How much I love him and his artistry! I totally agree with him including the worst moments are the 15 minutes before the singer goes out on stage! I always want to go home! Joanne Koehn

So true dear Thomas Hampson! Thank you so much!

cool! Thank you very much for sharing!! This is very valuable!

Thanks for the info -- it's good advice for every aspect of life !

Very thoughtful Maestro!!! Terimakasih!!! Danke vielmals!!! GBU Maestro

Very true ! I'll try to practice those advices ^_^

Thanks for the advice, silver fox!

I have a lot of respect for Thomas Hampson; he's very wise. Incidentally, the video title is grammatically correct, because "How to Not Fail at Opera" would be a split infinitive, which is bad grammar.

Nice!

Well, I just copied the heading of the video's original posting, but I am pretty sure they are correct- "How to Not Fail at Opera" would be splitting the infinitive "To Fail" which isn't technically correct grammar.

You said: " . . . either as a singer or as a musician." Is the first not (singer) not also the latter (a musician)?

why is everyone being so pedantic over verbal details in the comments? what he's talking about is true, so shaddup and listen XD

“Discipline to me is the ordering of the random”

Silver Fox?? That's Hvorostovsky's nickname, not Hampson...

Does it matter? Any hot silvery-headed man can bear that nickname!

Why everyone talk about young people want start singing. I'm 55 and I start now. Is it too late? Cheers

He sounds like if Nixon were a news anchor

Great moment when the phone rings!

What I find, as I get older is: That opera is really the most economical describtion, Take "Voi che sapete..." sung to Rosina by Cherubino. In that brief space of time a hipocritical little worm of an immature brat has to tell the situation and clarify matters the character starts out with explaning he hasn't got a clue about. What matters is not so much what his rendition is: No! Listen to the flute that tells you what goes on in the mind of Rosina and how she sees the dumb log of a husband - the oboe. Susanna is ostentiably NOT participating despite being told to by Rosina as she "manco paroli.." lacks words (which is neither true nor common with Susanna) and can't tell what she thinks - and the guitar is NOT used! There might be pizzicato in the strings or even a harp - but Mozart really didn't like the guitar (and I have come to understand him). I takes a good soprano to smack into her low register on the " avampar " to indicate the age of the oversexed teenager wick a cracking voice. Now this only covers a selection, but if you've followed this far - it eksplains a little about the information density in that short aria - and about how which emotion is linked to what fact of live, and line up how to deal with it. One thing is certain: I opens up a line of thought in Rosina - the most complex character in the opera - an insight into her sharp wit and personality. I have far to much respect for the hard work of the singers and other musicians to ever try to perform (even in the bathroom) myself. But with these fluffy critic words of "projection" and "emotion" you might gain some insight. To ask a singer what it means is about as relevant as asking the plumber to the workings of your digestive system - though he technically deals with the results of said system. You wan't a toilet that works and that is what the artist can - at a price - provide, as a skilled craftsman, And then please - as audience - try to notice what goes on and not focus on wether or not a singer cracks a note or has a problem with overproduction of saliva. Just as you will not consider a plumbers butt-cleavage relevant in the context.

Hampson is a fine singer and artist. But he is no Verdi baritone.

I think you meant "How to NOT fail at Opera" didn't you?

He failed at opera by singing as a baritone despite being a tenor

Learn to edit, Think.

Thomas Hampson is a joke. He's not a baritone, he's an undeveloped tenor.

Hampson is horrible.