March 2020

Show Your Love for This is Opera!

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

Read More

Please Check Out Daniel’s Etsy Shop

Hello, everybody. Antoni here with another written entry.   In these trying times of the Coronavirus being more widespread than ever, I say that it is more than imperative to support the ones we hold dearly in our hearts.   As I am about to approach my second year of being on DeviantArt, I have been encountering a lot of brilliant, generous, genuine, and passionate minds. Some of them ended up being my most loyal followers and very great friends. Among them is none other than Daniel D. Roberts aka JekyllAndHydeChannel.   Daniel has always been one of my most supportive fans and friends of all time and I have been super thankful for the gifts he has been giving me so far. Moreover, his art and his opinions are really unique and interesting, though the former category is on the crudely-drawn side. Nevertheless, he is a decent gentleman altogether.   Daniel’s Etsy shop contains a fine amount of knick-knacks, gift cards, and small plushies you might endeavor to check out, which are perfect for any occasion. If you endeavor to have interest in checking his stuff out, please click the link below.   https://www.etsy.com/shop/acmegiftshop   Until then, stay safe, take care of yourselves, and take care of each other.

Read More

A Bloo-tastic Gift from Daniel

The love from one of my most loyal fans and wonderful friends of all time just keeps on coming and coming.   I just received this lovely Bloo 2D-figurine in the mail today. Even though Bloo is not one of my most favorite Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends characters mostly because of how grating his jerkass personality can be in the later season and how polarizing of a friend he can be towards Mac, I could still find him entertaining. Moreover, this recent gift is a really lovely gesture from Daniel D. Roberts aka JekyllAndHydeChannel.   So, Daniel, thank you so much for your continuous support and I wish you a lot of abundance, prosperity and joy in all of your endeavors.   If you want to be like Daniel and send me a gift or two, please do not hesitate to leave me a personal message. Thank you very much.

Read More

Massive Gratitude, Honour, and Joy from an Opera Singer

Hello, everybody. Antoni here with a really uplifting entry. Five months ago and three days before I started university, I spent my last vacation day in Dresden where I caught Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at the Semperoper Dresden. This was also where I caught the fabulous Italian light lyric soprano Carolina Lippo as Susanna. She was one of the finest definitions of a rising star when I saw her in that role. As soon as I made my review of that production, I was more than grateful and happy to have been in contact with Ms. Lippo regarding featuring my comment about her performance as Susanna on her website. I am proud and overjoyed to say that I finally got featured on there. Sure, there were some words that could have been improved like constriction instead of construction. However, when all is said and done, I am still honoured to have gotten a part of my review featured on Carolina Lippo’s website. To conclude, I want to give a huge thank you to Carolina Lippo for making my final day in Dresden really worthwhile, for giving such a fine performance, and for acknowledging me as a music and entertainment reviewer. I wish you all the best on your future endeavors.

Read More

Social Widgets powered by AB-WebLog.com.