Paul Pott Threatens Patricians’ Opera with Plebeian Performance of Nessun Dorma

The song Nessun Dorma is immediately recognizable by anyone who hears it, and has become increasingly popular with Luciano Pavoratti’s rendition of it during the 1990 Fifa World Cup. This performance has spring boarded it into popular culture through its appearance in Sum of All Fears, Man on Fire, and even making a brief appearance on the HBO series Six Feet Under. The aria has solidified its place in many people’s minds and hearts, and it came out once more in the voice of the humble Paul Pott, a cell phone salesman eager to impress on the highly watched England Has Talent, the precursor to America Has Talent.

Armed with a Cinderella story of his own, Paul Pott expressed before the show that it was his dream to sing opera, and ascended the stage clearly nervous, amid several disapproving glowers from a reluctant panel of judges when he informed them he wished to sing opera for them. As the music began and he started singing the notes, the veil of disapproval slowly pulled away from the judges’ demeanors, and in unison with a tearing audience, the three judges eventually found themselves heaping praise upon him amid a standing ovation.

The modest, Welsh salesman, who says that his dream is to “Do what he was born to do”, was given a chance to take the first step in accomplishing that dream on the show, and has received astounding results. As Simon Cowell and other judges watched reluctantly, he carried out each note like a professional, far surpassing several recognized opera singers with his performance and more importantly, he was able to watch as the hard visage of the three judges slowly melted, and became engrossed in the music.

Simon Cowell said of the performance that it was a “Breath of fresh air,” and the statement was met with agreeable applause.

Another judge remarked that they had a “Little lump of coal that was going to turn into a diamond”. The man’s moment of stardom was recorded and entered into the American mainstream on Thursday, June 13, 2007 when his video was featured on the front page of Yahoo, and a common theme of this rise in popularity has been the resulting acclaim and critics that have come to comment on the various sites he has appeared on.

In stark contrast to the nearly universal praise he receives from the Yahoo comments section, the viewers on YouTube have assailed him with accusations that ranged from having everything from thousands of friends whom post comments across the various forums of discussion falsely praising his amateur performance to accusations of fraud for a lesson he once bought from Luciano Pavoratti himself. Perhaps the most common theme of these critics however, is the emergence of what appear to be mainstream opera fans decrying every aspect of his performance.

Seemingly the most telling aspect that these critics offer is that in their desire to denigrate his achievement, they have unwittingly propelled his success by actually comparing him to the opera legend Pavoratti, remarking what aspects of his performance were specifically inferior to the singing star’s. It is amazing that a man’s first performance on a televised talent show after living in relative obscurity as a cellphone salesman has his performance compared to that of the Face of Opera himself.

The criticism conjures images of scenes from Milos Forman and Peter Shaffer’s masterpiece Amadeus, as a brilliant Wolfgang Mozart attempts to appease the highly political upper class fans of opera, and finds a home away from “the snobby court”, as his good friend Emanuel Schikaneder puts it, writing operas for the people. Paul Pott’s rendition of this classic opera piece and the response from the audience reminds us of the populace of Vienna responding with great enthusiasm to Schikaneder’s parody of his works, and later the sell out to The Magic Flute later in the film.

As one browses YouTube and sees performances such as Robert Stiner’s shaky, flamboyant depiction of the same song lauded by mainstream opera fans, a tragic reality sets in that the humble roots of Paul Pott has inadvertently drawn a line with those who enjoy the culture of opera instead of the art of it. As he’s continually criticized by those who fear the plebs’ ascent into what was once their escape into culture, it is important to remind Paul that he has developed a remarkable fan base ranging across three separate continents, and what’s more, he’s done a wonderful service by helping to tear down the fence of opera to the masses, and in his less than confident first step to fulfilling his dream has encouraged thousands to follow him through a renewed interest in opera.

Reference:

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oxTy7KIAaA