Posted on 06/15/2007 9:10:31 PM PDT by doug from upland
(No, he is not Pol Pot. It is Paul Potts. If you have not heard his name, you will indeed be hearing it.)
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If you have not heard this, you need to hear it. Yeah, I know, opera sucks. Well, it doesn't suck, I guess. I just never had any interest in it. But this is going to amaze you. What a Cinderella story. You will be moved and cannot help but to root for this guy, a guy Simon Cowell probably looked at as a total loser.
DO NOT MISS THIS PERFORMANCE ON YOUTUBE!
At 36, Potts is overweight, has not the best teeth, and lacks confidence. He was bullied as a kid.
Most human beings lead lives of quiet desperation. They never really feel that they have accomplished that which they think they could have accomplished.
Here is a guy with an amazing voice who has spent his time working for a mobile phone company to earn a living and pay the bills. At a You've Got Talent contest in Great Britain, he was discovered.
Some have expressed chagrin that he was a professional brought onto the show as a set up. It is true that Potts has had training. He insists, however, that he has never been paid for his singing. This really is a regular guy with a regular job who had a dream. After the exposure, that dream is going to come true.
Paul Potts participates on this mobile phone forum. A friend of his posted this thread to give his workmate encouragement.
Onecompare
Joined: Thursday, June 01, 2006
Total Posts: 154
Post for Pottsy!
Posted: Friday, June 15, 2007 @ 09:39
In case you've missed it our very own Pottsy12, better known as Paul Potts from ITV's Britain's got Talent has been amazing the country with his fantastic opera performances.
We've posted this thread for everyone to add a quick note of support and let him know that you will be voting for him in the final on Sunday 17th June.
So get to it - Post for Pottsy!
All those experiences they mention in the article are pay to sing gigs. You pay for the opportunity to sing in Europe, sometimes with big names in the hopes of being discovered. 99 percent of the time, you pay your hard-earned money, sing and go home empty handed.
And singing one role with a small opera company does not make you “discovered”. Those jobs hardly pay (sometimes as little as $1,000 for weeks of rehearsals and a few performances). After you finish the job, you are back to your day job.
For those of us who have tried to do this, being a pro means at least making more than the expenses involved in training, workshops, travel to auditions and the like.
I hope he makes it for all the rest of us.
PS If you want to hear a brilliant version of Nessun dorma, listen to the digitally remastered version of Jussi Bjorling singing it on Youtube.
Bravo!
That Opera is his joy does not detract from what he did and does - to display this a “raw” talent is BS.
Then you can never have an operatic voice on this talent competition. Training of that type of voice takes years. If someone, undiscovered, came onto the show and played a Beethoven Sonata would you complain because he had piano lessons?
I think the truncated-sounding first and middle verses are supposed to be instrumentals only. But it’s hilarious anyhow.
My son teaches voice on Broadway and in an Ivy league school so would like to send him a link to see what he thinks.
No arguement – Now for the history buffs … when we assembled for the opening ceremonies it was snowing big time – when our conductor raised his hands the snow stopped – the clouds parted and the sun shined on the area – we sang out hearts out and when we finished the clouds closed over and the snow started again – news in the next days reported that the US had developed weather control – the Ruskies were concerned.
Well, ideally our surprise pianist would have either played by ear or taught himself from books with no tutor and with nothing but mass market recordings to compare his performance to. Makes a better rags to riches (so to speak) story.
Potts has a nice voice and a wonderful story, but he is not a first rate singer. (Disclosure - I am a classical musician)
His voice, even with the microphones, is small. His notes are shaky. And on the final vincero - his voice cracks on the high B.
Alas, singing standards (and musical tastes) have devolved so much in the past 50 years that ordinary people think the singers on these karaoke shows are good singers. Believe it or not, back in the 30s and 40s, each week more than 10 million people would tune in to the Saturday afternoon Metropolitan Opera broadcasts.
To hear the gulf between Potts and the top rung of opera singers, check out Jussi Bjorling:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPEG914GATk
Oh, I get it. Then the show is “Britain’s got Miracles”!
I believe this was reported on Brit Hume.
NO - they need the exposure - there is great talent alive and well on this planet - the internet and shows like this bring it to us.
Hyping it is BS.
And I imagine our US winners have had training also - certainly Jordon Sparks 17 year old voice has training behind it.
The point is - if they have not been singing professionally - getting paid for it, they are amateurs.
Sounds like he's perfectly legit.
spot on
There's an apocryphal story of a fellow whose self discovered talent was in imitating the voice of various radio personalities, who on one surprising occasion let loose with a gorgeous operatic aria. When his friends expressed stunned amazement, he said "I was only imitating Pavarotti."
Wow,
Keepitreal and I are on the same page here. You should also check out the one I linked - it is what most people consider to be Bjorling’s best - a 1944 radio broadcast.
Still, the 1960 recording Keepitreal linked, made the year Bjorling died, is a marvel to hear as well. With Birgit Nilsson as Turandot and Renate Tebaldi as Lui, in addition to Bjorling’s Calaf, it is my favorite recording of the complete opera.
Good Point - I missed the crack on high B - will listen again - nice stuff tho.
It’s encouraging that this guy is getting all this support , but, you know, HE ISN’T THAT GOOD.
He’s OK, but he’s not spectacular. I can sing Nessum Dorma as well as he, and I don’t consider myself any great shakes.
I watched him on Youtube and expected the same “hair on the back of the neck tingling” performance that Bianca Ryan produce on the American show last season with “And I am Telling you I’m not Going” but, frankly, I was disappointed.
He sang Nessum Dorma like he like a dead fish, he just stood there, with his arms hanging limp by his side as he appeared to concentrate on his delivery.
A good rendition, but not inspiring.
Ping for later reference. Gotta love it. The guy is instantly famous. Here’s to him having more than 15 seconds of fame!!!
You sing opera? I never knew. Come on, go look at post No. 12. You have to sing this for me! Sandy Berger would love it on YouTube.
B T T T
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