WARNING: polemic topic! I am not afraid to talk...
"Oh, that young countertenor is so promising - one of the best of his generations, for sure".
Don't be fooled, dear baroque opera fan. That young countertenor you now feel attracted to (oh, yet another one? You change one per year, like some clothes? Sure one needs fresh meat from time to time ;-);) --- MIGHT BE one of HUNDREDS studying hard in every country - and there are some excellent, really amazing young countertenors (I have seen some, even been teaching some) who stay home, or are not able to get invitations to auditions or castings, or simply... are not hot and lucky enough to get into a very strong AGENCY at such young age. Connections!
So, what you see is a young countertenor who looks good and has fallen into the sympathy of a big agent and is now very lucky to get title roles in big houses - what others have never been able to do because they do not have THAT AGENT. Do you realize that you get big roles in big houses in 90% of the cases because you have a big agent, or because the conductor INSISTS that he wants YOU? Do people know this? The others sing in smaller houses, or summer countryside open air thingies, or do little concerts at home.
When will people understand that they are seeing the tip of the iceberg of a very tricky business, and not artistic reality, the artistic reality that is hidden somewhere, in every city, in every country, with amazing singers who cannot come to the light? How do you know that the guy you are talking about is one of the BEST of his GENERATION (!) and not simply one who got a contract, of all countertenors available? Have you met all the countertenors of his generation? Bitte sehr...
When will people understand that they are brought to think highly of singers who are THERE in the light because they have been promoted by their agents and by theatres, and nice Youtube videos with glossy filters, and maybe some oiled six-packs (or oiled Versace suits in lack of six-packs, or oiled holes, in lack of the suit, or both), and not necessarily because they have the artistic qualities of the other 99 who remain in the shadow?
Agents and labels are clever. They give you a bunch of stickers and you share them on your Facebook - thus creating the myth of the "new young fantastic countertenor called xxxx" -- congratulations! Food for the automats :-):) Inflating bubbles :-) :) Confusing art with marketing. Story of the world :-):)
I go practice my messa di voce as I have been doing for 24 years, since I was a child dreaming to be a countertenor, before my next student is coming. I prefer the hard work.
Have a lovely day!
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