STEPHEN TEXON sings "ERI TU" (BALLO IN MASCHERA) LIVE!

[baltik007kitty]

Wow! Very beautiful! Also very good expression! bravo!

[stevetexon]

Hi Joel- Your kind comments are very much appreciated.. Thank You! The great Merrill did advise me on various occasions, but only in a general way. His was a natural placement, with effortless production. Excellent breath support is number one, with natural vocal quality to never change except for a brief dramatic effect. The lip thing was singing "al dente" for bel canto roles like the Barber of seville, which he studied with the great Giuseppe de Luca.

Many thanks again and best wishes, Steve

[operascenestudy]

Hi, Steve:

I really enjoyed your performance. You have a beautiful voice, and a very cultivated way of singing. You also sound a lot like Merrill, and that is a great compliment to you! Did Merrill give you lessons, and if so, what did he concentrate on? Did he teach the "lip thing"? Did he work with you on support, placement?

Best,

Joel Katz

[stevetexon]

I very much appreciate your kind comments. You really know your business and are very articulate. You are hired as my press agent!

[Lubana140]

Way to go Cantor Texon! Beautiful, sensitive singing. First of all, no one can "imitate" anyone's operatic voice. Anyone who is actually a singer would realize that. You are stuck with the qualities of your own voice and if Texon's happens to much resemble that of Robert Merrill, so much the better, as it's a very impressive sound, indeed. As to the mike, not every place one sings has the best acoustics.

[stevetexon]

Again, after the ethnic slur to Merrill himself, I would expect anything from you. If you thought my "imitation" of Merrill was good, that's a compliment. Frankly, I'm looking for a great Hollywood producer to make a movie on Merrill's life. You are right about the mike, but no way did I need it. That was the nature of the Pops Concert with 2 other Baritones, singing Opera and Pop, and all used mikes. At any true recital or Opera performance I never use a mike.

[Merrillmiller99]

He´s imitating Robert Merrill very good, but as a singer he is not very exciting. And since when do opera singers sing with a microphone?

[stevetexon]

Excellent question, and I commend you for being so sharp! At that moment I felt a small tickle in my throat, and so pure instinct took over, and I took the lower note to keep it smoothe. It's the only "flaw" in the rendition, and I pray that dear beloved Verdi will forgive me. Thank you again for your good review which is very much appreciated!

[piasecznik]

Outstanding. Just one question- why didn't you go for the higher Eb (or is it an E? not looking at the score right now) at 2:28? It's not even a particularly high note, so why transpose it an octave down?

[stevetexon]

Frankly, I am now searching seriously for a top film producer to undertake the project, and cast me in the role. Yours and other similar comments recently and through the years, have positively convinced me.

Thanks!

[ShawDAMAN]

If they were were going to make a movie about Robert Merrill, you'd get the part :)

I can honestly say you do sound like him, very very nice singing. Not that you aren't good now, but I'd like to hear recordings of you, say 10 or 15 years ago. ;-)

[stevetexon]

I would just love to have the chance to portray the great Merrill in a film. I really got to know him well, even though he kept his distance. He had a profound influence on me since the age of 15.

I'm hoping to someday soon release a video documentary on his amazing life.

Thanks for your kind comments.

Steve.

[ShawDAMAN]

Sounds good :)

[Chiliarches]

Like to hear you without a mic.

[stevetexon]

I'll be happy to invite you to a concert where no mike is used. I've trained all my life to sing with NO mike. The mike is just a fact of modern life except for the Opera House or formal Concert stage.

Thanks.

[Chiliarches]

If you're in Chicago, I'll go. I would assume you can sing fine without a mic, but it's impossible for me, as a viewer and listener, to judge your voice with the mic. That's all I meant.

[stevetexon]

I would be happy with only a fraction of Merrill's success.

Thanks, ST

[halavey]

I have heard some other you tube singing from this Cantor but this is not only his best but very good by any standard. Bravo!. His attack seems to be like the style Bob Merrilll had. Reminded me of him.