I wouldn't agree that Royal is "extremely beautiful"; she has an attractive face, but what sets her apart is her grace, elegance and aristocratic bearing.  As such, she's reminiscent of a young Felicity Lott, though I'm not sure she has Flott's natural wit - perhaps I simply haven't yet seen her in a role which would showcase it.

I first came across her in Chabrier's "L'etoile" when she was at the Guildhall (in a nasty blonde wig), and later I watched her come through to win the Kathleen Ferrier Award.  At semi-final stage it seemed like a so-so field with no clear winner; however she dominated the final with her measured singing of poise and maturity.  I'll look up my programme when I get home from work, and tell you what she sang.

I love her voice, it's got real character, and she's the archetypal elegant English soprano which this generation didn't previously have.  However I have yet to be convinced that she's a particularly interesting singer.

Of course it has!

I find it rather disgusting that these days female "classical" singers, however beautifully they can sing, don't stand much chance of coming to public attention unless they conform to increasingly stringent and stereotyped conventions of "physical beauty". Now the ante is upped from "beautiful" to "stunning". How sad.

They are both have great voices and after make up and hairdressing work, in the right outfit etc. look stunning.

It is part of 'the job' to dress up for the stage and publicity pics but they get the job of singing in an opera at a top opera venue because of their talent, not their looks.

darcey danced at covent garden and worked as a model



For the record, anna is a dedicated opera singer who has done a few 'bit poppy looking' videos with her singing famous arias but that does not mean she wants to sing pop songs.  It is just ways to cash in on being a celeb, as being managed by an agent, people do.

She may have, but my point was that if she looked like Teresa Berganza or Birgit Nilsson nobody would be taking much notice of her.

I agree - I think.  I don't think Netrebko's voice is that different or that wonderful.  It's a very good voice, undeniably, and the fact that she was so good from such a young age helped to get her into the public eye.  But it's the package that makes her special.  That's not to denigrate the quality of her voice; it's not as if she's one of those good-looking crossover "opera" singers who's never set foot on an actual opera stage in her life (not that I'm thinking of any particular gorgeous-looking Welsh mezzo, *ahem*).

I was worried about Netrebko a couple of years ago; I thought she had signs of premature vocal ageing and a very old-fashioned way of putting a performance across (I'm thinking particularly of the Prom she did 2 or 3 years ago - it was the penultimate night of the season and she sang a selection of arias).  I do think that vocally and dramatically she's now becoming a much more secure and interesting artist.

Good looks undoubtedly help a singer keep a high profile and give him/her the potential to get rich from lucrative advertising/sponsorship deals (am thinking of the Netrebko/Gheorghiu Rolex ads in opera and concert programmes) but the longevity and career development of the singer will be down to their own intelligence and talent.

Incidentally, it isn't limited to female artists: the good-looking men enjoy a greatly enhanced slice of the public eye too.  Look at the likes of Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Jose Cura.

Yet another profound meditation on life from the coooool quill of Lord Byron.

Let's imagine that Anna Netrebko is not just good-looking but a wonderful singer as well. What happens then is that in a few years' time when she could well be in even better voice but no longer in the first flush of youth even with Photoshop to help, she will almost certainly have to cede the limelight to yet another young protégé of the music/advertising industry. And so it goes on. Yes, this is reality, but it's in the end an ugly side of it.

But have a large amount of cash, from doing 'adverts' and 'bit poppy video' etc. and invested it.

'It is my job to ensure you make a bag of cash for later and i get a percentage as an incentive' - agent

I expect she will carry on doing 'older' roles though, as she really is an opera singer first and everything else second, yer know.  

Anna will always be pretty,in her way, as she is a rather radiant, arts loving, bit loopy ( but are not all sopranos ? ) type of person.  A star in the night sky, who we can all appreciate and enjoy.