Have never heard Alfie indicate he wanted to be a Pavarotti (whom I thought was so talented), Caruso, Mario Lanza...he is Alfie Boe; a more genuine human being that I could have imagined. He remains humble, loves his music in whatever genre it presents itself and could sing anything and I would be enthralled. His voice is unique...as if he sings with his soul and every fiber of his being. No fuss, no muss....just sings...
I've listened to this SO many times, and I still think the two British men give the best interpretation ever. How well their voices go together! And to the idiot who talks about "glory notes" - why do you think only the high notes are glorious? As a contralto, I love singing the harmony or the counterpoint - which is what makes the music complete. I'd hate to have to sing just the tune all the time! Both the Welshman and the Englishman are superb - and together they're magnificent.
About 5 years ago while cruising RU-vid, I searched for the Pearl Fishers duet because it was so beautiful. I found this video by chance - my introduction to the most beautiful tenor voice I'd ever heard. I had to hear more and next found "Alfie Boe Warbles A Bit" in Matt Lucas's kitchen and then fell in love with that grin as well as with the voice. He indeed has a gift from God.
Truly magnificent …………….. Alfie sings with such passion and makes me melt each time I hear him perform … beautiful Alfie x He was fantastic in La Boheme and incredible in Les Miserables …. His voice, smile and personality are addictive x x so much love for Alfie
Bryn Terfel is 6' 4" tall. Like Alfie Boe, his voice is getting richer and darker with age (he's only about 8 yrs older than Alfie, and, he, too, has recorded albums of musical theater songs, as well as folk songs from his native Wales, in addition to his acclaimed opera discs). I love how the different timbres in their voices blend so well together. As FHG007 notes below, I, too, can hear the "difference" tone that results from their being so in tune w/each other.
Bryn Terfel, his singing looks so effortless and yet so powerful. I am so impressed with his ability to swing from light classics to classical opera, from Rodgers to Gershwin, from Bernstein to Verdi and Wagner. Alfie Boe is a relatively new name to me but I am impressed with that high note at the climax of this piece. I usually look at the texture of their voices when they go mid and high and his voice timbre is rich. I'm impressed. I liked his Nessun Dorma with his youngish voice.
PS - I keep forgetting to mention that WONDERFUL accompanist! As someone who's accompanied many singers, instrumentalists, and indeed dancers, I can assure you she is superb... :o)
TonyBee,I've only just seen your comment and I can't believe it! Do you know that this duet is always sung by a tenor and a baritone? Alfie is not trying to outdo Brynn. He is a tenor so his voice is higher than Brynn's who is a baritone They are both very good singers and they have sung this beautiful duet very well!
Alfie's actually struggled with getting through other genres and stepping out of the Opera training to get different intonations and timbre to his voice.
Alfie may not be the greatest operatic tenor ever, but he is a bloody good one, and a bloody good show-singer (different skill-set) and popular singer too, and name one other tenor who can do all 3 so well?
shazydazy No, everyone used mikes for the 25th Les Mis. One, because the O2 is a barn and it's the only way to get good sound up to the rafters, and two, because it was being broadcast into theaters that evening, and taped for dvd. Though if you watch some of the clips shot by audience members at the two shows, even though everyone is miked, you can often hear Alfie even above all the other performers, the chorus and the orchestra. (It's not as noticeable on the dvd because they've re-mixed and balanced the sound.) But the Queen's where he did a 5 month run, is a small theater (only 1000 seats) and I'm not sure everyone in the cast was miked for that.
***** LOL Boe really, really gets under you people's skins, doesn't he? Sorry, if you've made your living singing opera professionally for 19yrs, had leads in la Boheme 4x, Albert Herring, Pearl Fishers, La Traviata, and secondary leads in Katya Kabanova, Romeo et Juliette, Cosi fan Tutte, Merry Widow -- yeah, you're a real, honest-to-goodness opera singer. Omg! The horror! Boe has sung in musicals! He's a "musical theater performer." lol Get over yourself. Oh, and after 19 yrs singing in opera houses in the UK, Europe, American and even one in Asia, I think Alfie's entitled to have an opinion on opera productions, and opera management.
I think you should listen to Bjorling & Merill singing this song. Recorded over 60 years ago. You may laugh at what i've typed, but listen before you comment.
Alfie Boe is far from the most famous operatic tenor because he has spread himself among many genres of music and not fixed his career opera. This duet it lovely If he were to be compared with any tenor, it should be Domingo, not Pavoratti, who had much lighter, rather sweet and rich upper tones and those splendid high C's. Boe has far more in common with Domingo. I think saying so-and-so was the greatest may be true for some, but not all roles. Tenor roles have a huge range and Pavoratti had the sense, after one bad excursion into the heavier more dramatic roles, to stay with those that suited his voice. His career lasted longer that way and certainly his talent is unquestioned by the likes of me. Boe has walked his own path and not an easy one. Fame did not come early or shower him with operatic options because he has always given all genres equal value. To opera purists, this is apostasy and you'll find getting work in the great houses difficult. He is his own man and opera is not exactly the most open-minded genre. Rudolph Bing was famous for refusing to hire American sopranos and feuded with Beverly Sills for a long time who sang for the NY Opera across from the Met. Opera is it's own little world and can be very close-minded regardless of talent.
OK, that makes sense as Domingo started as a baritone and has, with age returned to light baritone roles. But Boe sounds nothing like the light, flexible Pavorati who more of a leggero. Jonathan Antoine sounds like a young Pavorati with a lot to learn but has that same light, flexible upper range. He also has an incredible strong midrange.
No sir, it's the other way around. Pavarotti was a full lyric tenor and boe more leggero than lyric. You can clearly hear the difference from voice type at the passagio.
As you wish. To my ears, Pavoratti was always at his best in the lighter roles and Boe has sung few full operas preferring a broader range of music. He does have an amazing falsetto that he used as JVJ on Les Miz.
I agree Pavarotti was better in lighter roles and ofcourse because he was a lyric tenor. Too many lyric tenors sing dramatic roles and eventually it becomes the standard, while it's obviously not (like nessun dorma). Boe has a really nice voice though for light repertoire:)
however much i love alfie... his french is pretty poor.. but so helpful when it comes to others.. and i am lucky enough to have met him through my mother diana montague ..
oh puh-leeze. No one living equals Caruso or Pavarotti, and Alfie's had a longer opera career than Lanza ever did. Show me a "talent show" singer w 4yrs in music/voice at the Royal College of Music, 1yr at the National Opera Studio, 19yrs professionally, leads in la Boheme 4x, Albert Herring, Pearl Fishers, La Traviata, Katya Kabanova, Romeo et Juliette, Cosi fan Tutte, etc. Then Les Mis and 2yrs of sold out concerts. Alfie just had a colorful "break," he does a great Elvis, and you are a snob.
hecate235 ...You are wrong, it is more than obvious that you have never heard the Bjorling and Merill version of this song. Listen to it before you reply.
The only thing I don't like about this beautiful duet is that, as usual, the tenor gets all of the glory notes, and actually, most of the singing. :/ Amazing nonetheless!
Oh, grow up! Nobody is 'forcing it out' . Nobody NEEDS to force anything - because they are equally wonderful singers. "The slightly higher line"? You are merely demonstrating your ignorance. You don't even know the difference between tenor and bass-baritone!
Joan Hammond Thank you for being so informative about my imagined ignorance with regard to this performance. You are obviously much more clever at detecting musical nueances than I than I am
I'm sorry, but this is painful. Bryn is such an awesome singer, and this particular duet is a beautiful piece of music, but Alfie is straining far too much and it ruins it.
