**Cosmos Continuum** Taro Rae Art Shop (CLOSED)

[Jean-Paul]

The new Tama Basket pose is a Red Panda! heart

[Taro Rae]

Red Pandas are WIN.

[eat my junk]

Sweet! I'm glad I kept mine. xD

[Akara Raven]

Taro Rae

I was listening to one of my oma's christmas CDs at work today, and it had Sarah brightmas in it, I thought of you, Windy. ^^

Oh, which song of hers did it have? Christmas CD....I can only think "In The Bleak Midwinter," "First of May," or "O Holy Night." Those are the only Christmas songs (I know of) that she's done, and the middle one is the only one she ever recorded and released officially.

*pokes my signature* That's the cover to her new CD coming out next month.

AAAAAND, did anyone see how much the fausto's bottle is starting to look like "my little pony?" xp

Red pandas are definitely made for the win. This bear is seriously getting cuter and cuter with each passing stage. The herme's moon is pretty...if it's a phoenix I think I'll joygasm.

I want one of those sugar bowls, too. xp

[shmallow]

T.T so alas. After being busy with finals, then on vacation, I return home only to have my laptop stolen. So it seems I am cursed to spend more time away from gaia. I will be on to check messages to check on any updates with commissions I have and the likes. but otherwise I still won't be as active as I was. To some this doesn't really matter but I am posting this in places I used to frequent or at least would like to be at more often. Happy Holidays to you all!

[Taro Rae]

It was a cd with Placido Domingo, and a Cocchianto (sp??) and some other guy with a german name.

I honestly didn't like it. I felt the four singers had really mismatched voices. Also, all she did was sing in an oporatic high soprano which i find entirely unapealing.

*hugs Shmallow*

[Akara Raven]

Ohhhh, it was the Christmas in Vienna CD thing? Songs like "Closing of the Year," right?

If it was, then it wasn't really anything special. That was probably the peak of Sarah's classical training, though....therefore the high operatic soprano voice she used. In which case, if it is what I am thinking, then that was the year Sarah really overdid the classical thing. Unfortunately, she's let her classical training go to waste, as her technique is in the "negatives" and her voice is rapidly going downhill. Mis-matched voices are the worst. neutral

It's just like on her new CD there's a duet with Paul Stanley from KISS. How weird is that? confused

I love Placido Domingo, as well. Such an amazing tenor. eek gonk heart

[Taro Rae]

I really dislike the way he sings too, actually.

*makes faces* I prefer a sweeter voice that sounds more natural...

And oddly enough, I'm entirely entranced by the sound of Castrati. I wish they weren't outlawed.

[Akara Raven]

confused

Well, I suppose everyone has different tastes. I prefer the darker, deeper and richer tone qualities of both men and women...which is why I suppose I like these heavier operatic voices. Light tone qualities drive me up a wall.

Castrati? I can understand why they were outlawed though... confused

There are "counter tenors," which are men who weren't castrated but still retained a soprano range. They creep the hell out of me, personally. Very awkward tone qualities.

Although it might sound more natural to produce a sweet tone when singing, it is physically impossible to produce said sweet sound when you are singing classically. One, it damages a voice. Two, I would like to hear anyone fill an entire opera house, singing over a 120 piece orchestra, with no microphones, sing in a light voice. 3nodding

[Taro Rae]

Castrati could shake an opera house in a sweet voice... But then, they were worked to the bone to be able to, and lost a lot along the way for the sake of their art.

As for the bone-rattling effect of operatic voices, too often it sounds completely dead to me. Once you reach that point, there are a very small number of people whose voices remain pleasing to me. Josh Groban manages it - even though he often takes the vibrato too far (a la -every- male opera singer i've -ever- heard) and Annie Lennox has an amazing operatic voice. ^^

Female opera voices -rarely- please me. But then a great deal of that relies on the music. Most classical music in the higher tones was composed for the Castrati or young boy's voice. Women rarely had parts expressly written for them, and perhaps that's why they don't sound right singing them.

[Akara Raven]

I'd like to hear Josh Groban sing in an opera...if you think his voice could reach much farther than his microphone...

I love Josh Groban and he has a great voice. But to compare him to Placido Domingo or even Pavarotti, it is ridiculous. (His vibrato can be so obnoxious it's hard to listen to...)

I agree. A lot of arias were written for men. However, Mozart did compose a lot of his music for women. The BEST operatic sopranos, IMO, are Maria Callas and Natalie Dessay. Oh, I also like Cecelia Bartoli.

Castrati could shake an opera house with a sweet voice, however I must point out that their voice in general isn't natural at all...

[Taro Rae]

I never said it was natural. I said it was hypnotic.

As for Josh Groban, his vibrato can be bad, but it isn't all the time. the actual tone of his voice is very lovely. As for operatic males like Placido Domingo - their vibrato drives me nuts, it doesn't even sound like there's emotion in their voices anymore.

Mozart composed a lot of his opera for small time "poor" theatre, so it's composition and intended actors were also rather unconventional. I really enjoy mozart, actually.

I also really enjoy Bach's compositions for female voice.

But it's easier for me to count the ones I like than point out the ones i dislike.

[Akara Raven]

You don't feel the power and emotion in Placido's voice? eek confused

Weird. Josh has a pleasant voice, but he will never be a singer to move me to tears with the emotion he puts into his music. My biggest issue with these "crossover" artists is that their music is so incredibly bland and boring. His vibrato is a show of the lack of control and training he has had over his voice.

[Akara Raven]

Bleh, my throat is killing me. I'm gonna go try to get to bed. 3nodding

[Akara Raven]

Ugh, I can't get to bed. I am so sick of these ENT issues I'm so close to just giving up on ever getting them solved.