Great voices (1): Opera divas

These are all short pieces. Some are arias from full operas, others are songs composed to be sung in operatic style, ie., “opera-lite”.

Anna Netrebko burns down the house

Ah, Anna.  It is a real challenge to pick just one song by her.  I’m no expert on opera—I came to it late and have only seen a couple of dozen live full-length performances.  But I know what I like, and Netrebko’s thick, honey-molasses tone gives me the chills.  She is not without controversy.  In opera, love and romance have historically been abstract concepts, communicated entirely through the music.  Netrebko led a mini-revolt of sorts, bringing a physicality to her performances that is visceral and, yes, sexual.  Half the opera world hates it.  But opera was dying until the new generation of performers began breaking the old rules and adding some zest to the proceedings.  (The other thing that saved it, in spite of itself, was the growing popularity of opera-lite recordings by the likes of the Three Tenors, Il Divo, and Netrebko herself).

In this piece, Anna dances, spins, kicks off her shoes, throws roses to her admirers, and flirts outrageously with the First Violinist, all the while maintaining her astonishing tone and projection, without missing a beat.  It is a tour de force.

Barbara Bonney's bell-like voice

After Anna Netrebko, Barbara Bonney is my favorite soprano.  They are at opposite ends of the spectrum: Where Netrebko is dark and sensual, Bonney is bright and pure. But why is she so captivating? A sound lab once tested recordings of hundreds of voices, and reported that Bonney’s came the closest to a pure tone, like a bell. Maybe that’s it. I don’t know.

Brilliant new star

Slovak singer Patricia Janečková won a talent show at the age of 12, performed in various shows for a couple of years, then disappeared. It later turned out she was doing some serious training.  This is from one of her first appearances after she returned.  It is a difficult piece to sing, because the performer is miming at the same time.  She is 17 here.  Her tone and control are remarkable, though her voice is still developing. 

Patricia on fire

Here is Patricia Janečková in late 2019. Best comment: “Patricia knocked the conductor off his feet before singing a note.”

Patricia's turn to burn the house down

One more from Patricia Janečková.  We saw Anna do this song.  Here is the 18-year-old rising star putting her own stamp on it.  Note to all our twerking, titty-flashing pop stars here in the U.S.: You are pathetic and ridiculous.  THIS is how you burn the house down: 

How are you coping with the lockdown?

Here is how Patricia Janečková is occupying herself during the lockdown.  Somehow I don’t think this is how most of us are doing it.

Most beautiful aria?

Do you have a pick for most beautiful opera aria?  Song to the Moon has always been high on my list-I liked it as a kid, before knowing it was part of something called Opera.  There are many versions to choose from as well. For me, after listening to a lot of them, it came down to Anna Netrebko or Lucia Popp. I’m going with Popp. Something about the depth she brings to it, almost effortlessly. I’ll admit I may have been biased by her backstory as well—she died young, of ovarian cancer. You may want to have tissues handy.