Word: countertenors
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...bearded, sturdily built man strides onto the stage and opens his mouth. Out floats an exquisitely beautiful alto voice--and the crowd starts cheering. Is it a dream? A freak show? No, it's what happens whenever countertenor David Daniels makes another debut, as he did in April at New York City's Metropolitan Opera, and will be doing in August at the prestigious Edinburgh Festival. Seven short years ago, he was a frustrated tenor whose high notes refused to kick in; now he is racking up reviews that might make even Pavarotti envious...
While the eyes are being ravished, so are the ears. Conductor Jane Glover leads a scintillating performance by unusually nimble-fingered string players and by singers of passionate virtuosity--notably countertenor David Daniels in the title role and soprano Dana Hanchard as his reluctant Turkish prize. What seems at first arcane and distant becomes hypnotically human--opera on a level of taste, imagination and musicality that would do any of the world's most celebrated opera houses proud...
...Over Beethoven alters "Dig these rhythm and blues" to "Dig these heathen blues") or finically polish the grammar (John's "You've really got a hold on me"). Some of their covers (Young Blood, Johnny B. Goode) sound sluggish, anemic next to the originals. But Paul's raveups -- his countertenor superscreaming on Long Tall Sally or the understandably obscure 1956 rocker Clarabella -- still have a clear pulse. John leads a happy assault on Sweet Little Sixteen. And George is the musical star; he lays down plenty of inventive improvs on his lead guitar...
CHANT GREGORIEN (Harmonia Mundi). This collection of medieval liturgical songs, featuring the late countertenor Alfred Deller and the Deller Consort, illustrates the paradox of austere expression that is also voluptuous...
...length of the production takes it toll on both the audience and the cast; by Act III, countertenor Jeffrey Gall (Julius) was cracking, and soprano Mary Westbrook-Geha (Cornelia) looked like she would have been grateful for a throat lozenge. A fifth of the audience was missing, too. The ridiculous length of this show trips up many of Sellar's interesting staging and acting ideas; the cast is so intent on remembering their lines, hitting the notes, and getting the blocking right that they can only make a gesture at acting...