Ombra Mai Fu

[poppyandresen]

i used to organised official his fan club in japan back in 1990s, lots of girls and a few boys really liked him . he was a huge there. there still are lots of adimire of his in japan so hopefully he willn come back to perfomance in front of his fans soon. he loved kfc when i met his while he was playing tennis in tokyo.

[HerbicidalManiac]

Every so often I stumble upon a YouTube gem that I simply can not walk away from. I have listened to this upwards of 20 times in the last week and I am still looking for it every time I log in. The wonders of YouTube- allowing "old" things to be rediscovered anew. It's a beautiful piece of heaven in this performance.

[skypilot87uk]

@HerbicidalManiac Glad you like it ;o) I dont know if you know, but Aled went on to have a very successful singing career as an adult, if you check out the videos on my channel you should find lots of his adult stuff on there.. If you prefer his treble voice, then please take a look at another of my channels AledTreble, that is full of his younger material.

[D422FUG]

With a lot more training and maturation he would have made a fine castrato in the old days.

[18aaronjames]

god please continue to bless him an hid aammzziinngg voice

[2010wieliczka]

How old was he at this moment?

[MandyJMaddison]

@2010wieliczka He is in his mid thirties. If you search you will find him. He grew into a lovely man who hosts a program of hymn singing called Songs of Praise. His mature voice is pleasant but no longer magnificent. There is a heartbreaking video clip of the adult Aled singing "O Holy Night" with his younger self.

[2010wieliczka]

@MandyJMaddison misunderstanding because my english is poor. I know his current age but I wonder how was he when he was singing Ombra at this clip. It is great personality nad I know that he support idea of boy soprano singing.

[18aaronjames]

@MandyJMaddison no no he is 40 right now that o holy night was a while back that was recently posted

[MandyJMaddison]

@18aaronjames Prompted by your message, I just looked him up on Wikipedia. He was born in 1970, which makes him several years older than I thought he was!

[brightsorcerer]

I have tears in my eyes listening to him.... this is one of my favorites, from this opera, and it touches me to see how clearly he actually feels the power of this beautiful composition. Thank you for posting this. I will be checking some of his other stuff now.

[skypilot87uk]

@brightsorcerer I have another channel called AledTreble, please take a look at it, you will find lots of videos of Aled when he was a treble.. All the best.

[smenkare27]

I have always loved this aria--never more so until now--

[konkerlooby]

I love him

[BelladonnaRLGK]

i love his young welsh accent :)

[yesitsme1149]

Oh my god why cant my two boys be like him. He is absolutely one hundred percent georgeous, and I bet hes a seriously beautiful man. I used to murder this song in singing lessons paid for by my good parents, what a waste of money. I had to sing it at a concert, when I opened my mouth, nothing came out. I was terrified just having to turn round and face all the oldies. This kid is a natural showman, with voice of an angel. His mum must have been so, so proud.

[ToddAJFC]

@yesitsme1149 Check out the other videos on skypilot87uk's channel, you will find loads of videos of Aled as he is now, still singing and presenting shows on both TV and Radio. ;o)

[MandyJMaddison]

@yesitsme1149 Your comments really make me smile! As a child, I always wanted to sing the solo in Once in Royal David's City. It didn't happen until I was adult! One of my sons did it at 7, and the other one at 12. None of us was perfect, but the "oldies" loved it just the same!

[lordvampyr555]

a new castrato now! XD

[ankaraperl]

che meravigliosa voce bianca, che acuti. Complimenti.

[Jonicoable]

He cant hit the high tones.

[Jonicoable]

Well, he's a good singer, but the nodes is a bit unproffesional. He make's some small fails, but he is very nice singing.

[stad97]

@Jonicoable

there's nothing odd about nodding. i assume that's what you meant.

[Mrkdcow]

@Jonicoable Yeah and how has your singing career gone?

[Jonicoable]

@Mrkdcow Thanks for asking:) Right now im getting a bit underpaid, but it's only because the Danish churches gets no money:P But have a nice day, man. But im just my meaning, and you can dislike it, if you want to.

[ReciLOve]

He is AMAZING!! Wow!! I love it!!!

[seanseanleprechaun]

Wow! Beautiful ...amazing.

[fan2jnrc]

Delicious voice, perfect interpretation, really amazing...

But oh my God, italian sung with such an horrible english accent is awfull...

Don't bit my head off... :-))))

[ToddAJFC]

@fan2jnrc Its not English, Aled is Welsh!!!..

[fan2jnrc]

@ToddAJFC

Oh... That makes a very substantial nuance, I accept that... lol

Well, welsh or english accent, when it's so strong, it's really the same result to sing in italian : disastrous...

[amazingwave]

Handel would be proud of you!! Such an amazing voice it's so hard to believe its real.

[rambellipierfranco]

Aled Jones era bravissimo ed è sempre molto piacevole ascoltarlo cantare, peò vale la pena d'andare ad ascoltare anche l'interpretazione di Ombra mai fu data da Louis Alexander Désiré|

[rebeccaharper2009]

All of these comments about "guys with no balls.." jeesh, just let it all go, please. Listen for its musical content, expression, God-given talent. There is something that male sopranos have that female sopranos don't always have...a pureness in that higher register...simply an angelic tone...that's just my opinion

[pachilusi]

bravi

[Hildegardener]

omg this kid was amazing. wow, good for him :)

[OlliTheDog]

like an angel!

[Aleksi535]

Amazing =D Bravo...

[faszfejkeful]

You may beat me up, but I find this awful. Sorry.

[aubreyaub]

I would smile like that, If I could sing half as good.

You nailed it.

[48398862044926]

ITS GREAT :')

[amatorynumber]

he probably should have been a countertenor later in life. Shame money lures ppl like it does

[HeidrunChristiane]

eine wunderschöne Stimme zu einem wundervollen Lied

[WearTheDog]

Umm yeah, from a 10 year old this is completely false- this role was written for an adult male and so it loses it's magic when sung, imperfectly, by a prepubescent child. Does anyone else notice his breath control issues??? Oy.

[RukiaCromwell]

@baritonebynight I am quite aware that this is from Xerse. I actually have the sheet music to this piece. I am also aware that this was not meant for ten year old boys, I was mostly refering to the range of the ten year old when talking about the castrati. Thank you none the less for trying to inform me.

[amatorynumber]

@RukiaCromwell well, you are going to have to be more accurate when talking about the subject aren't you? 'Boy sopranos' when referring to 'soprano castrati' was quite misleading. Congratulations for having the sheet music, so difficult to find these days. ;-)

[Nevizations]

how'd puberty go for ya?? ;)

[skypilot87uk]

@Nevizations Check out the other adult Aled Jones videos on this channel, and you will see how he is doing now.

[kocsogarc]

It's a bit fake from a 10 year old...

[RukiaCromwell]

@kocsogarc How is it fake from a 10 year old? Handel created this song specifically for boy sopranos (castrati). If anything, he fits the part perfectly.

[baritonebynight]

@RukiaCromwell Actually this was from the opera Xerxes. 10 year old boys did not sing title roles on the opreatic stage. It was composed for an adult male castrato. A ten year old boy could not be convincing as the King of Persia.

[raigekimaru]

@baritonebynight

well, if you ask me, someone with no balls wouldn't be very convincing as a king either (or a man with a mezzo soprano range to begin with). It works in Semiramide because one can imagine Arsace being younger and possibly a late bloomer (male voices then often changed as late as 17 or 18). I think a king is more convincing as a bass part tho such as Maometto, Assur or Attila. I find most castrato roles distasteful and unconvincing

[baritonebynight]

@raigekimaru I'm not a big fan either, but that was the culture back then and perhaps if we lived in that age, a guy without balls would be great as a singer to us. I'm all for Handelian castrati parts sung by baritones....we need the work!

[raigekimaru]

@baritonebynight

me too, I'm a baritone too and I need all the work I can get (plus we are MUCH sexier to women than some guy without testicles)

[stad97]

@kocsogarc

problem is, he's about 14 or 15 in this video. not 10.

[italomelomane]

meraviglioso !!!!!!!!!

[ericberner]

How's Interlochen going?

[skypilot87uk]

Judging by their website, its still going strong.

[Nacidodelmar]

@ericberner Sorry but nothing more than a regular "tenorino" at the moment

his voice was special  when he was a soprano boy,

[paintermezzo]

Csúcs! Ez a gyerek már több előző életében énekes volt, az tuti.

[goodboybuddy1]

Todd, Thanks for telling me. So many young ones with great talent have a rough time of it. I'm happy for him!

[goodboybuddy1]

Little Sir, You have a wonderful sense of musical style. You remind me of the great singers of the past. Good luck to you.

Have a happy life!!!

[skypilot87uk]

I'm glad to say that Aled did indeed go on to have a happy life. Not only does he still sing, he is also a prolific radio/TV presenter and author. He also learnt to play the drums, and dance for a couple of TV programmes and has just finished playing the role of Bob Wallace to sell out audiences in the musical White Christmas. Please check out some of the other videos on this channel, to see Aled as he is now aged 39.

Best wishes.

Todd.

[sweetasaurusonastick]

wow, how old is this kid? He's amazing

[skypilot87uk]

I believe that Aled first recorded Ombra Mai Fu on his "Ave Maria" album back in 1984, but this video is taken from a programme called The Treble which was released in 1985, so I would think he would be about 13 or 14 in this particular clip.

[Crystalitar]

het is gewoon zo schoon als het is...PUUR...

[willthebest1]

absolutely beautiful

[goblinonacloud]

To hear such music sung by such a young and pure voice truly makes it come alive. The innocence and sincerity comes through with Aled always. Then as now..

[HalleyVIEW]

George Frederic Handel, 282 years ago he composed amazing songs like this, he never imagine about YouTube or DVD, but his work trespassing the time in a haunting melody. He made a perfect job.

[LCCzr]

He has a nice boyish voice... but to me it is ridiculous to see this child to sing in the manner of a forty years old opera-star.

[cantante89fe]

The best!! Really Great!

[Nacidodelmar]

To my opinion there is not "Ombra mai fu" like the Aled Jones one, it's beyond Angelical!

[HeiTuGer]

Ich hätte gerne die Gesichter der Zuhörer während des Gesangs gesehen. Mir schossen beim ersten gesungenen Ton die Tränen in die Augen. Was für eine glockenreine und kraftvolle Stimme!!! Für mich klingt die barocke Musik im Knabentenor am allerschönsten, nichts gegen die Sopranistinnen!

[csereix]

pure....angelic tone....this boy blesses my heart. best Ombra, ever!

[csutilla]

God bless you

[MandyJMaddison]

As always, I'm stunned by his precocious understanding of the music and lyrics, and the sincerity with which he communicates whatever he is singing. I agree with GermanOperaSinger about his adult range. Aled said once that he going to have a go at singing counter-tenor, but I don't know if he ever has.

[skypilot87uk]

To the best of my knowledge, Aled has never sung Counter-Tenor.

[raphaelhudson]

Aled was the best boy soprano ever

[EC4LS]

I like you!!! :-D

[gehaktmolen]

Would be nicer without the irregular vibrato, but he did a great job for his age. No doubt.

[Amunhotep4th]

This to me is an excellent rendition of Ombra and his lower register is impressive for a treble.

[pel9989]

One of the finest boy sopranos to ever grace a stage.

[skypilot87uk]

I think its rather unfair to ask if Aled is trying to imitate a female singer, dont all trebles sound that way? Aled has sold millions of albums both as a treble, and today as a baritone, so to say he would be better playing football seems a little strange. Incidently, Aled did go for a trial at a well known UK football club, and is an ardent fan of Arsenal even today..

[GarboFour]

tritonusgesang: Ah...your last sentence really sounds like Billy Elliot's father ;)

[gofreddor]

Admirable in every way. A+.

[kalaf29]

This is just incredible! The way this little child sing this aria is amazing! what a perfect sense of music, extraordinary melody and beatiful voice!

Bravo!

[Zerotonic]

Es heißt "OmbrA mai fu".

(It's actually called "OmbrA mai fu".)

[superducky2250]

thats a hard song!!!! its amazing in itself that a child that age could sing it..... he must have a real passion for music.

[skypilot87uk]

He still has that passion, please look at some of my other videos and you will see Aled as he is now..a superb baritone..

[superducky2250]

didnt he sing for a video?

[skypilot87uk]

If you check out the other videos on my channel, there are a few videos of Aled performing this song, one of them includes a duet where Aled sings with his youngerself. It wont allow my to put URLs on here, but the end part of that particular video is: watch?v=uEWcOcX_AHQ There are numerous other videos of Aled on there too, plus I hope to have some more of Aled as a treble up soon.

Bye for now.

Todd.

[GermanOperaSinger]

Bravo, bravo!

By the way, I believe he is actually a misclassified tenor, if you listen to his recordings as an adult, he has an amazing TENOR voice which is simply singing in the baritone register. He should get reclassified and retrained, I think he isn't reaching his full potential.

[superducky2250]

i grew up watching the snowman video and that was him performing in it right?

[skypilot87uk]

Hi superducky2250, It wasnt Aled singing on the Snowman video, that was a young lad called Peter Auty. Aled was asked to record the song for a TV commercial for Toys R Us, I believe that Peters voice had broken by this time so he was unable to do it. Aled's version made it to No5 in the charts and he appeared on Top of the Pops singing it. Contrary to popular belief, Aled has never claimed to have sung this on the video, he has always credited Peter with the honour.

[BU28410]

an angel

[MS85ToyotaCrown]

I still have his tape in the car from when he was 10 and we still have the same car I think its blessed as we have never had a break down with our 76 Toyota Crown.

[nothing5sg]

It's an endearing performance with an angelic face and excellent control, delivery and flair. God-given!!

[abbeyman02]

A lovely voice,no nerves,such musicality and communication. Aled Jones was one of the greatest boy trebles ever.

[dylanmaxarm]

wow. im doing this piece right now, what key does he sing it in?

[TimAnders44]

Sounds like G Major to me.

[bestpi]

Wow Mr. T, this is one I have never heard before. Thanks. I love his voice but always thought he played the vibrato up a bit too much. Lovely nonetheless.

[evolutionboi]

Mannnnnnn... this is great to know that little Aled b4 is a great singer. I'm really proud of him & I really wanted to atleast meet him one day to thank him for his songs & seeing him in songs of praise. Kudos to you Aled & more power to you, my respect to you will always shine through ages.

Peace Out!!!

CHINO DA CHARGER!!!

[Zerlina12]

Really good

[Mindda]

Oh Aled!!! What a voice!! What control!! Fantastic....