I'm sorry for yet another grand pause in blogging. The holidays were a bit rocky, and I'm learning a couple of parts for Opera scenes at school for my final semester. I'll be singing Dorabella in Soave sia il vento from Cosi fan tutte, and I'll sing a nice role (not the ingenue, thankfully) from Rossini's Le Comte Ory. Should be fun, and it's wonderful to sink my teeth into singing these days. I am studying with a superb teacher who was a student of Cornelius Reid for more than 25 years. I feel like nearly every lesson is a breakthrough, and I daily feel closer to singing with my true voice. These three final semesters of school have been a real gift for me as a singer, and they have come in the nick of time, or at least right when I had decided I'd never sing again.
In opera, I'm generally more fond of the baritone or bass singer in any opera ensemble, but I came across a glorious recording of an opera today on a long-time favorite opera site. This is a 1959 recording of Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles, and the role of Nadir is played beautifully by Alain Vanzo, a tenor of whom I was sadly unaware. His voice is like satin. In truth, the tenor can be impossible to escape or ignore, and often feels like audio trepanning, but Vanzo is magnificent, truly. You can read more on the link about his performance career, of which there are too few recordings. Do yourself a favor and click here to listen, scrolling down to the audio file and click on the green play arrow. It's not a long opera- under 1.5 hours, but the music is outstanding, and is at its finest in this recording. If you have something to do around the house, crank this up and listen while you do chores. I think you'll find yourself pausing simply to listen. This recording is impeccable. If you listen, please let me know what you think. I am so delighted to learn about Vanzo, and I hope he will be a happy discovery for you, too.
If you happen to be a fan of opera, or of classical voice, the authors and commenters on that site, Parterre Box, are some of the most knowledgeable and passionate fans of the art, and the discussions are lively and entertaining. Indeed, their enthusiasm gives me hope that the art of opera will endure for centuries to come.
