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Cafetalk Tutor's Column

Tutor Yara 's Column

Opera and K-Pop!

Weekly Topic: What kind of music do you listen to the most?

Jan 26, 2022

Vocabulary:
eclectic - wide-ranging/ different styles

underratednot rated or valued highly enough.
finesseimpressive delicacy and skill.
killer - really good - 'He makes a killer ramen!' 



I listen to a very eclectic range of music.

Naturally, I adore opera music - I used to only listen to opera and nothing else for many many years!
My top singer would be Maria Callas and Franco Corelli, but there are just so many incredible voices.

Here are some examples:

Callas singing Madame Butterfly's famous aria:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmfw17L_Deo

Here is Neil Schicoff singing the aria from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, some of the most incredible singing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HavZY7vUMyY

And the last one, Ileana Cotrubas, a VERY underrated opera talent from Romania:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnQz9pOnU2w

After spending years trying to 'perfect' this art form, I can really appreciate their technical finesse and beauty of tone!

Now, I've also started listening to some K-pop (Korean Pop) that I've heard in my favourite K-Drama shows. They have such good voices too, and it's a little bit simpler (of course) than opera music, so I can just relax while listening to it. When I listen to opera music, I become very focused on it and can't do anything else.

Gaho: Running
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKnH2geW-PQ

I used to listen to a bit of Japanese pop because of my love for anime, but recently I was introduced to modern Japanese hip-hop and pop and loved it!

Hikaru Utada - she makes some seriously killer hits!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJGCeAWIfEA

There you have it! Some of my very random favourite pieces of music! 

Do you listen to opera? Do you have any recommendations that you think I'd love? Let me know what you think of my music taste! 

This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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