I wonder if younger singers even know about the singers of the past.

 

They know about Callas and that is about the extent of it.

 

I have not had a chance to listen to the interview yet. With the Met game on It won’t happen soon, but…. I have long been of the opinion that Jerry Hadley made compromises in his approach to singing which did help him get to the big time - and he certainly had a very successful career as a leading tenor- but which I think kept it from becoming a genuine star career.

He was a voice teacher at UConn when I was there, and he had a lyric, lyric, lyric voice …Silvery, beautiful !!
I heard him sing Dichterliebe, gorgeous!

He went to City Opera and on to the big time. First time I heard him later on was on PBS in a Pavarotti or Richard Tucker young singers special and I was amazed at the difference in the sound… much darker!!! Couldn’t decide if I thought it was better, worse or an even swap. But I know I never got really excited about his singing again….ever!!

If he revered the approach of Schipa and Tagliavini, I do not think it shows up in his sound which I think acquired a hardness which robbed it of the necessary charm for the roles he sang. I’m not an enormous Mathew Polenzani fan but I’d prefer him in similar repertory even though Hadley probably had the more exciting natural gift

I do not think if Hadley were singing today anyone would be saying
“no one sings right today except for Jerry Hadley”!

 

I agree with him.

 

He mentions, "listening and developing a frame of reference." This is what most of them don't do. Most teachers don't push it.

 

Can you label the “frame of reference “ that he demonstrated in his singing, because that’s how his opinions need to be assessed