What do people from the classical music/opera world think of classical crossover & pop-opera singers...?

They make me convulse, all of them. They are all third-rate wannabes whose success relies on media and marketing hype (or the size of their breasts!) rather than their talent (of which they have very little). None of them would last 5 minutes in a 'real' classical environment. There are 100s of excellent singers who would just blow them away. You omitted the ghastly Andrea Bocelli and Philippa Giordano, about whom the same comments apply. Bocelli's marketers have exploited his blindness (notice how those closed, un-seeing eyes are prominent on every piece of publicity?). His voice is like a cat being castrating without anaesthetic and his appearances in the opera house have been entirely due to managers without integrity trying to use Bocelli's bogus fame to the advantage of their ticket sales. Giordano is simply an excrutiatingly bad singer - she can't even sing in tune. I just don't get it!

I would like to see of these frauds sucked up into a vortex, never to be seen again. Have I made my opinion clear enough, I wonder?

Edit:

You have flattered me in to adding a section about the Three Tenors. While I think the concept of the Three Tenors concerts rather cheapened classical music in general and opera in particular, one cannot take away the fact that Domingo, Carrerras and the late Pavarotti were all great tenors. They could really sing (Domingo still can). I don't believe the project did much for the cause of opera - it just reinforced the narrow-minded 'opera pops' mentality whereby many people think they know about and love opera because they know a few of the far-too-often-sung popular arias.

A great artist is always a great artist - even when he/she 'sells out' rather. A fraud is always a fraud, no matter how much they try to fool people (and, sadly, succeed for too many non-discerning ears).

And a word about Simon Cowell (in relation to Il Divo and Paul Potts (ughhh!)): In the main I respect and admire Simon Cowell. He is a kindred spirit for me - he is not afraid to express an honest opinion. So what if he destroys the ill-advised dream of a hopelessly deluded wannabe? It's better (and kinder in the long run) to tell them they're no good than to perpetuate their foolishness. However, poor Simon is taken in by the 'popera' frauds. I remember the way he raved about Paul Potts on last year's 'Britain's Got Talent' when all I could say was 'Oh, no - another wretched Awful Watson type!' Or maybe he's not taken in by them - but can see the pound and dollar signs in his eyes as he realises he can make a lot of money out of them from a gullible public.

I have no issues with crossover/popera singers as long as they actually have decent voices. I liked Charlotte Church's early albums a lot, and Hayley Westenra is alright for me too. Emmy Rossum as well, when she sang in the 2004 Phantom of the Opera movie. The Three Tenors branching out into pop music would actually be quite interesting.

I don't know why most classical 'purists' really despise the genre, but I'm guessing it's because many people call these crossover and popera singers "opera singers", which they aren't. And since opera demands so much more work and technique than popera/crossover, I can see why some would get angry when others think that these singers are doing "opera".

I admit, I get pretty miffed when people repeatedly tell me stuff like "she has such a great opera voice...wow!" Same goes for when people say a crossover artiste is a 'classical musician' just because the music sounds 'classical' to them. I especially have issues with people calling a crossover musician a 'great classical musician' when there are so many real classical musicians who are technically and musically more superior. Call it musician's pride or something...I guess it's because we put in so much effort into technique and musicality, but someone else who may have only done 20% of what we have gets branded a 'great musician'.

Good question and an opportunity for us to vent on the subject.

The success of these artists is partially dependent on the ignorance of the general public who put the likes of these people on a pedestal because they really don't know what a great voice or performer sounds like. These people are good - compared to most of the performers in the "pop" world, so no wonder they are pumped up so much... mostly by music publishers and producers who have to give the public a steady diet of fresh meat. It doesn't only apply to classical music... for example, take Michael Buble (who is a fair singer in his genre) who doesn't hold a candle to the likes of Sinatra and Bennett as crooners.

When there there is not record selling talent immediately available, the industry 'promotes' whatever mediocrity that is available. It is all about money and sales... not art.

Okay, REAL musicians who branch into pop are just fine. Why? They're expanding their horizans...just as long as they don't ruin their voices/technique for the sake of it. If they can show the public what true artistry, technique and talent are, then why not? Take Yo Yo Ma doing the Brazilian music thing. It brought cello to a whole new level in the public eye. Now it DOES get a bit annoying when people are like "I love Yo Yo Ma" and haven't even listened to him. But the fact is, they know his name. A classically trained, highly talented, highly efficent technical and musical person who has more than half a brain. I think the same goes for the Three Tenors.

Now when popera and crossovers go the OTHER way, that pisses the heck out of me. Classical artists crossing over learn the music properly, even get a DJ at times to mix some beats. They go the whole 9 yards. If they bothered to actually become trained enough to sing an aria, then that's fine. But most (like that Potts character...OMG TRASH) just butcher it. If you got him to a vocal teacher before he ruins his voice he could potentially be okay.

Anyway, that's my rant. I love other music, don't get me wrong. But if you're going to cross over. Do it right.

~Lisa

I answered this question on the singing section:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqmX....

I just want to restate that The Three Tenors, before doing the crossover they made out a great career in the opera field and once they were done with all they could do in opera, they decided to have fun and do popular music still with their voices without changing their vocal production.

*edit*

Well, I did not mention Potts but, that really makes me sick to my stomach, even more when there are people 'comparing' him to Pavarotti, PLEASE! Potts is a good guy that has some talent but is far far away to even get close to be a real opera singer. That happen just because the stupid TV Idol thing, come on! That is the TRASHIEST TV PROGRAM EVER!!!!! Makes me VOMIT!

I have no issue with true opera performers doing more pop tunes. However, I do take issue with crossover artists who aren't opera, mostly because so many people think that what these artists perform is actually opera.

Also, some of these crossover artists are such crap that they shouldn't be allowed to do music in any genre. Sarah Brightman, for example, has one of the most breathy and irritating voices I have ever heard in my entire life (not to mention her vibrato is so harsh that it makes my brain vibrate); even though I admittedly love the musical "Phantom of The Opera" and can tolerate "Requiem", I sometimes want to slap Andrew Lloyd Webber for giving Brightman a mainstream career.

And don't even get me started on Il Divo. Yet another reason for me to want to slap Simon Cowell.

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I find it laughable that these " classic opera " lovers really despise classical cross over artists such as Jackie Evancho. She has stated numerous times that she is NOT a classical opera singer. For bloggers such as de_licious manager please vent your anger in another direction. My take as a listener on opera is that it is very cold and very dependent on technique and the ability to project. It does not convey feelings to the "ignorant masses." I find it very hard to listen to and enjoy at the same time. Cross Overs such as Jackie Evancho may not project with amplification but she does project emotion and feeling that your Julliard trained technicians can never hope to attain. I am just one of the masses of ignorant listeners that you describe. I listen to what I enjoy. You listen to find faults. So, as classical opera dies a slow death I will still enjoy listening to and buying recordings be classical cross overs.

The only issue I have with the whole thing is that the big record companies in the past used to use popera and the like to help support their serious development of concert artists and composers.

The idea of record companies having any responsibility toward the artistic growth of the music has gone completely out the window. Now it's all just bottom line, so if the serious artists don't sell they get treated like a nobody and they try to sell the "pretty face" as a 'true" concert artist, that's wrong and unfair.

As far as people who listen to classical music despising the crossover I think it comes from this conversation

CO (crossover person) CL (classical Lover)

CO "So everyone says you're a real lover of classical music"

CL "Yup it's my favorite music to listen to"

CO "That's great, I love Josh Groban"

CL "Cool"

CO "I mean Josh just has such a great voice don't you think?"

CL "I'm glad you like it"

CO "Yeah I'm really happy I discovered classical music"

CL "Me too, I'm happy for you"

CO "So really what do you think of Josh Groban"

CL "A lot of people really like him"

CO "Don't you think he's got the most delightful voice"

CL "I haven't really heard him that much"

CO "But I thought you said you liked classical"

CL "I do"

CO "Everyone in the office says you know an awful lot"

CL "That's nice"

CO "So how can you not like Josh Groban"

CL "I didn't say that"

CO "So what do you think"

CL "Of what?"

CO "The artistry of Josh Groban"

CL "I've only heard him a few times"

CO "So what do you think"

CL "OK you want to know what I think #&^%^_*_*& Groban(*&^%$%^#$@%$((%)%)&*&_)*)*+&%$#() nobody even knows who *^(^*+_*%&^$ Domingo _*+* is!!!!!"

CO "Wow so you must think I'm a loser for liking Josh Groban"

CL "I didn't say that"

CO "Ummm ok I gotta go"

CL "Would you like to go out....where are you going???"

I don't mind if those third class singers stay in their own environment, but when they attempt at killing higher genres like real opera, that makes me mad.