Friday, June 15, 2007

Bah Humbug

Yes, Paul Potts singing a bit of Nessun Dorma was neat to watch.



But here's Andrea Bocelli doing it:


And here's Pavarotti:


My point is that it's an amazing piece of music, and a good performance of it will send chills up your spine. Combine that with an unassuming look, and you have your TV moment. But is he a professional level talent? I wonder.

3 comments:

  1. I don't know if Paul Potts is in the same league as Pavarotti, but I think he did fantastically well for a car phone salesman with no training.

    Give him 10 years of intensive voice lessons, and he may be one of the top guys in England.

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  2. What moved me wasn't the singing, but his performance as part of the narrative captured in this little clip. I agree that this one is all about the "TV moment." Who knows what will come of it? A future career? A lifetime of unrealistic, unrealized expectation?

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  3. Caroline: I think he did well for a car phone salesman with no training too, but that's not his actual background.

    Whatever, I thought he did great, and I wish him the best. But I wonder how much of this is the power of the music, competently performed, while paired with fantastic editing. Our expectations are lowered by his bearing and the way we're told about him "he's a car phone salesman."

    JohnR: Yes, I agree with you. It was the clip and the story it told which was amazing. Reality is a let-down. Look at the editing jump at 2:27 left (Simon leaning back" to 2:23 left (Simon leaning forward while leaning on his arm). This makes me doubt the fidelity of the majority of reaction shots.

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