# Michael Spyres: real voice vs "Rossini tenor" voice



## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Was looking back at some old videos and, to put it as politely as possible, the modern trend of what a "Rossini tenor" is supposed to sound like needs an invitation to go see Jesus.

*Michael Spyres with his "Rossini" voice:* thin, nasal, no core, no squillo, falsetto-y, strained. It sounds painful, almost like it's going to crack.





*Michael Spyres with his real voice:* big, fully engaged, freer timbre. note: this is not, nor was it intended to be, good singing. he's goofing off here and doing an impersonation, so obviously it's ingolata and has exaggerated vowels and sloppy phrasing. point is...it turns out there's actually a voice down there, and a rich, distinct timbre which could be encouraged to come out more with more training in that direction





*conclusion:* 
1) Michael Spyres is not a leggiero tenor, not even a lyric tenor. He is a pushed up baritone or dramatic tenor (probably the latter, but it's not important here) who sounds squished and nasal because he has given up on the bottom half of his range and thinks accessing high tenor notes is about small, light singing. This is common among many young singers with bigger voices who are pushed into higher rep by voice teachers who think "young voices should be light". 
2) Even a goofy, exaggerated tidbit clearly sounds better developed and more "real" than a voice pushed up artificially at the expense of the lower half. When you engage the foundation of the voice, you get singing with body and colorful timbre. When you don't, you get a sound like someone has grabbed you by the short and curlies.

*counterexample: Hermann Jadlowker, real Rossini singing*
Robust, masculine sound. Strong voice from top to bottom with lots of ping all the way through. His voice doesn't have to thin to get to the high notes. It gets BIGGER up at the top, because that is where the voice naturally wants to climax. Spyres has to thin out up there because that isn't his natural voice.


----------



## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

To clarify, I'm not trying to pick on Michael Spyres, or any one singer in particular. If I had to choose a human target to have beef with, it's the university systems that squishes voices into light, bright, almost teenager-y sounding boxes where they're forced to strain to keep the kind of sound unrealistically expected of them.


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

FWIW...








P.S. My only familiarity with his singing is as Aeneas on the Nelson/Didonato Les Troyens (I still prefer the Gardiner/Kunde/Graham Troyens)


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I've heard very little of Spyres. Looking at YouTube posts, it appears that he's in the habit of singing music from both baritone and tenor repertoires. He seems to like to lighten and darken his voice. I doubt that this is good for him, but I presume he'll have fun while he can. I hesitate to say what his optimal sound is, but I have to agree with you that his Siepi imitation is vocally more attractive than his Rossini.

This YT post, incuding live concert selections from 2021 and interviews, perhaps explains what he thinks he's up to. I'll only say that here and there I hear a wobble developing. No singer not named Lilli Lehmann can or should do everything, Michael.


----------



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I heard him live once at the Proms, singing Faust in Berlioz's *La Damnation de Faust*. Even with a period instrument band, the voice didn't seem that large and didn't really fill the Royal Albert Hall. I was very surprised to hear that he had recorded Aeneas in concert and wondered how much the miking had helped him.


----------



## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Becca said:


> View attachment 162257


This is actually a pretty enjoyable CD, although there's certainly an element of gimmickry - his vocalism sounds very different depending upon whether he's singing baritone or tenor repertoire. He's a little like Chris Merritt (remember him?), but with a more attractive tone and better technique.

In any event, it's streamable on Spotify and I presume elsewhere.


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

What I do like is his notes above the staff are thrilling for me and rather amazing. Not for a steady diet, but to hear his high notes could be fun.


----------



## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Neither voice convinces me as being his natural voice in either of these clips. In the second he is imitating a bass and in the first his is putting on the voice of a tenor. He could well be a baritone or dramatic tenor, but much of his Rossini singing is in a very well coordinated falsetto. I've heard him live and his high notes are indeed very thin and unpleasant in the house. I did enjoy his Troyens recording, where he sounds more natural.

N.


----------

