Antonio Pappano's Classical Voices 1

1)
There are seven billion people on our planet.
Every one of us has a unique voice and an expression of us, and it's the only musical instrument that comes built-in.

My name is Antonio Pappano(1959-). As a conductor, I've had the great fortune to work with some of the best singers in the business.

I'm on the Royal Opera House Covent Garden stage, my musical home and home to all the great operatic stars past and present.

2)
In this series, I'll be looking at some of the finest singers since the recording and moving pictures began, what unique qualities put them on their pedestals, what new insights they bring to the classic roles, and what made them stand the test of time.

3)
Soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, countertenor, and baritone bass? Which of these vocal categories do you fit into?

You fit into one of these. Imagine them as colours, as the composers would, matching the colour of the voice to the role these voices express and reflecting all shades of our humanity.

I'll talk to and work with some of today's great singers.

4)
To learn some of the trade's tricks, sing a bit.
Here's the throat work: how does the breathing work the body, the soul?

The soprano is the highest female voice, and her thrilling top notes are amongst the most exciting sounds in Opera and song. However, they also express every facet of femininity.

5)
There's a soprano at the heart of practically every role, from fearsome warriors to feisty servant girls, two murderous divas, and scheming wives. To sing one of the classic soprano roles, you'd better bring something new to the table—something you.

I think the soprano voice is perhaps the most flexible voice of all. It comes in all shapes and sizes, and it sings sweetly lyrical and poetic music, too bold and dramatic, loving suffering.

6)
And usually dying, there's a soprano at the heart of practically every other, from fearsome warriors to feisty servant girls, murderous divas, and scheming wives to sing one of the classic soprano roles you'd better bring something new to the table and something you.

7)
Lady Macbeth is harsh. Its singing is very focused and aggressive. When preparing something, I listen to 20 versions of the role and find the one closest to me.

I think personality is an essential part of being an artist.

8)
I mean, contrast is so important to avoid monotony. Absolutely.

That's why, you know, some of the singers are geniuses. You listen to them and don't understand why I like this singer so much, why I listen to this repeatedly, and why another has a beautiful voice.

9)
And I wouldn't say I like it; I think because some of them can find these colours and make the whole music palette, while the others suggest plain.

10)
Our modern idea of the soprano was stamped by La Divina Maria Callas(1923 - 1977), the most famous and possibly controversial soprano of the 20th century. Callous genius made her a one-woman cult idolized by her legions of fans. Not everybody can do that.

11)
A singer's interpretation of a role rarely transcends its underlying quality, finding more meaning, nuance, and drama than the composer perhaps imagined.

Maria Callas raised the bar for all singers.

12)
Such was the intensity of colour powers as both singer and actress that her fame spread far beyond the Opera House, the symbol of soprano as a diva.

She was intimidating because of her clarity of what she wanted and represented.

I remember one day, I was in the elevator, and she came in. The doors closed, and she turned to me and said, "It's Willard Whyte. Hello."

13)
"Willard, how are you in the elevator?" Then the elevator stopped, and I was going. I never actually said goodbye to Willard, and she was out.

14)
Maria Callas could be difficult. Her tantrums were gleefully reported, but her high handedness, she once said, was a form of self-protection for timid people she was commanding on stage a bundle of anxieties off it, which was one of the most nervous performers.

15)
I've never come across someone who needed support all the time, and I had it here, particularly with Gertie's address, so when Gertie used to say, look what she did to me, I got bruises all about my arm.

And this was Maria clutching Callas. In the public gaze, the lines between woman and performer blurred as she increasingly lived her life, not least her love life.

16)
But whatever her private fortunes, her honesty, conviction, and seriousness shown on stage can't dissuade the public of an incredible thing, give it the most credibility possible, and persuade the public to find truth in the music.

17)
She was a great actress, and how do you describe her voice? It was unconventional in every sense, disturbingly dark or light.

Nowhere did artists and women collide more poignant than in the role of the diva Tosca confronted with the choice of sleeping with the brutal chief of police Scarpia or seeing her lover die.

She appeals to God, and many see this as her personal Testament.

18)
She creates pathos. She's totally into herself. When you want to learn how to act on stage, it would be best to listen to the music. If you take the trouble to listen with your soul and ears, you'll find every gesture there.

She keeps her eyes shut most of the time. As you notice, this seems to be a growing intensity in this area. Even though they pull back, the voice sounds like a young girl. It's a brilliant use of the loud-soft dynamics.

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Q. Maria Callas was a great singer. But like Tosca, her life was, in a sense, tragic.

What could have been needed for her to have a happy life?
Or can we say that her life was happy?

A->
She sang, lived, and loved to the fullest.
But what about the people around her?
She was always nervous and anxious and needed support to do her best.

I'm sure the people around her were tired of being with her.
That was her way of life and the price of outstanding achievement.

However, if she had lived a little longer and met a man who could embrace her, she could have been a great partner even after quitting opera singing.

Her opera singing career lasted less than ten years, but now that her voice still resonates, I am convinced that her life was irreplaceable.