# Modern Singers Using Chest Voice



## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

I'm determined to find a few modern singers who at least make an attempt at using chest voice.

For starters, we can hear a bit in Erika Grimaldi's performance of the Verdi Requiem.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Goerke has a huge chest register but I can't find a good illustration. Jamie Barton certainly is not shy about using it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmCzTFITG2o
Renee Fleming was never shy about using her gorgeous chest register and the great condition of her voice when she retired proved it didn't hurt her voice to do so:


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Goerke has a huge chest register but I can't find a good illustration. Jamie Barton certainly is not shy about using it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmCzTFITG2o
> Renee Fleming was never shy about using her gorgeous chest register and the great condition of her voice when she retired proved it didn't hurt her voice to do so:


I don't like this at all, I'm afraid. She messes around so much with the vocal line in the cavatina, it completely loses its shape and everything she does in the cabaletta sounds all wrong. I've never liked her in _bel canto_ opera and this performance just reminded me why. I agree she does use her chest voice, though. I suppose I shouldn't bring up shade of you know who again, but her shaping of the musical line in this piece is second to none. Caballé is pretty good too, especially in her first recital disc for RCA.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I don't like this at all, I'm afraid. She messes around so much with the vocal line in the cavatina, it completely loses its shape and everything she does in the cabaletta sounds all wrong. I've never liked her in _bel canto_ opera and this performance just reminded me why. I agree she does use her chest voice, though. I suppose I shouldn't bring up shade of you know who again, but her shaping of the musical line in this piece is second to none. Caballé is pretty good too, especially in her first recital disc for RCA.


Many people don't like her in bel canto so you are not alone. I'm not as discerning as you and LOVE her gorgeous chest voice, stratospheric vocals ( up to G6 on this album) and one of the most incredibly beautiful voices of recent years. Her live concert here was one of the greatest operatic events of my life with diamonds, Galianos gowns and Bel Raggio, plus the flirting scene from Manon. She is not the greatest at Bel Canto but it is only here in this genre you get to hear her great top notes and I enjoy cheap thrills LOL What you must endure to have me as a pal LOL. Sitting on the front row of the Church of Callas can ruin other singers for you I'd imagine.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Sitting on the front row of the Church of Callas can ruin other singers for you I'd imagine.


Haha. I suppose it does to an extent, especially as I'm much more interested in artistry and musicality than top notes and beautiful voices. That said, I was very impressed wit Caballé's version of her first recital disc. The voice is so beautiful and she knows how to spin out a Bellinian cantilena. This was before she started exploiting those pianissimo highs.






It was recorded in 1965. The remaster is from 1987.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Haha. I suppose it does to an extent, especially as I'm much more interested in artistry and musicality than top notes and beautiful voices. That said, I was very impressed wit Caballé's version of her first recital disc. The voice is so beautiful and she knows how to spin out a Bellinian cantilena. This was before she started exploiting those pianissimo highs.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


YES. We did a contest of that shortly after I took over. It was a disaster with this crowd with the artists that I liked LOL. I will redeem myself with a contest of this with Callas sometime down the road. I LOVE this piece of music. I love these versions too. I am not completely without taste 😜 .


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I don't like this at all, I'm afraid. She messes around so much with the vocal line in the cavatina, it completely loses its shape and everything she does in the cabaletta sounds all wrong. I've never liked her in _bel canto_ opera and this performance just reminded me why. I agree she does use her chest voice, though. I suppose I shouldn't bring up shade of you know who again, but her shaping of the musical line in this piece is second to none. Caballé is pretty good too, especially in her first recital disc for RCA.


Early Fleming was more tasteful imo. Later Fleming increasingly took way too many "creative liberties" and came off distracting and weird.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


>


It's been some time since last I heard singing as narcissistic as this.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> It's been some time since last I heard singing as narcissistic as this.


WTF? ? ? In the old days, the conductor would’ve chastised her or horsewhipped her off the stage.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> It's been some time since last I heard singing as narcissistic as this.


Interesting, normally I'm much harsher on Fleming than you are. I don't know if I would have gone quite that far, but I think calling it "tasteless" would be charitable.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)




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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

MAS said:


> WTF? ? ? In the old days, the conductor would’ve chastised her or horsewhipped her off the stage.


Too bad she couldn't have studied and worked with Hidalgo and Serafin, as Callas did. They'd have brought her to heel.


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