Yesterday we recorded 8 singers from the Badisches Staatstheater Opera Chorus on our new album. There are several songs that absolutely required a BIG FAT -VOICE CHOIR. Well, we certainly got that- in spades!
But the first surprise for me.: Even opera singers know who Edo Zanki is. He was hanging out in his studio cooking lunch for another production team. He introduced himself to the opera chorus and they were star-struck! Cool!
Second surprise: These 8 voices were so homogenous. They blended beautifully. No matter whether we were recording full-out big sections of Händel's "Worthy is the Lamb" or a vocalise to be sung purely without vibrato. Fantastic blend!
Third surprise: And it shouldn't have been a surprise, but I was impressed. They were all excellent sight-readers. Florian doesn't write plain and simple vocal arrangements. When I saw the arrangements he wanted the choir to sing I was prepared for this recording session to last long hours. But these 8 singers sang these complicated arrangements almost perfectly the first time through! That was exceptional to behold.
Fourth surprise: They were so funny and easy to work with. Diva voices without diva personalities. They just ate gummi-bears and cookies and grapes and laughed and joked and sang their guts out.
The men had "Fidelio" rehearsal at 6:30 so they left first. But Florian kept the 4 women to sing some even more complicated vocalise for another album. I mean, it's not every day that you have voices like this in your studio. So Florian made the most of it and you'll also be able to hear the ladies singing on Xavier Naidoo's new album. They did a fantastic job!
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