OMG I love it when Amira does duets, she seems to put an extra effort in the song and sings like she is having the time of her life. I pray that we eventually she the video of this performance. Whoa! Sonnyboy is a perfect compliment to Amira and vice versa
As a TH-cam Amira admirer - and, like so many, astonished by Amira's achievements to date and her promise for the future - I'm selfish: I'm satisfied only when Amira is "at the top of her game" - where she shows her truly prodigious and precocious ability. Last time I felt this was her Flower Duet performance with Corlea Botha; since then, I felt that her "ouvre" lacked a certain direction and the TH-cam offerings weren't up to "Amira" standards. (Again, I can follow Amira only via TH-cam, while she may have been giving dazzling performances that don't make it to this venue.) Well, with this performance with Sunnyboy Dladla, it's nice to see Amira back on track. Her last note - was as heavenly as it was (seemingly) effortless - an Amira standard. And the smartphone audio actually added a certain quaintness - like an old 45 recording of two of the great performers from bygone days. Instead - a delightful performance by two 21st century shining stars.
Rob Louw For those of us unable to attend, I hope you can give us a full report of what went on and your impressions of Amiras' performances. God only knows when the DVDs and CDs will come out but at least a discussion of what you heard and it's effect on you will help numb the frustration and envy.
Hi Luigi I certainly will - some sort of Amira Tour needs to be put together where fans can come to SA very inexpensively to attend her live shows - the rand exchange rate is certainly a start but accomodation also needs to be arranged - I put the idea out there and the collective can discuss and plan - who knows what can come of this worldwide fan base -
gsacni, what a delightful surprise and wether or not with video, Amira-sound is so atractive and above all in opera. I like very much and aggree with the post of Grant Trumbo and its following comments
gsacni. Hooray!!! Thank You and Thanks to everyone who helped make this available. I agree with you 100%. As beautiful as I find her voice in the new songs on her 3rd album it just doesn't compare to Amira singing Opera. There is a brightness in her voice when she sings opera, a different texture and level of excitement, energy, that is truly astounding in one so young. This is the kind of duet partner Amira needs to bring out the best qualities of her astounding voice. I can hear the critics preparing to attack her now. Is she perfect, absolutely not, but her voice is beyond compare. She needs more work to produce a clearer, crisper diction, improved breath support especially in her low range, a little more agility in some passages. Am I criticizing Amira, absolutely not. She is already miles ahead of where she should be. The perfection of foreign vocabulary, diction, precision and increased agility will come with time. She has already shown dramatic improvement in all of those aspects, especially in 2016 and 2017 and now on into 2018. What she lacks in those areas only shows up when she sings with a true, highly trained opera singer who actually sings opera on stage in actual opera productions. In the end that beautiful instrument, that golden throat, overwhelms all other considerations or minor lack of technique. I think a lot of the criticism comes because the quality of her voice, even at the tender age of 12 or 13, compels you to compare her to the trained adult singers decades older. It does seems with Amira, you always end up with mouth agape, your eyes brimming and your emotions totally wrung out. No matter how often you listen to Amira you are never prepared for what comes next. You listen to this medley, are stunned by the finale, your mouth hanging open, your brain going What, what , what ,,,,,,,,,, it leaves me totally understanding of and sympathetic to how Gordon and the other judges on HGT felt. You think by now we would all be prepared but no, her leaps are too great. Just about the time you recover she gobsmacks you once again with some totally new sound. Thank You Amira for being you.
Hi gsacni - yes, I concur - in her early documentaries she stated on a number of occasions that it is opera arias that she wanted to sing - I listen to her latest CD at least 3 hours per day in my car - and the opera performances are her best - by far, and most of those were live recordings of as far back as 2013 - although her Nella Fantasia is awesome and is strictly crossover
Hi Luigi - you are so spot on - we all forget Amira has only just turned 14 - has had no formal training and has been pushed around a bit in directions that, maybe, she did'nt want to go in - I had Ben Schoeman in my car recently (one of South Africa's top pianists) and he had'nt heard of Amira - played him OMBC and Nella Fantasia and Nessum Dorma - now his ear is way better than most and he was pretty blown by Amira's voice but said that her pronounciation in Italian could improve substantially - small "technical" adjustments to improve over all - but he simply referred to her as a prodigy - thanks for your "spot on" analysis
Rob Louw Thanks Rob. I hope Amira has or is able to find an excellent voice teacher in S.A. Coleske also needs to find an operatic voice specialist in Italian now. It would not only improve her Italian vocabulary and diction, but would also change and improve her entry into notes and words and probably help and improve her agility somewhat. I don't know about S.A. but in the U.S. the top music schools have professors who specialize in the operatic use of language, the rules of which are slightly different then just language. It makes a dramatic difference not just in pronunciation but how you would sing a phrase or carry and hold a note, etc. Outside of pronunciation it's not often applied to pop or major portions of crossover singing, but Bocelli and Brightman have been trained in it and you can hear the difference in the clarity and precision in their singing Italian, same for Amira's partner here, Sonnyboy. Anyway, Amiras' finale in Funiculi Funicula in and of itself is just astounding in tone, fullness and emotion. I think Amiras' voice has taken another big step forward in richness and vibrancy in her top notes. Now it's back to working on more support in her low range, which I believe she can expand by several more notes and increase the fullness, richness and vibrancy of the sound by focusing on it more. I know how she loves those exploding high notes but working to expand and perfect her low range will bring her many benefits in her future career. A little more focus and effort on breathing and support will pay major dividends in the future. Anyway, I can't stop playing this over and over again just to get to those final notes in F and F. Even though I know what's coming It still astounds me with its fullness and beauty each and every time. Thank you Amira.
I would love to know where this effort falls in the rehearsal schedule. How many times have they rehearsed and worked on this and how many more to go until the dress rehearsal and performance. Of all the male singers Amira has performed with after Patrizio, Sonnyboy may have a big impact on Amiras' performance level. Unless my ears deceive me there is a pretty noticeable change from the beginning of this medley duet to the end. As we know, Amira can't help but respond to a challenge and to sing to Sonnyboys level of training and precision is a real challenge, but a challenge Amira is now capable to meet. If this is just the middle of the rehearsal schedule, be prepared to be shocked by the finished product in June. Lucky, lucky concert goers. Yes, I admit, I am envious.
Timothy Johnson Hi Timothy. Dafydd just informed me that this was a rehearsal for Starlight Classics back in Feb. I thought they were rehearsing for Classics. This means we will never get to see the performance. Very disappointing news I must say. I am sure I am not the only one envious of the crew going to Classics in June but somehow when I thought this would be performed there it seemed to make it worse. Anyhow don't mind me I've been in somewhat of a fugue lately especially with all of the disappearing You Tube performances lately, then this post came out and cheered me up. Now I'm trying not to think about how far away November is which is probably the soonest the Classics DVD will be released. If nothing new for Amira gets posted earlier I'm not sure I will make it until then. What did you think of this performance. I think the final note of Funiculi, Funicula loosened all of my teeth. I made the mistake of leaving my mouth open like the HGT judges did. Now I know how they felt I was also very impressed with Sonnyboy. He is the best of all the tenors to date. He has an amazingly beautiful and well trained lyric tenor voice, powerful but very agile. What a great treat to put him together with Amira. Great experience for Amira to sing with a highly technically trained operatic voice like his. It really makes it easy to evaluate where Amira stands at 14 given her training and experience. Let me know what you think.
Yes, I do like the way they sound together a great deal, although I do wish I could SEE them singing, as well as HEAR them, as here. Strangely (or perhaps not so much) I feel I would enjoy actually seeing the interaction between them as they worked their way through the performance, etc. As Dafydd Llewellyn noted above, apparently Sonnyboy returned to Berlin with "a very high opinion of Amira indeed," which says a lot about the interaction between them, from both sides, and, as you point out, also says a great deal about her general current standing in the larger world of professional singing, in the operatic genre. :-)
@Timothy Johnson.... The guy who gave me this audio clip was present on the day of the rehearsal, and he says that the official TV crew recorded the whole rehearsal. To get it out of them will of course be another story. Maybe Amira's management can succeed, if they try.
Timothy Johnson I don't know if it just my ears, but I swear Amiras' voice displays a whole different quality and additional tone in this performance, very complex and very mature. Another breakthrough? I definitely think so. I agree we need to SEE this performance. Oh, I am very impressed with Sonnyboy, superb tenor. What a great future he has also. What a wonderful pairing.
gsacni: I'm not necessarily very good at precisely establishing top-of-range pitch just from hearing the notes, but isn't this last note that Amira sings here something in the neighborhood of Bb6? She makes it sound so easy, but I think this is actually about four notes away from the highest note I have heard described in her (current) range, and this final note, which is absolutely beautiful and seemingly effortless, seems to almost exactly match the SECOND to the last note in the video "Amira Willighagen - (Sounds like an Eb6)," posted by Terry Brown on August 15th, 2017, nearly a year ago, now (from the "Barcelona" performance), where he compares her Eb6 to those sung by quite a number of other famous and well established current singers. Anyway, in that other video, she rises from what is I believe substantially this same note, up another fourth (again, I believe) to hit the Eb6 there, and I remember reading discussion in one of these videos of her also hitting F6, but I cannot remember where, at the moment. As Dafydd Llewellyn remarked at the other video 9 months ago, "Observe (I was going to say, "note") that she maintains her vibrato in that top note. As I understand it, that means she is NOT singing in falsetto mode, but still in her main voice. Quite an instrument she has!" th-cam.com/video/WpDqqdlF6Dk/w-d-xo.html
I think I qualify as one of her most ardent fans. The voice is magnificent as usual. However, please correct me if i am wrong, is the tempo not a tiny wee bit fast (hurried) in some parts, specially in the first half? Thank you for uploading this, Gsacni.
Rainier Esguerra: I am inclined to agree - perhaps a bit faster paced than usual -- still wonderful to hear a bit from the production, and wish I could be there...... :-) :-)
Amira said once the flower duet was rehearsed in a faster tempo too and during the live concert it was reduced which was a big challenge for both ladies :) The result was still a perfect duet.
Larry van D: This is already beautiful by my standards. I am sure the final version will be more than amazing. Amira never fails to exceed the best expectations of her fans.
Rainier Esguerra. It is a very beautiful medley. And Amira does a terrific job. Actually Rainer, the tempo is right on. This relates to my earlier comment about agility, breath, and support. It is a very light and lovely number and notice that Sunnyboy is very crisp and agile in his singing while Amira, while singing beautifully in pitch, tonal quality and sound production leaves you with a bit of an impression that she is being pushed by the tempo and is on the verge of maybe stumbling a bit to keep up. She doesn't stumble, but she is being pushed. That is the agility that comes with training and practice and is one of the things Amira needs to perfect. Not a criticism of Amira she is light years ahead of where she should be at this age.Interestingly enough the second piece Amira is performing with more agility and seems to be singing a bit more relaxed and effortlessly, she has already adjusted somewhat. The only flaw in this number, and I am not using it as a criticism of Amira just to point out something she needs to focus on, is when, in response, Amira enters and sings a phrase at the very bottom of her range and it comes out weakly and a bit shakey. Again at her age, not a significant occurrence. It's very difficult to do and I am sure Amira will focus on it and do a much better job next time just like she did in Nessun Dorma CIG2017 When she also extended her range and hit a new rich, low note. You listen to these songs and they sound lively, light and a bit simple, but as noted, they are much more difficult to do them justice and sing them correctly and well then most of us would perceive.The songs require a level of precision and crispness of diction and the tempo requires a high level of agility. What amazes me, is with all of that, Amira still produces the most astonishingly beautiful sound. She keeps astonishing everyone with her rapid progress and ever improving ability. I was totally blown away by the beauty of that final sustained note. The fullness and richness of that sound reflects Amiras' voice still changing and expanding in richness and vibrancy.
+gsacni: It looks like Amira in Rehearsal (2) 2018 (Audio only) is missing in action. The smart phone audio recording quality of it seems less than optimum.
For what my opinion is worth to you. Amira sang Gabriella's song and Hallelujah solo. Plus a duet with Patrizio, "Amigos parasiempre". My favorite on her CD is Gabriella's song but this evening her "hallelujah"was realy HALLELUJAH...Beyond imagination. This is a comment I've read from someone who attended. I've actually heard the audio of the last two songs Amira sang at Classics 2018. They are both outstanding and powerful, so powerful that listening to the audio of the last part of the duet, it sounds like Amira is doing a solo with a magnificent high note finish.
Grant Trumbo: Thank you. Let me just say I have the highest confidence in you in all matters concerning Amira, and that I do value greatly your opinion. I am sure she sang magnificently. She always does. I hope somebody uploads even just one video of Amira from the concert for us to get a look at how much she has improved. By the way, is it true that she is scheduled to perform with IL DIVO in the latter part of this year?
+Rainer: Yes, 9 & 10 Nov. at same Sun Arena and 13 Nov in Cape Town. Here is another opinion: Personally, I think this is a really good opportunity and choice by Amira (and a good opportunity and choice by Il Divo, of course!). They are classical, also “mainstream crossover”, but mostly known as classical, opera-like... taking forward the genre established in the famous three-tenors concerts. The four members are from different countries, and they tour a lot, and have released about ten albums. As well as singing in large indoor arenas, they often perform outdoors in stunning historic venues like castles! And they choose their guest singers carefully 🙂 So a very good choice for ZA in 2018! I hope Amira enjoys it a lot. Although they were a ‘manufactured’ group put together by Simon Cowell, they have stayed together 15 years, and their next album will not be on the Syco/Sony label but on Decca Gold.
Luister naar laura Breton Jeruzalem daar wordt aan stem ontwikkeling gedaan fantastische uitvoering en beheersing diegene die nu Amira begeleiden kunnen hier een voorbeeld aannemen.
I,ve listen to many songs performed by Laura Bretan and she is realy ok , but i,m sorry too say , for me it sound a bit histerical. At the end Laura will sound like all the other opera singers a kind a like plastic. She totaly doesn,t have that special and unique sound Amira hase. I realy hope the people who work with Amira don,t take Laura,s singing and development as an example.
Wat een enorme aanslag op haar stembanden veel te snel ze kan bijna geen adem halen en zingen tegen een volle tenor is voor haar nog veel te zwaar laat haar rustig groeien nu wordt ze vernield ze is niet in goede handen.
Luister naar Tito schipa zijn duetten met diverse sopranen zijn stem past zichzelf aan nergens overklast hij de stem van de ander volledig samenvloeien met de sopranen.
OMG I love it when Amira does duets, she seems to put an extra effort in the song and sings like she is having the time of her life. I pray that we eventually she the video of this performance. Whoa!
Sonnyboy is a perfect compliment to Amira and vice versa
wow....I just love when she sings in her operatic voice.....a portent of positive things to come.
Thanks for the audio!!she is wonderful!!
As a TH-cam Amira admirer - and, like so many, astonished by Amira's achievements to date and her promise for the future - I'm selfish: I'm satisfied only when Amira is "at the top of her game" - where she shows her truly prodigious and precocious ability. Last time I felt this was her Flower Duet performance with Corlea Botha; since then, I felt that her "ouvre" lacked a certain direction and the TH-cam offerings weren't up to "Amira" standards. (Again, I can follow Amira only via TH-cam, while she may have been giving dazzling performances that don't make it to this venue.)
Well, with this performance with Sunnyboy Dladla, it's nice to see Amira back on track. Her last note - was as heavenly as it was (seemingly) effortless - an Amira standard. And the smartphone audio actually added a certain quaintness - like an old 45 recording of two of the great performers from bygone days. Instead - a delightful performance by two 21st century shining stars.
Amira - THE voice of the century...brilliant! Am really hoping she stays with classical/opera....there is nobody better.
I like all types of songs I've heard Amira sing. I think she has an unlimited career ahead of her.
Because she has unlimited talent inside of her.
Yes Wow. Thanks for this!
We are so fortunate that this music was written and doubly fortunate to have Amira to sing these .
Love it - thanks
I love her voice and love this piece
She is great, Amira Bravoooooo
such a magnificent voice AMIRA i am a fan and devoted listener forever !!!!!
Same - only 3 weeks to go until her live show in Pretoria - June 9th at 19h30 - Amira Fever building!
Rob Louw For those of us unable to attend, I hope you can give us a full report of what went on and your impressions of Amiras' performances. God only knows when the DVDs and CDs will come out but at least a discussion of what you heard and it's effect on you will help numb the frustration and envy.
Hi Luigi I certainly will - some sort of Amira Tour needs to be put together where fans can come to SA very inexpensively to attend her live shows - the rand exchange rate is certainly a start but accomodation also needs to be arranged - I put the idea out there and the collective can discuss and plan - who knows what can come of this worldwide fan base -
I wish me so much a complete opera with her.
Amo muito ver AMIRA cantar ela é fantástica!!!!!
Bravooooo Amira
Bravíssimo Amira!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
gsacni, what a delightful surprise and wether or not with video, Amira-sound is so atractive and above all in opera. I like very much and aggree with the post of Grant Trumbo and its following comments
joh
Trekkspillmusilk
Wow !
Super
Antoni Zyla n
I love to hear Amira singing with opera singers. It brings out her brilliant operatic voice which is so evident here.
Indeed. Opera is what she must do. I'm not a fan of the crossover songs which she did on her last CD.
gsacni. Hooray!!! Thank You and Thanks to everyone who helped make this available. I agree with you 100%. As beautiful as I find her voice in the new songs on her 3rd album it just doesn't compare to Amira singing Opera. There is a brightness in her voice when she sings opera, a different texture and level of excitement, energy, that is truly astounding in one so young.
This is the kind of duet partner Amira needs to bring out the best qualities of her astounding voice.
I can hear the critics preparing to attack her now. Is she perfect, absolutely not, but her voice is beyond compare.
She needs more work to produce a clearer, crisper diction, improved breath support especially in her low range, a little more agility in some passages. Am I criticizing Amira, absolutely not. She is already miles ahead of where she should be. The perfection of foreign vocabulary, diction, precision and increased agility will come with time. She has already shown dramatic improvement in all of those aspects, especially in 2016 and 2017 and now on into 2018. What she lacks in those areas only shows up when she sings with a true, highly trained opera singer who actually sings opera on stage in actual opera productions.
In the end that beautiful instrument, that golden throat, overwhelms all other considerations or minor lack of technique. I think a lot of the criticism comes because the quality of her voice, even at the tender age of 12 or 13, compels you to compare her to the trained adult singers decades older.
It does seems with Amira, you always end up with mouth agape, your eyes brimming and your emotions totally wrung out.
No matter how often you listen to Amira you are never prepared for what comes next.
You listen to this medley, are stunned by the finale, your mouth hanging open, your brain going What, what , what ,,,,,,,,,, it leaves me totally understanding of and sympathetic to how Gordon and the other judges on HGT felt. You think by now we would all be prepared but no, her leaps are too great.
Just about the time you recover she gobsmacks you once again with some totally new sound. Thank You Amira for being you.
Hi gsacni - yes, I concur - in her early documentaries she stated on a number of occasions that it is opera arias that she wanted to sing - I listen to her latest CD at least 3 hours per day in my car - and the opera performances are her best - by far, and most of those were live recordings of as far back as 2013 - although her Nella Fantasia is awesome and is strictly crossover
Hi Luigi - you are so spot on - we all forget Amira has only just turned 14 - has had no formal training and has been pushed around a bit in directions that, maybe, she did'nt want to go in - I had Ben Schoeman in my car recently (one of South Africa's top pianists) and he had'nt heard of Amira - played him OMBC and Nella Fantasia and Nessum Dorma - now his ear is way better than most and he was pretty blown by Amira's voice but said that her pronounciation in Italian could improve substantially - small "technical" adjustments to improve over all - but he simply referred to her as a prodigy - thanks for your "spot on" analysis
Rob Louw Thanks Rob. I hope Amira has or is able to find an excellent voice teacher in S.A. Coleske also needs to find an operatic voice specialist in Italian now. It would not only improve her Italian vocabulary and diction, but would also change and improve her entry into notes and words and probably help and improve her agility somewhat. I don't know about S.A. but in the U.S. the top music schools have professors who specialize in the operatic use of language, the rules of which are slightly different then just language. It makes a dramatic difference not just in pronunciation but how you would sing a phrase or carry and hold a note, etc. Outside of pronunciation it's not often applied to pop or major portions of crossover singing, but Bocelli and Brightman have been trained in it and you can hear the difference in the clarity and precision in their singing Italian, same for Amira's partner here, Sonnyboy.
Anyway, Amiras' finale in Funiculi Funicula in and of itself is just astounding in tone, fullness and emotion. I think Amiras' voice has taken another big step forward in richness and vibrancy in her top notes. Now it's back to working on more support in her low range, which I believe she can expand by several more notes and increase the fullness, richness and vibrancy of the sound by focusing on it more. I know how she loves those exploding high notes but working to expand and perfect her low range will bring her many benefits in her future career. A little more focus and effort on breathing and support will pay major dividends in the future. Anyway, I can't stop playing this over and over again just to get to those final notes in F and F. Even though I know what's coming It still astounds me with its fullness and beauty each and every time. Thank you Amira.
I would love to know where this effort falls in the rehearsal schedule. How many times have they rehearsed and worked on this and how many more to go until the dress rehearsal and performance.
Of all the male singers Amira has performed with after Patrizio, Sonnyboy may have a big impact on Amiras' performance level. Unless my ears deceive me there is a pretty noticeable change from the beginning of this medley duet to the end. As we know, Amira can't help but respond to a challenge and to sing to Sonnyboys level of training and precision is a real challenge, but a challenge Amira is now capable to meet. If this is just the middle of the rehearsal schedule, be prepared to be shocked by the finished product in June. Lucky, lucky concert goers.
Yes, I admit, I am envious.
Luigi Manzoni: As are many, no doubt. 😊
Timothy Johnson Hi Timothy. Dafydd just informed me that this was a rehearsal for Starlight Classics back in Feb. I thought they were rehearsing for Classics. This means we will never get to see the performance. Very disappointing news I must say.
I am sure I am not the only one envious of the crew going to Classics in June but somehow when I thought this would be performed there it seemed to make it worse. Anyhow don't mind me I've been in somewhat of a fugue lately especially with all of the disappearing You Tube performances lately, then this post came out and cheered me up. Now I'm trying not to think about how far away November is which is probably the soonest the Classics DVD will be released. If nothing new for Amira gets posted earlier I'm not sure I will make it until then.
What did you think of this performance. I think the final note of Funiculi, Funicula loosened all of my teeth. I made the mistake of leaving my mouth open like the HGT judges did. Now I know how they felt
I was also very impressed with Sonnyboy. He is the best of all the tenors to date. He has an amazingly beautiful and well trained lyric tenor voice, powerful but very agile. What a great treat to put him together with Amira. Great experience for Amira to sing with a highly technically trained operatic voice like his. It really makes it easy to evaluate where Amira stands at 14 given her training and experience. Let me know what you think.
Yes, I do like the way they sound together a great deal, although I do wish I could SEE them singing, as well as HEAR them, as here. Strangely (or perhaps not so much) I feel I would enjoy actually seeing the interaction between them as they worked their way through the performance, etc. As
Dafydd Llewellyn
noted above, apparently Sonnyboy returned to Berlin with "a very high opinion of Amira indeed," which says a lot about the interaction between them, from both sides, and, as you point out, also says a great deal about her general current standing in the larger world of professional singing, in the operatic genre. :-)
@Timothy Johnson.... The guy who gave me this audio clip was present on the day of the rehearsal, and he says that the official TV crew recorded the whole rehearsal.
To get it out of them will of course be another story. Maybe Amira's management can succeed, if they try.
Timothy Johnson I don't know if it just my ears, but I swear Amiras' voice displays a whole different quality and additional tone in this performance, very complex and very mature. Another breakthrough? I definitely think so. I agree we need to SEE this performance. Oh, I am very impressed with Sonnyboy, superb tenor. What a great future he has also. What a wonderful pairing.
gsacni
Could you add the name of the song to the tittle. I love to watch how fast a new recording by Amira rises compared to other performances.
Actually two songs here: "La Donna e Mobile" and "Finiculi, Finicula".
I did not know that just goes to show how important the tittle is .
@@joeburch3849 the change happens about 1 : 48
gsacni: I'm not necessarily very good at precisely establishing top-of-range pitch just from hearing the notes, but isn't this last note that Amira sings here something in the neighborhood of Bb6? She makes it sound so easy, but I think this is actually about four notes away from the highest note I have heard described in her (current) range, and this final note, which is absolutely beautiful and seemingly effortless, seems to almost exactly match the SECOND to the last note in the video "Amira Willighagen - (Sounds like an Eb6)," posted by Terry Brown on August 15th, 2017, nearly a year ago, now (from the "Barcelona" performance), where he compares her Eb6 to those sung by quite a number of other famous and well established current singers. Anyway, in that other video, she rises from what is I believe substantially this same note, up another fourth (again, I believe) to hit the Eb6 there, and I remember reading discussion in one of these videos of her also hitting F6, but I cannot remember where, at the moment. As
Dafydd Llewellyn remarked at the other video 9 months ago, "Observe (I was going to say, "note") that she maintains her vibrato in that top note. As I understand it, that means she is NOT singing in falsetto mode, but still in her main voice. Quite an instrument she has!" th-cam.com/video/WpDqqdlF6Dk/w-d-xo.html
Right! No falsetto. Fantastic! What a range she has. And scared of nothing!
I think I qualify as one of her most ardent fans. The voice is magnificent as usual. However, please correct me if i am wrong, is the tempo not a tiny wee bit fast (hurried) in some parts, specially in the first half?
Thank you for uploading this, Gsacni.
Rainier Esguerra: I am inclined to agree - perhaps a bit faster paced than usual -- still wonderful to hear a bit from the production, and wish I could be there...... :-) :-)
Timothy, since this was supposed to be a rehearsal, it might be that they were still trying different things. We will find out in a few weeks time. ☺
Amira said once the flower duet was rehearsed in a faster tempo too and during the live concert it was reduced which was a big challenge for both ladies :) The result was still a perfect duet.
Larry van D: This is already beautiful by my standards. I am sure the final version will be more than amazing. Amira never fails to exceed the best expectations of her fans.
Rainier Esguerra. It is a very beautiful medley. And Amira does a terrific job.
Actually Rainer, the tempo is right on. This relates to my earlier comment about agility, breath, and support.
It is a very light and lovely number and notice that Sunnyboy is very crisp and agile in his singing while Amira, while singing beautifully in pitch, tonal quality and sound production leaves you with a bit of an impression that she is being pushed by the tempo and is on the verge of maybe stumbling a bit to keep up. She doesn't stumble, but she is being pushed. That is the agility that comes with training and practice and is one of the things Amira needs to perfect. Not a criticism of Amira she is light years ahead of where she should be at this age.Interestingly enough the second piece Amira is performing with more agility and seems to be singing a bit more relaxed and effortlessly, she has already adjusted somewhat.
The only flaw in this number, and I am not using it as a criticism of Amira just to point out something she needs to focus on, is when, in response, Amira enters and sings a phrase at the very bottom of her range and it comes out weakly and a bit shakey. Again at her age, not a significant occurrence. It's very difficult to do and I am sure Amira will focus on it and do a much better job next time just like she did in Nessun Dorma CIG2017 When she also extended her range and hit a new rich, low note.
You listen to these songs and they sound lively, light and a bit simple, but as noted, they are much more difficult to do them justice and sing them correctly and well then most of us would perceive.The songs require a level of precision and crispness of diction and the tempo requires a high level of agility.
What amazes me, is with all of that, Amira still produces the most astonishingly beautiful sound. She keeps astonishing everyone with her rapid progress and ever improving ability. I was totally blown away by the beauty of that final sustained note. The fullness and richness of that sound reflects Amiras' voice still changing and expanding in richness and vibrancy.
Gsacni, I think you should take another picture. Maybe Amira with Sonnyboy or anything else.
I could not find a suitable one, Emanuel.
But then again, this post is not about the pic, but about the sound.
Surely u can agree on that..?
+gsacni: It looks like Amira in Rehearsal (2) 2018 (Audio only) is missing in action. The smart phone audio recording quality of it seems less than optimum.
No Grant, I deleted it. Luigi also asked me.
Scroll down and see what I answered him.
Grant, any news about yesterday's concert?
For what my opinion is worth to you. Amira sang Gabriella's song and Hallelujah solo. Plus a duet with Patrizio, "Amigos parasiempre". My favorite on her CD is Gabriella's song but this evening her "hallelujah"was realy HALLELUJAH...Beyond imagination. This is a comment I've read from someone who attended. I've actually heard the audio of the last two songs Amira sang at Classics 2018. They are both outstanding and powerful, so powerful that listening to the audio of the last part of the duet, it sounds like Amira is doing a solo with a magnificent high note finish.
Grant Trumbo: Thank you. Let me just say I have the highest confidence in you in all matters concerning Amira, and that I do value greatly your opinion. I am sure she sang magnificently. She always does. I hope somebody uploads even just one video of Amira from the concert for us to get a look at how much she has improved.
By the way, is it true that she is scheduled to perform with IL DIVO in the latter part of this year?
+Rainer: Yes, 9 & 10 Nov. at same Sun Arena and 13 Nov in Cape Town. Here is another opinion: Personally, I think this is a really good opportunity and choice by Amira (and a good opportunity and choice by Il Divo, of course!). They are classical, also “mainstream crossover”, but mostly known as classical, opera-like... taking forward the genre established in the famous three-tenors concerts. The four members are from different countries, and they tour a lot, and have released about ten albums. As well as singing in large indoor arenas, they often perform outdoors in stunning historic venues like castles! And they choose their guest singers carefully 🙂 So a very good choice for ZA in 2018! I hope Amira enjoys it a lot.
Although they were a ‘manufactured’ group put together by Simon Cowell, they have stayed together 15 years, and their next album will not be on the Syco/Sony label but on Decca Gold.
Luister naar laura Breton Jeruzalem daar wordt aan stem ontwikkeling gedaan fantastische uitvoering en beheersing diegene die nu Amira begeleiden kunnen hier een voorbeeld aannemen.
I,ve listen to many songs performed by Laura Bretan and she is realy ok , but i,m sorry too say , for me it sound a bit histerical. At the end Laura will sound like all the other opera singers a kind a like plastic. She totaly doesn,t have that special and unique sound Amira hase. I realy hope the people who work with Amira don,t take Laura,s singing and development as an example.
Wat een enorme aanslag op haar stembanden veel te snel ze kan bijna geen adem halen en zingen tegen een volle tenor is voor haar nog veel te zwaar laat haar rustig groeien nu wordt ze vernield ze is niet in goede handen.
Luister naar Tito schipa zijn duetten met diverse sopranen zijn stem past zichzelf aan nergens overklast hij de stem van de ander volledig samenvloeien met de sopranen.