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From: greg@olivej.UUCP (Greg Paley)
Newsgroups: net.music.classical
Subject: Re: Live Performances, Esp. Operatic
Message-ID: <258@olivej.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Dec-84 12:45:10 EST
Article-I.D.: olivej.258
Posted: Mon Dec 17 12:45:10 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 19-Dec-84 00:34:27 EST
References: <193@whuxi.UUCP>
Organization: Olivetti ATC, Cupertino, Ca
Lines: 35

The point about many operatic singers being heard to a disadvantage
on recordings is well taken.  The article favored recordings of
live performances, but I would maintain that even these reproduce
only a ghost of the real thing.  There are still some things that
just can't be canned or frozen to be microwaved at user
convenience.

Vickers and Rysanek were particularly good examples to use.  Not
only do recordings fail to capture the overall experience these
performers offer, both of whose impressive large-scale gestures
and stances don't take well to the miniturization of TV, but
both have voices that defeat the current state of the art of
recording techniques.  In the case of Rysanek, microphones pick
up and exaggerate the unfocused and unsteady sound of the
middle voice without being able to capture the tremendous
soaring quality of her upper register.  With Vickers it's not
so bad, since the voice often still sounds beautiful on
records.  However, since other singers are able to whisper
right into a mike to emulate "pianissimo", one misses the
fact that when he sings softly it's a sound that still has a
point and intensity that carry to the back rows of the largest
theaters.

From live performances I've seen of Vickers, there's been only
one problem for me.  This is that, in each role I've seen him
do (Tristan, Siegmund, Peter Grimes, Otello), he's completely
spoiled me with regard to being able to enjoy anyone else in
the role.  This hasn't been the case always with Rysanek
(it has, though, with her Chrysothemis, Ortrud, Salome, and
Empress) but I have to say that I've never been bored when
she's on stage.

	- Greg Paley