Is this unknown opera singer as good as they say?

Parent Cafe
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<p>I agree about context. But it seems to me that based on what I hear of Pott’s raw gift, my comments would be the same whatever the context. I have heard another clip of the singer, and the flaws exist there too. I sincerely do not wish to be mean here, but it seems to me there is a fundamental lack of authority in the voice, an instability particularly in the lower register that will stick with him whatever he tries. I do believe that with a lot more work, and more careful selection of material, he could do well. But I just do not hear the all around greatness or ‘amazingness’ that so many people apparently think exists.</p>

<p>[Here</a> is actually the Bjorling recording I had in mind](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Artists-Century-Bjorling-Ultimate-Collection/dp/B00000J911]Here”>http://www.amazon.com/Artists-Century-Bjorling-Ultimate-Collection/dp/B00000J911) when I posted on him. I have it, and have just spent some time listening. Pure joy. You simply doubt nothing the guy says, regardless of the register in which he says it. Someone was kind enough to post the ND from this recording. It is even more intense than the rendition I posted earlier. it is also digitally re-mastered so that you might get an idea of just how fantastic his voice and interpretations are. [Check</a> it out.](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUbA5y1hnFg]Check”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUbA5y1hnFg) The quality of voice, the total dominance and control here are all unmistakable, and would exist under almost all circumstances. Please understand that I really don’t want to take anything from Potts. But folks are claiming this guy is the next Pavarotti. It is a little ridiculous, don’t you agree? In truth, there are a lot of young cats who are so much better developed and who no one even knows. These guys have Pavarotti and Bjorling and Corelli and Caruso in view, and they are hitting far closer to them than Potts ever will. I think Potts is flowing along on his story, and that is quite fine. I am pleased to see it. But I think we ought to keep in touch with reality and not cheapen it by claiming Potts is it. Bjorling is the reality.</p>

<p>I also don’t like to claim one guy is “better” than another, at least not on the Corelli, Pavarotti, Bjorling, etc. level. Sometimes I just want to hear Del Monaco and not Pavarotti or Domingo. Sometimes Corelli, Domingo or Pavarotti are the ways I want to go. But in their light I cannot see how anyone would want to go to the shadows of Paul Potts at this point because the voice is still far too undeveloped, light, and unsure.</p>

<p>I will say this, Potts has a naturally sweet voice – [but</a> if I want sweet, I would really just go all out for it](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fdgcfVzOsA]but”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fdgcfVzOsA). Here we have a nice, light, sweet voice, presented in a context similar to Potts’. I don’t think it is exactly right to compare him to Pavarotti, though.</p>

<p>I am really not sure why the Potts thing is taken off as it has. Its kinda crazy to me to see this William Hung effect transfer to an operatic tenor. I also don’t like the Top Forty treatment of these arias. Puccini’s stuff is so rich. I’d love for people to get it all. Oh well…</p>

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<p>Dross:</p>

<p>Thanks for the links! I’de never heard of Bjorling before, so this was a revelation to me (my heart’s still with Placido Domingo and Dietrich Fischer-Diskau–I’m that behind the times!). I have to say that I preferred Potts to the second singer you linked to. The voice is different, of course, but Potts manages the high notes better (yes, his low notes need work).
I gather that he sang with the Bath Opera some years ago in amateur productions, and went on some quizz show where he earned enough money to spend time in Italy taking master lessons; but then illness intervened and he had to stop the voice lessons. </p>

<p>I’m sure there are lots of extremely talented yet obscure actors and singers out there. That’s what the show is about: discovering them. It just seems that neither the judges nor the audience were expecting opera–that, and the cell phone story and the unprepossessing appearance made for a great story. I hope he wins–so he can get more voice training. I’ve been to plenty of concerts where the performers were not any better!</p>

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<p>I just read/listened to this thread and I thank you for posting it. While I am not a huge opera nut (though I do like Josh Groban’s singing), I enjoyed not just his singing, but moreso the story behind it. It is just very endearing. Perhaps he has attended master classes, but in general, he is an everyday guy with a not-so-everyday talent, and that is what people react to. I am sure there are many out there more talented than he, but rather than tear apart his skills, can we, perhaps for a moment, just enjoy the music and the story? As a tangentially related story, did anyone catch Fantasia’s singing from her run in Broadway’s “The Color Purple” on the Tony awards last weekend? Listen and enjoy. You will notice that she has braces on her teeth. I imagine Mr Potts will get the same soon as well. <a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0-NlqvB3sY[/url]”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0-NlqvB3sY&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>

I don’t think you’re behind the times. Domingo had it all-- voice, emotion, sensitivity, great interpretations. There will be Domingo fans for at least another half century. I can see you have The Schubert Lieder set because you have mentioned Fischer-Dieskau with these tenors. I have always said that this guy’s voice is so sweet, unobstructed and natural, he easily passes for a unique sort of tenor, we’ll call it a Tenor Profundo. I don’t think your mentioning him puts you behind the times at all. You’re right on the money.</p>

<p>I am no snob (can’t be), and I know the Potts phenomenon is tied up with the story. It’s fine, and I would love to see him have a great time. But this stuff still means a lot to me. I just don’t wish us to confuse the $4 jug from the grocery store with the $90 Montrachet. I can appreciate both for what they do in their respective places.</p>

<p>Okay… enough beating this drum.</p>

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<p>Dross, for non opera aficionados, Potts has a wonderful voice. I put myself in the category of those impressed by him, but also because I don’t know the nuance/level involved in opera.</p>

<p>For the instrument I know with the greatest depth and intimacy, I can also tell the difference between the $4 jug and $90 bottle (great imagery!), although most people cannot on the one either. It takes a whole different level of experience and such to be able to differentiate between “good” and “great”.</p>

<p>However, if a Potts type phenom can encourage more people to listen to opera, it may not even matter if we can tell the difference.</p>

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<p>Well said, Allmusic.</p>

<p>I’m definitely one of the uninformed, but since I heard this, I’m actually considering going to an opera, not something I’d been seriously considering before.</p>

<p>Thanks, mezzomom, for the suggestions on which might be the best to try first. I will say I have an affinity for Italians though :)</p>

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<p>Earlier today I received a forward from a friend with the You Tube link to his first performance. When I came to CC I found xiggi’s link and my curiosity was raised. I goggled Britain’s Got Talent and it seems that Paul Potts won the competition and he will perform for the Queen at the Royal Variety Show in December. The video link says the content isn’t available outside the UK due to broadcasting rights. Maybe You Tube will have a link soon.</p>

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<p>Here is a link that has his performance on the final. It’s Nessun Dorma again, a slightly longer excerpt. He does have trouble in the lower register. But he still has touched so many people who never listen to opea, a very good thing indeed!</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.paulpottsofficial.com/[/url]”>http://www.paulpottsofficial.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Potts moved me to tears with his Nessum Dorma. Sometimes you don’t have to be technically perfect to be moving. Thanks for starting this thread.</p>

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<p>

I had assumed the difference between Potts and the others was so obvious it could not be lost as a matter of mere nuance. Yet, my kids swear the bands they love are as different as night is from day, whereas I think they all sound almost exactly the same (haha. Just kidding. I actually get these groups).</p>

<p>Please understand I think Potts has a lovely natural voice. That has never been an issue with me. I just do not hear greatness, not even the outlines of it. But hey, when it comes right down to it, if the voice moves people to lay their money down, then Potts has the stuff of commerce. As they say, “taste is without dispute”. I’m genuinely happy for him, especially because he is gaining confidence and getting a nice break.</p>

<p>LOL @ Jym626. Just read your post. Very funny. Fantasia is not my cuppa, but I gotta say, it is obvious to me there is real greatness here. Every great singer has a certain ring of truth in her voice.</p>

<p>Every great artist has it. Technical perfection is entirely unnecessary! I doubt [Thelonius</a> Monk]( <a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMmeNsmQaFw&mode=related&search=]Thelonius”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMmeNsmQaFw&mode=related&search=) has ever played even one concert with anything even close to any kind of technical perfection. The guy was a mess in all kinds of ways on the piano. But God help me! The ring of truth is just right there in your face. Listen to the guy. If you don’t get it the first time, well listen ten or twenty times. Close your eyes and just jam with it a bit, moving your head precisely with the rhythm as it just moves along. Notice how Monk bounces in and through the time like it is just nothing at all. It is the purest kind of mastery. No doubts.</p>

<p>And look at that right foot! That thing has a life of its own. Hmm. Is he tapping on some of the sub-divisions of the beat? Whatever. Truly amazing.</p>

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<p>I think Paul Potts voice resonates with people on many levels. It’s the beautiful voice of the common man, not the rarefied voice of any of the Divo’s. Mr. Pott’s voice speaks to to the innate beauty in everyone and if it is not technically perfect, well then humanity is not either. There is beauty in imperfection.</p>

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<p>Drosselmeier-
Not so sure what made you laugh so hard. I was comparing success stories from the British vs US Idol contests. As primetimemom said, there is beauty in imperfection,in the gift of the common man. And if this Potts fellow can get people who are not music afficianados to stand up and take notice, than he has done the music industry a great service, just as Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli have done to bring opera to the main stream. I was, and still am, moved by Potts’ story. It is charming. Will he compete with the operatic “greats”? Perhaps not. But that is not what the Idol contest (or Britian’s version) is all about, and it is not what people are responding to. </p>

<p>My s. took a class on film analysis and critique. Sometime thereafter, we went to a movie where he critiqued the lighting and the editing. I just wanted to enjoy the movie. Sometimes overanalysis isn’t a good thing.</p>

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<p>Update-
They just did a segment on Paul Potts in Good Morning America. Unfortunately I walked in just as they were finishing and showig the runner up… a 6 yr old girl singing a mediocre rendition of “Over the rainbow” (again, it did not seem to be the quality of the singing that was the major appeal for her either). Potts plans to use money he earns singing to pay off his medical bills. Good ol’ human interest story…</p>

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<p>Well, okay. I thought the following comment was funny:</p>

<p>”You will notice that she has braces on her teeth. I imagine Mr Potts will get the same soon as well.”</p>

<p>It is even funnier to me now that I see you apparently meant it seriously, mostly because I don’t see how the man’s teeth have much to do with the essential quality of his voice. LOL.</p>

<p>But, once again (and I really need to employ some discipline to stop beating on this issue), perfection/imperfection really has little to do with my point. Many of the world’s greatest performances are flawed. Ultimately I am talking about the difference between greatness and a cheap copy of greatness, between the truth and untruth. Pavarotti’s greatness is unmistakable to me. There is an authority in the voice that exists in every performance and that is unimpeded by any fundamental weakness. When Pavarotti sings * Il nome mio nessun sapr</p>

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<p>Dross-
No, you did pick up my tongue-in cheek comment correctly. His teeth are decidedly in need of correction, and if he does have any continued singing career, some manager will get him the dental/orthodonture work he needs.</p>

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<p>Dross, I thorougly enjoyed your expert commentary and the introduction to singers and musicians I had not known about. I’m in the camp that loves Potts; there is something so vulnerable about him, and I find his singing moving (and I hated the other “sweet” singer whose video you posted). But I fully recognize that if I had a trained ear I would not be able to enjoy Potts’ singing. I do have the training in dance, having studied ballet for many years. Ballet training jumps out at me when I see it, even in a non-dance context, and lack of training does as well. For example, I was astounded when John Travolta was lauded for his “dancing” in Saturday Night Fever. He was a complete amateur. </p>

<p>I’m curious about your take on one of my favorite singers:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzXLdN7-BIE[/url]”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzXLdN7-BIE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Potts has said he will use the money to pay off debts incurred while he recovered from some major operations and was off work, and to fix his teeth.
Supposedly, Cowell has offered him a recording contract. I think it’s premature, as his singing technique can use more work–and he knows it. He has not been able to have voice lessons for the last four years or so, since falling ill.</p>

<p>Is he as good as they say? No, of course not, if he’s compared to Pavarotti or even Bocelli (not my favorite singer!). But he is good, nonetheless.
Friends of mine heard Bocelli and got hooked on opera, to the extent that they’ve been taking classes on opera at the Harvard Extension School. Until then, the closest they’d gotten to listening to opera was via Muzak. Another singer who’s not a favorite of mine either is Sarah Brightman; she, too, has converted many people to opera. Kiri Te Kanawa did the same when she sang at Charles and Diana’s wedding (though of course she has an absolutely gorgeous voice and flawless technique).
May more people get turned on to opera!</p>

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<p><a href=“and%20I%20hated%20the%20other%20%22sweet%22%20singer%20whose%20video%20you%20posted”>quote</a>.

[/quote]
Yeah. Me too, which is why I posted him. Lovely voice. But I don’t really get into drinking honey straight, no chaser.</p>

<p>

Hmm. Odd. Because I don’t dance at all, though I love dance, and I too thought Travolta was embarrassing. There wasn’t a lot of expression in the body, really, a little pump of the hips, some arm movements, a spin here and there, and people went nuts. Never did get it.</p>

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<p>Oh lord – authority, truth, greatness. It’s all there. Incomparable. I’m gonna listen to this about a dozen times. THANKS!</p>

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<p>So nice. Bassey at times pushes that voice until it rattles your brain, and yet it stays as pure as a tuning fork. I especially like how she eases off the upper note at the conclusion, as opposed to just wrenching it off as many singers do. It suggests to me an other worldliness that she has in mind. Someplace for us – somewhere.</p>

<p>Well, I gotta get some work done, I guess. I had planned on taking it easy today, but I’m very much lifted by this.</p>

<p>-D</p>

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<p>I’m so glad you liked it! I’ve played a couple of the videos you posted multiple times, too.</p>

<p>Travolta probably wasn’t a good analogy. Potts is certainly much more talented and has much more training than he did. But people raved.</p>