Alexandra Kotis Composition 2 Script:

 
 
Slide 2  
Who  hasn’t  heard  of  the  saying,  “It  ain’t  over  till  the  fat  lady  sings”?  This  colloquialism  
stems  from  the  perception  of  Grand  Opera,  more  specifically,  overweight  sopranos.  As  a  
vocal  performance  major  studying  classical  voice,  the  common  response  when  people  
hear  that  I  plan  on  becoming  an  opera  singer  is,  “…well,  aren’t  you  suppose  to  be  fat  to  
do  that?”  Although  heftier  people  have  more  room  to  expand  their  lungs,  the  voice  
needs  three  things  to  function  well:  a  power  source,  which  are  your  lungs,  articulators,  
which  include  your  tongue  and  lips,  and  a  vibrating  valve,  which  are  your  vocal  folds.  
Being  fat  is  not  a  requirement  for  one  to  be  able  to  sing  well.          
 
Slide  3  
Some  arguments  that  defend  being  hefty  as  an  integral  part  of  being  an  opera  singer  are  
that:  
*Opera  singers  are  fat  because  the  size  of  the  chest  wall  gives  more  room  for  the  
singer’s  voice  to  resonate  making  it  louder  and  more  powerful  than  the  skinny  (or  
skinnier)  singer.  
 
*  Opera  singers  are  fat  because  the  type  of  mouth  needed  to  create  a  ‘good  voice’  is  
often  a  round  mouth,  which  incidentally  is  the  same  type  of  person  with  a  round  face,  
which  also  incidentally  is  the  kind  of  person  with  the  round  body  type.  
 
*Another  theory  that  Freud  would  be  most  interested  in,  is  that  Opera  singers  are  fat  
because  they  are  oral  people.  They  give  so  much  out  through  their  mouths,  so  to  
compensate  they  have  to  put  a  lot  back  in.  So  they  eat.  And  therefore  they  are  fat.  
 
Slide  4  
As  you  may  have  inferred  from  my  previous  commentary,  I  do  not  believe  being  
overweight  is  an  integral  part  of  being  a  great  opera  singer.  This  stereotype  came  about  
because  the  majority  of  the  most  talented  and  popular  opera  singers  up  until  the  21st  
century  have  been  overweight.  It  goes  without  question  that  the  opera  singers  depicted  
on  this  slide  have  exceptional,  world-­‐class  voices.  Luisa  Tetrazzini,  depicted  on  the  
bottom  left,  was  an  internationally  acclaimed  Italian  coloratura  soprano,  and  is  now  
thought  to  be  eponymous  of  the  popular  American  dish  Turkey  Tetrazzini.  Deborah  
Voigt,  depicted  on  the  top  left,  is  irrefutably  one  of  the  best  Brünnhildes  of  all  time,  
while  Montserrat  Caballé,  depicted  on  the  top  right,  is  known  as  one  of  the  finest  
interpreters  of  bel  canto  repertoire.  Luciano  Pavarotti,  depicted  on  the  bottom  right,  is  
the  most  commercially  successful  tenor  of  all  time.  What  about  the  opera  singers  of  
today?  How  do  they  compare  vocally  and  physically  with  those  in  the  past?  
 
Slide 5  
Deborah  Voigt  told  an  interviewer  that  she'd  been  booked  by  Covent  Garden  to  sing  the  
title  role  in  Strauss's  Ariadne  auf  Naxos  but  was  then,  as  the  date  for  the  production  
approached,  asked  to  stand  down  on  the  grounds  that  she  had  put  on  too  much  weight.  
The  stage  director  wanted  Ariadne  to  look  glamorous  in  a  little  black  dress:  something  of  
the  kind  Edith  Piaf  might  have  slipped  into.  In  the  memorable  words  of  Covent  Garden,  
her  increased  girth  made  this  "not  such  a  fortunate  suggestion",  and  she  was  replaced  
by  the  comparatively  wisp  like  Anne  Schwannewilms,  who  fit  the  design  concept  more  
snugly.  
 
Slide  6  
Do  sexy  singers  sound  the  swansong  of  the  fat  lady?  So  is  it  true?  Is  opera  shrugging  off  
its  old,  pub-­‐joke  association  between  big  voices  and  enormous  bodies?  Has  the  curtain  
finally  come  down  on  the  fat  lady  singing?  
 
"I  can  only  say  that  if  I  were  running  an  opera  house  I'd  want  the  best  singer  for  the  
role",  Voigt  says,  "whether  they  had  hips  or  not.  But  there  it  is".  And  as  she  knows  well  
enough,  then  as  now,  this  is  an  issue  with  two  sides  to  it.  
 
Slide  7  
Opera  is  theatre.  And  for  at  least  the  past  30  years  it's  been  ruled  not  so  much  by  
conductors  as  by  stage  directors  who  think  that  seeing  as  well  as  hearing  is  believing.  
You  might  argue  that  the  tyranny  of  physical  appearance  is  already  well-­‐enough  
established  in  the  music  world.  Adolescent  singers  with  a  cute  smile  but  not  much  
behind  it  tour  the  world  and  earn  a  fortune.  It's  depressing.  It's  unjust.  But  presentation  
counts  sometimes  more  than  talent.  
 
Slide  8  
Anna  Netrebko  featured  on  the  left  and  Angela  Gheorghiu  featured  on  the  right  are  two  
opera  stars  that  look  better  than  they  sound,  in  my  opinion.  
 
Here’s  what  critics  have  to  say  about  Gheorghiu’s  new  album:  
 
“This  new  album  from  Rumanian  soprano  Angela  Gheorghiu  is  a  mixed  bag  indeed.  
…there  are  signs  of  technical  flaws,  the  repertoire  is  less  than  inspiring,  and  the  overall  
impression  is  one  of  disappointment.  
 
Angela  Gheorghiu:  Live  at  La  Scala  documents  the  soprano's  debut  at  the  great  Italian  
opera  house.  The  singer  feels  that  it  was  brave  and  daring  of  her  to  appear  before  Italy's  
most  volatile  opera  audience  for  the  first  time  in  a  solo  recital  rather  than  in  one  of  her  
celebrated  operatic  roles.  Although  her  appearance  in  La  Scala  in  La  traviata  earlier  in  
the  year  was  booed,  it's  clear  that  the  Gheorghiu  fanclub  took  up  residence  for  the  
recital,  and  the  audience  seems  to  react  with  equal  delight  regardless  of  whether  the  
singing  is  faultless  or  deeply  flawed.  
 
 
 
Slide  9  
I  feel  that  just  as  technology  improves,  and  strives  to  instantly  gratify  costumers  by  the  
outward  appearance  of  their  products,  opera  is  also  headed  in  the  same  direction.  It  is  
now  trying  to  instantly  gratify  its  audiences  with  their  performer’s  appearance  rather  
than  voice  through  live  hd  broadcasts  of  performances.  The  recent  sacrifice  of  talent  
over  looks  in  order  to  make  opera  a  trendier  more  marketable  performing  art  is  
incredibly  unfortunate…I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  there  are  no  attractive  and  talented  
opera  singers  out  there,  or  that  generally  hefty  opera  singers  sing  better,  but  rather  that  
the  size  of  the  opera  singer  should  never  be  the  determining  factor  of  the  size  of  their  
career.