I could tell from my personal weblog statistics that my blogcritcs review of The Ten Tenors: Larger Than Life has received some kind of attention from that group's online discussion forum. No one has commented, which I find interesting. I invite comments or even e-mails.
I'd like to explain something that I realized I didn't emphasize enough in the review; I think, as a whole, these ten guys are good singers. If I hadn't been so turned off by the synth-pop rearrangement of a Verdi masterpiece, I would have said that when they sing in choro in "Va Pensiero" in particular, the sound is gorgeous. The couple of guys I singled out from the audio recording and then the DVD as having what I felt were exceptionally good voices - Jason Turnbull, who I could not find on the Tenors website, and Shannon Brown, are most definitely talents worthy of exposure. I found some of the other singers voices to be particularly ill-served in the brief opera medley on the DVD. They might sound great on a pop ballad, but a few of these tenors don't need to touch arias yet.
That said, I think what I'd emphasize, were I to re-write the review, is how bad I thought the musical arrangements and choices were. Most of these songs I found completely forgettable, melody wise, or lacking in structure - and I'm sorry, but even a good pop song has a hook and a definite melodic structure to it. The marketing of this group I find confusing, as well. Market them as "Ten Tenors" and people like me have a wholly different idea of what we might hear than what is actually on the album. I'm used to ten tenors being singers like Alagna, Jerry Hadley, Jose Cura, et. al. collected in one album. I understand there's no way one promotion group could gather up all the money to get these men and their egos - because being a tenor I know that ego goes with the territory - on stage together, but these albums are usually compilations from other recordings anyway.
My point, and I do have one, is that "The Ten Tenors" need to decide who they really are. At the moment, given my experience with them so far, they are essentially a pop group, and they aren't making very good choices in the music they do. I personally abhor any attempt at hybridizing the phenomenon begun with Carreras, Domingo and Pavarotti with the concept that's behind the marketing of an artist like, say, Josh Groban. I like my peas separate from my mashed potatoes and steak on the plate, too, so maybe it's my problem.
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Article comments
1 - Vicky
There are those of us who do appreciate a mixture of musical styles in a concert, especially sung by people who can actually sing and who so obviously enjoy it. Some people care that it's not all opera, and that the operatic numbers presented are truncated. Lots of us don't. The Ten Tenors are appealing performers and the sound is wonderful, and at times, sublime.
2 - Nathan
While I may be a bit late for this discussion, I couldn’t help but join in. Fantastic debate! I should probably point out that I am an ex member of this group and so there is no doubt that I probably do hold some bias. But I, like many of the tenors who have been in or are in this group, have a string of operas to my name, tutor and hold master classes in singing and theatre at a reputable university and ,on the albums or album that you would have heard, sing many of the screamingly high ‘pop’ notes. All this and I’m only 29. How exciting! Of course you won’t find my name at the Met and I’m ok with that. I also haven’t seen the name Steve Huff up in lights there and I imagine he is ok with that too. So now that we’ve got the “who do you think you are to comment” thing out of the road, we can get into the real core of the discussion.
It seems to me Steve that you have suffered from a problem that many people who are first timers to a TTT experience have suffered. That is the one of seeing the word “tenor” and presuming that these guys would be opera purist. And believe me, you are most certainly not the first person to feel this way and you definitely won’t be the last. The problem with the use of the word tenor is that many people, including some classically based artists, equate the word only with opera. This, in my opinion, is a mistake. As you said yourself, the word tenor, in singing terms, refers only to a voice type and ,I believe, is in no way linked to a particular style of music. Sebastian Bach (the old singer from ‘Skid Row’) can be considered as much a tenor as Placido Domingo can. Why? Because he has a high male voice. (Yes. I was most impressed that I found a rock artist with a name that most would immediately give a ‘classical’ connection to).
These guys (The Ten Tenors) are passionate about their opera, there is no doubt about that. But they are passionate about all music, be it pop, rock, country or classical. And that has been the winning attribute for The Ten Tenors for the past ten years. Passion! One look at any of the Tenors posters or photos and one can see that you aren’t in for your typical stand and deliver classical based concert. They don’t hide that fact. The average age of the group is around twenty-six. Now you, as a singer Steve, would know that the male voice does not typically mature fully until you are well into your forties. Of course there are always some exceptions to the rule. But I doubt any of these young men would ever be looking to be compared to the likes of Roberto Alagna and Placido Domingo at this stage of their lives. Who knows what the future holds for them. But I will say this. Here is a bunch of boys who have put their balls on the line for the last 10 years to make this thing work. There is no big time producers pushing this one. They weren’t satisfied with sitting in the chorus of some mouldy opera house waiting and hoping for their time to come. They took charge of their own destiny and have made something of themselves. You cannot take that away from them. They used to play the small club here in Australia with just a piano. Now they play the red carpet at the Emmys. Not a bad achievement. Maybe soon they’ll have a band and won’t need the synth that you loath so much.
By the way Steve, I am very excited to finally talk with some one who shares my opinions on Domingo. In your latest instalment you said all the things I have been trying to say to people about him for years. I thought I was all alone on that one.
Though, speaking of your latest instalment, I should ask if you have ever been a gymnast. This letter was possibly one of the most amazing back flips I have ever seen. Not what I was expecting from someone who so fervently panned these guys in his previous postings.
I am in no way out to attack you here Steve because I think your opinion is as valuable as the next guys and good on you for being man enough to put your opinion out there. But some of the things you said in the older posts surprised me a little. I do take into account that you had all of two positive things to say about them in your first letter but to say that this is the killing of an art form is reckless. In my experience with the group, I have never had an opera purist approach me and say that they would never have normally enjoyed the pop we performed but are now suddenly converted. But I have had many people approach me and say, I don’t go to operas and I never would have thought that I would have enjoyed that kind of highbrow music but tonight I loved it and I want to hear more. Now to your obviously finely tuned ear, The Ten Tenors may not perform opera the way you like to hear it. But with reactions like this, what the boys are doing is obviously working. They are bringing an art form that we both love back to the people and that’s where it should be. Accessible to the people instead of only being for a very select few.
The Ten Tenors don’t need to decide who they are. They know who they are and they use ‘cross over’ as a viable medium to bring wonderful art to the people. It’s the public who needs to decide what they want and that’s the joy of show business.
I thank you for throwing the cat amongst the pigeons Steve and look forward to your reply.
3 - Nathan
Hmmm... Maybe I should have attached it to the other page. Oh well. I'll put it there too. Wow! Almost a year later and you are still recieving mail about this one. Hilarious! Well I think it is funny anyway. I hope you do. :)