CommentOct07 - Page: 1 of 1

Our lives pass and with that passage we move through various stages of development. Some experience great personal and professional success in their careers; others less so, but none are so great or so important or so successful that they escape the passage of time and its ultimate calling.

Those of us old enough to remember Luciano Pavarotti at the very beginning of his career, remember a dashing, rotund, happy-go-lucky guy, who seemed to bathe as much in the fame of his infectious personality as he did in the remarkable vocal ability he possessed. So strong did the public identify with him that it was this image that froze in time as we and the singer himself aged.

Pavarotti had just the right mixture of charisma and talent to catapult himself to the top of his profession and stay there, even when he was ridiculed in latter years for being unable to move about on stage and for sweating profusely under bright lights, coming up short of breath in the middle of a musical passage. With all his faults, however, in his day, he was great, and it is his abundant talent and infectious early personality and broad smile that people will always remember.

With the passing of this legend, the next legend, whoever that may be, will eventually come forward. And truth be known, it won't be "the vocie" that clinches the title of worthy succerssor, for there are plenty of outstanding voices that have the strength and quality of sound and technique it takes to be a world-class opera singer. No, the successor, will be the one who catches the lucky break, as it happened with Pavarotti. The title will pass to the one whose charisma and personality connect with the audience and ignites the same feeling for the performer as Pavarotti ignited in his audiences. But first, there will come that lucky break that falls in the lap of a lucky performer. Pavarotti had the Ameriucan Express commercial. What vehicle will propel the next singer and make his name so identifiable?

In the mean time, we have this thought about stardom: life goes on. It’s a thought worth remembering from time to time, especially in those weaker moments when success – well – goes to our heads, for this, too, as we are constantly reminded, will pass.

Regarding Britney Spears’ MTV music award performance last month we offer the following: we watched this 26-year old woman, slightly tipsy, slightly overweight for the underwear she wore, bumping and grinding on stage, clearly totally bored, and mused at how utterly ridiculous she looked as she literally stumbled through a lackluster performance of thoroughly forgettable music. It’s a fair bet the audience got far less than it hoped for with this disgraceful display.

Just as this spectacle concluded, we began our review of another young singer: Danielle de Niese. The occasion was the debut of her first CD, “Handel Arias.” De Niesse, whom we saw in a promotional DVD (interview, songs, performances), has every reason to crow about the interest shown in her career. She came across as elegant, sophisticated and gracious throughout, and most importantly, respectful of the audience who will buy her music. It’s a fair bet her audience will get more than it expects.

We get a glimpse of two women in the youth of their careers, and see two musical art forms: one at its worst, the other at its best – and we wonder what has become of culture and class with young rock performers? The Britney Spears of this world are certainly talented performers and trend-setters – at least she was. But something about success seems to go the heads of this group and instead of growing into their age, they remain perpetually locked in the era of their petulant adolescence, which probably explains the drunken stupor on stage.

We have interviewed numerous talented twenty-somethings hoping to establish careers in the world of opera, and can’t imagine any one of them acting in such a rude, discourteous manner. Instead of the smug, adolescent, self-absorbed arrogance displayed by the Spears of this world, we see young men and women, dedicated to their craft, respectful of others’ and, most especially, mindful of the audience that comes to view them.

Perhaps it’s the demands imposed on a singer developing a classically trained voice, but opera does bring out the best in young people who hope to make this their career – and for that we are both mindful and grateful. For every drunken, smug young rock star who treats themselves and their audience with utter disrespect, there is a young, aspiring, dignified and cultured classically trained singer eager to advance their career with dignity. We cheer them; we recognize them; and by this Commentary, we salute the.

Five years ago, this month, we launched the first issue of OperaOnline.us, hoping for the success we now enjoy.

Not only has our readership grown steadily, but the acceptance of this publication within the opera community has been rewarding. More and more companies value our reviews, and singers, by increasing numbers, cite to us as a reference for their work. These things, for us, are a great honor.

We still have more work to do. We have been asked repeatedly to go “national” by reviewing more performances. We have even been asked to go “international,” and in both cases we’ve had to decline – for now.

It takes revenue to maintain a site, and that is our focus now. We need to secure advertising to help pay the costs, while giving an advertiser a credible medium in which to promote their goods or services. That goal is clearly in our future. For now, it’s a celebration for us and a time to reflect on our work and what has been accomplished. In recognition of that, we say, simply, phew; it’s been gratifying and we appreciate all those who read this site and come back month after month to see what we have to say.

Here’s to the next five years!