Vocalist.org archive


From:  "originalsinky" <originalsinky@y...>
Date:  Wed Jan 23, 2002  10:52 am
Subject:  Re: pseudo opera, was: Singers and Amplification

> The sad (?) fact is that a serious opera career precludes the kind
of
> availability one has to have in order to become a public relations
> commodity. Opera singers are just too damned busy learning roles,
> coaching, taking lessons, travelling from opera house to opera
house,
> rehearsing, and performing, to be able to "play the game" in terms
of
> going on tons of TV morning talk shows, do stadium concerts, etc.
Also,
> serious opera singers tend to be quite concerned about their vocal
health,
> and thus (the phenom Placido Domingo notwithstanding) tend to avoid
> overcrowding their schedules with irrelevent activities that don't
> directly relate to their singing in the opera house or concert
hall. They
> also tend to have musical standards, developed through years of
study and
> exposure and experience, that often give them a slight revulsion
when it
> comes to devoting too much time to singing second-rate pop music.

Sorry, but I'm afraid this is just the kind of snobbish attitude that
has pushed opera to the back of the queue regarding popularity. Pop
singers, and rock singers, have no choice but to relentlessly market
themselves. For them, there is no option of existing on a government
arts handout ("Lottery" money in Britain). It is do or die. If anyone
has ever read interviews or watched a music documentary one would see
how hard pop acts are pushed early in their careers, and how they
perform when ill in order to attain success. I am as cynical as the
next man about pop music, but it is a still a business and I can
appreciate the hard work necessary to create opportunities. I do not
consider making sure that a concert or tour a singer is involved in
is fully booked an "irrelevant activity", be that by giving
interviews or making public appearances. As for travelling, taking
lessons and learning how to hone their abilities, I can guarantee
that a pop act looking to make a long lasting impact will be doing
all of this. If a professional athelete were to say "Sorry, I'm just
too damn busy training to sign autographs or speak at events" they
could pretty well count on the fingers of one hand the number of
seconds that elapsed before they lost their sponsorship deals, or the
goodwill of fans.
You cannot expect the public (unwashed or not, it's your opinion!) to
give you time if yourself do not give them something first. Opera, as
an entity is realising this, and this is a good thing because there
are many arias and pieces that I (as a pop/rock listener) enjoy, but
I would never have come across them without Pavarotti's "Nessan
Dorma" during the 1990 World Cup.

Sinclair




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