Let
me make one thing clear from the start: I am not a fan of Simon Cowell or
his programmes, and the message they sometimes appear to put
out. I chose not to watch either BGT or XFactor and
just catch up on the bits that appear interesting to me later on, and avoid Mr
C's comments on the whole.
However I think I finally get BGT. As the excellent young magician, Paul Dabek (who I had the pleasure to teach briefly a few years ago) tweeted "
BGT
this year came down, largely, to a choice between a great modern version of the
old end of the pier act, the Dancing Dog, and someone who many years ago may have
found themselves as part of an old freak show. I use the word freak
in its proper sense here of someone who is outside the normal biological
expectations. A lad of Jonathan's age should not naturally have
that huge tenor voice, but what an instrument, and what potential he has. And I
am not going to ignore his partner Charlotte here, who I feel has been
overlooked in a lot of the comments I've heard recently.
And
yet the dog won. And I myself am delighted for a variety of
reasons. Firstly Pudsey is ridiculously cute, and the bond with his
teenage owner and dance partner Ashleigh is clearly immense. I have
only just watched them this morning, and sat here, I don't mind admitting, with
tears of joy streaming down my face. If BGT has to exist, then this
is exactly the sort of act that it is able to highlight - along with the
wonderful Aquabatics. And a big hands up to the BGT producers for
undertaking to stage what is clearly not an easy act to put on.
But
I digress - as ever. This is The Very Vocal Blog, so why am I so happy
that the singers did not win. Simply because they are so
young. Their voices have got a lot of maturing to do; their bodies
are not yet physiologically mature. I was worried over the previous
week that, were they to win BGT, the Cowell bandwagon would start to suck up
the young singers, over publicise them and - more importantly - over-sing
them.
Clearly
there are two very talented voices here. Is Charlotte Jaconelli an
extraordinary talent - that remains to be seen, but she has a clear, well
produced soprano that is so much better than the "pop voice" moniker
she has been given. She doesn't sound truly operatic as she is
singing next to the magical monstrosity of a voice that is being produced by
her very close friend, Jonathan Antoine. But she has a voice that is
clearly at home singing light classical and theatre music, and, with the
correct training, may develop a richer fuller tone should she chose to go down
that path. And the good news is she should now have time to make
those decisions and get that advice and training.
As
has Jonathan. Let's be clear about this - this is an astonishing
voice. He has clearly (they both have) been taught very well, and any
occasional sense of stress and push in the voice must, I'm sure, be down to
nerves and adrenalin. The vocal performances I've watched were not
technically perfect, but they were thrilling and I never felt that the voice
sounded over produced. And yet it clearly is over produced for a 17 year
old to have that voice. This is a natural voice, and it
needs to have the time to develop naturally.
Hopefully
without the full BGT / Cowell bandwagon pushing them out for appearances left
right and centre both these singers can get on with doing what all talented
young singers need to do - learn. Learn technique, learn
repertoire. Yes, I've no doubt there will be an opportunity for a
number for appearances and these should be good experiences. Although,
let's hope they're no asked to do too much outdoor singing, as the tendency
always is to overproduce and force the voice, especially as the PA and
foldback are not adequate. But first and foremost these young singers
now need to be embraced by one of our great singing institutions - not the arms
of the press - and guided and moulded to help shape their new career.
There
are clearly issues to be faced. According to an interview in the
Telegraph (http://ow.ly/aWuWF
) he has left 6th form after "sort of a nervous breakdown".
The fact that, in the same article, the school in question released a statement
saying that they have strong anti-bullying policy gives a clear idea what's going
on. He has issues with his weight, and I sit here as a man in my
40th year who, according to all statistics, needs to lose about 6 stone to be
at my "ideal" weight. I'll take 3, and that's what I'm now
dealing with. I really hope Jonathan finds the support he needs as,
successfully dealing with those issues will only help to strengthen him
vocally. He now, thanks to Ashleigh and Pudsey, has the time to do that.
So
I can't believe I am going to be finishing a blog entry in this way, but Well
Done BGT - and therefore well done to the viewing public. You got the
right result. A great old fashioned variety act, delivered with charm wit
and panache, takes the spoils. And a pair of very talented singers
- one "freakishly" talented - get a measure of the fame that they might get at a
later date, but also the time, I hope, to get on with the business of being
young singers, and nurturing their talent so that it is around for the next
30-40 years, not just 3-4.
