Born to be a star

Paul Potts’ rise to fame is of the stuff that dreams are made of. A 38-year-old manager of a mobile phone store from Bristol joins a talent show and announces he will sing opera. The skeptical judges keep their eyebrows from rising to kingdom come and give him the chance. He then proceeds to wow everybody with a remarkable rendition of the Turandot aria, Nessun Dorma. Salesman wins the contest, resigns from his job, gets to sing before Queen Elizabeth II and is now on a concert tour of the world.

I am sure that every aspiring singer around wishes that success would come to him the way it did to Potts. But just like what I have always believed in, stars are born. They cannot be created, made or manufactured. If you were not born with what it takes, then not all the right breaks or all the money in the world can make you a star. But if you are among the extra blessed then success will happen whether you want it or not. All that people can do for these special creatures is give them a nudge or a helping hand towards stardom. They were already born with everything else.

Potts is one of those. Take a look at his “suffering” history. He was bullied by other kids in school. He developed an adrenal tumor after he burst his appendix. He was in a bicycle accident where he broke his collarbone and got whiplash. He continued singing throughout all these, primarily because it is a source of comfort and as in the case of the talent show, a source of additional funds, first for voice lessons and later for medical bills. But Potts was born to be a star. So despite all these plus other so-called “limitations” like age and contacts, he is now a star.

Potts is performing at the PICC on Oct. 8. Most of the songs in his repertoire are from his debut CD One Chance, which has already sold over two million copies. The one that the audience would surely want to hear is his Nessun Dorma. His audition with this song became one of the most downloaded clips from YouTube. He does a good job in the album where the song is the only opera aria. Potts is no Pavarotti, not yet anyway, so his version falls short in some places. But his singing is very expressive and he carries off that high B note in the last line effortlessly.

Other cuts are Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro), Everybody Hurts (Ognuno Sofre), Caruso, Nella Fantasia, You Raise Me Up (Por Te Sere), My Way (A Mi Manera), Cavatina and Music of the Night. My favorite is Amapola, which Potts sings in Spanish. Arranged with the barest of accompaniment, it shows off his vocals to advantage. And he is so naturally gifted, that he can turn the simplest of performances into great beauty.

Filipina soprano Rachelle Gerodias is joining Potts for some numbers in the PICC show. Tickets are priced at P4,000, P3,500, P2,500, P1,200 and P750. Call or log in to Ticketworld, tel. no. 891-9999 or website www.ticketworld.com.ph. for reservations. Paul Potts Live in Manila is a Concertus production.

The Best (Farewell Tour)

Now, if you have already familiarized yourself with classical singing in pop CDs like One Chance or with Josh Groban and Il Divo, then it is time to get into the real stuff. The best introduction you can have to this is Luciano Pavarotti. The great tenor who died last year had a voice of incomparable brilliance, impeccable phrasing and a mastery of emotions. One listen is all you need to get hooked to him. Thankfully his album legacy is one of the most diverse and best thought out among contemporary classical artists.

Now available is The Best (Farewell Tour), a great collection of Pavarotti’s best performances. It is made up of excerpts from operas and pop favorites that he recorded while at the peak of his career. Among these are La Donna e Mobile from Rigoletto; Vesti La guibba from Pagliacci; Torna a Surriento; Vivere; Caruso; Volare; Santa Lucia and his signature song, which is now also Potts’ Nessun Dorma.

Then if you want more of the same, then there are Vivere, The Best of Andrea Bocelli; The Mario Lanza Collection; Time to Say Goodbye by Sarah Brightman; Voice of an Angel by Charlotte Church; then something by Jose Carreras or Placido Domingo; and maybe a Christmas CD or two. Christmas songs when performed by classical singers can be particularly affecting.

Now, this is not because I want you to panic but just in case you haven’t noticed, it is now only 107 days to Christmas Day.