Klaus Nomi: Samson and Delilah (Aria) Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix

"Toward the end of the show, the lights dimmed and the room was filled with a thundering musical ovation. The curtains opened and the spotlight fell on a strange, unearthly presence wearing a black gown, clear plastic cape, and white gloves. As the orchestral refrain from Saint-Saens' 'Samson And Delila' was played, this strange Weimar version of Mickey Mouse began singing in an angelic voice. "I still get goose pimples when I think about it," remembers Joey Arias, who was in the audience that night. "Everyone became completely quite until it was over."

Steven Hager, Art After Midnight: The East Village Scene1986 St. Martin's Press, excerpts


Samson et Dalila by Saint-Saëns (Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix).

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Klaus
• Nomi
• New
• Wave
• Vaudeville
• Samson
• and
• Delilah
• Aria
• Countertenor

[bhooootha]

Ironic how I found this on a list which was titled WTF!music ... this is just soo beautiful!

[trylonperisphere]

@bhooootha I'm not too surprised. Klaus was a bit of a shock to me, too, initially. Under different circumstances, I might have reacted negatively.

[serenaluce]

Actually, he is not a countertenor but a pop falsettist performing classical stuff like Philippe Jaroussky pretending that he is a woman. A man singing in falsetto isn't automatically called countertenor. For it he needs true operatic technique, breath control, depth of interpretation and sing manly, not imitating a woman or an angel. It's a pure pop manner which can sound pleasant and can be interesting too...

[trylonperisphere]

@serenaluce It's not falsetto, it's head voice.

[serenaluce]

@trylonperisphere Are you sure? You mean his unbroken voice? Still he is not a countertenor...

[trylonperisphere]

@serenaluce Yes, I'm sure. Head voice is what he sings with in the upper range. I know because I used to have a high falsetto voice (before my voice changed) and now I have both a very limited falsetto and a decent head voice, so I know firsthand what's going on. I'll let someone else argue the countertenor point :)

[Dravenswraith]

it was as if an alien had heard our radio out in space and came to share the music in return as a way of greeting and a gift for the beauty,,,,(feeling poetic today lol)

[quaxk]

I think the tape flutter add to the performance, it seems to come from afar before reaching us completely

[quaxk]

wow

[serenaluce]

@klavesin No, I meant Philipp Kirkorov who sings in falsetto from time to time FOR FUN while otherwise closer to pop tenor. Presnyakov and Vitas sing their pop songs in falsetto ALL THE TIME:-)

[klavesin]

@serenaluce ...just singing from time to time in falsetto FOR FUN like Russian pop singer Philipp Kirkorov...

You must have meant Vladimir Presnyakov.

[serenaluce]

@IngridBerg I was talking exactly about Klaus Nomi. What do you classify him - a true operatic countertenor? Pop is from the word popular. You think that only singing "baby if you give it to me I'll give it to you" is POP, and if a singer performs an opera aria it automatically makes him an opera singer? No, it matters in what MANNER he sings. I can hear from his voice that it's absolutely flat and he doesn't have proper operatic technique.Besides,men with painted nails dressed as women are POP!

[IngridBerg]

@serenaluce Oh sorry, I didn't realize you were talking about pop. Nothing you wrote before applies to Nomi, because he wasn't a pop singer. Pop is Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, etc.

[VanzellcKirk]

klausnomicoldgenius.blogspot.c­om

[xuckxuck]

Klaus Nomi......catch my heart

[serenaluce]

@smokey4149 Are you talking about Klaus Nomi or Philippe Jaroussky this time? What's so bad about singing in FALSETTO?! I didn't say so. No, a true COUNTERTENOR can't be untrained. It's the most difficult sophisticated TECHNIQUE of singing, and it's impossible to maintain sufficient range for a countertenor just singing from time to time in falsetto FOR FUN like Russian pop singer Philipp Kirkorov. Nomi is a good pop FALSETTIST, not CT. PJ is a pop FALSETTIST too, pretender, virus in CT world!

[smokey4149]

@serenaluce Are you saying that operatic technique, breath control etc... define fach? If he's not a countertenor then just say he is not one he is singing falsetto. But honestly a voice is a voice and a true countertenor would have the range anf qualities of a countertenor training or not. Of course one can be trained to extend their voice within a given range. But if he is a lyric or lyric leggiero training is not going to make him a countertenor.