Classical singers judged by actions, not voice

[A Lark Ascending]

You won't be surprised that this made me smile.

Heard on the radio a while back:

Classical singers' stage presence may be more important than the quality of their voice, according to a study which found that audiences judge their performance more on what they see than what they hear.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10252469/Classical-singers-judged-by-actions-not-voice.html

Apologies for using the Daily Telegraph - couldn't find another online source though I'm sure they'll follow.

[David Ayers]

I suppose that air-guitarists were the first to grasp this reality.

[A Lark Ascending]

http://www.airguitarworldchampionships.com/

[king ubu]

You won't be surprised that this made me smile.

Heard on the radio a while back:

Classical singers' stage presence may be more important than the quality of their voice, according to a study which found that audiences judge their performance more on what they see than what they hear.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10252469/Classical-singers-judged-by-actions-not-voice.html

Apologies for using the Daily Telegraph - couldn't find another online source though I'm sure they'll follow.

I'd see this as a relatively recent thing ... not sure how it may differ in the UK (or France), but on german stages, people (and directors) have grown tired of Regietheater and are tending towards other forms - like adding moved images and stuff, while the actors often just stay put. Kind of the opposite compared to opera stages, where those old warriors seem to find new inspiration - and hence impose all their stuff onto the poor singers (who for such a long time were used to sing while staying put) ... obviously this asks for a different type of singer/actor than in earlier times.

But frankly, in those years I still regularly attended opera (I had a very cheap subscription thing while in high school, for several seasons - it's been a while ... mid/late 90s), I often shook my head in disbelief when you had this five by five lady in the role of the young, charming girl (and she would just stay put, all three hours long, too). I guess as so often, truth shall be found somewhere on middle grounds ...