Mittwoch, 22. Juli 2015
Yesterday evening Julia and I were listening to the radio again, "Kulturradio".
We heard a concert "live" from Hamburg, with a big band and a (classical trained) singer, who "features selections that highlight the classic music of Frank Sinatra."
It was absurd. Today, as a music lover I had to write a letter to the singer's management:
... By accident, on 21 July 2015 I've heard the Hamburg "live" concert with Mister Hampson on radio.
This singer Thomas Hampson is maybe/surely excellent in the "classical" field, ...but Sinatra? ...but Swing? ...but Jazz?
It was a disaster.
I wonder why the audience clapped hands instead of booing and throwing tomatoes. Maybe they were just happy to recognize the (well-known) evergreens?
This baritone had neither charme, coolness, nor a sense for swing; things that are NECESSARY if we speak about Sinatra and the songs he represents (and presented so wonderful). Also, Mister Hampson's singing sounded - not just once - off-key.
My wife and I, while we were listening, flabbergasted, we had the same opinion about this more than strange "Sinatra" concert: it's not serious, or? Maybe it's a joke? A silly parody? In parts we were laughing loud, when Hampson was so off-key, and off-Sinatra, and off-swing, and off-cool, and off-everything.
Someone had to tell him. Why not we, two listeners with four ears. With a love for music, many kinds of music.
Kind regards,
Klaus D. Mueller
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He is a studied "classical" singer and he CAN surely sing perfectly and wonderful and in the right tone the Schubert Lieder, or some Arias of Rossini, or similar music.
ALL these studied singer have a huge handicap when it comes to jazz or blues or rock, or gospel, or imitating a "cool pop singer". Maybe Thomas Quasthoff could handle it; he's the positive exception - but even with him you still can hear the barrier of his 'classical' voice and you long for and reach for the original singers' voices.
The voice of this American, Mister Hampson, his phrasing, his personality, it all was just WRONG at this place for this reason. What he did fits perfectly to a jolly operette evening, but not to a special Sinatra gala with a real jazz big band.
I suppose he himself was the first who noticed the mistake (if he's not completely silly or boozed), and the second who noticed, were certainly the musicians of the jazz big band who played behind him. I wonder that the audience did not notice(!). At least this was my impression while listening to the radio. I was not present in Hamburg.
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