I do hope you’d enjoy listening to singers who do sing in opera theaters today rather than just in pop concerts. I only mentioned a few names, there are more – greatest singers of the past, present, as well as some young aspiring singers – most of whom would never make it in a very competitive world of opera.

Listening to recording doesn’t give the full impression of how an unamplified voice sounds like, but it gives some idea. Also – as with any music, one can like one opera and dislike another, one can like one singer and dislike another. Sometimes people listen to an opera and find it boring; yet if they had listened to another opera they would’ve loved it. My favorite is La Traviata.

I will visit your website from time to time as you seem to have interesting thoughts on different subjects. I do agree, by the way, about older music. I also like old musicals, old songs, old musical movies and European operetta – a genre which is a bit like a musical – funny, with dialog and dancing – but with almost operatic singing. It’s more popular in Europe than in the US. I like some YouTube videos from Moscow operetta, but don’t want to overwhelm you with links.

First of all, thank you for not just one, but two very well written and extremely informative comments. I have a cursory knowledge of opera with Pavarotti, The Three Tenors and Andrea Bocelli summing up most of it. You have given me a wealth of names, links and recordings to track down. I look forward to listening to many of the recommendations you’ve been kind enough to share.

I have not had the pleasure of going to an opera performance just yet. I can only imagine how breathtaking Pavarotti must have been in his prime. Talent like that is an incredibly rare gift and to enjoy it live is a memory forever treasured.

To be clear, I’m not disparaging Pavarotti in any way, merely pointing out that he too had been guilty of the “lip syncing” sin in his career. The first time was a bad decision on his part, but the second time was completely understandable. Here are some links to further explain:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lip-synching_in_music#Luciano_Pavarotti_at_the_2006_Winter_Olympics

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/07/pavarotti-lipsynched-last_n_95502.html

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/pavarotti-revered-even-when-lip-synching/

Thanks again for swinging by my little slice of the web and dumping a bucket load of musical knowledge on my head. I hope to see you around here again =)

As you undoubtedly know, there are no microphones in opera theaters; so you do hear live voice, and there is no possibility for lip synching. Even in places where the acoustics isn’t great or outdoors, opera singers often stand at a distance from the microphone rather than putting it into their mouth and occasionally walk away from it. Like, for example, Anna Netrebko does in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_kaOYC_Fww of an aria from operetta (hence the dancing).

As to young singers — look up 16 year old Nadine Sierra singing the same aria Barbara Padilla did on AGT. Or Met documentary “The Audition” trailer.

In fact while undeniably extremely talented, Barbara Padilla’s singing is still not quite at the level of the top opera singers today. And when you go to opera, you get to hear real voices without any electronic enhancement – in opera there are no microphones.

Sure, our tastes are all different, so you may prefer Barbara Padilla to other singers. But aren’t you guys at all curious to hear how Barbara Padilla compares to the best singers of her genre and if you liked one opera singer, maybe you’d like others? Singers like, for example, Angela Gheorghiu. Or Renee Fleming. Or Anna Netrebko. You can find each of them singing “O mio babbino caro” on YouTube. Or you can listen to Stephanie Blythe doing it on stage of the Met (subtitled, so you can see the words). Or the greatest opera stars of all times – Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Leontyne Price, Montserrat Caballe, Beverly Sills, Kiri Te Kanawa, Renata Scotto. Or other scenes from opera – e.g. Rigoletto or La Traviata or Carmen. Like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSdgbuP7HSo

I’m actually a fan of modern music from hip hop to pop and everything in between, but I feel like it’s turned into junk food. Enjoyable for the moment, but not satisfying and lacking any lasting flavor. Older music has a life injected into it that’s sadly missing from a lot of what’s on the radio.

BTW I dig your blog especially the slick header image.

I agree, I listen to pop stations and to music today, and I just don’t get into them like older music. Is it just a matter of taste? I don’t rightly know.