Damn. The breathless silence of the audience, that first "bravo," the faces of the orchestra, his smile as he exits the stage -- must be nice to give the performance of a lifetime with the cameras rolling. Thanks BBC.

@cwv710

3 жыл бұрын

I was there amongst the prommers standing in the arena that day. I still recall that silence at the end of his performance. Everyone was transfixed.

@cwbrooks5329

3 жыл бұрын

@@cwv710 Oh man, I ENVY you. Once at the Met I saw Pavorotti and Kathleen Battle in L'elisir D'amore. The air was electric. When Pavorotti sang Una Furtiva Lagrima it was as if the whole audience was holding its collective breath. When he finished there was this second of silence, and then an EXPLOSION of applause and bravos. I get chills remembering it. I felt the same way when I saw this. It must have been thrilling for you to have been there in real life. You can't plan stuff like this, it's magic. You are one lucky bast*rd.

@emmacasiraghi6201

3 жыл бұрын

Oh my god

@Wilbtube

2 жыл бұрын

Not to mention the face of the conductor, which is pure admiration.

@cliffworks748

Жыл бұрын

@@Wilbtube the conductor has no name?

I've watched this version a few times, but I never thought about how exquisitely he held out that last note. To be able to carry the note so softly, but sustain it loud enough to hear over the orchestra's last entrance is quite a challenge.

@kyliewalker6647

Жыл бұрын

Amazing, totally agree

@Natasha-tu5qs

Жыл бұрын

I agree, except that he has a mic. So perhaps not the carrying bit. Still excellent singing technique though.

His rendition is in a league of it's own; just beautiful

The best rendition of this song I've ever heard. Bravo.

@deborahcoveney8846

2 жыл бұрын

So agree

@yourmove9057

2 жыл бұрын

Try Vic Damone singing his version of this classic song.

@yancodelangellopez8639

Ай бұрын

También la de José Carreras es épica y siendo dirigido por el compositor

What a voice. Bernstein was surely looking down and clapping

@CDB8939

7 жыл бұрын

Bernstein's Daughter Jamie, was in the audience

@sophieboatman1447

4 жыл бұрын

Yes!

You know its good when the orchestra applauds the singer

@danielasalazar5289

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I loved how even the director looks like he's still trying to figure out what just happened haha

@deborahcoveney8846

2 жыл бұрын

Classy performance. I listen to this this when I am feeling down

Insanely good performance. Still coming back to this 4 years after I found it. Bravo

@sansone12

2 жыл бұрын

So effortless. Insanely good indeed.

Check the looks from the orchestra, they knew that was a special performance.

@911928944

6 жыл бұрын

Absolutely this!

I have to come to listen to this 2 to 3 times daily, at least, for a pick me up in a troubled world. I appreciate this persons immense talent.

@ngoctbui6061

6 жыл бұрын

I listen to this may be 1000+ since the discovery of this clip few weeks back.

@outercyberia

4 жыл бұрын

K Rabenaldt - So true! His singing is as good as his acting, if not better. A beautiful version of “Maria.”

Julian's heart and soul was in that song Stunning version of a beautiful classic❤

Oh. My. Word. His voice is out of this WORLD!!!! Such control. The richness. His facial expression and feeling. Wow. Stellar. ❤️

If Mary Crawley would have known how incredibly beautifully this man can sing, she would have surely chosen him!... Probably the most compelling rendition of this so famous song.... and he looks wonderful!

What a beautiful version of Maria. Outstanding!

How on Earth can anyone give this the thumbs down? His control and intonation was superb; not to mention how heartfelt it was.

@mlhodges9884

Жыл бұрын

Julian ovenden has a wonderful voice. I.have followed him from here in South Africa for many years

@alansbinnie1446

Жыл бұрын

His voice is an acquired taste, sounds too forced for me. Too harsh, too strained, not really very pretty, not very natural sounding. Far better voices out there. But, I do appear to be in a minority.

This is not only perfect, it is Magical!

Julian Ovenden is a perfect singer! What a voice!

He brings a rather unusual edge to the music. That middle section made me speechless, absolutely sublime.

@Myohomoto

4 жыл бұрын

That's the Irish tenor sound, it slips out of him when he just let's go. And it's like an angel

@alansbinnie1446

Жыл бұрын

@@Myohomoto I think the unusual edge kills it dead. To me it is an ungainly, unnatural voice.

I just found this tonight and am now officially obsessed with Julian. I only knew him from Downton Abbey, had no idea he could sing!

@tammys606

4 жыл бұрын

Just found Mr. Ovenden on KZread by chance. Gorgeous voice and a terrific actor. He’s the man!

@tenorandguitar

3 жыл бұрын

He has been around for quite a while...he used to do quite a lot of Gilbert and Sullivan tenor lead in London performances... :-)

@jasminderpinder

3 жыл бұрын

Do a search on here for his version of "Being Alive" performed in a very similar concert to this in a tribute to Stephen Sondheim. It is my favourite version of that song, and he gives a phenomenal performance of it. From roles on "The Royal" to "Foyles War" to "Downton Abbey" and lots more, he is a very talented man.

@filmbyben2

2 жыл бұрын

He's very much a singer that can act instead of an actor who can sing. So impressive

@leojbramble

2 жыл бұрын

First saw him on Foyle's War years ago, had no idea he was a singer until years later. And to be that good looking too. Disgusting.

Wow, I never thought I would hear a version other then the original that would make me cry. This was amazing.

@Bluebell1962

2 жыл бұрын

Agree totally with your comment ❤️

@doc2log

2 жыл бұрын

Which original version? Stage or film?

The most beautiful version I've ever heard

After reading the meh reviews of WSS at the Salzburg Festival I had to come back and watch this clip again. Notice how his eyes drift upward after he sings , "the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. " It's like he's acknowledging heaven for bringing Maria to him. Truly, a great singing actor here.

@gandalfsbeard473

7 жыл бұрын

wallymarcel1 , so what you were actually saying was that you weren't encapsulated the first time !

@wallymarcel1

7 жыл бұрын

No, I was definitely encapsulated the first time. I just had high hopes for Salzburg.

@delstanley1349

5 жыл бұрын

wallymarcel1> You say "notice how his eyes drift upward." You thought he was looking to heaven. I thought he was envisioning himself as Romeo serenading a Juliet on the balcony as a kind of method acting to singing this piece. Each to his own. Marlon Brando did this in a scene----looking up to the sky while delivering his lines. He got a lot of praise for his acting qualities and technique and this one in particular was cited. Brando later said however that while many thought his looking skyward was a poignant plea to the heavens and an appeal to the gods of the universe and all that kind of stuff, he was simply being practical. He was notorious for not bothering too much in learning his lines. So, in some scenes he just had pages of the script pasted on the ceiling and looked up just to read his lines! Sometimes these things aren't so graceful and sexy as they might appear. Just sayin.

@sophieboatman1447

3 жыл бұрын

Perfection x

@johningram2153

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, the acting here is tremendous. The extended "Maria" before this phrase also, in which I see three distinct phases of him savoring the name in different ways, as he goes from full volume to cutoff, and the expression on his face shows all the joy he gets from the name. It's amazing.

"The most beautiful rendition I've ever heard."

I didn’t imagine anyone could sound as good as the original but I have just listened to this breathtaking performance and what a joy I am overwhelmed, he really does justice to this masterpiece of composing by Bernstein 💙

I swear this is perfect. chills EVERY TIME.

Thank you, that is the most beautiful version of Maria❤

@polyglot.basketer947

5 ай бұрын

I agree 100% because I am also Maria...

Never get old listening to the music from, 'West Side Story' I could listen to this all day long, so beautiful.

Dig this guys performance of Maria, sings it with real feeling, especially love the last bit.

I listen to him again several times because I find Julian Ovenden to be great (along with the orchestra, of course). He sings beautifully and accepts the celebration in such a modest way, which I find very sympathetic.

I can't stop listening to this,what an incredibly passionate performance!

I love Julian Ovenden. Simply the best there is. The members of the orchestra were applauding and smiling too and they must hear a lot of singing. So, they knew Mr Ovenden had just treated us to something specail. BRAVO!

This video finally got to 1 million views!! Absolutely love this version better than any of the other ones, always come back to hear Julian Ovenden sing this song :)

I'm obsessed over this performance. Bravo Julian, you are the master of this song.

a well deserved 'Bravo!'

What a unique privilege to hear this song from this man

I wish my name was Maria because of this song!!! 😂😍😍

@funsmile7136

6 жыл бұрын

Fabiana Montenegro my names is maria my teacher showed me this video and I fell in love with it

@fabianamontenegro3292

6 жыл бұрын

lucky gal

@jamesreed7528

5 жыл бұрын

I'm male, and I still got goosebumps from this. I can't get that performance out of my mind; but I don't want to. Absolutely incredible performance (my wife wasn't all that impressed with it). Strange how some people just aren't sensitive to music. If I had heard this in 1961, my first daughter would have been named Maria, rather than Allison Paige, so I could play it to her on birthdays, and other special occasions.

@scarfhs1

4 жыл бұрын

Keep your name and write your own song.

@wendycorkery4597

3 жыл бұрын

We named our daughter Maria after seeing West Side Story - beautiful rendition

Julian made perfection a reality, I believed perfection was impossible. This rendition is in a league of its own.

The most beautiful sound I ever heard: Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria. All the beautiful sounds of the world in a single word: Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria.Maria, I've just met a girl named Maria, and suddenly the name will never be the same to me. Maria! I've just kissed a girl named Maria. And suddenly I've found how wonderful a sound can be. Maria, say it loud and there's music playing. Say it soft and it's almost like praying, Maria, I never stop saying: "Maria!"

@LaVFdeJL

6 жыл бұрын

"and suddenly THAT name"

I was named after Westside Story (my mother named me after hearing this beautiful song) 💗 I absolutely love this rendition, so beautifully done!

Omg I was holding my breath this man is. Brilliant ❤

1:50 I thought my heart would burst

@lovemusicissa

5 жыл бұрын

SAME

@Abby-km6vr

5 жыл бұрын

YES ME TOO

@outercyberia

5 жыл бұрын

I’m still recovering ❣️💥

@sophieboatman1447

4 жыл бұрын

Yup

@AndyEsVa

4 жыл бұрын

If you thought your heart would burst with this performance, I highly recommend you to listen José Carreras performing it.

Fighting back happy tears of emotion...what a voice! I can't stop watching over and over again!

Yup, he now owns this song. Beautifully done.

Julian Ovenden has a wonderful tenor voice and he brings his superb acting skills to presenting the lyrics of a song. We believe and feel what he is singing! Bravo!

I loved him in Downton Abbey!! This however, is his amazing talent.

I keep coming back , his performance is so special. Takes my breath away every time

Your breath control is nothing short of AMAZING! Although I am now 78, in my youth I was a singer, mostly church work or in clubs. Of course, you have a wonderful background, starting at age 7, as you mentioned. Of course, the "Brits" are the greatest--at least, in my memory! God Bless. Gina Dodds

This bloke can sing anything.

Fantastic. Simply the best version of this beautiful song. 🥰🌹

Tremendous. Actually sung the way it was written and with the same heart.

That is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard, especially at the end. What a talent!

0:50 This chord progression will always give me goosebumps

I was working and listening and stumbled across this by random selection and thought, I better see what that was. Wow, to see it come out of a human mouth hole... so perfect. Every moment perfect. And not in a DULL way, but because it was so the opposite of dull. Just exquisitely perfect. The orchestra, the conductor, the singer. They know this was special. I love BBC Proms.

That, that brought tears to my eyes, such a beautiful powerful performance, his voice… 😮 the best I’ve ever heard that song performed, better than the best 💫

Without a doubt, of six versions of this song, this one is the true article. Without discussing its many facets, and despite a musical education, I have a visceral and emotional reaction to Julian's performance that I didn't feel in any of the others: I was too busy analysing. With this version, I was swept along.

Good Lord, He sings the high note and still sounds like Tony. Bravo, you may the first to make a musical theatre aria sound breathtaking in its original key!

What a joy to listen to a perfect performance of Julian Ovenden. ❤

Not many can WOW John Wilson and his orchestra. . . and Julian has sung many for John. I love the way Julian leaves the stage and the look on John. 😍 I love Julian's singing - to me any acting without songs is a waste of Julian's talent! And this is sublime!!! Love to watch the entire performance of this Prom. . .

OH. MY. GOD. I have spent the greater part of my life playing Anita and living this score. I have only heard a handful of men ever sing it so that it opens like this. Ever. And his tone isn't even pristine, it's got a grit and texture....yet his phrasing and feeling is THROUGH the music not on top of it. And it JUST DESTROYS me. The agony and ecstasy of Tony...is now ALL OF OURS. BRAVO

I have seen many versions of this song....including careeras ( who is one of the best singers around) but Julians version to me is the Best...for that one big reason "The Passion" he puts into it along with the "Voice" BEAUTIFUL!

Mr. Ovenden is amazingly talented. What gifts he has. Thank you for this post. Don't ever take it away.

@gpippind

3 жыл бұрын

Sometimes KZread makes these go away. I always download it to Realplayer so I never have to come back to something I love and find it gone

Utterly fantastic version, what a voice this lad has, can’t be performed better than this, Bravo indeed.

CHILLS! just CHILLS! man. I hear this song with a great voice! and great orchestra music!..... And I know there is a God that gives us this art! And I think of my mother also! Who Loved this song! R.I.P.

@VicFlange

7 жыл бұрын

All the best man, hope your mum is listening to this up there.......along with mine.

1:50 to 1:58 takes my breath away.

amazing voice

One of the greatest versions of this song I have ever heard. What a voice this man has. Thanks for this post.

@jonnapat3213

8 жыл бұрын

+necktieguy1 /////Really agree with you, I only knew Julian from tv's Foyles War, a super series from the BBC.

Still convinced this is the best version ever

Easily one of the most songs ever written. This is also a wonderful rendition. Leonard Bernstein was a genius.

@frankburns8946

5 жыл бұрын

And Sondheim...

Such a Beautiful song! I remember when I first heard this... watching west side story as a kid. One of my mothers favorites and my wifes favorite song....may they both rest in peace. I still get chills when I hear this beautiful song from a very talented singer!

I've watched this dozens of times and never cease to be thrilled.

I can't stop listening to this, just stunning, gives me such goosebumps 😩❤️

@lucillenilan1769

6 жыл бұрын

Eve Clayton ooougv8bhai

I LOVE this! And, Lady Mary was a fool not to choose him (Charles Blake) in Downton Abbey!

Beautiful "Maria" sung By a Talented, Handsome Man! Awesome! Makes my Heart Sing! 🎶 ❤️

Utterly captivating, Julian , the whole ensemble 👏👏👏. Thanks to the Proms /BBC for broadening my musical interest over the now many years ! Cheers folks .

I've listened to all the versions described below and this is the best version. He's also an amazing singing actor.

I'm still in shock that this beautiful man with an incredible voice is on Downton Abbey! Wow and wow, amazing performance!

If he stayed on stage for 5 minutes more they’d still be applauding

Julian is just phenomenal. To sing like that with a beautiful orchestra in possibly the best concert venue in the world is just incredible. What I love about his technique and style is how relaxed it seems. I’m sure in his head there are all sorts of things going on but on the outside he makes it look effortless. So many musical theatre performers over do it and detract from the beauty of the music! Bravo indeed

An absolutely brilliant rendition; never fails to raise the spirits

breath-taking performance!

His voice is heavenly

Love. Love. Love Julian’s sublime rendition of this classic. Brought me to tears.

Words fail me. Just stunning!

This has never been a favourite song of mine but Julian brings something magical to it. What a magnificent performance. I can listen to it over and over. Bravo!!

BRAVO indeed!

That bravo was perfectly timed

4 years ago was the last time I was here, whenever I want to see a true musician singing with passion I come here

He is the most good looking tenor in this world. I love his voice and his facial expression.

I agree with the comment below. Every time Julian sings, he does it with passion and conviction!!! What a commensurate performer.

This is the version of the song by which I measure all performances. He just crushes it. So beautiful. 🥹

He 'filled out' the high note at the end - it was suspenseful, I was waiting for the slightest slackening but he held it to the end.

Oh...my...goodness! That voice 😍

Are there stronger words than sublime and perfection? If so, this song is it...

that was very very beautiful

Absolutely beautiful, my heart fell to my stomach.

"all the beautiful sounds of the world in a single word..." The best lyric I heard of late. Bliss

Stunning beautiful voice.

Gosh, Foyle would have been very proud of that performance! I never realised Julian Ovenden had such a fabulous voice.

Oh my gosh! He looked so relaxed going into that note that he’s even swaying. And did he even breathe before heading into that Bb? Bravo indeed!

@JackGiblenSinger

5 жыл бұрын

Cherisse Lagayan no he didn’t. It’s actually a really useful technique for singing high!

This is simply amazing! First I didn't know that he could sing. Only remember him as Andrew Foyle of Foyle's War fame. But to discover, today, that he CAN sing Maria... well, words fail me. I have been transported into heaven and back. Thank you Julian.

@barryobrien7935

Жыл бұрын

He’s an enormous talent.

that note changed my life! utter perfection