How many sopranos does it take to....

OK, so I realize that title may be a little misleading.  How many of you came here to see a list of tacky soprano jokes?!  Sorry, but you won't find that here; I hope this post doesn't disappoint!

I "listen" religiously.  There are very few times when I don't have opera running through my head, humming while doing work, and I even workout listening to opera.  I am an opera NERD....and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I am a self-proclaimed soprano fanatic.  I LOVE the soprano voice.  Something about the bloom and ease of production really soothes me and invigorates me at the same time.  Of course I have my list of favorites, current and old; sopranos I think for the most part can do no wrong, especially when singing the rep that they are known for.

I die for Fleming in most things.  I understand that she is not for everyone, but something about her artistry and the color of her voice really speak to me.  Her singing German and French rep in particular, in my opinion, are pretty unparalleled today.  She's not afraid to make musical and artistic choices that are ALWAYS purposeful and informed; she is a student of her craft and I have the utmost respect for her.  Her Rosenkavalier (the trio in particular) and most of the role of Thais, I think, are two things that could have been written for her voice (she agrees about Thais).

Renee Fleming in the final trio from Der Rosenkavalier:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgJrbPiauZ4&feature=related

Diana Damrau.  WOW.  What a technique!  Not only is Ms. Damrau one of the most charming women I have ever met, but she is FEARLESS on stage.  She inhabits her characters, and has the solid technique to back it up and serve her purposes as she sees fit.  One can watch her as the innocent and tortured Gilda, as the coquettish Rosina, and then a terrifying Queen of the Night, all which she executes brilliantly.  I am very excited to see where her voice goes in the next few years.  You can hear more body creeping in with every performance, and I can't wait to hear maybe a Countess, or even a Violetta (She is, according to her, contracted in the next few years singing the latter).  While I do prefer her singing German rep (her Sophie is spot on every time), she has a voice that excites me, day in and day out.

Damrau as the Queen of the Night:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXOYcd6KZ0E

Anna Netrebko has a voice that is unlike anything you've ever heard before.  You really cannot appreciate the voice until you hear it live....the size of the instrument just cannot translate to recordings....something gets lost.  While there are definitely things that I do not like her singing, her Mimi is probably the most beautiful current Mimi I have heard....and I have heard a lot!  The color of the voice is so dark that I really love it in her native Russian repertoire as well.  She is disarmingly charming, an inhabiting actress, and her Poison aria at the Met is probably something that will go down in history.

Anna Netrebko's Poison aria:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhCm2PHxHaM


There are few people in the opera industry today that I would consider a better, more inventive actress than Natalie Dessay.  I will always buy a ticket to see a production that she is in to see her interpretation of the character on that particular night.  Coming from the background of a french actress and then to singing, Dessay always attacks roles from the perspective of the character; everything that she does on stage serves the better cause of the drama.  She is particularly known currently for her Lucia, her Marie, her rapid fire coloratura and extreme high notes of 10 years ago. 


Natalie Dessay as the MAD Lucia at the Met:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYQrXw5YUEs


Maria Callas can do, virtually, no wrong for me.  She does not have a conventionally beautiful voice, but that's one of the things I love most about her.  Her performances were raw and vulnerable.  They were inconsistent because she put so much of herself into everything that she did.  She lived on the edge on stage....she took risks.....she had her ups and downs.....she DEFINED opera in the 1950's, and the media LOVED her for it.  A lot of people don't like her voice, but I feel for it.  Something about the voice speaks to me, particularly in her verismo roles (her Tosca wrecks my life every time).  Having never had the pleasure of hearing her live, and knowing that very few video clips exist of her in her prime really kills me.  Talking with people who did see her live say that you can't appreciate Callas until you saw her on stage.  She could do anything or nothing and take absolute command of the stage.  She didn't just inhabit her roles, she WAS them in every sense of the word, which you can hear in every one of her recordings that she made.


Maria Callas singing "La Mamma Morta":  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXzeEfH6PTk


So, you ask, why is a tenor so in love with sopranos?  He's gone on for quite a while now about sopranos, and never even once has mentioned a tenor that he loves or listens to.  Don't let this fool you into thinking that I never listen to tenors....I do, quite a bit actually.  However, the reason that I love sopranos so much is that I am able to get lost in the music.  Listening to the soprano voice keeps that passion fresh in my mind and body every day.

I am a tenor.  I think like a tenor.  I understand (and am still learning!!) what goes into making the tenor sound.  When I listen to tenors, I listen to their technique; I can't just sit back and enjoy the sound.  I am constantly critiquing or marveling at the sound they may be making, but ultimately I am pulled out of the drama of the piece, out of the music.

What I love about opera is that it does transcend reality and reaches into the depths of my soul.  It makes me feel something that I have never felt anywhere else in my entire life so far.  It's so hard to explain, but I am so blessed to have found my undying passion so early on in life.  I love watching a production, or listening, and being absolutely transfixed on the music and the drama.  I love losing myself in the passion of a passionate and heart-wrenching performance.

This is why I love sopranos so much.  I don't think about their technique.  While a lot of what they are doing right or wrong is similar to that of a tenor, the sound is so jarringly different that I don't get lost in their technique....I don't analyze every little note that is sung.  I sit back and can actually get lost in the beauty of the tone and subsequently in the diva-infused drama of the performance.  Sopranos allow me to connect to the art form which has proven one of the more meaningful aspects of my life.

I do listen all the time.  I am an opera nerd, and I am proud of that.  Does everyone have to listen as much as I do?  Absolutely not.  Does everyone have to like sopranos, and specifically the ones that I do?  I hope not!  As artists we are always learning and evolving.  I encourage EVERYONE to listen more.  Listen to what you like.  Listen to what you DON'T like!  Listen to opera, jazz, musical theatre, tribal music, folk music....the list goes on.  I encourage, especially young singers, to listen to a lot of opera so that you can hear what you like and don't like as far as singers, musical style, dramatic affectation of the voice, etc. You can learn SO MUCH from just listening to other singers, current and of the past.

Listening has not just provided me with undying joy, but it has provided me with an education.  It may not be the curriculum-ridden education of an academic institution, but it has provided me with a wealth of knowledge and understanding about the voice that I would consider invaluable.  You don't have to let it take over your life (like I sometimes do!!!), but every informed singer should be just that.....informed; making choices because you WANT to make them and because you have a purpose behind making them.  Start by listening to your favorite singer on youtube.  I recommend youtube because then you can see the "related" videos on the side....it's a great way to get lost in the music and find yourself two hours later with that much more exposure to different interpretations and performances.  After all, we are artists....we are here to put OUR stamp on the music, or play, or whatever it is that we are doing.  How else would you ever expect to learn what you like and don't like without exposing yourself to the interpretations of others?

I am by no means saying copy what Callas did here, copy what Fleming did here; that's not the point.  The point is to educate yourself and become the artist that you can be.  Why else be doing what you're doing??  Listen.  Inform yourself.  Listen to your voice part and others.  Listen for different reasons, and to get different things out of it.  I listen to tenors to learn.  I listen to sopranos to feel undying vulnerable emotion.

Now how many sopranos does it take to fill up my ipod?  There will never be a limit.....