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Article: Ewa Podles joins ranks of the few real contraltos.(NEWS)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- March 23, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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It isn't only operatic styles and procedures that come and go. Vocal types, too, sometimes appear and disappear over time; contraltos, for instance.
The emergence in recent years of the Polish contralto Ewa Podles, who is singing this week with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, is not only reminding us of what a rare bird a true contralto is, but is also starting up all the old arguments about what really constitutes a contralto. Is it simply the lowest female voice? Is it the same as an alto?
Podles herself, in trying to define a contralto, has described her voice as an alto in the lower range and a soprano on top. Hearing her sing numbers by Handel and ...