Hayley Westenra Aled Jones Ave Maria Pokarekare Ana

Aled Jones' Christmas show with Hayley Westenra singing Ave Maria and a duet of Pokarekare ana.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• hayley
• westenra
• classical
• opera
• aled
• jones
• ave
• maria
• pokareare
• ana

[nopittance]

Lip-sincing?

[Sqid101]

What, when, where? I thought lung development was your primary interest, nopittance? And, of course, how well people were poured into their trousers.

[nopittance]

Damn, Squid! I was just asking. It just seemed as though there was an awful lot of orchestra for four strings, an harp, and a piano. But my gaze barely rose as high as Hayley's lips. So I listened again, and rose above my interests to discount lip-syncing. It is Hayley's blame that she's so distracting, not mine. While we're at it, dude, the woman needs a man, badly. What have you been waiting on?

[Sqid101]

I am awaiting wisdom to supervene along with the other indications of increased maturity, and for her to hence appreciate (as has her one time rival Yulia) the manifest advantages of hitiching up with an older man.

[Sqid101]

Canned orchestra, maybe; lip-syncing, doubtful. The Ave would be the same as her album version if that was the case and the duet would be difficult. ;-)

[Siliven]

Yeah, I still love her to death, but I also miss those days where she could go so high so effortless that it didn't seem real. I still think her voice is amazing and I love listening to her voice now. But it seems that she doesn't even try to go high anymore...like she just completely took those parts out of the song. Like at 2:39...the other version with her in a church is amazing at that part.

[SirAuryn]

Very nice performance. Both very amazing singers and they sing very well together. Thank you for uploading this.

[hayleywestenrafan1]

@Siliven I love her high notes, too. She still does sing high notes, at least on her albums. Check out her most recent recording of Bach/Gounod's Ave Maria from her album River of Dreams. It's gorgeous! I think she just tries to preserve her voice. Remember, her voice is still developing and maturing; the voice is a bit fragile at that time. And singers' voices often deepen when they get older. She has a new richness in her voice now that she didn't have as much before.

[nopittance]

Hayley was a full-grown woman at seventeen. What could possibly happen to lower her voice subsequent to maturity? Hayley doesn't even wish to be called a "classical" singer any longer. Hence, she has abandoned the classical style and its higher range.

[Sqid101]

Yulia is a Russian born young Mezzo who made her home in Christchurch where she and Hayley were known as the "Terrible Twins" by the jealous and inadequate opera community who had no singers of anything like the same ability. Sadly, she has shown a major lack of judgement by shifting to Wellington and marrying her 39-yr-old songwriting manager.

watch?v=urt_3Osefyg

She does have a mole on the left cheek, or is it a beauty spot? On the whole, I believe you will approve.

[JLGH4ever]

I prefer to stay hopeful about the range of Hayley's voice, considering the handful of recent videos I've heard from her where she sings lower than usual. I do only hope that is her attempt at preserving some of her higher range for her albums -- opera singers alter their voices for live performances anyway so it can be more in the comfort level of the casual listener... right?