"Mature soprano voice" or "radiantly youthful"?

[stevemacdonald]

I'm puzzled by the opposite impressions Hayley's voice left on two writers.

In the words of the official reviewer on the Barnes & Noble site, "She possesses a lovely, radiantly youthful voice, and her natural, straightforward delivery on Pure, her first album, is simply enchanting."

Then we have the Mail on Sunday article which states: "Audiences here have taken the youngster with the mature soprano voice to their hearts."

I would never accuse Hayley of having a mature soprano voice. If she did I would run for the hills because mature soprano voices just about make my ears bleed.

Which is not to say that Hayley's voice will be a put-off when she gets older. She is blessed with a naturally mellifluous set of pipes which are the perfect antidote to your typical "fingernails-on-a-chalkboard" mature soprano voices.

[Dave]

To my ears, Hayley's voice is radiantly youthful, a 'light' soprano. In formal classications, I'd say Hayley is probably a coloratura soprano - not only because of her fairly high vocal range, but for her increasing vocal agility, too. This is demonstrated in at least two of the songs she performs on her current UK tour (e.g. Bridal Ballad).

The first soprano Opera Diva that comes to mind when making comparisons with Hayley is Anna Netrebko, who tends to sing "light" opera and certainly no Wagner! That's probably why I quite like her; if Hayley had chosen to train as an opera singer, I can visualize her ending up very much like Anna, by the time she reaches her early 30s.

As for "mature soprano", well that is unlikely ever to apply to a teenage singer - although Charlotte Church certainly tried!!!

[Richard]

Hello again folks, I'd like to share my thoughts on this one.

Hayley sings with a mature technique, while her voice has a youthful sweetness of tone, giving her that unique, distinctive and beautiful sound quality which we all love. As well as her excellent voice control, Hayley sings with warmth and feeling, and I like the subtle way she uses vibrato. She may have developed this when she played the violin.

I think Hayley sounds more natural than most of the famous operatic sopranos, and her soothing voice is much easier on the ear. I'm glad Dame Malvina Major didn't try to turn Hayley into an opera singer at such a young age, but she may well sing in operas when she's older.

I've had the pleasure of seeing Hayley in concert three times so far, and there's a steady improvement in all aspects of her performance. Not surprising, because she's getting plenty of experience! The sound of Hayley's voice perfectly matches her youthful beauty, and the tranquility of her singing is reflected in her graceful stage manner. Her delightful personality and total professionalism complete the picture, making Hayley a very beautiful young lady in every sense of the word. I always feel very relaxed when I watch Hayley on stage or TV, and when I listen to her CDs. Not forgetting all the wonderful video clips on this Web Site, of course!

I don't think Hayley's reached her full potential yet, so I'm looking forward to hearing how her voice develops in the next few years. I'm sure it's going to get better and better!

Best Wishes to all Hayley fans everywhere,

Richard Norrington

[Richard]

Richard said:

I've had the pleasure of seeing Hayley in concert three times so far, and there's a steady improvement in all aspects of her performance.
I don't think Hayley's reached her full potential yet, so I'm looking forward to hearing how her voice develops in the next few years. I'm sure it's going to get better and better!

Don't worry folks, I like talking to myself!

I saw and met Hayley for the fourth time last Sunday, in Classicalive at Olympia, and this was the first time I've heard her sing with just a violin and a piano for accompaniment. Her voice definitely sounded stronger, more beautiful and more distinctly Hayley than ever, so watch this space!

I'll do further updates on this thread from time to time.

Bye for now,

Richard