It would seem that 90% of people watching this clip have 100% missed the point. This programme was aired on a Saturday evening and is supposed to be light entertainment. Marcella is not classically trained and had, I believe, one week to prepare to sing this to an audience of several million. I can quite understand her nerves and agree they showed in her performance. Does that really deserve so many scathing critiques though? Really? Please all feel free to upload your version of this beautiful aria. I won't hold my breath.....
Exactly, I think she did pretty well considering this is arguably one of the most difficult arias to sing for classically trained musicians, let alone musicians with no classical training and who had one week to prepare...
As a fan of classical music, (this is one of my favouite arias), I know this is probably the hardest aria for a Soprano to sing. It is the equivalent of a serious gym workout for the vocal chords and only Olympic level champions need apply!! I think she did a damn fine job, given her background and previous training!!
I love the "Queen of the Night" Aria, I've, in the past, heard good and bad. She did really well. I listened to her over and over, enjoying it each time. Wonderful!
An amazing achievement for a popstar to sing the Queen of the Night aria - just about one of the most difficult pieces of opera to sing - very brave! Ive seen this live in opera houses and it blows you away - she did incredibly well. Brilliant.
Gives me chills, I remember turning over to the show when she was doing this and I thought they had got some famous opera chick in as entertainment as they do on shows and then I found out after who she was, I didn't even recognise her!!!
You can't critique her rendition of this song as if she was a classically-trained opera singer. For a pop singer to cross over to opera, and to such a difficult aria as this, can be such a difficult challenge. As a classical singer and opera fanatic myself, I can say that this was a good rendition for a pop singer. And of course she had to have the song altered. Even the strongest of sopranos often have a difficult time adjusting to the fast tempo and range of the piece.
for the haters... go easy on her... this is one of the most difficult aria for a soprano and for someone that didnt have formal training I think she did great
I think this is brilliant. I did not know her before the competition but I do now. What a wonderful performer who can really sing and hit the highest notes. It would be great to see more of her in the opera world.
@madisonbluth I'm sure she wouldn't claim to be an opera singer but she gave it a damn good go. I'm equally sure that few opera singers could do as a good a job if they attempted to sing her kind of songs. I think she was very brave and acquitted herself very well.
@darthdude194 and the reason she is using a mic is because the building, unlike an opera house, is not designed to reflect a person's voice. Professional opera singers use mics when not in the correct type of building or when they are performing outside because their voice cannot reflect properly.
@darthdude194 it's not MEANT to be opera. This is a fun experiment to see how pop stars can sing opera songs. They're not expected to be exactly like the piece was originally written, because the contestants cannot sing them like that. It takes years of training to do that, and they have one week. Marcella did an amazing job for never having sung in this style before and only having one week to learn one of the hardest, if not the hardest, arias in all of opera.
@cbritton1876 You're right on the money as far as this being for a reality competition. The question isn't whether Marcella was ready to sing at the Met, it was could she break out of her comfort zone from pop to opera music. She was by far the best contestant on the show, about the only one who really wasn't embarrassed by her performance. No she's not Beverly Sills, but she certainly wasn't a disgrace. I thoroughly enjoyed her performance.
you probably misunderstood me. I did not mean that she was singing off-key, but that she was not singing the aria in its original key. The whole point of this aria is that you need to be able to reach high F - and many people know it - or at least they know there is some very high note in there. But most do not have absolute ear to determine the key she is singing in. She is reaching for a D and people cheer like she sang an F. Many pop-singers have high F, so if she doesn't she should do this
The show is called Popstar to Operastar not Professionally trained Opera singer to Professionally paid Opera singer. She did very being that she'd never been trained. I went through training and it is very difficult. They only had a few weeks. Now, to be fair, an opera reality show just wouldn't sell with the British public. They are trying to get an audience.
@barmanjoe I know - I mentioned it in the first comment, but I'd imagine it's still difficult for someone who is not an opera singer. She has a nice tone; obviously this isn't opera, she'll probably will not even be heard in opera. But... she sounds better than many pop singers. I wonder why they went with changing these difficult opera arias instead of some art songs. And having Jenkins as a teacher????
I thing that was pretty good, considering she'd only been doing the opera for a little while! Even the opera singers struggle with this one. I didn't think it sounded unpleasant.
Ok I think people are missing the point here it called POP STAR TO OPERA STAR. For someone that has not been trained for many years, but probaly for a short few months I think she had done quite well. I've been singing for 20 plus years. I have sung everything from George Handel to Garth Brooks. The styles are completely different and you train your voice in totally different ways. Give the woman a break.
But why didn't whoever posted this include the preamble and the judges' reactions? Could some kind UK person put the whole thing up for us in the US to see? Please?!
@TehAsploder Er, I don't think she was claiming to be a real opera star. She is a pop singer. She's done pretty well to sing like that within a few weeks.
This takes a lot of guts!! Imagine taking a top US baseballer, giving him a couple of weeks skills on the game of cricket, then putting him in to open the batting at lords!!Look at the strain on her face,and she got through it, admirably.A couple of Scotch & cokes after this performance, for sure.
AEMylia, it's a TV show to see how someone can learn to sing opera in a few weeks. It's a contest. Marcella did really well. You should heard some of the others who have gone through. They were awful!
MUSIC DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PLAYING OR SUNG IN THE ORIGINAL KEY! TRANSPOSING MUSIC WILL ALMOST ALWAYS HAPPEN, sometimes because the singer can't go low enough or high enough. This aria is difficult for even the most talented singers because of the top F# so they usually bring it down anyway even for proffesionals.
@juwidypops LMAO! I didn't hear that until you said lmao it actually sounds like that. Anyway I think she did an amazing job tackling one of the hardest arias EVER and to sing it so well!!
i dont think that ALL opera singers can go to other genres, but at least it would be far easier for them than for these people to sing opera. Opera singers at least do not need a mic, and they have a good control of their instrument and resonance. but this girl did something important i think.
i think she does well to sing this after only a few months classical training ....some people train all the lives and and would even attempt this song even if it is in F not D and a tad slower .....i say great effort i certainly couldnt do it ....i say praise rather than critic !
@jewelmarkess Thank you. I am a Broadway belt. Have been to operas, inc The Magic Flute and the Marriage of Figaro, I love opera. I am no expert on it, I agree, but it is very refreshing to hear this instead of the ugly alternative: pop 'music', which is really noise pollution.
@barmanjoe Yes, back in the 19th century every society lady could probably make an operatic sound as they all had lessons. I am not a singer, but I had some lessons - made me appreciate how difficult classical singing is - so I suppose I could make an "operatic" sound too, too bad nobody would hear me beyond the end of the stage. In all fairness, she is much better than I expected, why try it? Best wishes on your career, you are all amazing. Too bad so many people have never heard real opera.
to be honest, this really isnt bad at all, especially considering that this type of music is so new to her. i mean, of course shes no diana damrau, and they lowered the key a minor 3rd, but in all it is a good performance.
the ony thing wrong with these is all the dumb people posting here, judging her by an opera standard, instead of a pop standard its simply AMAZING that she could even get through it, and sing as well as she did of course its not Sills or Moser its a pop star show!
True!! She's a beginner with a deficient technique. But the worst thing is that these people there let her sing THIS ARIA!!!! It's the absolut TOP of opera, one of the arias that are so difficult that even singers who study opera are not allowed to sing it until the end of their studies. She is an absolute beginner, she mustn't sing opera arias yet and this is the last aria any beginner should be allowed to sing. If she goes on and sings such arias her voice will be ruined SOON...makes me crazy!
@RosieSongbird07 I agree - not the best choice of material for her voice - but i will say of the contestants on the show she actually has a voice that sounds as if opera wasn't a total strain for her. I suspect that if she had spent a lot more time in singing lessons she would actually be ok (not a star by anymeans but not horrible either).
Not only is this version a minor third lower, the tempo is extremely slow. I was cringing the whole time I watched this, so much so that I couldn't bear to watch it past 1:00.
@jemmabond Thanks for your reply. I know certainly not everyone has the range for that aria! It is a bear! I've gotten some rude replies commenting on popera singers before and I just wanted to make sure that you were sincere and not trying to be rude. I can see that you are. Thanks for your civil replies! I hope it doesn't take me that long to learn it. I'm nearing my late twenties!
@opatton182009 haha :D nice one... Just in case anyone wonders, it's "Verzweiflung" (despair). Apart from that, I agree with both nikkieup14 and lisamayavonB. Do NOT transpose it and do NOT make it slower!! But under the given circumstances, good job. Damrau has already been mentioned, but listen to Dessay as well! If you really want to understand the emotions, get a translation of the lyrics (and of the whole plot)!!!
@retardedjoe12 I am training in opera and would not attempt that aria right now as I am not yet ready for it. When I post some videos though, I will send them to you.
I can't believe some of the pretentious comments on this video. Of course she doesn't sound like an opera singer with years of training - she's a pop/rock singer with weeks of training (and is coming to it at thee age of 57)! View it in context or keep quiet.
Ah, you've got to give her credit; opera singers actually thought she could do this and they were right. I'm not sure if she speaks German but it's a damn valiant effort if she doesn't- the most impressive thing is NOT the language, however. It's the high bit!
@jamiemh76 haha it's Verzweiflung. she sings: Tod und Verzweiflung which means death and dispair... but that's nearly as awful as swineflu :) as an austrian it's really weird to hear german lyrics performed by someone who doesnt understand what he /She is singing... anyway awesome performance
It would seem that 90% of people watching this clip have 100% missed the point. This programme was aired on a Saturday evening and is supposed to be light entertainment. Marcella is not classically trained and had, I believe, one week to prepare to sing this to an audience of several million. I can quite understand her nerves and agree they showed in her performance. Does that really deserve so many scathing critiques though? Really? Please all feel free to upload your version of this beautiful aria. I won't hold my breath.....
Exactly, I think she did pretty well considering this is arguably one of the most difficult arias to sing for classically trained musicians, let alone musicians with no classical training and who had one week to prepare...
You said exactly what I was going to say! For someone with NO opera training, I think she's pretty amazing!
sweet mother of mercy she hasn't AGED A MINUTE since the 90's! Even more incredible, her voice has gotten EVEN BETTER! Viva Marcella!
As a fan of classical music, (this is one of my favouite arias), I know this is probably the hardest aria for a Soprano to sing. It is the equivalent of a serious gym workout for the vocal chords and only Olympic level champions need apply!! I think she did a damn fine job, given her background and previous training!!
I love the "Queen of the Night" Aria, I've, in the past, heard good and bad. She did really well. I listened to her over and over, enjoying it each time.
Wonderful!
An amazing achievement for a popstar to sing the Queen of the Night aria - just about one of the most difficult pieces of opera to sing - very brave! Ive seen this live in opera houses and it blows you away - she did incredibly well. Brilliant.
Marcella has a great voice, one of the great voices of pop music, I am not surprised she could pull this off.
Gives me chills, I remember turning over to the show when she was doing this and I thought they had got some famous opera chick in as entertainment as they do on shows and then I found out after who she was, I didn't even recognise her!!!
You can't critique her rendition of this song as if she was a classically-trained opera singer. For a pop singer to cross over to opera, and to such a difficult aria as this, can be such a difficult challenge. As a classical singer and opera fanatic myself, I can say that this was a good rendition for a pop singer.
And of course she had to have the song altered. Even the strongest of sopranos often have a difficult time adjusting to the fast tempo and range of the piece.
Guys don't be mean its a reality tv show. She's not gonna actually perform at the mett tomorrow. chill.
for the haters... go easy on her... this is one of the most difficult aria for a soprano and for someone that didnt have formal training I think she did great
she sung so well that night and she looked amazing too!!
I think this is brilliant. I did not know her before the competition but I do now. What a wonderful performer who can really sing and hit the highest notes. It would be great to see more of her in the opera world.
Amazing! Simply amazing.
Absolutely exquisite! Fabulous! A triumph!!!
@madisonbluth I'm sure she wouldn't claim to be an opera singer but she gave it a damn good go. I'm equally sure that few opera singers could do as a good a job if they attempted to sing her kind of songs. I think she was very brave and acquitted herself very well.
Fantastic, fabulous and absolutely amazing... :0)x
I love this
Absolutely lovely, she has to win!
Great performance from such a wonderful talent 8)
amazing!
wow!
she's not an opera singer - she did it beautifully!!!
go marcy!
;-)
Marcella's amazing! She can really sing.
She was amazing!!!
I want to see Danny and her in the finale ^^
0:04- 0:10
"coughing my medicine...toot.... with the SWINE FLU!" that's deep, bro
@darthdude194 and the reason she is using a mic is because the building, unlike an opera house, is not designed to reflect a person's voice. Professional opera singers use mics when not in the correct type of building or when they are performing outside because their voice cannot reflect properly.
If you want to listen to a very good interpretation of the queen of the night look for Diana Damrau.
@darthdude194 it's not MEANT to be opera. This is a fun experiment to see how pop stars can sing opera songs. They're not expected to be exactly like the piece was originally written, because the contestants cannot sing them like that. It takes years of training to do that, and they have one week. Marcella did an amazing job for never having sung in this style before and only having one week to learn one of the hardest, if not the hardest, arias in all of opera.
This is a VERY diffiicult aria to sing! Well done!
@cbritton1876 You're right on the money as far as this being for a reality competition. The question isn't whether Marcella was ready to sing at the Met, it was could she break out of her comfort zone from pop to opera music. She was by far the best contestant on the show, about the only one who really wasn't embarrassed by her performance. No she's not Beverly Sills, but she certainly wasn't a disgrace. I thoroughly enjoyed her performance.
woooww O__O fabulous!
you probably misunderstood me. I did not mean that she was singing off-key, but that she was not singing the aria in its original key.
The whole point of this aria is that you need to be able to reach high F - and many people know it - or at least they know there is some very high note in there. But most do not have absolute ear to determine the key she is singing in. She is reaching for a D and people cheer like she sang an F. Many pop-singers have high F, so if she doesn't she should do this
beautiful voice
Well done Marcella!!
There is a six year girl that sings Der Holle Rache ( The Queen of the Night) go and check it out.
Goooooooooooood
@barmanjoe Yes, she is much better than I expected, considering that she's not had any training and that it's a difficult aria.
The show is called Popstar to Operastar not Professionally trained Opera singer to Professionally paid Opera singer. She did very being that she'd never been trained. I went through training and it is very difficult. They only had a few weeks. Now, to be fair, an opera reality show just wouldn't sell with the British public. They are trying to get an audience.
O.o oh my god
Listen to Rita Streich do full justice to this aria on UA-cam and turn up the volume! Or Natalie Dessay for a contemporary version.
@barmanjoe I know - I mentioned it in the first comment, but I'd imagine it's still difficult for someone who is not an opera singer. She has a nice tone; obviously this isn't opera, she'll probably will not even be heard in opera. But... she sounds better than many pop singers. I wonder why they went with changing these difficult opera arias instead of some art songs. And having Jenkins as a teacher????
Absolute outstanding. She was robbed. The best by far
I bet freddie mercury would of loved this
@mykymoo You are right - originally the key is F...but very few people can sing it that high...I'm a soprano, and I'd kill to sound that high!
I thing that was pretty good, considering she'd only been doing the opera for a little while! Even the opera singers struggle with this one. I didn't think it sounded unpleasant.
Im sorry to the criticism, but WOW!!!!!!! she has a stunning voice!!!!!!!!!
Ok I think people are missing the point here it called POP STAR TO OPERA STAR. For someone that has not been trained for many years, but probaly for a short few months I think she had done quite well. I've been singing for 20 plus years. I have sung everything from George Handel to Garth Brooks. The styles are completely different and you train your voice in totally different ways. Give the woman a break.
But why didn't whoever posted this include the preamble and the judges' reactions? Could some kind UK person put the whole thing up for us in the US to see? Please?!
@BleedTheWineUnholy she didn't pick the piece, the judges picked it for her.
@TehAsploder Er, I don't think she was claiming to be a real opera star. She is a pop singer. She's done pretty well to sing like that within a few weeks.
This takes a lot of guts!! Imagine taking a top US baseballer, giving him a couple of weeks skills on the game of cricket, then putting him in to open the batting at lords!!Look at the strain on her face,and she got through it, admirably.A couple of Scotch & cokes after this performance, for sure.
@MCR1235 I heard swineflu 2x as well lol
AEMylia, it's a TV show to see how someone can learn to sing opera in a few weeks. It's a contest. Marcella did really well. You should heard some of the others who have gone through. They were awful!
MUSIC DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PLAYING OR SUNG IN THE ORIGINAL KEY! TRANSPOSING MUSIC WILL ALMOST ALWAYS HAPPEN, sometimes because the singer can't go low enough or high enough. This aria is difficult for even the most talented singers because of the top F# so they usually bring it down anyway even for proffesionals.
@HarrietVane I agree.
@juwidypops LMAO! I didn't hear that until you said lmao it actually sounds like that. Anyway I think she did an amazing job tackling one of the hardest arias EVER and to sing it so well!!
@egyptspinx lmfao! that made my day.
Marcella to win! amazinggggg
i dont think that ALL opera singers can go to other genres, but at least it would be far easier for them than for these people to sing opera. Opera singers at least do not need a mic, and they have a good control of their instrument and resonance. but this girl did something important i think.
@Nomoreidsleft
She CAN sing.
Opera is the TOP of the 'food chain' in singing
i think she does well to sing this after only a few months classical training ....some people train all the lives and and would even attempt this song even if it is in F not D and a tad slower .....i say great effort i certainly couldnt do it ....i say praise rather than critic !
agreed
her voice was a screech at 0:56. Its not singing its screaming. I tried that same technique at my high school choir and the audience booed me.
@jewelmarkess
Thank you.
I am a Broadway belt. Have been to operas, inc The Magic Flute and the Marriage of Figaro, I love opera.
I am no expert on it, I agree, but it is very refreshing to hear this instead of the ugly alternative: pop 'music', which is really noise pollution.
wait, she's the one from shakespears sister right? omg she's great for being able to pull tha peice off!
@arpeggio1358 Ah, good point, good sir, good point.
This is really good considering classical music is new to her.
at the when mylene comes to her, mylene looks as if she has been dragged through hedge backwards..
My name is Marcella!
haha it really does!!!!
@barmanjoe Yes, back in the 19th century every society lady could probably make an operatic sound as they all had lessons. I am not a singer, but I had some lessons - made me appreciate how difficult classical singing is - so I suppose I could make an "operatic" sound too, too bad nobody would hear me beyond the end of the stage. In all fairness, she is much better than I expected, why try it? Best wishes on your career, you are all amazing. Too bad so many people have never heard real opera.
Marcella, I thought you were great. How many can come from a rock background and sing like that? You have a great voice. Please come to England soon!
Is it a bit lower??? But I do like the whole bodied voice.
to be honest, this really isnt bad at all, especially considering that this type of music is so new to her. i mean, of course shes no diana damrau, and they lowered the key a minor 3rd, but in all it is a good performance.
@silavantalyn Dessay is definitely lovely! :) also i really like Lucia Popp!
No, I was replying to MegaAnointedone.
the ony thing wrong with these is all the dumb people posting here, judging her by an opera standard, instead of a pop standard
its simply AMAZING that she could even get through it, and sing as well as she did
of course its not Sills or Moser
its a pop star show!
@xblackdaysbegin ok, thanks! :D
True!! She's a beginner with a deficient technique. But the worst thing is that these people there let her sing THIS ARIA!!!! It's the absolut TOP of opera, one of the arias that are so difficult that even singers who study opera are not allowed to sing it until the end of their studies. She is an absolute beginner, she mustn't sing opera arias yet and this is the last aria any beginner should be allowed to sing. If she goes on and sings such arias her voice will be ruined SOON...makes me crazy!
@idaspe jajajaja siii xD que sobreagudo :B
she didn't made the last part... the harder one...
@RosieSongbird07 I agree - not the best choice of material for her voice - but i will say of the contestants on the show she actually has a voice that sounds as if opera wasn't a total strain for her. I suspect that if she had spent a lot more time in singing lessons she would actually be ok (not a star by anymeans but not horrible either).
Not only is this version a minor third lower, the tempo is extremely slow. I was cringing the whole time I watched this, so much so that I couldn't bear to watch it past 1:00.
not bad at all- similar to D. Damrau- she is a dramatic coloratura soprano- she has a dark, full, big tone
@jemmabond Thanks for your reply. I know certainly not everyone has the range for that aria! It is a bear! I've gotten some rude replies commenting on popera singers before and I just wanted to make sure that you were sincere and not trying to be rude. I can see that you are. Thanks for your civil replies! I hope it doesn't take me that long to learn it. I'm nearing my late twenties!
With the swine flu, i got 4 injections this week and i got the tammy flu.
@opatton182009 haha :D nice one... Just in case anyone wonders, it's "Verzweiflung" (despair).
Apart from that, I agree with both nikkieup14 and lisamayavonB. Do NOT transpose it and do NOT make it slower!! But under the given circumstances, good job. Damrau has already been mentioned, but listen to Dessay as well! If you really want to understand the emotions, get a translation of the lyrics (and of the whole plot)!!!
@RareMusicalGems is that meant for me?!!
LOL what key is this in!? It's SOOOO LOW!
@retardedjoe12 I am training in opera and would not attempt that aria right now as I am not yet ready for it. When I post some videos though, I will send them to you.
I can't believe some of the pretentious comments on this video. Of course she doesn't sound like an opera singer with years of training - she's a pop/rock singer with weeks of training (and is coming to it at thee age of 57)! View it in context or keep quiet.
her doing it like perfection would be like an opera singer to opera singer ppl not popstar to opera star lol
What's the point of trying to do something for which you are totally unqualified? Would she dare to fly an airplane without the proper training?
0:11
0:10 what about the swine flu?
@juwidypops That's why I thought she said as well!! Hahaha :L
Ah, you've got to give her credit; opera singers actually thought she could do this and they were right. I'm not sure if she speaks German but it's a damn valiant effort if she doesn't- the most impressive thing is NOT the language, however. It's the high bit!
oh...
ho she´s amazing . :O but i want that danny win :(
@jamiemh76
haha it's Verzweiflung. she sings: Tod und Verzweiflung which means death and dispair... but that's nearly as awful as swineflu :)
as an austrian it's really weird to hear german lyrics performed by someone who doesnt understand what he /She is singing...
anyway awesome performance
I'd like to hear you sing swahili that good.....