Stephen Costello sings Rossini's Stabat Mater

[lojundolo]

contristantem???? the exact latin text should be CONTRISTATAM! what a pity, he sings very good.

[rmsadoq]

OMG. Calm, cool, great style. The Db shimmers, but so do all the rest of the notes.

[blackcastle7]

preciosa voz! se parece un poco a la de pavarotti pero ligerament mas oscura i delgada :D aunque quizas hubiera resultado mejor con un poco mas de emocion al cantar

[kaloi810]

Great!!!!

[ireneweldon]

Gorgeous voice. I absolutely love it. Must get a recording. Gives me goosebumps!

[prelasser]

Please contact Haddonfield United Methodist Church, Haddonfield NJ. Ask the music secretary if there are any remaining copies of the recording from Jubilate 2007.

[Kyrios79]

yes, really nice voice. but... why allways glissando?

[arcot9]

NIce voice...the only thing I would say..if I might..is......get the registers closer together..and sing on same position

[paragod333]

@arcot9 What does that mean? I'm sure that at this point he isn't asking for suggestions on technique from someone who can't describe what he or she means.

[arcot9]

@paragod333 sorry if I did not explain. I like his voice. What I meant was there is a bit of a break between the lower and upper registers, usually at the passagio causing a tonal distinction between those two registers which, here, is most evident towards the end of the aria. He has the notes but seems to be reaching at the end. The principal of singing on the 'same position' is purely a mental one which brings the two registers eventually together. Each note 'hugs' the previous.

[musicmeister1000]

May I suggest that Mr. Costello join with Joseph Calleja and Juan Diego Florez and become the "Three Young Tenors" and open up the next World Cup.  The original three were fantastic--I'm not demeaning any of them. But these three young guys have made it known that there is no shortage of fresh talent.

[flaze3]

@musicmeister1000 I think it should be Florez, Brownlee and Calleja, Costello and Bryan Hymnel :)

[operalament]

nicely done sir.

[pieritlyon]

MAGNIFICO, GRAN VOZ. BRAVO JOSEPH COSTELLO. En un resumido listado en comentario de otra interpretación no lo puse y debí hacerlo, me disculpo, me olvidé.

[ivanopera]

super

[DucaDiMantova1]

Bravo!!!

[RADAMES1983]

Wonderful!

[ColinMeloy91]

THE BEST ONE EVER! LOVE his voice, it's immaculate. :) Perfect ring to it and everything.

[aclimalover]

Bravo Stephen, I do have Rossini Sabat Mater sang by three different tenors, but I must say this one is more than fantastic, is the number one.WOW. ....Thank You.

[MandykeClassic]

Gott-Dayum boy!!!

[halavey]

Nice High D flat, this was sometime ago and now he is singing this season in Chicago with Chicago lyric opera.

[halavey]

Wonderful, don' t hear a sound like Bjorling or Fritz and I have JB 's recording of it but he sounds like Costello which is good, best not to copy another singer.

[AndrewAARus]

Bravo!

[ForAll23]

Fantastic, open and easily sung. He is one of the few that has a timbre reminiscent of Mr. Björlings.

"tomviolenceisadream"

Yes.., he looks worried.

[tomviolenceisadream]

sounds beautyfull his voice, but he looks so worrie,

[pacoborjas]

Wow, beautiful voice.

[chemicallyunbalansed]

He has a great sound and is not too shabby looking either. I think it's funny how much he worries about his voice - he keeps swallowing and wiping his mouth and what not.

[brendant19]

I think if my song culminated in a high Db I would prolly have to stop and vomit half way through just to get rid of a little of the anxiety.

[RADAMES1983]

Very good.

Thank you!

[Maddin1929]

he reminds me a bit to fritz wunderlich

[jokerab112]

what does he keep on doing in his mouth... in between phrases?

[Torquemada0]

Bravo!!

[bonneyp1]

Bellissima voce!! Congrats on winningthe Richard Tucker award - come to Seattle, please!!

[hotqueekboi]

Now that is an amazing tenor.

One of the nicest voices I've heard, sung with real emotion and sincerity. His voice is neither too heavy or too light... he has just the right amount of effort for every note in this.

I am not familiar with this piece at all, nor the hugest range of tenors - but I think I have heard enough to say that as long as he keeps this style and quality up he should become known as one of the greatest tenors soon.

Bravo!!!

[RickChristman]

Now THAT is the way to sing a high-C#. Amazing

[bloydaage]

I'm impessed! By the way i think the hardest part in this aria is the cromatic stairway up to A natural, not the single high C# at the end. I mean the part from 4.05 - 4.44 which you also can hear Mr Costello find hard too! But I bow for this tenor

[nclysander]

I saw him live as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammemoor, and he was fabulous, probably the best tenor I've heard live. He reminds me quite a bit of the young Carerras; hopefully he won't follow in the latter's steps by taking on roles too heavy for him. He seems to be doing fine so far, sticking with Donizetti and the lighter Verdi roles (Duke, Alfredo). Good luck to him.

[acitipo]

Vaya! por fin un tenor como Juan Diego Flores que ataca el agudo re bemol de manera clara, limpia, bravisimo!!!!

[nickbigd]

so, i'm back from seeing him in roberto devereux. he was by far the standout of the production! simply outstanding for an artist at his age. i can't wait until he comes back for moby dick.

[melinky]

I'm seeing him Sunday in Roberto Devereaux as well, and after seeing this, I'm really looking forward to it!

[nickbigd]

I'm seeing him this week in Roberto Devereux. Looking forward to it - what a gorgeous.... sound.

[BottomlessSongPit]

Beautiful job!

[Keverprins]

OMG! he is so cute!! ^^ and sings wonderfull :D

[jony5557]

Congratulations to Mr. Costello for his beautiful lyric timbre, interpretation of this difficult piece and mostly, for knowing how to use your talent wisely, something a lot of singers lack of.

[harley75604]

I really like this young man. I prefer listening to him rather than Roberto Alagna whose tenor voice can best be described as thin and pale.

[datzi4ka]

he's sooo sweat!at the beginning...haahaha...actually he has magnific voice,there's no need to be stressed...but it's sweat really!!!:)))

[arturovilla02]

great and charming!!

[kenwanders]

Here is greatness in his youth. Sing on Stephen. We'll be following your career, supporting your recordings, and praying for healthy long life. What a breath of freshness - with the combined pleasure for me knowing that you're a product of Philadelphia. I know that you're musicianship (occasional very slight sharpness) will mature as you do. I hope to see a young baritone join you on stage in the near future (two or three years). Best wishes always.

[EDC831]

I had the joy of seeing Stephen Costello perform at a recital here in Austin, TX last year. His voice dazzled us all, and his demeanor was charming, rather shy, almost sheepish. Utterly endearing. Hope he paces the development of his young voice well so he will last a long, long time on the opera stage. Bravo!

[Glenmed]

Corelli pulled at the nose too. Keep doing it, Stephen, if this is what follows! Three notes into this I thought I was hearing something special - by the end of it I was certain. Many thanks for this. Loved it.

[bifeldman]

In addition to the fine singing, he has a convincing demeanor. He holds the visual and the aural space.

[RiccardoZoran]

I am truly impressed by this young tenor and know he has a bright career before him. I'll keep my eyes out for his name on my future Metropolitan Opera subscriptions...

[raythespian]

Tenors love this aria, but it takes a great one to make it interesting to me, much less thrilling, and Stephen accomplishes both. That gleaming tone, soaring top, and textual involvement augur great things to come.

[qw3rtydud3]

Wow that C# at the end was flawless, AMAZING.

Very, very talented singer!

[pvaskivuo]

Check the score, it´s a d. brgrds. peter

[purushakara]

peter - it's a d-flat=c-sharp......having checked the score....

[bondal]

It is a C#/Db not a D!

[leggbiz]

Londoners are in for a treat. He's performing at St John's Smith Square tonight at 19h30.

[dwa8167]

Great voice! Something reminds me of Richard Troxell. Amazing.

[ilDucadiMantova]

dwa, regarding your post: it may be that Troxell and Costello are graduates of AVA and may have studied with same instructor who has produced some really great tenors (Costello, Valenti, just to name a few...)

[dwa8167]

Oh wow. Thanks for the info.

[js59695]

i am 27 with a future career in opera...i think im pretty good better than most my age...in my opinion SC is freaking amazing...being a tenor myself, light lyric, not too many tenors impress me. Sergio has a great voice too but costello has something that justs draws you in. its beautiful, the timbre. God has truly blessed him...i wish he would not move the jaw so much...but i guess everything cant be perfect

[maxtormx]

his vocal is phenomenal, his voice is beautifull, but tere's something very american in his singing that is impossible to compare with pavarotti, and also he is making wrong accents in words,very very far from pavarotti, if you want to hear something atonishing, look here at you tube for segio blazquez, o my god, what a voice, what a songer, what a high notes take a look and youll see, god bless you stephen

[tenor0461]

I think what you are interpreting as incorrrect accents are just him carrying the energy and the voice through to the end of the phrase. Sure, another teacher might have him taper the end of the phrase to avoid the inadvertent "accent" but overall I like what he does very much. I also heard Sergio and like him, but I've heard 50 voices like that. SC's voice to me is once in a generation.

[js59695]

"but I've heard 50 voices like that. SC's voice to me is once in a generation." man wish my voice was that big...sometimes

[js59695]

haha i forgot to comment about what i put in quotes. i agree 100% "but I've heard 50 voices like that. SC's voice to me is once in a generation." once in a generation voice

[A7sogno]

fantastic.

[boldbastard]

wow what pipes! and looks too:) and he's SO touching when waiting for his entrance..He's just gorgeous - yes,beware, Rolando!

[kmillard]

I immediately liked SC much better than RV. In fact, I'm REALLY HOOKED on SC and can't wait to see him live!! I've seen Villazon live twice and thought he was very good but nothing that really turned my crank. His dream aria in Manon (LA Opera) was as beuatiful as I've heard it sung while the "Ah Fuyez douce image" was quite underpowered. He also filled in last moment for Marcello Giordani at a Verdi Gala concert in Detroit in 2001 and was ok but not great.

[raythespian]

Love that fearless high D-flat...and in church! Also love the absence of that little explosion of breath at the ends of phrases that Pavarotti often did. It may be blasphemous, but I like Stephen much better.

[kmillard]

There's certainly a lot there to like with a minimum of stuff to dislike.

[tutito1716]

En copiapó se va a realizar el Stabat Mater que lejos es una obra bastante notable, ya nada felicitaciones a Costello que lejos uno de los mejores tenores que he escuchado...

[kmillard]

The last time I heard a 26-year-old tenor sound this good was on a pirated recording of a performance of La Boheme in Modena Italy in 1961. :-O There was also a young Swedish tenor from the mid 1930's that sounded pretty damn good too.

[TenorDiva86]

wait 5 more years and you'll hear another.

[kmillard]

Who might that be?

[Martinou1975]

I LOVE IT

A GREAT TENOR

HE LOOKS LIKE DOES NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO BEFORE HIS SINGING BEGINS ...

But when it starts, what a voice ...

[andreasscholl]

He is verry handsome, and his voice...amazing!!!!

Sounds like Hans Kaart the Dutch tenor.

[kmillard]

If that is the case, I would very much like to hear this Hans Kaart you mention!! Any place on the web where we can hear audio of him or see video?? How did you hear him, Live performance??

[esiodo789]

Finalmente un credibile Cavaradossi,spero

[Dymension]

I really wish he would just wipe his face and basically act bored during the intro...Other than, he's fantastic!

[sschimel]

Wow! He's a real cutey-patooty (as Rosie O'Donnell says). He has a gorgeous voice, with a really litling quality to it. There are all sorts of things I would love to hear from him. Can't you hear him singing "Una Furtiva Lagrima"? But there's a lot I'd like to hear him sing, I don't want him to sing any of them at the Met, where he will be singing his first Edgardo in October. The Met is enormous and his voice is not.

[tenortime51]

His voice fairly large for a lyric instrument. The recordings of him on stage are very impressive. The easy resonance cuts past the orchestra.

[tenorman123]

Mr. Costello gives me hope for the future of great tenor singing. Such artistry at such a young age, I can't wait to see what's to come.

[964390001]

Extraordinario tenor. verdadera tecnica de canto italiana, (aberto ma cuperto) muy musical muy ligadas

las grases, buen fiato, simplemente expectacular.

Bravo.

[garjogo]

WOW!

What a amazing voice !!!

Congratulations STephen !

[vickersman]

Here is a thought.Have YouTube refrain from allowing advice to be posted on vocal training, from anyone under 50, or from anyone who hasn't had some real life and not textbook experiences in the vocal arts.

[bleetenor]

Amen!

[boldbastard]

Amen!!

[ElPiconeroalCognac]

Hogwash!

[Samurai9]

This is a very difficult piece, and not solely because of the high D flat. There is very little time to breathe and a number of the phrases are rather long. The driving lines up the scale are daunting and have to be repeated. This is a real challenge for most tenors. Costello has a good voice and technique but could improve his stage presence.

[ElPiconeroalCognac]

Oh, without doubt. One imagines Rossini at his most impish in this music: "You think you're a tenor, do you? Show me!"

[MrCafiero]

Beautiful lyric tenor voice. Very nice job. While the voice is very beautiful and in line I find it a bit off that the top notes are smaller than the upper chest notes - they do not bloom like they should. The Db pulls out of squillante. He is only 25 though!:)

[saverioorlando]

Good musician,ok for the difficult cadenza vocalizing,bravo!

[operalizard]

After hearing Stephen live several times, I can say he is a tenor to watch out for. His diction is close to perfection and his voice is pure gold. I am sure we'll hear a lot from him in the years to come.

[OperaCub613]

Wow! Beautiful voice and excellent delivery of the D!

[epa300]

I would almost swear he isn't supporting the voice at all. I fear this.

[1866sa]

epa300, his support system is functioning very well. Notice the vibrato is steady and even, body alignment is good. The voice finds full and fluid connection in upper passagio. Beautifully done.

[1866sa]

Watch that your ideas of support don't create a rigid locking of the Epigastrum. This will create a squeeze at the glottis. And that IS something to fear.

[Arnaldo3103]

Que tenor maravilhoso esse Stephen. Parabéns pela voz e pela interpretação.

[fabrizzzio48]

...nice and relaxed execution of that final passage.

[urgrad03]

Early to ripe, early to rot... let's pray that's not the case here.

[drdre333]

Better high Dflat than that Russian tenor everyone's oo-ing and ah-ing over. Still I find this guy could polish a little bit more.  I find that technically he could go down the Carerras route, which is scary.

I hope things go well for him.

[epa300]

Ooh, if only we could have another Carreras. I know what you mean, but I wonder if we would have any of what he gave if he hadn't given us his all in the few years he did (and could). I wish the world could know the Carreras of the early-mid 70s instead of the Three Tenors Carreras. Few can compare against him.

[kmillard]

drdre333 expressed concern that "technically he could down the Carerras route." Having heard SC and JC in their earlier years, I do believe SC's voice is produced more easily, more relaxed, and more naturally so I have a much better feeling about it. Hopefully there's not another Karajan out there talking him into doing Rhadames, Calaf, Chenier etc. like HVK did with Careras. Then again, i wouldn't want SC pulling a Kraus either where he only sings like 6 roles for his entire career.

[sschimel]

It's hard to knock Kraus; he did, after all, sing into his 70s. And I don't think his voice could have handled most of what Domingo has sung. I also dread a Karajan coming along and talking Costello into heavier repertoire. But even if he stays within his fach, The Met can be a voice killer.

[ElPiconeroalCognac]

I think von Karajan gets too much of the blame for Carreras. I suspect, if you were to ask Carreras personally, he'd dismiss it outright.

[cjondoran]

one must be responsible for his own behaviour,

[kmillard]

Who is this Russian tenor everyone's oo-ing and ah-ing over?? Any video of him that we can listen to??

[PietVanA]

Sweet voice, depth, warmth, expression (as Rossini permitted). So clean, musically, as a musician, not affected or non-musical ego on cadenza. (one stray note in danger is totally forgiveable, especially as all was put back on track) How fine!

[mrrk]

Stunning. Hope he comes back to London soon.

[Bigman240]

Bravo! This is a fine voice and an excellent technique! Congratulations!

[2ManyHighCs]

Truly inspiring singing. At long last, an American tenor who has it all !

[viesbe]

magnifica voz tal vez un poco frio

[ricardofidelis]

Que lindo

[wotan3000]

Well done, Stephen. Well done. Things are shaping up very nicely.

[sexybcl21]

Man I cannot wait to follow his career until well in his late years!

[TwinOaks1674]

A Master at such a young age. Thank you Stephen.

[fistrorr1968]

Bravo. Bella voce davver. You have a nice future.

[hymnforlorca]

Wonderful. I so enjoy Mr Costello's singing and hope that he continues to develop and strengthen his technique so that we may enjoy many, many years of him.