The Paul Potts Phenomena
A pudgy Englishman with a slightly crooked smile and a diffident manner stood on the stage of the UK series "Britain's Got Talent". It was obvious from the attitude of the judges that they were expecting one of those laughable performances that give these 'reality' shows their audience. And when he said, "I'm going to sing opera..." there were audible titters from the audience.
Then the unexpected happened.
Out of this shy and unassuming, sad-sack of a man, there came a voice of such beauty that tears sprang to the eyes of the judges and people in the audience were crying openly. Partly, of course, it was the romance of it all... little down-trodden phone salesman Paul Pottsie makes good on TV. He sang the last part of Nessun Dorma (Let no Man Sleep) with defiance and passion - it was as if he knew it was his one chance to make it or go back to his humdrum existence.
Everyone loves an unlikely hero and it seems Paul Potts fits that mold. His resulting CD 'One Chance' is a best seller both in the UK and here in North America and you can see his face almost every day on the US and Canadian talk show circuit. And, I noticed the other day, now even on The Shopping Channel hawking his CD. You can't blame him - this is his fifteen minutes of fame and it won't last forever.
Sadly, the reason it won't last forever is that he isn't really that good. Oh, his voice is indeed pleasant and when infused with the passion and desperation he showed on Britain's Got talent, it tugs at the heart strings.
But...
I've heard him sing 'Nessun Dorma' a dozen times now. Each performance is blander than the last. Very little of that bravado is now apparent in his voice and it comes across as weak and wavering. His largely untrained instrument is unpolished and his lack of breath control lets him waver slightly off key in places. In addition his poor phrasing appears to result from a palpable lack of confidence that makes me agonize that he will not reach the next note. Instead of simply listening to the music, I find myself feeling slightly sorry for him. His Italian would make a native Italian commit suicide.
I grew up in a family that prized great singers. My father was a baritone with a superb voice and my sister is a retired operatic mezzo-soprano. I have probably listened to Puccini's opera Turandot a hundred times... and Nessun Dorma a thousand times, sung by the best tenors of all time... Pavarotti, Gigli, Caruso, Domingo, Schipa, Campanini, Lanza, Björling, Boccelli. If you want to hear the aria properly buy a recording from one of these accomplished tenors.
Or, buy Paul Potts' CD and keep the romance, if not the music, alive.
