I have worked at the MET one week and had time to hear casts of MacBeth, Carmen, Le Nozze di Figaro and La Boheme. I am excited for this opportunity to hear some of the best singers in the world and watch how they work, and dissect their techniques. What I have learned about the singers at the MET is the following:
1. The amount of detail and preparation needed to sing a role properly at this level is not understood by most singers.
2. If one is not at this level they must arrive at said level immediately, or within a rehearsal or two they get left behind.
3. The style of singing that I have always taught is correct; I know exactly how the top singers are producing their voices. It is clear as a bright summer day. I have been away from the top opera house for 12 years. I worried that technical styles have changed. Well, they have not. Good, honest vocalism and a good balance in registration is still what makes a voice carry, even in a large opera house as the MET.
4. I wish the top singers and teachers that I work with in Hong Kong could experience a week just observing rehearsals at the MET. It would be so much fun to listen and talk about how the top singers go about their business.
5. If any of my friends are in NYC, I do have a free pass and one friend at a time can attend any rehearsal with me.
6. The mezzo-soprano singing Carmen is a throwback voice to the Golden Age. She has an incredible instrument that everyone must hear. She is an amazing talent.
