# Opera arias adapted for pop / rock



## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Sometimes I look up, how my favorite arias have been addapted by popular singers. Do you also do that ?

Which cases do you like and which you don't ?

I have not found another thread on this so far, although this one is somewhat related.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

This will probably give me bad dreams, LOL !
Nana Mouskouri: Qual cor tradisti


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

This is better, there is a bit od Casta diva hidden in it.
Nimm noch einmal die Gitarre by Mireille Mathieu


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

BBSVK said:


> This will probably give me bad dreams, LOL !
> Nana Mouskouri: Qual cor tradisti


she also recorded a version of Casta Diva


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

My true love Jeff Buckley did Dido's Lament and I Love You Porgy when he was a solo artist in a nightclub in NYC. Many consider him to have the greatest voice in rock. I was really surprised that this crowd chose him singing Corpus Christie Carol over Janet Baker and another talented classical artist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




 



Malcom McClarin did opera/ pop hybrid music like Un Bel Di 



And he did a whole album of these
Aretha filled in for Pavarotti and sang Nessun Dorma at the Grammys 



Finally, Dimash, the greatest singer in the world today with the biggest range, sings from baritone to a real lyric coloratura soprano voice, not a light counter tenor voice. Here he sings up to Joan Sutherland's High E, which hardly any other man can do. He was trained as an opera singer


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## OffPitchNeb (Jun 6, 2016)

*Take That *by *Never Forget* used Tuba Mirum from Verdi's Requiem. I am not familiar with this song and this group. Just learned about it the other day on the radio.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Quantum Truths JC Kay

4 years ago (edited)

From Jeff's manager Dave Lory's new book "Jeff Buckley: from Hallelujah to Last Goodbye" regarding this performance:



'We had a small shopping list of stuff Jeff had asked us to pick up: peppermint tea, black hair dye, and a CD of “Dido’s Lament.” The week after Glastonbury, Jeff had been booked to appear at Meltdown, another prestigious annual event, held in London at the Royal Festival Hall. Each year an artist known for being eclectic was made guest curator of a week of genre-crossing concerts, and that year’s curator was Elvis Costello, who had invited Jeff to sing with an orchestra. After discussing singing some Mahler in the original German, Jeff decided he wanted to try “Dido’s Lament.” Sam had located a music shop in Bath where we could pick up the CD. It was a tiny place up a steep hill, so small that six skinny people would fill it. There were no racks; you just asked at the counter for what you wanted. An old guy was serving, and when I asked for a copy of “Dido’s Lament” for one of my male artists, he laughed and told me no man could sing it. The only other person in the store was a young dude, around eighteen years old, who asked which artist it was for. “Jeff Buckley,” I said. He turned to the shopkeeper and said, “Jeff Buckley can sing it.” I laughed, tickled that word about Jeff had reached out here ...



The show was a few days later and, although not quite a black-tie event, the atmosphere was very formal—the crowd was seemingly classical music fans having a daring night out. There were some priceless looks on their faces when this rumpled dude came out and started singing. It was so much fun watching their reaction that I hardly watched Jeff. But he sounded incredible. That kid in the Bath music store knew what he was talking about. I got chills. Elvis Costello: “When he started singing ‘Dido’s Lament,’ there were all these classical musicians who could not believe it. Here’s a guy shuffling up onstage and singing a piece of music normally thought to be the property of certain types of a specifically developed voice, and he’s just singing, not doing it like a party piece but doing something with it.” “That’s an understatement,” says cellist Philip Sheppard, who was in the orchestra. “I remember the silhouette of his frame as he bent almost double to wrench every ounce of meaning from a song written three hundred years ago. Better than any classical musician I’ve ever heard. It’s probably the greatest musical experience of my life; it turned my world inside out…made me realize I was a musician who played through study rather than played through feel, an incredibly pivotal moment for me. I think about him nearly every day, which is quite strange really, because I only met him for about half an hour.”



I wish Jeff could have done more of that kind of thing. When you saw how he shone in those unique environments, there was definitely a conversation to be had about whether alternative rock was a big enough playground for him.'



Sent from Samsung Galaxy smartphone.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

OffPitchNeb said:


> *Take That *by *Never Forget* used Tuba Mirum from Verdi's Requiem. I am not familiar with this song and this group. Just learned about it the other day on the radio.


I only hear a hint at the beginning.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Seattleoperafan said:


> My true love Jeff Buckley ... I was really surprised that this crowd chose him singing Corpus Christie Carol over Janet Baker and another talented classical artist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


You mean here, at Talk Classical, in your contest ?


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> You mean here, at Talk Classical, in your contest ?











Xmas Contest: Britten's Corpus Christi Carol: Von...


I am bringing to you an out of the ordinary and unusually beautiful Xmas carol with new contestants and music new to many of you. The Corpus Christi Carol was a 16th century carol whose words have changed but the beautiful music has lasted centuries. All three versions are faithfully set to...




www.talkclassical.com


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Xmas Contest: Britten's Corpus Christi Carol: Von...
> 
> 
> I am bringing to you an out of the ordinary and unusually beautiful Xmas carol with new contestants and music new to many of you. The Corpus Christi Carol was a 16th century carol whose words have changed but the beautiful music has lasted centuries. All three versions are faithfully set to...
> ...


Are you familiar with him? He has always been bigger in Europe than here.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Are you familiar with him? He has always been bigger in Europe than here.


No.
I will listen and explore when the conditions are right.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> No.
> I will listen and explore when the conditions are right.


When you get ready hit me up and I'll tell you his best stuff


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

An interesting topic, but I find this stuff embarrassingly bad. It's often said that opera singers can't do popular music, but I'd rather hear Rene Fleming do Joni Mitchell than Nana Mouskouri do Bellini, Jeff Buckley do Purcell, or Aretha Franklin do Puccini. I've yet to hear a convincing performance of opera by a pop or jazz singer. If they love opera so much that they just have to sing it, there's always the shower.


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

BBSVK said:


> This will probably give me bad dreams, LOL !
> Nana Mouskouri: Qual cor tradisti


It's not a bad idea to sing an opera aria as a rock-pop ballad. She doesn't pretend to have an operatic voice, just sings lyrics as a song.


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

Seattleoperafan said:


> My true love Jeff Buckley did Dido's Lament and I Love You Porgy when he was a solo artist in a nightclub in NYC. Many consider him to have the greatest voice in rock. I was really surprised that this crowd chose him singing Corpus Christie Carol over Janet Baker and another talented classical artist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Here the problem is not only a non-operatic voice or microphone singing (it's unfair! 😄). If I were Aeneas and Dido sang like this, I would flee by first old shoe I would find without much searching where Italia would be.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> An interesting topic, but I find this stuff embarrassingly bad. It's often said that opera singers can't do popular music, but I'd rather hear Rene Fleming do Joni Mitchell than Nana Mouskouri do Bellini, Jeff Buckley do Purcell, or Aretha Franklin do Puccini. I've yet to hear a convincing performance of opera by a pop or jazz singer. If they love opera so much that they just have to sing it, there's always the shower.


Mostly I agree. I do have a soft spot for Streisand's Classical album, though. Admittedly she doesn't attempt anything too taxing.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Woodduck said:


> Jeff Buckley do Purcell,


One is tempted to quote/paraphase Dr. Johnson (I'll let the reader look up on which occasion he said it): It's like a dog walking on two legs, it is not done well but one is surprised to see it being done at all.


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## Aerobat (Dec 31, 2018)

Woodduck said:


> An interesting topic, but I find this stuff embarrassingly bad. It's often said that opera singers can't do popular music, but I'd rather hear Rene Fleming do Joni Mitchell than Nana Mouskouri do Bellini, Jeff Buckley do Purcell, or Aretha Franklin do Puccini. I've yet to hear a convincing performance of opera by a pop or jazz singer. If they love opera so much that they just have to sing it, there's always the shower.


There is one rock singer who may change your mind. Her name is Tarja Turunen. I’ve mentioned her in other threads due to her abilities in singing both rock & classical:

these are both live performances to show her abilities. She’s no Fleming, but her ability in both genres is quite unusual.

Rock:
[youtube]




classical:

[youtube]


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Woodduck said:


> An interesting topic, but I find this stuff embarrassingly bad. It's often said that opera singers can't do popular music, but I'd rather hear Rene Fleming do Joni Mitchell than Nana Mouskouri do Bellini,


To me, Nana Mouskouri is the example I really disliked and am trying to forget, in case it wasn't clear. I believe other examples might be enjoyable.



ColdGenius said:


> It's not a bad idea to sing an opera aria as a rock-pop ballad. She doesn't pretend to have an operatic voice, just sings lyrics as a song.


To me, her way combines the worst of both worlds. The feeling of banal which I often get from pop, plus she struggles with the singing - I do hear an effort - as if it was a real operatic performance for an incompetent singer.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> To me, Nana Mouskouri is the example I really disliked and am trying to forget, in case it wasn't clear. I believe other examples might be enjoyable.
> 
> 
> 
> To me, her way combines the worst of both worlds. The feeling of banal which I often get from pop, plus she struggles with the singing - I do hear an effort - as if it was a real operatic performance for an incompetent singer.


You might be interested to hear that Mouskouri was at one time a student of singing at the Athens Conservatoire. Whilst she was there, she would moonlight in tavernas and jazz clubs in Athens. She was told by her professors at the Conservatoire that she would have to make a choice and she chose pop. It was a good call as she became one of the most internationally successful popular singers of her generation.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Tsaraslondon said:


> You might be interested to hear that Mouskouri was at one time a student of singing at the Athens Conservatoire. Whilst she was there, she would moonlight in tavernas and jazz clubs in Athens. She was told by her professors at the Conservatoire that she would have to make a choice and she chose pop. It was a good call as she became one of the most internationally successful popular singers of her generation.


Good to know. Is it something like a problem I have with John Vickers ? Do the rest of you guys like her ? Do you like the "Qual cor tradisti" I linked in the comment #2 ?


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> An interesting topic, but I find this stuff embarrassingly bad. It's often said that opera singers can't do popular music, but I'd rather hear Rene Fleming do Joni Mitchell than Nana Mouskouri do Bellini, Jeff Buckley do Purcell, or Aretha Franklin do Puccini. I've yet to hear a convincing performance of opera by a pop or jazz singer. If they love opera so much that they just have to sing it, there's always the shower.


I end to agree with this exception:


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> Good to know. Is it something like a problem I have with John Vickers ? Do the rest of you guys like her ? Do you like the "Qual cor tradisti" I linked in the comment #2 ?


No, I don't like it at all, neither the arrangement, nor the way she sings it. I do however like Mouskouri in popular music and jazz, and especially singing the popular music of her own country. 

I just thought it was interesting that she originally trained to become an opera singer. You can actually hear that she had classical training in her earliest records. This "classique" album was recorded when she was 54.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> I end to agree with this exception:


This isn't my favourite track on the album, but I do quite enjoy the albuma as a whole. I love this one.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

nina foresti said:


> I end to agree with this exception:


I enjoyed "Classical Barbra" too, at least some of it. Of course very little of it is opera. Even "Laschia ch'io piango" isn't really "operatic."


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

BBSVK said:


> Sometimes I look up, how my favorite arias have been addapted by popular singers. Do you also do that ?
> 
> Which cases do you like and which you don't ?
> 
> I have not found another thread on this so far, although this one is somewhat related.


Kate Smith sang Mon coeur in English but no recording exists. She also sang the contralto arias in Messiah.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Francasacchi said:


> Kate Smith sang Mon coeur in English but no recording exists. She also sang the contralto arias in Messiah.


Really? Fascinating, but maybe not surprising. It's said of Hollywood's movie queens that "they had faces then." Well, of singers, "they had voices then." Jane Froman trained for opera. I wonder how she'd have handled Dalila.


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## PaulFranz (May 7, 2019)

I like the whole Michael Bolton arias album. Tino Rossi did a great Nadir's romance as well.


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## PaulFranz (May 7, 2019)




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## PaulFranz (May 7, 2019)

There are also the untold number of adaptations of classical melodies into popular songs, like (artists given are not necessarily the original artists):

Sam Cooke's Goin' Home from Dvorak's Z noveho sveta
Engelbert Humperdinck (the popular singer)'s When There's No You
Queen's It's a Hard Life
John McDermott's sort of fusion of Goin' Home and My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
Bring Him Home from Madama Butterfly's hummingbird chorus
One Fine Day from Un bel di
"Je ne regrette rien" I will always believe was jacked from Jean's aria from Hérodiade
Les feuilles mortes and a few tiny snippets from Massenet's Poème d'octobre
Vitamin C's Graduation
Muse kind of did Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix
Jimmy Roselli, one of the very best singers of all time when singing in Neapolitan, did a pretty terrible version of Vesti la giubba: transposed down, sung in a wildly inappropriate style, and with an outrageously thick Neapolitan accent

Further examples:



https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/pop-songs-sample-based-on-classical-music/


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

PaulFranz said:


>


Eddy was a real singer. That Latin boogie piano made me laugh.


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## PaulFranz (May 7, 2019)

Woodduck said:


> Eddy was a real singer. That Latin boogie piano made me laugh.


I go back and forth on Eddy. He's one of my favorite singers and a real inspiration, but I have trouble seeing him as a real classical singer. His concert programs were mostly classical, but his actual commercial recordings were overwhelmingly popular, and even his radio broadcasts were about 3:1 non-classical to classical.

That in itself isn't necessarily a problem, but the way he sings...I mean, if that's classical, then what are the other dozens of baritones from his era who sang in operas for a living? They sound nothing like him. Everything above his second passaggio sounds pale and colorless, and his upper middle is more open and brighter than, again, literally every single classical baritone I have ever heard. Take the brightest baritones you can imagine: Crabbé, Battistini, Weede, Galeffi, Endrèze...they truly sound nothing like him. He has a couple of arias that sound okay, but almost all of them are far too _parlato _to fly on a classical stage. Everything is very "forward," with not enough energy and not enough head voice in the mix, with resultant straight tones on leading tones (hallmarks of the famous "lack of support").

His last opera performance was as Amonasro with Pinza and Rethberg in SF, and that is a very respectable rôle, cast and house...which baffles me even more. I've heard about 500 of his recordings...and I just don't see him pulling off Amonasro like that. Maybe he sang with more classical style when he was young. Some pieces of evidence in favor of that hypothesis are his two recordings of the ballad of Adamastor. The first, in 44, is him at his quasi-classical best, and the second, from late in his career, sounds like a lost lounge singer.

I see him as something like a 1930s and 40s version of Bocelli: too operatic for pop, too pop for opera.

Thomas L. Thomas is an instructive example: he had much less of a classical career than Eddy, although he had more interest from the Met. He just did concerts, radio, and a few recordings of folk and popular music. Nevertheless, his production strikes me as infinitely more classical, although it is considerably less beefy than that of actual opera singers. Thomas had a much better head-voice blend throughout his range, a therefore more connected upper register, and consistent vibrato resulting from impostazione. I consequently regularly list Thomas among my favorite classical singers, but I can't bring myself to extend the category to Eddy. In the popular-classical continuum, I'd put Eddy on the classical end of popular, and Thomas on the popular end of classical, just based on what my ears tell me.

And also based on what my ears tell me, a very good deal of the Eddy and Thomas videos on Youtube are pitched at least a half-step too high, which also can make them sound less classical.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

PaulFranz said:


> I go back and forth on Eddy. He's one of my favorite singers and a real inspiration, but I have trouble seeing him as a real classical singer. His concert programs were mostly classical, but his actual commercial recordings were overwhelmingly popular, and even his radio broadcasts were about 3:1 non-classical to classical.
> 
> That in itself isn't necessarily a problem, but the way he sings...I mean, if that's classical, then what are the other dozens of baritones from his era who sang in operas for a living? They sound nothing like him. Everything above his second passaggio sounds pale and colorless, and his upper middle is more open and brighter than, again, literally every single classical baritone I have ever heard. Take the brightest baritones you can imagine: Crabbé, Battistini, Weede, Galeffi, Endrèze...they truly sound nothing like him. He has a couple of arias that sound okay, but almost all of them are far too _parlato _to fly on a classical stage. Everything is very "forward," with not enough energy and not enough head voice in the mix, with resultant straight tones on leading tones (hallmarks of the famous "lack of support").
> 
> ...


No disagreement. He could never be one of opera's greats, but I've always thought it would be interesting to hear him in the theater to get a full sense of what he could do. 500 Eddy recordings? Hats off to endurance, or completism, or mania. I don't like him _that_ much!


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## PaulFranz (May 7, 2019)

Woodduck said:


> No disagreement. He could never be one of opera's greats, but I've always thought it would be interesting to hear him in the theater to get a full sense of what he could do. 500 Eddy recordings? Hats off to endurance, or completism, or mania. I don't like him _that_ much!


Probably something closer to completism, but I think of it as just taking advantage of today's technology. If I find anything I like online, I download it, usually from Youtube, and add it to my Itunes library. Once I find a classical singer I like, since they're so consistent and the genre is almost always at least interesting, nowadays I end up having almost (I do have _some _standards) their complete oeuvre in my music library. For radio and recording giants like Eddy or McCormack, it means having around 400 entries and growing. If Battistini had recorded 7,000, I'd probably have 7,000 of his.


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