Britain's got talent - Paul Potts

[V]

Wow. I said it before, and I'll say it again.

There's a pretty huge talent gap between him and the pros. I honestly have no idea what the hoopla's all about. I guess if you've never heard opera before...

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by V

Wow. I said it before, and I'll say it again.

There's a pretty huge talent gap between him and the pros. I honestly have no idea what the hoopla's all about. I guess if you've never heard opera before...

Wet blanket?

I don't listen to opera - most people don't. I've heard the same argument made about the 3 Tenors though - that they were far from the best. Don't know if that's true or not.

But what a guy like this does is make a music genre accessible to people that otherwise wouldn't listen to it.

That's a good thing.

[MelBridgeman]

Ya the video is from.... i'd say April of this year. Saw Paul Potts on The Hour in the summer...That video is great and there is no doubt he is the real deal...but i am still waiting for the articles telling us that this was a setup for ratings and to to sell records..which is fine i guess..there have already been reports about Paul performing with some operas around Britian before this show and was slated to tour before this...although he claims for no pay

[Dion]

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

Ya the video is from.... i'd say April of this year. Saw Paul Potts on The Hour in the summer...That video is great and there is no doubt he is the real deal...but i am still waiting for the articles telling us that this was a setup for ratings and to to sell records..which is fine i guess..there have already been reports about Paul performing with some operas around Britian before this show and was slated to tour before this...although he claims for no pay

Yesterday was the first time i'd heard of this guy. Got the link from a friend through email. Other than sports I don't watch a lot of TV so that might explain why I missed this.

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Edit- I think Paul could have asked that female judge, whoever she is, to marry him right then and there, and she would have said yes.

Indeed, before this clip i was not aware opera could cause a woman to orgasm, no wonder they want to go so bad.

[Hack&Lube]

Of course, it's not that he's a cellphone salesman out of nowhere that has no training at all. He's had real operatic training in Italy and has been in several large productions before his appearance on the show. Of course they play that down.

[V]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Wet blanket?

I don't listen to opera - most people don't. I've heard the same argument made about the 3 Tenors though - that they were far from the best. Don't know if that's true or not.

But what a guy like this does is make a music genre accessible to people that otherwise wouldn't listen to it.

That's a good thing.

Sorry Jiri, but there's no way I can read people calling him amazing, and the 'real deal' and all that jazz without commenting on it. He's really not very good. I'm glad that people are impressed by him, maybe they'll pick up some opera music now from time to time and realize what real opera music is, but the fact is the guy is nowhere near the 'real deal'.

[Bobblehead]

As jar-e posted, there was a thread covering a lot of this from back in June.

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=43574

[The Unabomber]

And he sung Britians national anthem before the NFL game in England.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by V

Sorry Jiri, but there's no way I can read people calling him amazing, and the 'real deal' and all that jazz without commenting on it. He's really not very good. I'm glad that people are impressed by him, maybe they'll pick up some opera music now from time to time and realize what real opera music is, but the fact is the guy is nowhere near the 'real deal'.

Very true indeed. Yeah, he has a big contract now and he is selling CD's, but the fact is, while he has some talent, he is no way close to being the next Messiah of the opera world as everyone is touting him to be.

You know what, Tiny Tim sold lots of records too, but did he have the talent of say Tony Bennett? No, you are comparing apples to oranges.

I am not trying to be mean to the man, I know he has a following now, if that helps expose others to opera, fine, but I am afraid as well, that those people, without exposure to the greats in opera, will never be able to hear the difference.

Paul Potts has some talent, some amateur talent, and he has improved it with some lessons from the best in opera. But here is the thing, you can take all the lessons in the world, try to learn all the technique in the world, and while you might improve, you will never elevate yourself to those born with a gift.

I will use hockey to give you the same comparison. Recently, there was a thread written by Eric Duhatchek, he was telling about the time he tried out with the Flames. And what did he conclude? That to be a professional hockey player, you are pretty well born with a gift. Sure, you work on your technique, you work on your skating, whatever, you still must practise your gift to hone the skills. But he concluded that the ordinary Joe on the street, with some hockey talent, will never get to the level of skill that NHL players have, even with all the practise in the world with the best coaches. You have to be at the elite level to get to the NHL and you have to be born with some gift to get there.

Wayne Gretzky had a gift, Eric Duhatchek had a mere talent, it does a disservice to Gretzky to compare the two.

Pavarotti, Domingo, Caruso, they were born with gifts.

To compare someone like Paul Potts to someone like Luciano Pavarotti does Pavarotti a great disservice. Potts sounds like a tin horn, a horn that can get loud, that can get very loud, but that is not the essence of opera. Anyone can beller and sing with force. Those with a gift bring you a story, not just sound.

But, to each his own, we all have a different ear for music. All I would ask of those who are so enamored with Paul Potts is to at least listen to some of the greats of opera. Listen to the difference in tone, to the difference in phrasing, those people born with a gift sound so wonderful because they FEEL that music in their heart and their soul. You can't teach that to someone. You are born with that gift.

And Jiri, you mentioned that you heard people say the 3 Tenors were not all that great. Well those 3 tenors were 3 of the best of the past century. Perhaps they were all a bit past their prime when they performed. BUT on their worst day, any of them were farrrrrrrr better than Paul Potts is on his best day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5-iCNV1EsI

However, they did bring opera to the masses. And Pavarotti infused his performances in his later years with all sorts of stars from the contemporary world of music and brought opera to the masses that way as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oblhqxjBlk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exnpah5nNWo

You have only to look at the smile on his face when he was performing to see how much music was a part of his life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpR_9nRvtpU

[ricosuave]

holy bad british teeth!

but wow, good for him

[troutman]

Something about the clip does not seem right - was this set-up?

How could someone that talented not be discovered already? I feel we are being manipulated.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by troutman

Something about the clip does not seem right - was this set-up?

How could someone that talented not be discovered already? I feel we are being manipulated.

And that folks is the power of the web and that is the downfall of many, they wish to get on the bandwagon called "popular".

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by troutman

Something about the clip does not seem right - was this set-up?

How could someone that talented not be discovered already? I feel we are being manipulated.

You are.

I don't know a lick about Opera, and I really like him and think he is awesome. The clip gives me shivers.

But the fact is he has extensive training and had performed in Operas long before he went on this show. To portray him as a simple phone salesman is to totally overlook all the training and performing he has already done.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

I've heard the same argument made about the 3 Tenors though - that they were far from the best. Don't know if that's true or not.

Anyone who triest to downplay the 3 Tenors (especially Pavarotti) is truly an idiot. Those guy's are/were world-class by any standard.

[redforever]

This thread starts with the Paul Potts performance of Nessun Dorma.

For those not familiar with Nessun Dorma, or perhaps who have not heard it being performed by the master of this song, I would ask you to listen to it being sung by Luciano Pavarotti. This was probably his best performance ever of this particular piece of music, he performed it in Paris in 1998.

Notice how he is in complete control of his tone throughout the whole performance, very tender and moving but also very powerful at the end as well. Notice his impeccable phrasing, in other words, how the music flows. You do not hear him gasping for air or straining to finish the piece of music. And while Pavarotti had a powerful voice, even when he was using that power, he was still using it in a tender way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONUCPKdGcrk Paris 1998

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-DJletwNic live at the Met 1988

Pavarotti owned Nessun Dorma, he made it HIS. Just like the great late Johnny Cash now owns Hurt.

Singing Caruso, I can't even begin to imagine Potts trying to sing this song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvLtE...eature=related

Now listen to Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman singing “Time to Say Goodbye”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C605Tub8DKE

And here is Paul Potts singing “Time to Say Goodbye”
Can you hear the huge difference between an amateur talent and those born with a gift?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODStr6760zg

While I am not a fan of Bocelli singing the heavies of opera, I love listening to him singing this style of music. His voice very well suits any type of music that has romantic overtones, religious as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWzJtfeHVxg

And in regards to Bocelli, it does not get more beautiful than this. He rose to the occasion singing this for the closing ceremony of the Torino Winter Olympics. Much nicer than how he sang it on the CD released with that same song. I don’t ever want to hear Paul Potts singing this!!!

http://www.olografix.org/krees/dfnet/multimedia4/video/Andrea%20Bocelli%20-%20Because%20We%20Believe%20(Torino%202006%20Closi ng%20Ceremony).wmv

And our very own David Foster composed that wonderful piece of music.

[Flaming Choy]

Thanks redforever for all the examples, pretty interesting stuff. For anyone that wants to sing along to Nessun Dorma:

Italian Text

Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma!
Tu pure, o, Principessa,
nella tua fredda stanza,
guardi le stelle
che tremano d'amore
e di speranza.
Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me,
il nome mio nessun saprà!
No, no, sulla tua bocca lo dirò
quando la luce splenderà!
Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio
che ti fa mia!
(Il nome suo nessun saprà!...
e noi dovrem, ahime, morir!)
Dilegua, o notte!
Tramontate, stelle!
Tramontate, stelle!
All'alba vincerò!
vincerò, vincerò!
English Translation of "Nessun Dorma"

Nobody shall sleep!...
Nobody shall sleep!
Even you, o Princess,
in your cold room,
watch the stars,
that tremble with love and with hope.
But my secret is hidden within me,
my name no one shall know...
No!...No!...
On your mouth I will tell it when the light shines.
And my kiss will dissolve the silence that makes you mine!...
(No one will know his name and we must, alas, die.)
Vanish, o night!
Set, stars! Set, stars!
At dawn, I will win! I will win! I will win!

Good luck

Also, Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman singing “Time to Say Goodbye” was much better then Josh Grobin

[Muta]

Wow... so is this thread considered an ultimate Fata yet, or not?

[Dion]

Originally Posted by redforever

Very true indeed. Yeah, he has a big contract now and he is selling CD's, but the fact is, while he has some talent, he is no way close to being the next Messiah of the opera world as everyone is touting him to be.

You know what, Tiny Tim sold lots of records too, but did he have the talent of say Tony Bennett? No, you are comparing apples to oranges.

I am not trying to be mean to the man, I know he has a following now, if that helps expose others to opera, fine, but I am afraid as well, that those people, without exposure to the greats in opera, will never be able to hear the difference.

I tend to agree with Jiri.

Who's claiming he's the next Messiah? Certainly not me.

I've listened to both Pavaroti and Bocelli and know he's not in their league. Still I think he's a breath of fresh air. And it appears some here agree with me.

I created the thread to expose posters to a different kind of music. The fact it was Paul Potts singing got most people to take notice.

What I didn't expect is to see is Potts getting trashed in this thread.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Of course, it's not that he's a cellphone salesman out of nowhere that has no training at all. He's had real operatic training in Italy and has been in several large productions before his appearance on the show. Of course they play that down.

I really think the fact that he's had training and has performed is irrelevant. I used to play organ and won my share of competitions, as well as performed at various events. Training does not make you a star.

And who cares if there are people who are better at opera than he is. That's like saying John Mayer shouldn't be famous, because there are better guitarists in the world than him.

Paul Potts caught a break. And I say better a man like him, who is seemingly humble and unassuming, and will help further the arts than say a Paris Hilton who caught a break by being rich and having sex on home video.