Cardiff Singer

[verismissimo]

Don't we usually get more broadcast than this year - 30 minutes last Saturday and 90 minutes of the finals next Saturday?

I heard the Aussie mezzo recently, singing Duparc, and thought she was outstanding.

[mercia]

plus an hour-and-a-half every night Tuesday to Friday on BBC4

[verismissimo]

Thanks, mercia. I only looked at Monday!

[rodney_h_d]

.....plus an hour's coverage of the "Song Prize" at 1:00pm each day from Tuesday on R3.

[verismissimo]

Doh!

[rodney_h_d]

.....plus an hour's coverage of the "Song Prize" at 1:00pm each day from Tuesday on R3.

.....and R3 coverage continued today for an extra half an hour [not in the RT] from 2:00pm to 2:30pm

Did anybody watch this evening's coverage on BBC4?

I don't really like having winners and losers but the the Russian mezzo Olesya Petrova was outstanding - her [broadcast] performances were -

Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix (Samson et Dalila) - Saint-Saëns
Acerba voluttà (Adriana Lecouvreur) - Cilea

[verismissimo]

Russian mezzo Olesya Petrova was outstanding

Clearly the best from that gang.

[Stanfordian]

I was fairly disappointed with the standard of the performers. Certainly with last night’s contestants. I often think that the best singer(s) could go straight in or almost straight into a top production.

I hated the interviewing of the performers afterwards. Most of them cannot speak English and they struggle heroically to find the words that they need. Interviewing performers straight afterwards is crazy. Strangely Kiri Te Kanawa didn’t seem interested.

[Mary Chambers]

I'm listening to the second Song Prize broadcast at the moment, and I don't like any of them!

I did enjoy the Russian mezzo Petrova last night.

[rodney_h_d]

We were also told who 'won' the second round to be shown tonight on BBC4 which surprised me a bit as he/she [no hints!] didn't impress in the Song Prize excerpts we heard. There seemed to be a regular 'beat' in the voice whatever was being sung which might sound less obtrusive tonight with orchestra. The recital room is much more demanding in some ways than the opera house.

[Mary Chambers]

The recital room is much more demanding in some ways than the opera house.

I completely agree with that.

[verismissimo]

Although she lost a way in "Ritorna vincitor", I thought the Swiss dramatic soprano much the most exciting last night. And as a late replacement she had just a few days to prepare. What's more, she recovered well. Brava!

I enjoyed her Tannhauser greatly too.

She didn't win the heat, but I do hope she gets into the final.

[Mary Chambers]

Although she lost a way in "Ritorna vincitor", I thought the Swiss dramatic soprano much the most exciting last night. And as a late replacement she had just a few days to prepare. What's more, she recovered well. Brava!

I enjoyed her Tannhauser greatly too.

She didn't win the heat, but I do hope she gets into the final.

I agree. It wasn't a brilliant group of singers on the whole, but I think she could go the furthest in the end.

[Suffolkcoastal]

Have only been listening to the Recital Room so far and from what I've heard there isn't any particular outstanding talent, probably the weakest bunch of singers 'Lieder' I've heard so far in the years the competition has been running. I'm sorry to any Welsh contingent on these Boards, but the Tenor I'm afraid is very poor. If he was the only Tenor considered worthy to reach the Final then heaven help what the standard of the rest was like.

[Mary Chambers]

I thought the Ukrainian baritone this lunchtime was better than most. This Australian mezzo doesn't seem to know the meaning of pp, and isn't varied enough.