The MetPlayer.
As many of you know, I am preparing to sing the role of Nemorino with Opera Fairbanks in July. I spent the last few weeks translating, working on notes and rhythms and basically "reviving" my memories of this, the first major opera part that I ever learned. I even had a chance to sing through the role with a group of like-minded singers. Preparations for the trip are drawing to a close.
Now that the heavy lifting of studying is done, I took a week to enjoy a free-trial of the Met Player, an incredible resource of online videos and audio recordings from the library of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
I used my free trial to watch a vintage video of Luciano Pavarotti singing Nemorino in 1981. Years of study and training have significantly affected my opinion of these classic videos. For those who are not opera fans, Mr. Pavarotti is arguably the most famous tenor of his generation. He was an international superstar who managed to earn name recognition outside of the opera world. On a very geeky professional level, he had a fantastic vocal technique and his sound was famous for its richness of tone and musicality.
What the video illuminated for me, as a professional singer, is that Mr. Pavarotti sang with a stillness in his body. His body was completely engaged in the act of singing. I liken it to a yoga teacher who is holding a complicated pose. The pose is not actually "held" in that it is gripped, rather the body is completely engaged and relaxed simultaneously.
I began my solo career as a character tenor, singing small "acting roles." With roles like that, I primarily worked on the dramatic side of the character and beauty of singing was not always a requirement. In some cases, beauty of tone was to be avoided at all cost! Now, after transitioning to singing leading tenor roles where my focus is on creating the best, most beautiful melody I possibly can, returning to these videos to watch master singers is becoming an essential component of my study time.
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