#10: "Che gelida manina" (Stephen Costello, soloist) - Marcello Giordani Foundation 12/08/2010

[@ombresetlumieres3137]

Stephen Costello; une superbe voix, et une technique de chant remarquables...BRAVO!

[@hamishblakely1375]

I admire singers who can focus and commit themselves when the audience is in your face. The singer has no distance and cannot comfort himself with any illusions. They can basically see down your throat and it takes great talent and self belief to do this. It is a very impressive and note perfect rendition of a very challenging aria. He must have been proud and deeply relieved to have carried this off with such finesse.

[@ליאורהספיאל]

Beautiful voice, thank you 🙏

[@ohmy5650]

What a voice & an interpreter! My!

[@chk1230]

To my ears, he sounds very good here. There is more to listen to in a singer than just technique, he is very expressive here and sings from the heart

[@callasladivina]

This is the music for my ears! What a talent!

[@KassandraMezzo]

Great! On the top of the world tenors. Bravo!

[@MrBillybooks]

A superb tenor, expressive, powerful. Singing at the Met these days no less!

[@bertagloriabustamante6714]

Ya se escucha al gran tenor q sera en un futuro.bellisima voz.buen fraseo y tecnica. Me encanta💫❤

[@chk1230]

He is extremely relaxed and at ease; not usual for a tenor. He sings amazingly; id like to see those dissing him sing like this.

[@ogerosa]

ha una voce veramente potente. Complimenti

[@mig82]

Still amazing!!! :-) Everybody should see his old videos and may agree with me he is still awesome!

[@elldarrio2451]

The best!!!

[@gabriellevampyre]

bravo that's a beautiful high c

[@germanquintero10121946]

PURA MARAVILLA DE VOZ

[@Baskerville22]

I read the criticisms of his "technique" below......but I like what I HEAR.

[@cesarvelez888]

Well, generally speaking his sound is not bad. He has a nice ring to his voice and controls his voice very well; however, he has trouble maintaining the integrity of the notes. He does a lot of scooping -which is not written in the score- and he has trouble maintaining the purity of the vowels, even in comfortable notes. This overall makes this sound not the most appealing to hear from a tenor. Combine that with his added heaviness and back position of his sound and you have something even less appealing. What I can say is that he is much better today! I heard him live not too long ago and his sound was a million times better than the recording!! I know it's long but I hope that this answer gives you a little more insight

[@MrBillybooks]

@@cesarvelez888 Let me guess -- he's a professional opera singer and you're just a wannabee, right?

[@idialegray]

Beautiful! Looking forward to his R & J in Philly this Friday.

[@anaisabelvisier8584]

ES FABULOSO!!!!

[@lourdesdejesus4832]

Este es un gran tenor, muy buena y bella voz, y sabe cantar. Tiene tecnica. Me gusta mucho y espero verlo en los grandes escenarios cantando las grandes operas.

[@MrTelescope1]

Excellent .

[@luismanuel-tena]

Bravooooooooo

[@johntmarohn1]

I have always been taught to drop the jaw in going to the higher range. It consistently works. I love Costello's Italianate sound, particularly the "a" vowel, which, IMO, he has mastered. And there is a tender clarity to his voice that reminds me of Björling (a younger Björling, to be sure). I have heard Stephen's other utube selections; this early one shows him to clip the ending of his sounds, perhaps out of nervousness--I am not sure. But the timbre of his voice is exquisite, IMO

[@ebie58]

I think he's wonderful.

[@giuseppepucci9258]

Bravissimo Tenore ....È incredibile cantare l'opera in una chiesa ..... I luoghi di culto non sono un teatro ....

[@FFCKH]

don't know much about technique and all, but I loved it.. congrats

[@premiereopera1]

Gorgeous!!

[@francoisduchamp570]

belle voix! tres bien!

[@peterbierwirth8016]

Well, he has the physique of a Rugby player. Hower, that does not mean that he should 'tackle' the high notes in the same way Rugby players make a touchdown. Especially for Bellini (i.e. "a te, o cara" - also availabe on KZbin) as well as for this aria from Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème' it requires a more sensitive rather than a 'virile' approach to the score. But tht is just a minor criticism. Anyone who dares to present his vocal prowress to an audience deserves respect, especially from those who cannot fathom the trials and tribulations of singing themselves.

[@Salivanera]

Mi sono innamorato.

[@cafeitalia1]

There are a lot of things to be concerned about with this performance. On the whole, this is a very fine instrument. Here are my concerns: Every open vowel he sings (A and E) is wide open and there is no space to be gained when moving past the passaggio into the acuti. "Chi son" on the b flat was terribly stretched and to me, it was costing him. In other words, it wasn't truly a free sound on the top. Second: Opening the mouth that wide to sing will only bring tension into the voice. If not immediate, it will happen later. That over-extension of the mouth will transfer to the jaw, then possibly into the tongue and eventually effect the larynx. Watch Pavarotti sing this same Aria, paying attention to his face. There is hardly any tension whatsoever and no over-extension of the jaw in any of his singing. Third: He is letting his chin rise which stretches the larynx into the "swallow" position. Again, at this point it doesn't seem to bother him, but this "craning" of the neck could effect his singing later on in his career. Next: He is doing a lot of excessive "scooping" to the notes (and not just the high notes). Although this can sound exciting to some people, it is a bad habit and can bring up weight into the upper registers of the voice, again eventually causing problems in the long run. The approach to the high "C" was frightening for me... that note could have had much more freedom in my estimation without the scoop. Finally, the fact that he had to use falsetto to sing the last note of "vi piaccia dir" was a sign of over-extending the voice throughout the aria and not being able to relax the throat to get the right register mix... a sign of too much tension. I know this might sound complicated to a lot of people, but these things are crucial for a long-lasting career. I do truly wish Mr. Costello all the best of luck for the future.

[@cafeitalia1]

jeffandersen1965 Jeff, let me make something clear. I have had a major international career, singing major roles in just about every opera theater in the world. I have also recorded on many labels probably about five times as much as Mr. Castello. It' pains me greatly to hear such wonderful talent being misused. After a 30 year career I have decided to speak up, albeit anonymously. As I said, I hope Mr. Costello will try to correct these problems before it could possibly shorten his career. Again, I wish him all the luck.

[@pump066]

Of course the technique isn't flawless, yet this singer is remarkably talented, producing some wonderfully italianate singing. IMO mr Pavarotti sounded this great only in the 60's, with or without his 'easy looking' production of sound!

[@cafeitalia1]

Ease of production is important, but pleasing to the ear... well...non gustibus disputandum est.

[@cafeitalia1]

wattever333 Ah.. a latin Nazi! The verb can go in the middle as well, but your name says it all. Wattever...

[@samuelkarlberg7773]

You seem sincere and honest about mr Costello´s performance. There is a major difference in critic to put down and critic to explain dangerous singing habits. The major problem is that Stephen has a beautyful instrument and enough natural and trained talent to pull this of. Giuseppe di Stefano had a similar voice and sang fantastic at an extremely early age but that only lasted for ten years then his vocal decline began. Your points about the extreme opening of the jaw makes perfect sence to me. If di Stefano would have taken a brake and worked with someone about 1955 chances are big that he would have sanged with quality up until the 1980th instead he let his voice become dull and without it´s natural shine before he became 40 years old. Hopefully this want happen to Mr Costello.

[@MrOlogramma]

Che bellezza, Puccini ti avrebbe adorato

[@AlanMagnoHernandez]

BELLO BELLISSIMO!!

[@GERMANYFrankie]

I like it!

[@Ilgiz-usen]

🔥

[@pepeelsordo]

Bravo!... for a B theater. Any technique is good if it works. Te problem always is "until when?". Bonisolli sand LIKE this for a very long time.

[@canariasesmusica]

AVA is a factory of excellent singers: Marcello Giordani, Joyce DiDonato, Eglise Gutiérrez, Burak Bilgili, Indra Thomas, Othalie Graham, Michael Fabiano to name just a few! And of course, in this list you have to include Stephen Costello who has an amazing young voice that he has to take care of, and his wife Ailyn Pérez. Please, do not comment if you don't know what are you talking about!

[@ippolitos22]

bravo

[@Honken]

@viv3147 For lyrical tenors yes, heavier categories like spintos cover F. Dramatic and heroic might even begin at E, though this is rare.

[@minhanhpham4395]

Tuyệt vời

[@marevangel88]

I think he has great technique. He has such a big voice that it sounds like he is carrying up chest voice, but he is actually very much in a "mixed" voice where the vocal cords "straighten" instead of "bow" out. Beautiful timbre.

[@eurydike]

@dtkane who is Fabiola? I have never heard of him. No offense meant:) this tenor is good and very good looking.is Fabiola at least as good as this one:-)? i think Costello is going to sing in Anna Bolena at the MET next season.

[@flicfan416]

Corelli was criticized on the regular for his style of singing, and many critics to this day call him an amateur. I personally am a fan, but he was quite controversial

[@travesura100]

I agree fully. This is a really talented young tenor. Of course needs polishing, but we all have to admit that these generation lacks the quality of the golden era singing teachers,, therefore we also have to admit this young Costello has the instrument to become one of the great tenors of his time

[@liedersanger1]

Angelo Juan Porcella Morales Not if he keeps scooping his high notes.

[@timothyvandewater1295]

I'm not an expert, in that I don't really have a clear understanding of the difference between belting and whatever else is supposed to be achieved (perhaps a more controlled belting?), but what is your opinion of comparing his "belting" technique to that of Franco Corelli?

[@viv3147]

@aroncooker too open? you begin to cover at F# unless making a different color for the music

[@Buzaglod]

damn what a high c

[@albertofabio9583]

Luego del mejor cantante de opera que existió en esta tierra(L Pavarot) me quedo como si fuera esta la 2da version, todas las versiones son buenas pero esta es increible.

[@matthewjordantenor]

Beautiful tone but the scooping into the notes bothers me a little

[@Sabininho]

Gives me the impression that later on the voice could be much more darker

[@Tadpoletofrogs]

@viv3147 i thought c# to F# is an important passage,starting to cover at f# doesnt make sense?f# to G is an important move as well but you have to have start some modification from c# upwards.

[@AHalfBaritone]

Hobo. Your comments interest me. Firstly, I'm not a tenor, but it seems to me that you are close to what I think is a more artful way to transition the voice as the scale is ascended. I think at about c/c#, in other words a bit earlier than F (fifth line) there is a very light rounding of, say, the Ah vowel (as in father.) Then in this region of D to F there is a further, slightly more modified Ah vowel. All this assists the mechanisms healthy adjustments. Ideally the gradations are slight and continuous all the way to the top of the individuals tenor voice. Secondly, re this business of "covering". Firstly, the term "covering" I think is problematic. I was never really sure what this meant in my early days as a student/amateur singer, my teacher couldn't explain. He would just say cover! Cover! Then when I couldn't do it he would demonstrate. That was also no use as I ended up trying to imitate him-he had a massive Verdi baritone and I was an 18 year old with a very young, thin baritone. It makes much more sense to me that there is a slight rounding/darkening or modifying of the particular vowel sound. Hobo. You might be the person who used to communicate with Bob Burgess in Chicago. I really miss Bob. best wishes.

[@aaronmichaelcooker]

@juanmarrero2005 No that is quite wrong. All of the greats from the past (Bjorling, Pavarotti, Caruso, etc.) Used the 'covering' tool. Its the only answer to a healthy and efficient technique and a lasting one. And I'm pretty sure if you ask anyone if they had trouble hearing Pav in the top seats they would say no.

[@MsFlorian30]

très beau ténor

[@MrChristianArguello]

Beautiful sound, but why all the scooping?

[@JustinJMooreMusic]

There are many "scoops" in this song which are so common among tenors that they may as well be written into the sheet music, but he is taking it one step too far, absolutely.

[@liedersanger1]

And a giant one before the high C....

[@pieritlyon]

GiodaniFoundation muchas gracias.MAGNIFICO, PERFECTO Y EMOCIONANTE. ¡¡¡BRAVO STEFHEN COSTELLO!!!

[@conductorespinal]

He should learn from the masters of the past...diction, nuances, right interpretation, balance...In the USA, he might be liked (I have seen ovations from LA to the Met to singers who even failed or had a bad night) but in Europe (specially Italy or France) I doubt it...Talent is not enough.

[@glenndabreo3581]

Love the high C. Plenty of hair on it!

[@js59695]

@aroncooker cooker isnt far off. I dont think he ruins voices but he def teaches an open top...which in the long run, 40's 50's will come crashing down. But maybe these singers are looking for the now and not worried about the future. Good for them. Get what u can while you can. An for sre Schumann teaches a very very open top in his tenors.

[@rogerknox9147]

I am not knowledgeable about vocal technique, but on musical grounds such frequent scooping from a full tone below the note is an error. I like his sound and energy though.

[@heberdiaz1806]

I believe it's called "glissando", and I think it's good as long as you don't use it every single time you're trying to reach a high note. Critics see it as a crutch amateur singers use to hit those high notes. In other words: cheating. The real challenge is placing the note where it should be from the start. Nevertheless, I do think I adorns the phrasing in an elegant way when used sparingly, specially once you've already demonstrated that you can place high notes with precision without glissando.

[@AHalfBaritone]

I don't think its so much "cheating" as unmusical. As you say, a note should be pinpointed from the start of it. For this skill to be demonstrated you need a rapid and precise adjustment of the vocal mechanism, especially in the upper medium to high notes. In this region of the voice, so says EHCaesari, there is both the shortening of the vocal cords themselves as well as a thinning in their depth.

[@dtkane]

Beczala, Calleja, Fabiola, and now this - we are blessed! Villazon, with all the hype, was never so good, and Kaufmann never will be either.

[@HammondDER]

This is not the old school singing but it works for him.

[@aaronmichaelcooker]

@DivaMamaNYC Also, KZbin is a public site where if you want comments, you can allow that. You should expect both positive and negative comments. If I had any videos up, I would welcome both. It's a learning experience. I was just stating the truth that AVA ruins male voices, and Costello, among others, is a perfect example of this.

[@MrBillybooks]

Another wannabee?

[@juanmarrero2005]

That happen all the time, people want all for them, and what about the singer, if he like to sing open and he can so don't care what people want, that was the issue with Del Monaco, she always like to sing forte, other singer critizice him because they can't do like him, he born with that marvelous instrument why don't use?

[@aaronmichaelcooker]

@boneocas or a falling one...

[@aaronmichaelcooker]

@DivaMamaNYC If you did know teachers at Steinhardt, especially mine, you can be certain that they would agree with me. And i know exactly who Stephen is, as well as many other AVA Grads. I do my research. I have nothing against Costello himself, im sure he is a great guy. But his technique is lacking and it wont last him very long. He sings way too open in the passagio, among many other things that Schumann seems to teach every single tenor he gets a hold of. It unfortunate.

[@jaketaz2848]

@canariasesmusica These days, opera is mostly comprised of people that don't know what they're talking about. Personally, I don't think it's fair to claim that any young singer is "excellent", let's see if they can still handle it in their forties and beyond - as history's truly excellent singers have.

[@glenndabreo3581]

I think this was great. It is a great voice. I think he uses it well. There may be a little too much "corelli" in it and that might hurt him in the long run! He is 31 yuears old. Let's see where he is ten years from now!

[@loggione1984]

Il do è molto bello, ma l'uso di prendere le note da sotto è un brutto vizio. E cmq servirebbe anche un po' di stile. Cantare bene non significa avere solo una bella e potente voce e acuti imponenti...

[@aaronmichaelcooker]

@js59695 I'm glad you agree with me, it honestly isnt hard to hear. Just takes an intelligent ear for correct singing, which seems to be lacking with most these days. And you are right, no one is thinking about the future, not even the people hiring them. They want it now and dont care if it only lasts ten years or less. Its ridiculous! Its not hard to hear this ridiculous screaming. This is not music.

[@juanmarrero2005]

aroncooker why begin cover at F? if you have the ability to sing open why not? too much covering is for recording, covering hold the voice, the sound, in opera if you cover too much people can't hear you in top seats, he did great, he is a real opera tenor, the only way to sound squillo is opening, squillo give elegance.

[@dg6da]

...this is the american way of singing italian opera. The pronounciation is awful.

[@eduardooliverosanca4138]

😔

[@peterjoypj]

Terrific voice, this young man but falsetto at end not nice and all the scooping is a habit he must abandon. He needs to establish his own style - much more control, line and legato and greater refined pianos. But top C lovely so much talent but he needs rigorous formation.

[@AHalfBaritone]

I think SC has a great instrument and many other qualities, but yes , in this version of the aria he does a lot of scooping. To become a great singer IMO he needs to do two fundamental things: pinpoint the notes-a lot less scooping- and a greater range of dynamics. He's a talent and he better in other u tube films.

[@operacritic7679]

This tenor has a beautiful voice but the technique is appalling and it has damaged his voice. I completely agree with cafeitalia 1.

[@aaronmichaelcooker]

This is GOD AWFUL. Holy cow. That AVA knows how to RUIN potential singers.... There is something seriously wrong with voice teaching today. Good lord people...

[@MrBillybooks]

You sound incredibly JEALOUS! I have heard of Costello and love his voice. I have never heard of you.

[@shahraamyazdaani2224]

A very bad and dangerous technique which damages his voice ...very high position of the larynx limited you ....it is just scream out white sound with too much mouth opening

[@ransomcoates546]

Unfortunately cafeitalia was spot on. Lovely instrument, but mercilessly pushed. Brutal AVA technique inflicted on tenors ruined him.

[@cadaverdog1424]

He scoops into every high note and also to any note that is intervalically-above the previous note: this is an annoying mannerism, giving an overall lazy singing style. And he sings much of the aria in a bland, semi-comatose manner, detached from or unaware of the text. This is the type of mediocrity be accepted and cast today by ignorant general directors and stupid audiences. He has a basic instrument but seemingly little else. Maybe a good coach and some Pepto Bismol could cure the scooping??