A little controversy

This

is not this



This

is not this



This

is not this


By the same token, this

is not this


And this (although I love her scatting)

is not this


But is it wrong?

I have very mixed feelings about this.  On the one hand, I am a firm believer in honoring the intent of the composer and demands of the music itself, both in terms of technique and artistry.  On the other hand, if Sarah Brightman singing a Czech aria in Italian gets someone interested in opera, isn't that a good thing?  I appreciate the fact that these artists cared enough about this incredibly beautiful music that they wanted to sing it and share it with the world.

As a teacher, I do feel that I have the right and responsibility to educate my students about the really good performances of these songs, so when someone brings in Paul Potts singing "Nessun Dorma", I introduce them to Bjorling.  And when they ask to sing "Nessun Dorma", I tell them, "No way in hell!!!" Actually, I explain the difficulty of this aria and tell them that in 15 or 20 years they can ask whoever they are studying with then if they can do it.  I also explain that not every voice should sing this.  Only a very special kind of tenor should be singing this.  (Side note:  Several years ago, someone at the local music store just gave me a couple of copies of "Nessun Dorma" because they hadn't sold them and they thought someone at our school might be able to use them.  I'm pretty sure I didn't actually burn them, but they are definitely not at the high school where I teach.)

Then there are these duets that make you go, "Huh?"  At least they did the first time I heard them.  The more I listen the more I like them.  I think my family had every John Denver recording ever made.  Although as a voice teacher I sometimes hear things in his voice that I want to fix, I love the color of his voice and I love the songs he writes.  But I remember being really confused by this duet.  Domingo's accent and classical technique were a big disconnect for me.  It didn't seem to fit.  But it introduced me to Domingo who has become one of my favorite singers of all time and definitely my favorite of The Three Tenors.



I actually knew Caballé before I knew Freddie Mercury.  Her "Casta Diva" is exquisite.  To be completely honest, I had heard Queen songs, but I wasn't really into that kind of music in high school and college.  It's really only been that last few years that I learned about him and how amazing his talent was.


These pairings introduced audiences to people and sounds that they might not have encountered on their own.  And the artists themselves learn and grow from the experiences.  In a quick search, I didn't find any super reliable sources, but I've heard that it was Freddie Mercury's dream to sing with Montserrat Caballé and that John Denver changed his approach to how he used his words after working with Placido Domingo.  We all have something we can learn even if it seems like we are so different that we couldn't have anything in common.

Maybe sometimes the question shouldn't be, "Did the singer do the song justice?"

Maybe sometimes it should be, "How did this music change this person?"

So what do you think?  What offends you musically?

Here is what many classical singers want you to know