Greatness In Singing

When does a singer arrive at greatness? What is it that an exceptional singer is able to accomplish in his performances that sets him apart from other, perhaps other equally gifted, vocalists? Total commitment to the task at hand: the courage to throw himself - body and soul - into the chaotic, topsy turvy, sensationalized world of the music, where the rules of public acceptability and decency are tossed aside for the sake of unfettered truth and pure, emotional unveiling.

Does the singer have the "heart" and technical resources - that is, the seductive power - to live-up to this elevated requirement? When it comes to the issue of great singing, this is the only question that deserves our serious attention, for this is what we want - in fact, demand - from our singers! And this is the gamble that the genuine singer must take time and time again. The authentic singer must "live dangerously," as it were, and risk his artistic life continuously for the sake of truth and honesty. Will the singer bleed to death right in front of us from self-inflicted, inartistic wounds? Or will we experience his (and our) virtual transformation - perhaps even rebirth - out of the convulsions of passion and music?

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