Interest

Princess Mononoke Singer Profiled in the Telegraph

The website of the British newspaper the Telegraph has posted a short profile of the Japanese singer Yoshikazu Mera (pictured), who sang the title song in the Japanese version of Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke.

Written by Tim Wong, the article includes links to Mera singing from Handel's Messiah and Richard Strauss's Morgen. Wong notes that Mera's voice spans three and a half octaves, whereas Maria Callas's voice spanned fewer than three in her prime. "His singing voice can go seamlessly from a normal tenor to high alto. The effect is eerie and thrilling." Wong also speculates that Mera's voice may be related to his medical condition - he suffers from brittle bone disease, which can compress the spine.

Wong concludes that Mera "doesn't limit himself to Bach and Handel – indeed, he can be found doing anything from Rachmaninov to Satie (plus pop songs)."