EXCEPTIONAL VOICE

German Boy Soprano

(Click to watch on Youtube)

I had to sleep very late last night because I just couldn't stop replaying the youtube of a young German boy soprano singing the Queen of the Night's aria from the grand opera, "The Magic Flute." His voice is awesome!

He is an exceptionally gifted boy, who has a well rounded three, or maybe, four-octave voice range. Every opera enthusiast will agree that the particular aria is a highly-rated piece that only highly-trained coloratura sopranos with fine thrills and roulades can do justice to it. However, no matter how difficult the song, the boy made an extraordinary rendition with ease, as if just fine-tuning his vocal cord.

While listening to the magic voice, I was reminded of one long-ago artist, Madam Florence Foster Jenkins, who did a disastrous recording of the same song howling along each note with great pleasure.

Madam Florence Foster Jenkins

OPERA, ANYONE! Part 2

My deep appreciation to Mr. Stefan Zucker of Opera Fanatic Magazine for including a very interesting, rave review on Mado Robin, a French coloratura soprano, who is listed in some editions of Guinness Book of World Records on account of her B flat above high C, heard in the Lucia “mad scene”.

I have a VHS copy of Mado Robin Live! Her voice is unbelievable, awesome, magnificent. It’s a pity she had to die at the peak of her career. To borrow Mr. Zucker’s phrase, “… you will get a kick…” of her remarkable voice range for many reasons.

I’ll never get tired watching her rare recordings. Many thanks to Bel Canto Society for preserving this magnificent voice! Hope it gets digitalized soon

OPERA, ANYONE?

A flawless recording!

One of Gaetano Donizetti’s best operas, full of beautiful melodies, but very taxing roles is La Fille du Regiment (The Daughter of the Regiment). I am so lucky to have a 33-1/3 album and VHS stage performance, and wish to add a CD recording, as well.

With Dame Joan Sutherland as Marie and Luciano Pavarotti as Tonio, it’s pure revelation. Dame Joan Sutherland is a riot; she is so fun to listen to. She meets all the challenges of this opera work of Donizetti; great voice, perfect, enjoyable trill, high notes, roulades, etc. Her voice matches the superb role. It’s pure magic, delightful, sensational, and captivating. Luciano Pavarotti is a perfect Tonio, unquestionably, the king of the high Cs.

As an avid opera lover, I believe this comic opera should be produced more often in all the big opera houses of the world.

DAME JOAN SUTHERLAND

Finally, I was able to get a CD copy of Dame Joan Sutherland’s 1959 recording of Lucia di Lammermoor, a magnificent addition to my collection of grand opera records.

It was in 1959 when Dame Joan Sutherland was invited to sing Lucia at the Royal Opera House, and as soon as she finished singing the final note of the famous mad scene, she was a star, the beginning of her international career.

The CD record displays perfectly her effortless coloratura abilities and high notes, as well as her perfect trill.

Dame Joan Sutherland retired from singing in 1990, but for me, she will always remain a great diva, La Stupenda.