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From:  sopran@a...
Date:  Tue Jan 22, 2002  4:24 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] pseudo opera, was: Singers and Amplification

Richard,

Interesting post. I've got to add that I think Sony is pushing Church HARD
because the production costs of her recordings are relatively low (think
about it--they don't have to employ a full orchestra, and at least in the
beginning she could not have been commanding anywhere near the sort of
recording fees that a legitimate operatic soprano--say Renee Fleming--would
expect).

Sony's roster of classical singers is actually rather slender, although it
includes some impressive names: Battle, Domingo, Carreras, Cortrubas,
Curtin, Eaglen, Farrell, Fisher-Dieskau, Graham, Kirschlager, Upshaw and
Norman. However most of the singers have only a few recordings listed
(Domingo, Battle, Upshaw and Eaglen seem to have the most).

Interestingly, Charlotte Church rates a color photo and many paragraphs of
copy (largely praising her "angelic" disposition) while artists of tremendous
stature like Phyllis Curtin and Jesseye Norman rate only a sentence or two
and no photo.

Anyway, I think that a very large part of the motivation to hype Church is
Sony's push to be the best-selling "classical" label. It's strictly bean
counters and spin doctors, and has nothing whatsoever to do with artistry.

Judy

PS--My consolences on the ghastly Brightman concert. I always thought she was
very strange. And what's a click track?




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