She hit the note perfectly, the vibrato was unsteady though.
Lauren! That last note on I could have danced all night!
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It looked to me as if she might have been persuaded to attempt something that, accomplished as she is, she was not quite up to. It would have served her better to have stuck to the conventional approach to the finish, which she could certainly have pulled off.
Hmmm - it just didn't sound very pleasant to me (and I've heard plenty of opera, thank you, I worked for one of the biggest opera companies in the world for five years). But I don't think it was actually far out of tune (if at all) - it just wasn't a nice sound. Pity, because I think it was her best performance overall (I've always struggled to connect with her acting but thought she did quite nicely with that song) and I think the final note was bound to come under scrutiny after Sophie's car crash on hers.
Originally Posted by Jan2555*GG*:
“I hope someone considering remaking My Fair Lady was watching because thats the perfect role for Lauren she had the voice AND the looks for Eliza Doolittle.”
“I hope someone considering remaking My Fair Lady was watching because thats the perfect role for Lauren she had the voice AND the looks for Eliza Doolittle.”
But can she be a convincing cockney and act the role........
Originally Posted by Acharne:
“Definately!! I think she was actually a stronger contestant than both Sophie and Danielle but she didn't look right for Dorothy - not childish enough; and when I saw her sing I Could Have Danced All Night I was thinking she'd be the perfect Eliza.
I think the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane (the last place MFL was on in the West End is home to another one of ALW's shows now - might be Oliver...”
“Definately!! I think she was actually a stronger contestant than both Sophie and Danielle but she didn't look right for Dorothy - not childish enough; and when I saw her sing I Could Have Danced All Night I was thinking she'd be the perfect Eliza.
I think the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane (the last place MFL was on in the West End is home to another one of ALW's shows now - might be Oliver...”
It is Oliver...........but thats Cameron Mac's show
Funny how we seemed to have thought the last note was a bit iffy and the panel didn't. I think that they were just being kind. Lauren did slightly miss it but I take my hat off to her for doing all that dancing while she was singing. She was wonderful as usual.
Originally Posted by fog:
“did i say anything about the othe girls not being right for the show?
i was just pointing out that laurens vocal ability is superior, nothing more.
on the last note thing again...listened to it again...yes it could have been executed better certainly and I do take some of cantank's points about just hanging on to it. but she did get to that note. that's the thing. plus we've got to take in to consideration the nerves and emotion of being live in the final. the judges and ALW all thought it was great though.”
“did i say anything about the othe girls not being right for the show?
i was just pointing out that laurens vocal ability is superior, nothing more.
on the last note thing again...listened to it again...yes it could have been executed better certainly and I do take some of cantank's points about just hanging on to it. but she did get to that note. that's the thing. plus we've got to take in to consideration the nerves and emotion of being live in the final. the judges and ALW all thought it was great though.”
DId I say I was replying to you? No.
The note was terrible.
Seemed to me that while she could probably hit the note in warm-up exercises she'd never actually sung it in the context of a piece and therefore it was completely foreign to her.
It was a chink in her 'professionalism'. She should've recognised the current limits of her voice and gone for quality not quantity.
It's a shame because the rest of the song was brilliant, as was everything else she did in the show. Easily the best vocalist but she needs a lot more vocal training if she wants to sing the soprano roles of Musical theatre
I am a trained operatic soprano as well as others who have posted here criticising and I thought she did very well - the final note in the score for the song is a top G so I'm not sure why they decided to push it up higher. It wasn't 100% assured but considering she's still young and her voice will still be developing, I thought she did a good job.
From her reactions last night, particularly to being voted off, I think Lauren already has something rather fabulous lined up - will await further news of her with interest. MFL revival or one of the Lloyd Webber musicals?
From her reactions last night, particularly to being voted off, I think Lauren already has something rather fabulous lined up - will await further news of her with interest. MFL revival or one of the Lloyd Webber musicals?
Originally Posted by fog:
“some people on here clearly never regularly listen to opera. i was practically raised on opera and that was a proper soprano note. it only slightly wavered as i said before because she span around. if she stood solid on the ground which anyone trying to pull that top note off should do it would of sounded better to an untrained ear. but believe me it was fine.”
“some people on here clearly never regularly listen to opera. i was practically raised on opera and that was a proper soprano note. it only slightly wavered as i said before because she span around. if she stood solid on the ground which anyone trying to pull that top note off should do it would of sounded better to an untrained ear. but believe me it was fine.”
This is clearly why I don't listen to opera, because I don't think I could stand listening to notes like Lauren's last note for a couple of hours. Give me a clear voice any day of the week, and most of the time Lauren didn't put that much vibrato on. I didn't think she'd hit it properly, even given the vibrato. Mind you til I heard an expert tell me that my ear is untrained, I didn't think a vibrato should wobble between a whole tone.
Originally Posted by lulu g:
“It looked to me as if she might have been persuaded to attempt something that, accomplished as she is, she was not quite up to. It would have served her better to have stuck to the conventional approach to the finish, which she could certainly have pulled off.”
“It looked to me as if she might have been persuaded to attempt something that, accomplished as she is, she was not quite up to. It would have served her better to have stuck to the conventional approach to the finish, which she could certainly have pulled off.”
I agree with this.
Originally Posted by Phantz:
“DId I say I was replying to you? No.
The note was terrible.
Seemed to me that while she could probably hit the note in warm-up exercises she'd never actually sung it in the context of a piece and therefore it was completely foreign to her.
It was a chink in her 'professionalism'. She should've recognised the current limits of her voice and gone for quality not quantity.
It's a shame because the rest of the song was brilliant, as was everything else she did in the show. Easily the best vocalist but she needs a lot more vocal training if she wants to sing the soprano roles of Musical theatre”
“DId I say I was replying to you? No.
The note was terrible.
Seemed to me that while she could probably hit the note in warm-up exercises she'd never actually sung it in the context of a piece and therefore it was completely foreign to her.
It was a chink in her 'professionalism'. She should've recognised the current limits of her voice and gone for quality not quantity.
It's a shame because the rest of the song was brilliant, as was everything else she did in the show. Easily the best vocalist but she needs a lot more vocal training if she wants to sing the soprano roles of Musical theatre”
terribly sorry. your reply sounded like a direct reply to what I had posted. what made you say 'that note isn't in the show' then? seems a funny thing to just put out there
as others have said though. it sounds like she was encouraged to go for that from what ALW said in his comments afterwards.
i think people can sometimes forget that what the girls give in their performances is what they have been told to do choreographically or vocally. They've been working on their numbers all week under direction.
Originally Posted by Evilredzebra:
“I am a trained operatic soprano as well as others who have posted here criticising and I thought she did very well - the final note in the score for the song is a top G so I'm not sure why they decided to push it up higher. It wasn't 100% assured but considering she's still young and her voice will still be developing, I thought she did a good job.
From her reactions last night, particularly to being voted off, I think Lauren already has something rather fabulous lined up - will await further news of her with interest. MFL revival or one of the Lloyd Webber musicals?”
“I am a trained operatic soprano as well as others who have posted here criticising and I thought she did very well - the final note in the score for the song is a top G so I'm not sure why they decided to push it up higher. It wasn't 100% assured but considering she's still young and her voice will still be developing, I thought she did a good job.
From her reactions last night, particularly to being voted off, I think Lauren already has something rather fabulous lined up - will await further news of her with interest. MFL revival or one of the Lloyd Webber musicals?”
thankyou!
everyone seems to be making it out to be way off when it wasn't that bad.
Originally Posted by lulu g:
“It looked to me as if she might have been persuaded to attempt something that, accomplished as she is, she was not quite up to. It would have served her better to have stuck to the conventional approach to the finish, which she could certainly have pulled off.”
“It looked to me as if she might have been persuaded to attempt something that, accomplished as she is, she was not quite up to. It would have served her better to have stuck to the conventional approach to the finish, which she could certainly have pulled off.”
Originally Posted by posiepebbles:
“Hmmm - it just didn't sound very pleasant to me (and I've heard plenty of opera, thank you, I worked for one of the biggest opera companies in the world for five years). But I don't think it was actually far out of tune (if at all) - it just wasn't a nice sound. Pity, because I think it was her best performance overall (I've always struggled to connect with her acting but thought she did quite nicely with that song) and I think the final note was bound to come under scrutiny after Sophie's car crash on hers.”
“Hmmm - it just didn't sound very pleasant to me (and I've heard plenty of opera, thank you, I worked for one of the biggest opera companies in the world for five years). But I don't think it was actually far out of tune (if at all) - it just wasn't a nice sound. Pity, because I think it was her best performance overall (I've always struggled to connect with her acting but thought she did quite nicely with that song) and I think the final note was bound to come under scrutiny after Sophie's car crash on hers.”
They did the same thing with the Nolan woman in the Pop-Star/Opera Star competition and it didnt work for her either.
Originally Posted by posiepebbles:
“Hmmm - it just didn't sound very pleasant to me (and I've heard plenty of opera, thank you, I worked for one of the biggest opera companies in the world for five years).”
“Hmmm - it just didn't sound very pleasant to me (and I've heard plenty of opera, thank you, I worked for one of the biggest opera companies in the world for five years).”
i was making my comment to the people who aren't familiar with opera. you are. so that's great.
It was like a dog walking on its hind legs - attention-grabbing, but unsteady and pointless.
She would make a superb Mary Poppins. I kept being reminded of Julie Andrews.
She would make a superb Mary Poppins. I kept being reminded of Julie Andrews.
That last note didn't sound perfect to me, but as ALW then praised her soprano voice and mentioned the B flat note, I assumed she must have got it right. It certainly didn't spoil the performance for me - I loved it.
It was probably a tad unwise for Lauren to attempt that note; it was ridiculously high. The rest of the song was beautiful and considering she was dancing at the same time really well done.
She'll go far.
She'll go far.
Originally Posted by katanderson:
“She hit the note perfectly, the vibrato was unsteady though.”
“She hit the note perfectly, the vibrato was unsteady though.”
If she had hit the note perfectly, the vibrato (which is an indicator of a settled, secure, relaxed note) would've been steady.
As it was, the vibrato simply wasn't there. It was Lauren's worst note of the competition.
Originally Posted by Phantz:
“The note was terrible.
”
“The note was terrible.
”
It was by no means perfect - but it was far from terrible - and certainly more difficult than anything given to to other two girls.
Originally Posted by Phantz:
“If she had hit the note perfectly, the vibrato (which is an indicator of a settled, secure, relaxed note) would've been steady.
As it was, the vibrato simply wasn't there. It was Lauren's worst note of the competition.”
“If she had hit the note perfectly, the vibrato (which is an indicator of a settled, secure, relaxed note) would've been steady.
As it was, the vibrato simply wasn't there. It was Lauren's worst note of the competition.”
Vibrato should be an indicator of a relaxed note, but it is not always the way. It is quite easy to force a vibrato. The final note used a very wide and unnatural vibrato - I agree it was her worst note to date.
Originally Posted by Flamethrower100:
“I loved the whole performence, up untill that last note. But it wasn't that bad.”
“I loved the whole performence, up untill that last note. But it wasn't that bad.”
I agree - I thought her performance was great until the last note. I am not a classically trained opera singer or anything so can't comment on whether it was technically right. All I know is that it was so unexpected that it sounded all wrong in the context of the song. Real shame though.
I'm not referring to any particular post here, but I don't understand the talk of opera on this thread - it is irrelevant. ALW talked about her being a true soprano as in her range rather than her style of singing.
For what its worth, despite Lauren being my favourite from week one, I wasn't entirely convinced she got it perfectly but it doesn't really matter now. She didn't win 
and I doubt the last note made any difference to that Even if she didn't quite get it, she was pretty darn close and certainly a lot closer than either Danielle or Sophie would have got. There is no question she was the strongest vocalist of the three and, had it been a proper audition rather than a public popularity contest, the chances are she would have been cast weeks ago as (sorry, I can't remember his name) Diet Barrowman said in his comments. However, I am sure she will get something out of this, and will quite possibly be on a West End stage long before the audience take their seats on opening night for The Wizard of Oz. Just let it go, life's too short
and I doubt the last note made any difference to that Even if she didn't quite get it, she was pretty darn close and certainly a lot closer than either Danielle or Sophie would have got. There is no question she was the strongest vocalist of the three and, had it been a proper audition rather than a public popularity contest, the chances are she would have been cast weeks ago as (sorry, I can't remember his name) Diet Barrowman said in his comments. However, I am sure she will get something out of this, and will quite possibly be on a West End stage long before the audience take their seats on opening night for The Wizard of Oz. Just let it go, life's too short
Originally Posted by fog:
“i was making my comment to the people who aren't familiar with opera. you are. so that's great.”
“i was making my comment to the people who aren't familiar with opera. you are. so that's great.”
Thanks for the dignified reply to what I realised, as soon as I posted it, was a bit of a snotty comment. Sorry about that.
I certainly shouldn't have set myself up as some sort of opera expert - I've heard plenty but I'm not, and never will be, a classical singer or qualified opera critic. (Even with everything that I was lucky enough to experience during those years in my previous job, I can only really veer between 'hurt my ears' and 'sublime' with any confidence...)
Thank you to everyone on this thread who has offered technical explanations as to why Lauren's note just didn't sound very pleasing to the likes of me and to all those who have pointed out the positives too. Some very interesting and informative points have been made in amongst the general slagging-off/blind praise - cheers for that
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