Darius has sung a couple of duets. Bernie's been harmonising in a group for 30 years.

 

I'm just worried about Katherine singing her own performance and not tempering it for whoever she sings with. Bernie has higher notes than Katherine so she won't want to give her too much ground either.

 

There are duets where for the most part they are countersinging and there are others where they mostly sing separately. I just hope Darius doesn't have to sing one of the former with Katherine.

 

Darius's strengths are the way he breathes and handles really long phrases with ease and the way he makes arias flow (legato) and his amazing bass notes. So we're looking for an aria which allows him to sing smoothly through his range with some showstopping bass notes. If they choose something like Der Vogelfaenger Bin Ich Da, we'll know they've gone for the opposite.

 

That's why Friday's aria was so inappropriate. Other than the wordiness and speed, it just didn't suit his singing style, didn't play to his strengths at all.

Edited February 15, 201015 yr by Baytree

darius has tweeted and written on his facebook

thanks all who voted for him and says bring on the final, he must know what he is singing

Here's a blog where he's seen as I see him.

 

MONDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2010

Popstar to Opera Star Episode 5 - Darius Campbell

 

Darius Campbell – Champagne Aria, Don Giovanni

 

When it was first announced that Darius was singing the Champagne Aria from Don Giovanni, I got really excited because I misheard and thought they’d said the Catalogue Aria (they are from the same opera). When I realised, I wasn’t all that happy about the choice. It’s just a really hard aria. I’ve heard lots of professional opera singers struggle with it. I’ve heard some really, really good baritones get out of time with the orchestra and mess the rhythms up. So there was a good chance Darius would do exactly the same thing. I wouldn’t mind if he did but not everyone will know what a hard aria it is.

 

Darius was a bit naughty this week. The mentors asked him to learn the Champagne Aria but he went and learned one of Papageno’s arias instead. This could be seen as complete arrogance, that he thought he knew better than the mentors about what he should sing. But it wasn’t like that at all. The poor man was terrified. He just didn’t think he’d be able to manage the Champagne Aria and he decided he’d rather sing the wrong aria well for the mentors than the right aria badly. It actually makes sense to me. If you know you’re not going to be able to produce what you’ve been asked for, often the only thing to do is to provide a viable alternative. And the fact Darius found himself another Mozart baritone aria is very positive.

 

But in the end, he sang the Don Giovanni aria. He kept working on both – I think he was still really worried about not being able to sing the Don Giovanni but at the same time, the challenge of it did appeal to him and he didn’t want to give up on it entirely – so he didn’t spend as much time on his aria as would have been ideal. And a lot of the mentors made a point of mentioning this. But to be honest, I think they were being a bit mean.

 

This aria is just really hard and Darius did well with it. He sang it in a nice Mozart tone and he did all the phrasing beautifully too. He kept in time with the orchestra except in the very last phrase when he finished ahead of the orchestra but he did sort of manage to cover for that. I’m not sure many people would have known it was wrong. Certainly the people who put the edit together to remind you of each performer’s best bits didn’t seem to realise he’d sung it wrong. They chose a highlight from each aria and for Darius they chose the bit he’d sung wrong. And I think that shows how well he carried it off, the fact he carried on singing well even though he probably knew he’d got it wrong.

 

Another great thing about Darius’ performance was his acting. I thought about him singing Don Giovanni earlier in the series and I thought it wouldn’t be ideal because even though Don Giovanni is a hugely complex character, his arias don’t really express that. The Champagne Aria is all ‘let’s all just have a really great time and get really drunk and shag each other’ (this is not a literal translation but it’s not far off) and in his other two, he’s pretending to be his servant Leporello.

 

But in Darius’ performance, you really got a strong idea of how complex Giovanni is. He was having a good time, he was telling everyone to drink and shag and he was really looking forward to it but there were just so many hints that there was a lot more to this character than having a good time. He has other things on his mind. The girl he likes is here but so is her husband, his ex is stalking him and telling people they’re engaged, he got caught trying to rape someone and he’s worried people might have guessed his identity and he’s also murdered someone.

 

It would be impossible to express all this in one aria but Darius did just enough to show you that there’s definitely something on with this guy, he’s being the good host but at the same time he’s plotting something that seems at least slightly dodgy even though you don’t know what it is, and there’s a bit of tension in him, he’s not as relaxed as he wants people to think.

 

http://sophiestropspopstartooperastar.blog...e-5-darius.html

lovely, i love the way her blogs are so honest, when i read the first one after the first show i thought she would goon to be negative

He was honest about why he'd done it. If he had thought they wouldn't give him an aria he couldn't sing, then he'd have just got on with it. That's the trouble, get stitched up enough and you're forever wary.

I'm glad that someone understands that what Darius did was in no way out of disrespect for the mentors or arrogance.

 

Opera lovers can judge Darius's performances better. They know how the arias should sound.They've listened to/seen several different great singers sing them. They also know exactly how they'd expect a professional to act the role. It's very difficult even for professionals to put an awful lot of character into 2 minutes out of context, in concert for example. Bryn does it well though. He's a very good actor.

 

 

I’m not sure many people would have known it was wrong. Certainly the people who put the edit together to remind you of each performer’s best bits didn’t seem to realise he’d sung it wrong. They chose a highlight from each aria and for Darius they chose the bit he’d sung wrong. And I think that shows how well he carried it off, the fact he carried on singing well even though he probably knew he’d got it wrong.

 

Now why do I not automatically agree that they made a mistake putting the bit he got wrong on?

 

They usually use one of the showy pieces. There are only a couple of higher phrases in the whole thing. The one where he was up on the table(?), (sorry I wasn't really aware of anything on the stage except Darius), and he was smiling as he hit the bigger note was too good visually.

 

Someone on DS said Darius sung the Champagne Aria like Rex Harrison , who was famous for talk-singing because he couldn't actually sing. I think that gives an indication of how little variation there is in the song even when it is well sung.

 

Darius would have had to really work his facial muscles, like Bryn Terfel in his two excerpts, to have made it more operatic and then he'd have got a backlash about a jumped up pop singer thinks he's an opera singer.

 

I hope we hear soon what he's doing. At least he knows we all thought he's been stitched as well as he did with that aria.

well my parents just visited, and said they had watched the show the last couple of weeks and thought darius was excellent, lovely voice,funny and great on stage and seemed very popular...I did ask if they could possibly put a vote or two his way, as they arent voters..whether they do or not remains to be seen, forgetful as they are. but it was great to hear them sing his praises

My sister, who's not a D fan, said how well he was doing, but more importantly, how poorly she felt the judges were treating him, singling him out and ignoring other people's errors. She knows I'm a big fan but doesn't have a bias towards D. Just another example of how clearly he's being descriminated against :angry:

 

I know that the odds have been proved wrong over the last few weeks, but surely they must have voting info from the rounds that have gone so far. If not, how can they have Bernie at 2/7 with D at 3/1. In a two horse race, that's almost the same as one of the horses only having three legs. I will vote all I can for D this week, I just hope it's not a waste of our money :( I've roped my sis into a little voting too ;)

I don't know how he could have sounded so chirpy on Facebook last week, with all that was going on behind the scenes. He really must be living on his nerves, dreading hearing his next song choice. His heart must sink when he realises it's another stitch up.

I agree with that blog completely, she's sumed everything up perfectly.

Those who know, what would be a good song choice for him this week?

Sometimes if the public realise that a contestant is being unfairly treated by the judges they will vote more for them. Hope this happens in Darius case. Sue

Edited February 15, 201015 yr by surrogatemum

I'm pretty sure that no-one outside a hand-picked group of people have any access to the voting figures.

 

Bookies have eyes and ears. It's blatantly obvious the VTs and comments were always favourable for Bernie and Kym and Darius was in the bottom 3 with Marcella and Danny.

 

How many people are going to brave a bookies for a punt on Darius? Have you? I haven't.

He gets my support the right way.

 

 

The bookies are just covering their back anyway. Look at the maths, B.P. You bet on Bernie you have to put in £3-50 to get £1 and the other way for Darius you put on £1 and if he wins they give you £3.

 

They're hoping they can at least come out even on bets placed this week.

Edited February 15, 201015 yr by Baytree

I do tend to agree, who does gamble, I certainly dont, I am sure the older woman probably doesnt, or the young girls..that leaves perhaps the men, who I am sure wouldnt be walking in and betting on Darius to win...the betting hasnt been correct as yet, so hopefully it will depend a lot on th perforamnces, and hopefully Darius has something up his sleeve, much liket eh 200 meters,,..with the sprint at the end

any way I rather use my money to vote, than to gamble.

and I will be voting as per usual, so even if he comes second it can be hopefully a respectable second!!

wonder what would happen if it was a tie..hubby still insists they could fix the votes anyhow to suit them, no one would know.

I think the voting figures are usually checked somewhere at the time and at a later date are put into the public domain.

 

After all the fuss about phone-in competitions, the TV channels have all had to make everything more transparent. They can't risk being caught out again.

The betting is even more against him. Mind you, with a stitch up every week of one kind or another, I can understand it.

 

Popstar To Opera Star Betting Odds Make Bernie Nolan Almost Certain Winner Ahead Of Darius Campbell

Monday 15 February 2010 at 11:50

Popstar To Opera Star Betting Odds have Bernie Nolan as a red hot favourite with just two acts left in the competition. Marcela Detroit and Kym Marsh were thought to be Bernie Nolan’s biggest competitors but neither survived the weekend.

 

Bernie Nolan Long Odds On To Win And She Still Looks Good Bet

Bernie Nolan only became favourite to win Popstar To Opera Star last week and she is now long odds on to become the first Popstar To Opera Star champion. She can currently be backed at 1/4 with Bet365, SkyBet and Paddy Power for victory. Bet365 are a particularly good bookie to bet with as they offer up to £200 in free bets to new customers.

 

Darius Campbell Has Done Well But Another Loss Likely

Darius Campbell is sued to these ITV talent contests, he was a contestant on both Popstars and Pop Idol. He won neither and it looks as though he won’t be winning this one, he is rated at 4/1 with Totesport to win and although that seems unlikely he has done very well considering he was the favourite to go at the weekend. For more TV Betting Odds, including Dancing On Ice and American Idol, click on any of the bookie links above.

all we can give is out all in voting..all Darius can do is his best, and hope that it impresses people who genuinely are voting for the best performances and if not, he has still won, by dueting with KJ or Rolando, getting to perform to 4 milloin people and getting so much support through the series

 

I did think last week, that he could be very nervous, hence the chirpy front and asking for votes. bless, I never guessed how nervous and why though.

 

my comment is about doing his best, he certainly would but only if he is allowed to perform and I mean really perform and not scuppered.. dreading it if he has to sing with KJ. On the other hand,Gareth, Rhydian, JLS came second or third but are doing very nicely, rhydian nominated for classical brits award so ....

Only 4 days to go.

So for the final they are singing one solo aria and one duet with a mentor. IMO, if they wanted to make it a fair comparison, they should choose duets that both contestants can sing, Bernie playing KJ's role and D playing Rolandos. This would give a good comparison(although not exact as the contestants are male/female) and would be a fairer way to compare the skills of the finalists. I know this won't happen, but it was a thought.

 

Mr Villazon has been a little critical of D in several areas. Many were contstructive comments, but a few have been to D's detriment. After this show finishes, I think it would be interesting to see how Mr V could perform a bass baritone aria, as compared to D. As good as Mr V is, I think our man would come out on top! It might be quite interesting to see how he perfomed a pop song on stage in front of a live audience too. Take him out of his comfort zone and see what he can produce, with just a few weeks of preparation! I know this won't happen, but it was a thought.

 

Regarding the betting, I was very tempted to bet on D as the winner, especially with the odds being so high, but the thought of losing money as well as D not actually winning has put me off. If he wins, I will be ecstatic enough, and wouldn't need the joy of winning extra cash too! I do enjoy a gamble and play poker at the local casino, where I have won several tournaments, but bookies don't conjure up odds from thin air, and I am sure they will be fully aware of how the public vote has gone, as well as what money has been laid on who to win. The daft thing is, that if someone laid a large enough wager on D to win, his odds could be cut drastically, and it's possible he could then become the bookies favourite. I know this won't happen, but it was a thought.

 

Let's just hope that whatever the result is, D can go on and capitalise on the publicity from this show, and do well for himself in the UK. I am certain that his appearances here can have done his musical theatre career no harm whatsoever, but I'm hoping he will release his album and do the tour he has talked about. Unlike the Dive In tour(which I deeply regret not attending :(), I will make every effort to attend this one if it happens.