I. QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PERSON:

1. WHERE DOES THE NAME LASZLO COME FROM? DOES IT HAVE A MEANING?

LASZLO is a Hungarian name. There he was a popular name for kings and translated means something like: “He who rules with glory”. So it’s no wonder that it was used as a name for kings in the past. Incidentally, LASZLO’s father was also called Laszlo.

2. HOW DID YOU GET ABOUT THE MUSIC?

Since my earliest childhood I have dealt with everything that is called ‘artistic’, i.e. everything that has to do with music, poetry, literature and other art forms. But the attraction of the music was the strongest, even if for me one cannot really be separated from the other. Music touches me in a way that I can’t really describe with words.

3. WHY DID YOU BECOME AN OPERA SINGER?

There is a tradition of opera singing in my family, but no one has ever pushed me to do it. It developed completely naturally. I also listen to pop and rock music and go to pop and rock concerts. But “to sing classically”, that got me deep inside me at some point and never let go. With opera singing, I have found the type of artistic expression that suits me.

4. WHO ARE YOUR MUSICAL ROLE MODELS?

Many would believe that I am now only listing opera singers. But there are just as great rock, soul and pop singers who have influenced me. To name just a few of the numerous: George Michael, Herbert Grönemeyer, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson and Prince. These are just a few of the artists who have touched me deeply and who can tell stories with their voices. The same applies to the classic area. I am moved by the recordings of singers like Fritz Wunderlich, Rudolf Schock, Franco Corelli, Maria Callas. Above all, there are also singers who I was able to experience on stage in my childhood and youth: Placido Domingo and the incomparable Luciano Pavarotti. But it is difficult to name just a few names, because there are many wonderful singers, especially for someone like me, for whom music is a purpose in life.

II. QUESTIONS ABOUT THE OPERA:

1. ARE OPERA SINGERS OUT OF THE STAGE MORE BORING, STIFF AND A BIT UNWORLDLY, OR EVEN DIVAS? IS THAT CORRECT?

For me that is a very amusing cliché that is already part of this question. I can only say that at the opera I got to know the most humorous, cheerful and most “grounded” people. Of course there are phases in which you have to be very focused and concentrated in order to achieve the expected performance. But all the more you enjoy the times when things are a little more relaxed. Most opera singers are very cheerful people who have both feet on the ground.

2. HOW CAN YOU IMAGINE THE WORK OF AN OPERA SINGER?

There are phases when you have to be very disciplined. For us opera singers, the body is an instrument. If you then have to produce these volume levels (I reach more than 100 db) and frequencies to fill a large theater space, then the body has to “work” pretty hard for it. You are a bit like a competitive athlete who has to achieve maximum performance at a certain time. That requires regular training, in my case voice, breathing and physical exercises.
First of all, you have to study the opera roles (in technical terms: opera roles). This means that you learn the notes and then work with a pianist (the répétiteur) to fine-tune them musically. Because the répétiteur hears small mistakes and can also make suggestions for the musical design. Then there are scenic rehearsals and towards the end of the rehearsal period there are rehearsals with the conductor and orchestra.
Finally, at the premiere, the finished opera performance is presented to the audience. This is followed by other performances, depending on the theater’s schedule.
That is roughly how it works, very roughly summarized.

3. IS NOT OPERA TOTALLY BORING? OPERA MUSIC IS OVER A HUNDRED, SOMETIME HUNDREDS OF YEARS OLD!

Of course, everything is first and foremost a matter of taste. But I personally find opera one of the most exciting and exciting ways to experience music. But there are many factors at play here.
I, too, had to deal with the subject a little and grapple with it before I began to enjoy opera to the fullest. In addition, you should catch the right opera and the right opera performance as a “beginner”. Because the quality of the experience depends very much on the quality of the singers, the orchestra, the conductor and the direction or staging.
Lots of factors that can go wrong, right?
But when all aspects of the opera experience come together, it is an exhilarating experience for everyone.
So, my advice for opera beginners: If you really want to try opera, then go into a few very different ideas and be a little patient.

III. QUESTIONS ABOUT CLASSIC POP

1. WHY DO YOU ALSO DO CLASSIC POP?

There are several reasons for this.
I have noticed that a lot of people have a love, even a longing for classical voices and this way of singing, because they are very emotional. On the other hand, the inhibition threshold to go to an opera has unfortunately grown quite large these days. For me personally it is a nice feeling to bring opera singing closer to a wider audience.
I also think that classical pop has great potential to make music full of emotions and to combine the old with the new. The most important thing for me personally is to always strive for a high musical quality and to develop this area further.

2. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CLASSIC POP CONCERT AND A CLASSIC CONCERT?

The biggest difference is that you usually do a classical concert or an opera performance in a suitable space, a concert or opera hall. With an opera voice you can fill these rooms sonically in such a way that you can be heard and understood without ELECTRONIC amplification. Most classical pop concerts, however, are held in halls that need amplification, so there are microphones, speakers, mixers and everything else that is necessary.

For me the biggest difference is that at a classical concert I can use my body AND the concert or opera hall as a resonance body. It’s an incredible and beautiful, physical feeling when you fill an entire hall with your voice. I don’t have this feeling at an electronically amplified concert. For me personally, that’s the biggest difference.

IV. QUESTIONS ABOUT SINGING:

1. WHAT ARE TUNING BANDS AND WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?

Put simply, the vocal cords are two small, white muscles in the larynx. By exhaling the air from the chest, when other muscles close them, they can be made to vibrate. That then creates speaking or singing. But this is now also shown in a very simplified way. To give you an impression of what the whole thing looks like in reality, I had my vocal cords filmed. You have all additional information in the text for the associated YouTube video. If you watch it directly on YouTube, then it becomes readable.

If you have any further questions for me, you are cordially invited to work on expanding the menu item “FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS”! You can ask me further questions on my official Facebook page Laszlo – Tenor(by clicking on this link you can go directly to the page). From time to time I will add these here with the corresponding answers.

Thanks for your interest!
Laszlo