Taste of the golden age

Last week we attended a Salon where 7 or 8 singers and friends got together to share repertories and inspirations. After the singing part, the host played a series of opera repertoires sang by stars from 1920-1930. In those days people didn't have the necessary recording and editing equipment to make the singing"seamless" by editing the breaths out, record on two tracks, etc like they are doing commonly today to the studio singers, in order to make the singing "perfect". However, when all factor are accounted for, the voice does what it is designated for- pure singing. I can hear the resonance, the verbrato, and even the traces of breathing was attractive enough it gave me a better perspective on what the modern signings are lacking, as we depend heavily on technical support. Just like painting, we often refer back to the old masters from 15th-19th century, to gain fresher perspective to our own motif, the source of inspiration and influence.

I thought we begin with one of my all time fav diva,

Licia Albanese

PRIMA DONNA???

Rufus Wainwright's Prima Donna has been the topic ever since he began composing it. The met doesn't want it, but Rufus keep trying. What do you think?