yes mark,
anytime bjoerling sings loud it is effortful compared to his ease when singing softer. there is even a place in the last scene of i pagliacci, during his big aria, that he sings with such effort that it pushes him out of tune (so much for perfect). when singing louder, his vibrato rate increases with volume, sometimes turning to a bleat. listen to the trio in the verdi requiem. it is the softest singing i have ever heard him in. i once had to convince a friend that he wasn't the mezzo.
i love bjoerling but, i don't understand why some people say his technique is perfect (i can't understand how 'perfect' could be a judgement passed in an artform judged subjectively). i can see getting ridiculous over pavarotti or wunderlich or even gedda. these singers seem to be more consistant in all extremes of their voices.
i love effort too. franco corelli is one of my favorite singers (he certainly deserves an A for effort). i also enjoy roger daltrey, steve perry, femi kuti and i would even say that bob dylan is one of my favorite singers. so, i don't mean effort or, even screaming, as an insult. when i was a kid, my father and the neighbor across the street used to discuss the validity of mario del monaco. my father said he was a 'lung busta' (boston accent). our neighbor, being a plumber, used to call del monaco, the 'plumbers helper'.
the most effortless tenor i ever heard is laurence dale. i'll take bjoerling anyday.
mike
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