Angelic voices uplift me in these times of peril
One thing about this seemingly endless and surreal quarantining during the pandemic for those of us over 65 such as myself, is that we are spending much more time indoors doing the things we’d ordinarily do in the evenings, and in my case, late at night. The days used to be filled with running here and there when the weather was nice because it’s just not good to spend a beautiful day indoors when you don’t have to. But now, and for most of the past year, I only go out for walks late each afternoon, or to the beach town 10 miles away where my brother lives. And even though we generally have beautiful weather here in winter, I don’t feel guilty staying in so much. I get a lot done, and one of those things is listening to music, including getting hooked on the YouTube craze of people reacting to all kinds of music. Or else, those clever algorithms pick out songs I was destined to watch, or listen to again when I had never really appreciated them before.
One good example of this is my discovery of the magnificent and angelic voice of opera legend Maria Callas. She was one of the most famous singers in the world in the 1950s and 1960s. There is an extensive entry on her in Wikipedia. As with my great musical discovery of 2020, Dimash Kudaibergen, it’s the music and the voice that count. . It’s really always been that wayfarer me. Music first, and lyrics peripherally.. It matters not at all that I can’t understand the words in whatever language Dimash or Callas is singing in: French, Italian, Kazakh. The pure emotion in their facial expressions, as well as the sheer charisma they exude, absolutely mesmerize me. Dimash is only 26 but many consider him to have the finest singing voice in the world now, spanning six octaves. I have listened to his live performances countless times, and never do I get the least bit tired of them
I never was a huge fan of opera, but Maria Callas changed that. I’ve been familiar with her name all my life. But I never heard her sing, as far as I know. But I found a YouTube video of her performing “Casta Diva,” that I will be returning to it again and again. The songs of Dimash and Maria Callas have helped get me through the pandemic. They uplift me and help take my mind off this world of troubles.
Maria Callas, Casta Diva
Dimash Kudaibergen, Love is Like a Dream
My September entry on Dimash
I like music too. I’m more classic punk/contemporary pop sorta person.
@sleepydormouse I hope you can listen to those two songs.
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Callas had the ability to touch your soul with her singing. When I first heard a recording of her, the late Norma, I was not impressed. Later, when was exposed to her singing, particularly in her younger years, I discovered her greatness. It was not a beautiful voice, though it was capable of great beauty. She developed a wobble in her late years, which is painful to hear. If you have not seen the Act II of Tosca from Covent Garden, go watch it now. It shows her as the great actress she was. She could tear you apart on one word, one that would be unnoticed by a lesser artist. She and Caruso are singers you have to set aside when talking about other singers. They are in a class by themselves.
@solovoice Definitely so! I’ve not listened to Caruso, but know of his reputation. Callas is stunning. Her voice is so beautiful I wish I had come to appreciate her earlier. Thanks for the Tosca recommendation. You seem quite knowledgeable about opera.
@oswego I wanted to be an opera singer from the age of six.
@solovoice What kept you from it?
What do you think of Dimash, if you got a chance to listen to him?
@oswego That’s a tough question to answer, since there were several variables. The short answer is: my voice is simply not top notch. I’m constantly amazed that people pay me to sing. Regarding Dimash, I “scrubbed” through his singing; I didn’t listen to it from beginning to end. He has a pleasant falsetto, but his opening notes put me off from the start. He’s a side show. He doesn’t have the natural range of Yma Sumac, for instance, another wide-range singer from the 50s, but even she was a curiosity and not a mainstream singer. I’m, admittedly, a snob about singers, though I like a variety of musicians. Yesterday, I was listening to Johnny Cash!
@solovoice I couldn’t possibly disagree with you more about Dimash.
I’m listening to Tosca, Act II, with Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi. Straight through, no scrubbing. It really is outstanding (very heavy on the drama, though, as I guess all opera has to be, Lol), and it makes a huge difference that the Italian is beautifully translated as they sing. I can’t believe I’m waxing poetic about opera, but life is strange, and I’m getting old!
I like Johnny Cash’s cover of Trent Reznor’s “Hurt.” It’s amazing.
@oswego One thing to know is that singers have to project their voices and acting to the rafters and all gestures are exaggerated on the TV. But, yeah, opera is about as far from reality as you can get. I call it a “divine madness.” This was late in Callas’ career, but she still had it at this point. I’m not a fan of country music, particularly the nasal twang some singers employ, but Cash, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline and a few others have distinctive voices that appeal to me.
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