It seems that half of Opera Australia’s singers are off to Weight Watchers after the Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini said fat singers need not apply. “If you’re seeing a couple making out and one of them is obese, who wants to watch that?’” he says with a theatrical grimace. “It’s obscene. You just think, ‘Jeez, for Chrissakes, don’t let the children see that’,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald in July. There is no physical reason why opera singers have to be fat – look at Maria Callas, a rotund singer who lost all the weight, looked magnificent and could still fill the Royal Opera House with that distinctive voice, a mix of chainsaw and exotic bird. Mr Terracini is also within his right to tell his employees to shape up or ship out (I personally know of two OA singers who have been warned that the scales are not tipping in their favour). “You go to a movie and you see people who look exactly right for that role. They’re consummate actors and they’re completely involved in what they are doing, so their performance is totally believable,” says Terracini. Well that’s true, but the camera is right up close. Film…
September 7, 2012
Why do we humans feel this insatiable need to express ourselves? Perhaps we should take a hint from our animal companions. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
September 5, 2012
Orchestras are obsessed with appealing to a younger audience; it’s time oldies took a stand. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
August 31, 2012
Rather than whine about a lack of sponsorship, perhaps arts companies should do more to pamper their sponsors. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
August 30, 2012
In a world where mistakes are inevitable, and can even be helpful, why are we so scared of them? Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
August 30, 2012
If opera singers can thrill with their sound, does it really matter how much they weigh? Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
August 30, 2012
The constanly bickering politicians of Australia’s Parliament might consider adding a little Bach to their bite. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
August 22, 2012
The venue in which you hear a piece of music can be just as important as the notes the musicians are playing. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
August 17, 2012
Is the listener bias towards English music, as demonstrated in the results of the recent Classic 100 20th Century, a symptom of a wider problem? Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
August 16, 2012
