A leading opera coach shows how to express the hidden urgency in Juliet’s famous waltz song from Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. Often singers miss the point of this too-familiar showpiece, failing to understand what is really being said. CS explores this aria and steers your interpretation away from the insipid toward the inspired.
Robert Merrill, possessor of one the most beautiful male voices in operatic history, not only inspired us but also made us believe that nice guys do indeed finish first. His wife, Marion, seems to keep it all together and is revealed as the driving force behind the artist. “I don’t know how she does it, but she is amazing!” Merrill said to me while we ate our Chinese food at his favorite restaurant in upstate New York. Meanwhile, on-lookers marveled at the fact that at a table nearby was that man who sings for the Yankees and, oh yeah, the Met, too. But the coffee shop around the corner is really where he meets his fans. They can never resist saying hello to the octaginarian. “I want to write a book about all the wonderful people I have met here,” declares the baritone, “their stories are so interesting.” My first thought was, “Look who’s talking!”
Grammy Award winner Michael Fine reveals the secrets of the studio.
Met soprano Youngok Shin talks about the benefits and special opportunities of covering.
Giulio Cesare, Elinor remick Warren Recital, The Merry Widow, Tristan und Isolde and Otello
In this concluding column, Classical Singer’s voice doctor discusses the symptoms of vocal fold nodules and describes preventative measures and possible cures.
Put on a chamber opera and you can hire yourself! Build up your résumé and gain performing experience in a work of your own choosing. Here’s what to look for.
