There is a whole generations of singers which don't have REAL Italian, open, clear vowels, particularly in the middle of the range.... I don't know where it started... remember in the 80 already, when "a" sounded "ae" and like inside a tube... and there is also no differentiation between "o" and "u"... they all sound the same, and they stay inside the mouth, they produce a sound, yes, like Miss Boney rightly says, but not a vowel... am so glad she is correcting this in this gifted singer. Also, when the singer went "sweet, sweet" etc, etc, the voice sounded freer in the middle, and more beautiful, EXACTLY because by singing the word "sweet" with an "i" as main vowel, she could not get into the tube sound.
Love the way Bonney imparts knowledge and wisdom on the mysteries of singing and the human voice. She is the antithesis of the notorious pedagogical terror that was Schwarzkopf.
Bravo for BB, for the young soprano, & let’s not forget, for the accompanist. NB: BB lets her students sing the aria straight through before offering suggesting anything. The character study is excellent, as is the relationship BB underlines between Musetta’s considerable charm & her true & generous sweetness.
I was looking for other versions of the Musetta Waltz, and this came up. Initial reaction was "That's rough'" until I watched it, and watched it again a couple more times. Very informative and instructive. Other than 'liking opera' (and only some of it), I had no idea about the voice training - the position of the tongue and the head... and now I realise that most every well-known singer started this way. And had to learn. I hope they had as sympathetic a teacher as Ms Bonney - and I hope this young lady has (it is 10 years later, after all) a place in the Contacts book of every operatic director.
Bravo! Sehr gut, hervorragend! 🌟🌿💖 The Singer ist really good, but the teacher should go to school and learn her lesson. Why? This young Lady is very talented ! The First Version of Quando men vo was perfect, was also sweet. The second one? No! No more! This teacher should let the students do. It was like destroying an act of good art, wich sounds Like from the heart and the sweetness was within! Good luck and all the best!,,🌹🌿🌟