On Thu, 31 January 2002, "Caio Rossi" wrote: most people think you're an opera singer if you sing > operatic repertoire and the music industry has no reason to spend its time > and money establishing the difference, although that's brought up very often > by journalists and critics (at least here in Brazil ).
And there is my issue. My argument isn't that Boccelli & co. don't have voices that people want to listen to; they're exceptionally well-trained for popular music. My problem is specific to them being marketed as something they are definitely not - opera singers - thus confusing the public and making it harder to educate people on the real thing. Again, I point to the example of my dad, who says that, because "It's Now or Never" was set the tune of "O Sole Mio", Elvis Presley sang opera. The public is easily confused.
My argument specific to Boccelli is that, without his other marketable traits (disability, looks & ethnicity being chief among them) he would have much less of a unique marketable identity, and would not likely have achieved his initial success. The voice - which, as I say, is fairly unique for *pop* music, but highly forgettable in the terms of the operatic world - may very well be what keeps 'em coming back for more, but I don't think it's what got people to listen initially.
Richard
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