Gluck: Orphée et Eurydice (Opus Arte - Faveo)

[organboi]

Yuck

[Malloyism]

I think this is a Peter Page production. Where is the rest of this please.

[jaypenn123]

you can hardly blame Domingo and Pavarotti for the death of bel canto. first: it's not dead. secondly, the "huge" tenor sounds started generations before them...if you want to blame any one, blame the first tenor to hit a 'do di petto'. People like Domingo and Pavarotti have the luxury of singing what they want and being adored for it. You can't blame them for singing, maybe, things they 'shouldn't have'. let the snobs find their own favorites. but don't lay blame where it isn't warranted.

[musicalidea]

I hate the way he treats this as a silly waltz. An unserious, trivializing, banal performance.

[DDN1983]

Now I've actually heard it, I'd have preferred the rhythm to be more suited to the emotion of the piece. I agree there was a lack of facial expression (possibly due to the speed of the piece - he seems much more animated in other dvds such as Pinafore and I know a fair few singers whose performance is noticeably affected when they are unhappy with the accompaniment). However, vocally he was spot on - beautiful tone and great expression.

[DDN1983]

I think I may have to buy the DVD purely on the basis of his physique, never mind his voice! Why do we not have singers like this in the UK - we get lumbered with Simon Cowell's latest protege instead!

[CarlosFinch]

"David Hobson, Amanda Thane & Miriam Gormley

The Australian Opera Chorus, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Marco Guidarini" conductor.

This is a promo clip from Presto. I've ordered the DVD of the performance from the UK.

I've listened to nearly a dozen versions (in different keys and tempi) of this aria sung by mezzos, countertenors, tenors and even bass baritones. I've enjoyed almost all of them.

[adprt]

Are we supposed to admire the voice or the chest...?

[skitzo429]

hes hot

[perles75]

hmmm no

[angelovocci]

The french techique--all mask. A false bleating vibratto not planted on the appogio. Placido was a great bel canto singer. Italian training.

[tenore23]

No credits to singers or orchestra/conductor. How impressive. Apparently that information is not important.

[Federicopera]

this guy wouldnt even get an audition ina provincial opera house

[revmiguel2000]

Who is the singer, please, and why was he cut off mid-stream?

[Ahdren]

@revmiguel2000 The singer is an australian tenor named David Hobson who quickly went on to ruin this voice and turn it into a thin scratchy painful sound with no subtlety at all....awful today unfortunately. He doesn't sing classic opera anymore....but Australians don't seem to notice. And before anyone yells "OI"....i'm australian and I can say what I like.

[gilesderoet]

@Ahdren I agree completely, Hobson fell to bits very quickly. Lucky there's the new darling of the opera set, Teddy Tahu Rhodes.

[assa123assa123]

French version sucks

[RosaPudelProductions]

well he sings good, but he always looks the same... seems like he as almost not acting... his face is too calm - this aria is like "oh my god i have lost my love, she died"

[phainopepla95]

Then there's the Berlioz "touch up" on the French version.... Not terrible actually, even good.

[gloria25031]

I find his voice remarkably sounding similar to Mironov,regarding weight,timber and execution of coloratura.I think he is very pasionate, altough a bit more aching sorrow displayed here would have given more depth.

[Sortilegio1000]

Il La chante bien, n'est pas compléte!!

[Sortilegio1000]

Il La chante bien, n'est pas complete!!

[treble32]

Sorry - didn't mean to sound like a parrot. Was trying to reply to Tigermuc's post down below.

[alexanfaria]

The frech version is created by Bizet!

Gluck composed 2 versions for this opera. One for a Tenor and other for a Castrato. with the end of castrati Contratos take the place.

[Thrax1982]

Actually, Gluck had three versions.

The original one for alto castrato (Guadagni),

second one for soprano castrato (Millico)

and third version, the French one, for haute-contre/tenor (Legros).

[justasondheimbaby]

Not Bizet, Berlioz :).

[alexanfaria]

That's right. my fault.

:P

[Tigermuc]

Who is the soloist?

[treble32]

David Hobson

[treble32]

David Hobson

[g4thz]

I feel like a more legato orchestra adds pathos to the sound. This was a little boom-chuck Che faro, if you get my meaning.

[forallyouknow]

love his voice. There aren't nearly enough leggieros out there.

[mistatomsom]

that's the fault of Pavarotti/Domingo clan. They destroyed the belcanto and replaced it with huge tenor sounds that can fill the Wembley.... death of a style...

[BetuliaLiberata]

it's not about the volume...

[operastud82]

@mistatomsom Actually it has nothing to do with Pavarotti or Domingo and it began as early as the 1830's when French opera began to employ a more full-bodied approach to the tenor sound, mostly thanks to Nourrit who sang premiere roles by Rossini, Donizetti, Meyerbeer and Halevy. By the end of the 19th century, the verismo style was so prevalent in French and Italian music that singers were not capable of sustaining high tessiture nor able to sing with the flexibility once required.

[bradleyjenks]

Yeah, audible singing in-tune is such a bummer.... good point.

[misslenore1]

@mistatomsom

Pavarotti sings better this air, I think that tenors have more beautiful voices.

[oblatusosb]

@mistatomsom How true; the masses loved Pavarotti especially in l'Arena of Verona, let alone the Met in NY , but in Parma was bood many times...

[Moultoenromes]

If he were Orpheus he wouldn't even get the attention of one single fairie. He wouldn't ever get into the infraworld.

[BernardProfitendieu]

at last! a man singing the role of Orphée instead of some husky-voiced broad.

[TollerAffe]

I don't like his singing. It is under supported. He's using a fraction of the depth of his sound. It seems like he was hired because of his looks.

[agnellodei]

This was originally sung by an haute contre, don't expect a Corelli type of sound, duh!

[mrrk]

How lovely.

[radubradu]

i like more women and countertenors singing this

but would u look at that chest!!

[Hamlynhyde]

What a lovely voice, even though these days we're more used to hearing the aria from countertenors! A great pleasure to listen to, thank you for posting it! Is there a longer version of this recording by any chance?

As for the other comments: I don't think the present fashion of being so harsh on accents is very fair. After all, we're talking about opera, where the primary task of singers is to express themselves through the quality of their singing and not through words!

[roseserious]

The singer is the young Australian tenor David Hobson.

[lesboreades]

Oh my God! Quel français!!!!

[vitellia]

Totally. I almost thought it was Jean-Hugues Anglade.

[giloubreizh]

sans doute, ce n'est pas parfait - cette version pour ténor a le mérite de faire découvrir celle de Paris 1774 et d'occulter un peu les tripatouillages de Berlioz!

[aragall77]

I am so gload to hear that in the morning ! :-))

Look for Florez singing this aria. Full-blooded male voice. Greetings :-)

[iosonmedea]

In your dreams...

[aragall77]

Not really. Now you can listen to a real tenor singing this aria after his Teatro Real perfomrances. Available on youtube. Judge wise.

[Thrax1982]

But it was not written for a "real tenor", this was written for haute contre, a lighter and higher type of voice.

[Heartlessiceboy]

well the haute contre is also know as a tenorino or tenor rossiniano so the haute contre is real tenor a higher one even many people thinks that is the same thing as the countertenor

[aragall77]

I am ashamed I can`t understand what you said. But I would love to know!

[aragall77]

Absolutely  right!

[georgibear]

Unidiomatic singing. Diction is very poor and phrasing is very crude.

[JeromeTenor]

??

Are you French, or do you speak French? I am, and I don't know who is the singer, but I guarantee you that his text is perfectly understandable!

[lyside1]

mio dio che orrore sembra una pecora in calore

[PhantomAngel0]

wow this looks nothing like d hob

xx

[SOH99]

you're right. he has aged rather badly when you compare to recent appearances on the telly in sydney.

[polizuelanmami]

This is a beautiful production. David Hobson shines here and this is one of the best arias from the opera (in my opinion). I am so glad that this was uploaded......

[abatrax1]

sicuramente un bellissimo ragazzo........ anzi sexy

[radubradu]

dude you're like SO HOT

[SOH99]

You can't be serious! jan2602 is plastered all over Hobson's posting. Whatever her motives or relationship, the obsessive pre-occupation with Hobson and lack of perspective is there for all to read. billb4419 and other opera fans raised many knowlegable points in the context of international and Australian opera. Suggest you listen to the many great opera voices on YouTube and elsewhere. Open your mind and you will discover a much richer opera world beyond Hobson.

[billb4419]

Continued:

jan2602 is all-over Hobson's postings. I suspect she is a relative, friend, fan-club cheerleader or in his management/PR. Whatever her relationship, she is shamelessly promoting and defending his postings - hates any informed criticism from serious opera lovers who she dismisses as "knockers" How clever! If I was Hobson I would rein her in!

[jan2602]

Aw, now zetetics3 doesn't want to play any more, either! Looks like you're on your own now billb4419! Your criticism can hardly be informed when you clearly know nothing about the Australian opera scene, companies and artists - particularly this artist! I'm here and you're not, and I saw my first opera fifty years ago (how about you?) so I know a good voice when I hear one! Do some research, you'll find Hobson has been regarded as our leading tenor for several years now - end of game (I hope)!

[billb4419]

Who says he is Australia's leading tenor today? Spoke with a number of knowledgeable people in a recent visit to Sydney and also heard Australian singers in Europe and US. There are many better Australian singers aboout than Hobson. Lis Gasteen and Stuart Skelton are considered two of the finest (first class international artists). Teddy Tahu Rhodes is also a standout antipodean baritone. Cheryl Barker is good but more tier 2 standard. There are a 3 or 4 other promising atists.

[billb4419]

Continued: what opera roles in 06, 07 & 08? Can't imagine any company wanting to use him in most of the roles he once performed when Australian Opera's policy was to put visual standards ahead of vocal excellence. You will never hear him in a staged Boheme and Orphee again! Also heard a rumor in Sydney that DH apparently auditioned unsuccesfully for Luhrmann's Boheme on Broadway. Not surprised.

[becoblue]

It's amazing how often a genuine supporter of an artist is suddenly accused of having an ulterior motive, ie. being a relative, close friend, or PR agent, etc. when their knowledgeable commentary cannot be refuted. I have it on the most reliabe authority that jan2602 is none of the above, nor has any relationship to David Hobson.

[billb4419]

zetetics3-don't hold your breath to hear Hobson sing live in staged opera production especially for an international company. I even doubt that the national company and the regional houses would consider him for many of the roles he did in the past certainly not for Boheme. He is good in operetta and perhaps in some modern opera.

[jan2602]

Something I recollected today - when the Metropolitan Opera's 'Opera News' reviewed this production last year (Kultur's Region 1 version) they rated it as "Highly Recommended". Pity Nimby has left the building (at any rate his account is closed) because I'd love to have seen his reaction to that little gem! Would he also challenge the judgement of the 'Opera News' reviewer, on the grounds of insufficient knowledge of operatic tenor voices?

[zetetics3]

I must hear this guy live. When is his next opera? I can't find him anywhere except singing The Pirates of Penzance. You are right, Nimby has very refined taste and probably got bored. Or maybe he was jerking your chain and you took the bait. When is his next Boheme or operatic engagement? Unlike Nimby, I like lighter, inoffensive voices. Those big opera voices are too high brow for the average, untrained ear like ours.

[jan2602]

Very droll! Next year's schedules are now being released by the various Australian companies, so come back in a few weeks - and don't rely on Operabase, which isn't as informative as it should be in Hobson's case. For instance, there's no mention of his recital of French Art Songs at the Sydney Opera House in October, nor singing Messiah in Melbourne, before Christmas. If you were genuinely interested - which I doubt - you could Google for details of his CDs and DVDs and where to get them.

[zetetics3]

I would love to hear him singing opera live, really. I'd be on the edge of my seat. The australian company already has their program out for 2007 and 2008. What is operabase, by the way? And why on earth have Deutsche Grammaphon or the other international labels not snapped up this monumental , God-like singer. What idiots!!!

[jan2602]

By the way, for those unfamiliar with the details of Hobson's twenty-year career, please refer to the Wikipedia entry 'David Hobson (singer)'. While not thoroughly comprehensive it does include information on most of his roles, CDs, DVDs, and numerous Awards and Nominations!!

[zetetics3]

You go, girl!!

[jan2602]

Brava Beco - all your comments are spot on! For the benefit of the Hobson

'knockers' here, Becoblue doesn't know him personally but I do! He probably isn't even aware of YouTube let alone being interested in promoting himself on it!! Regarding his voice - I spent Sunday afternoon listening to him perform before a 1300+ audience UNAMPLIFIED and he was in splendid voice, displaying his full 2½ octave range in a programme of Handel, Gounod, Rossini, Donizetti, Balfe, Bart and The Beatles!

[jan2602]

Continued...

Orphée was his first French role and despite special coaching in Paris his pronunciation was a little shaky in 1993, but that wasn't important in the overall (award-winning) performance. However, in the intervening years it has become impeccable and his French repertoire impressive, so it's always a treat to hear him singing French opera or Art Songs - and his CD L'Heure Exquise is a treasure.

[jan2602]

Continued...

Future plans? You'll just have to wait and see (I already know a little about next year's schedule, and it will delight his many serious supporters) but it will include three new CDs - in widely diverse genre, as may be expected from this extraordinary artist - commencing with a release in October.

As for Beco needing to get a life, there are barely enough hours in the day for her to fit everything in - I envy her energy!

[billb4419]

Well said zetetics. Hobson's Orphee maybe visually attractive but his singing is sub-standard: monochromatic tone, bad French and poor musical style doesn't add up to good opera singing. I would be interested to hear from becoblue which "Companies" want him for opera roles in the foreseeable future? Must say, I do like Hobson in operetta where his high, smallish tenor works better in amplified productions.

[becoblue]

Whether Nimby likes it or not, David Hobson DOES sing opera, and many people now appreciate this art form as a result. He may not sing to quite the level of perfection that Nimby demands, but as long as Opera Companies and audiences want him to continue, why should he not do so? His growing number of fans hope that he keeps on singing opera for many years to come.

[zetetics3]

I love a good argument on Youtube. Nimby909 and becoblue have been sparring back and forth. Becoblue claims never to have met this Hobsen guy. Nimby909 thinks becoblue must know the guy to be so defensive. Becoblue just said in their last comment "And if you think David Hobson would put himself on YouTube, then you know nothing about him whatsoever" AND YET...becoblue claims to have never met him!!! If she/he has never met him, then she/he could not make such a statement. What a hoot!!!

[becoblue]

There are more ways of getting to know about a person that just by meeting them face to face. Do you know anything about your President, or favourite singer/actor or whatever? Did you meet them and learn all of this in a brief conversation? Probably not.

[zetetics3]

Now you are grasping at esoteric straws.. Personally, I don't think this Hobsen is good or bad - just kind of average. If in fact you don't know him and yet you seem such a fanatical defender, I suggest therapy or getting a life of your own.

[becoblue]

Far from grasping at 'estoteric straws', zetetics3, I was merely pointing out that you don't need to know a person personally to know something about them. I can assure you that I don't need therapy and I surely do have a life of my own.

[becoblue]

I didn't elevate him to opera status. Many people better qualified than either of us did that, including some on your list of favourites. And if you think David Hobson would put himself on YouTube, then you know nothing about him whatsoever.

[becoblue]

No, I've never met him, but like many thousands of others of all ages, enjoy his music. He has sung internationally, including the USA, but now chooses for many reasons, including family, to remain and work in Australia. If you think his voice is bland, hire yourself a copy of Baz Luhrmann's 1993 'La Boheme' - worldwide audiences certainly didn't consider his voice 'bland'. Whilst he includes some lighter music in his concerts, most fans would prefer to hear him sing opera any day.

[becoblue]

(cont.) Far from having a 'weak and unoperatic voice', David Hobson has a voice of incredible power and beauty, covering a range of two and a half octaves. His 27 roles with Opera Australia over the past 20 years are testament to his rare talent. His concert repertoire thrills sell-out audiences with its range from grand opera and musicals to pop and rock, and his CDs are much sought after across the world, while many determined overseas fans happily travel to Australia to hear him sing.

[nimby909]

You must be a friend of his to post such a zealous defense. I still think his looks have probably taken him further than the voice alone could. He doesn't sound as though he can live without Euridice either. Very bland. His roles with the Australian company must be a testament to knowing the right people. If he was so good, he would be in demand internationally - and he would jump at the chance to sing abroad, but he wouldn't pass muster. It's a no brainer.

[nimby909]

If he were as good as you claim, he would be in demand internationally, but he doesn't pass muster. He doesn't sound as if he could live without Euridice, either. On top of that his French is not too hot. So he does sing pop!!

That figures. It's better for him. He iIS cute, though. You must like him a lot.

[nimby909]

Thought the first one didn't post. Hey, if you like him, good for you.

[becoblue]

Incidentally, nimby, who are your favourite singers and which operas?

[nimby909]

Flagstad. Steiber, Nilsson, Giacomina, Marton, Giordano, Corelli, Tanner, Gasteen (of course), Pavarotti, Sutherland (of course), Papp, Matilla (Wonderful Jenufa at the Met), Tebaldi, Ponselle, Eaglen, Dame Gwyneth, Nina Stemme (Her Senta at the Met was great), Scotto...

[nimby909]

Sorry the tenor in the last list is Giordani. (I always mix him up the the composer, Giordano, who wrote Andre Chenier...Who else? The two Price ladies, Margaret and Leontyne, Shafajinskaia, Dimitrova, Caballe...there are way too many more to mention. My operatic tast is very eclectic.

[becoblue]

That's quite a list you have there, some I'm familiar with and some not so, and obviously you love your opera. Fortunately, there are enough artists to suit all tastes, and since opinions are only subjective anyway, we can all enjoy those who appeal to us.

[nimby909]

Opinions are subjective but also informed. I would absolutely defend your right to enjoy whoever you like, but not to elevate uch a voice to operatic status. This is what I found outrageous about your comments. It makes you seem somewhat uniformed. If this guy puts himself on youtube, he exposes himself to comparison to far better artists and maybe an informed listener will bother to post a comment. So long as he sticks to ballads, he is fine. Maybe some Irish ballads! "O Danny Boy" perhaps.

[nimby909]

Listen to Wunderlich singing Ombra mai fu. you will have an epiphany.

[nimby909]

Bjorling does a great rendition. Gigli, Corelli, Tauber, Daniels aslo sing Ombra mai fu so well. Just educate your ears a little more....You need to listen to more tenors to know operatic voices. Hobson is not even as good as Bocelli in the pop opera genre.

[nimby909]

Heard it and saw it live also. He was just not good. But he DOES look good. That production was a bit of a beauty pagent, though Cheryl Barker was not only pretty but sang well. She has since developed into an even better singer. Again, listen to the many posts of Boheme on youtube to hear suitable voices for the role of Rodolpho. Listen to Gigli sing Che gelida manina to refine your ears. There are loads of tenors, past and present whom you can listen to also.

[becoblue]

Nimby909 -- Gluck wrote the role of Orphee in1774 for a very specific type of tenor, with higher than normal range, not a counter-tenor, but an haute-contre. Tenor is the rarest male voice; haute-contres rarer still. David Hobson is a true haute-contre. Orphee/Orfeo is mostly performed by a mezzo soprano (female) or counter-tenor as few tenors can achieve the necessary high register. This version restores Orphee's masculinity, and allows audiences to see/hear the beauty of this wonderful opera.

[nimby909]

Cute guy. But he has such a weak, unoperatic voice! I think his looks have taken him further than his voice alone would have. Is Australian Opera so desperately short of tenors?? He'd be better singing pop or show tunes.

[jan2602]

Good to see this clip back OFFICIALLY - thanks to OpusArte/Faveo! Australian tenor David Hobson's wonderful performance as Orphée in the 1993 Opera Australia production is currently available on DVD everywhere in the world, except Australia - go figure!!