Mike:
Thanks for your comments. I realized that what I wrote might be taken to mean that just singing the notes and making clear the text was all I considered necessary for a good opera performance. That is far from what I meant and I think you recognized that.
I expect all of the above and with that I look for "organic" acting, that is, acting that grows out of the singers and directors understanding of a role. This process tends to create an acting that, although technically secure, still meets the "Areeba" protocol (Authentic, Real and Believable).
And such acting will inform the singer more naturally how to color the voice for emotional innuendo. Because it is "organic", that is, comes from the singers emotional understanding, it will speak volumes, if the listener will allow such subtleties to be noticed. I am afraid that many listeners today expect to be overwhelmed at every emotional moment. They expect the music to come to them with force rather than they going to the music with a quiet mind.
Regards -- Lloyd W. Hanson, DMA Professor of Voice, Vocal Pedagogy School of Performing Arts Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ 86011
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