious illness and I truly wish him well in his recovery and hope he regains his vocal powers and continues to entertain the many people who love his music. He isn't an opera singer though and never will be. Neither will Katharine Jenkins. Nice enough voice, decorous to look at and so on but not a voice to send tingles down the spine.
So, what is positive about all this? Well I'm positive that I am going to rant about things and vent my spleen for the rest of this year. Of course I'm only jealous because I never had the voice to cut it in opera and never will. However, I had a go and know full well that if I sang "O Sole Mio" as badly as Jimmy Osmond I would be rightly laughed off the stage.
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I wrote the above 2 weeks ago and didn't publish. I caught some of the "Popstar to Operastar" programme last night and was amused to see Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen and Meatloaf giving their tuppence on the contestants. And then I heard the drummer (possibly, I'm not a huge fan) of McFly (possibly?) learn "Partiro" at the feet of Katherine Jenkins. As far as I'm aware (and I may be wrong) "Paritro" isn't from an opera. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Pleasant enough tune and, as my in-laws are huge fans of Andrea Bocelli, my children sing along to it in grandma's car (though, to my eternal gratitude, they change the words to "Fartiro"!). BUT IT ISN'T OPERA!!!!!
It takes more than a bit of vibrato and a bad Italian accent for it to be opera.
However, if more of the general public feel that they can approach opera, or choral music, or symphonic music after watching a programme like this then I suppose I should shut up and stop ranting. I just wish it wasn't done in such a crass manner.
"Nessun Dorma" was on the jukebox in my local in Merthyr, a really rough as ten bears place called The Eagle. There was silence whenever someone put it on. The silence was for two reasons:
1 everybody there loved it and so listened intently
2 it was usually put on by a gentleman who shall remain nameless (no, not me) who had spent time at her Majesty's leisure for GBH and no-one dared talk when he was listening to Pavarotti
The tune was out of context obviously, but it introduced Merthyr's hard men (again, not me, just the main clientel of the pub) to real opera singing.
So, to come back to a positive angle to the blog, as I missed the "Queen of the Night's Aria" last night on "Popstar to Operastar" here is my very favourite interpretation.
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