March 2020

Hey, everybody! Antoni here with something I have been wanting to get off my chest, no pun intended, for quite some time.   Being an online reviewer who mostly specializes in opera and vocal music, I have always asked this question to myself. Why is it that I prefer singers of the past such as Enrico Caruso, Margaret Harshaw, Luisa Tetrazzini, Fedora Barbieri, Giulio Neri, and Giangiacomo Guelfi as opposed to the modern singers even back in my mid to late-teens? Sure, their technique was so much more nuanced, disciplined, and visceral as opposed to the mediocrity most mainstream opera houses are facing today. However, there was something more.   Enter This is Opera!, which is a channel I have been loyally subscribed to for two years and started out by professional musicians. The whole mystique about quality comparisons was stripped away not only thanks to them but also other channels such as GeneralRadames, AfroPoli, and the newcomer Barone Vitellio Scarpia.   Thanks to the fine people of This is Opera, I managed to comprehend the utter importance of coordinated chest voice, the necessity of having that release on every single note, the vocal muscles needed for proper head voice and chest voice action to work so well, what makes coordinated and collapsed head and/or chest voice different from each other, and why singing in the mask is one of the biggest cons ever! I also managed to distinguish between what makes one’s technique bad and/or excellent. Ergo, the information found on content of this ilk is absolutely valuable to me as an opera aficionado.   I state this with such gusto because they have given more direction as a music-oriented critic. A lot of my previous reviews were lenient towards the singers I saw and heard because, one, I knew what it was like to perform as an actor and a singer and had constant feedback of what worked and what did not and the pressures of trying to perform at my very best in everything I do and, two, I was an opera fan first, thus realizing that most of my reviews were based on a fan’s point of view with almost little substance to back up my thoughts. Moreover, looking back at a lot of my previous reviews, a lot of the people who gave input had every right to critique me on my assessments.   The people of This is Opera as well as GeneralRadames, AfroPoli, and Barone Vitellio Scarpia have given me more than one reason as to why I love making vlog-style reviews of opera productions and concerts revolving vocal music. It is because the power of the human voice should never be taken for granted. Whether you are an opera singer, a Broadway musical singer, a jazz singer, a stage actor, a voice actor or any other performer whose main instrument is the voice, you owe it to yourself to not only nourish your abilities but also have a better understanding as to how singers and thespians of the past used their voices to magnificent effect.   Please support This is Opera by subscribing to their YouTube channel, check out there content, and open your minds to the true beauty of authentic Bel Canto singing. If you love their channel, you will also love other channels such as GeneralRadames, AfroPoli, and Barone Vitellio Scarpia. You will never regret it in the slightest iota.   Stay safe and keep singing in the right way, opera aficionados and opera singers of the world. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZmPxGnYwbE-mrhuI0UivHQ