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From:  Tak Oda <toda@m...>
Date:  Fri Sep 29, 2000  6:05 pm
Subject:  Re: 'opera singer' was junior, church


On Fri, 29 Sep 2000, Ciro wrote:
> Of the three, Bocelli has the best technique and of the three he is
> the only one that can be evaluated as an opera singer... Brightman and
> Church are not opera singers.

According to my definition: "opera singer = someone who sings opera",
Brightman is the only actual opera singer. Say what you want about her
technique, but she created the role of Christine in "Phantom of the
Opera" which is formally an opera (sung recitatives, arias, staged drama).

One of the "aspects" of 20th/21st Century aesthetics is the notion of
creating a role for a specific person with a characteristic voice. It is
borrowed from the pop world. In this sense, Brightman (and Crawford, for
that matter) fit the bill perfectly. It mirrors the celebration of
individuality in contemporary Western society.

Perhaps "Phantom" appeals to the general public more than "Tristan"
because people respond to characters with whom they identify. Some may
call it "dumbing down" - I call it "serving the people" or "addressing
contemporary issues and concerns". I doubt Germans of Wagner's time would
have been so interested in medieval Japanese opera. Sure, there are
universal messages in old operas, but contemporary opera can give you
universal *and* timely messages.

I guess my rant wasn't really over! :)
Tako


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