# What is this magnificent piece and who is the angel singing it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 20, 2006, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-magnificent-piece-and-who-is-the-angel-singing-it/361395 "2006-06-20T03:49:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-magnificent-piece-and-who-is-the-angel-singing-it/361395/21 "2006-06-21T03:08:33Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Here’s the music from [the 3rd page](http://www.notid.com/htm/story/02-pulitzer02.htm) > > [http://www.notid.com/music/link/02pulitzeravalon.wma](http://www.notid.com/music/link/02pulitzeravalon.wma) I tracked this one down. It’s from the soundtrack to Avalon. > **[Kenji Kawai - Avalon Original Soundtrack - Amazon.com Music](https://www.amazon.com/Avalon-Original-Soundtrack-Kenji-Kawai/dp/B00005HR7J)** > > Japanese soundtrack to anime director extraordinaire Mamoru Oshii's long awaited follow up to the acclaimed 'Ghost in the Shell'. The film was scored by Oshii's long time collaborator Kenji Kawai. He digitally arranged the... Could be the other track is, too. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-magnificent-piece-and-who-is-the-angel-singing-it/361395/22 "2006-06-21T03:13:14Z")
I think it’s Elzbieta Towarnicka. I haven’t heard her yet, still looking. But she’s the soprano who sang track 3 of Avalon, and it’s 4:03 minutes long. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-magnificent-piece-and-who-is-the-angel-singing-it/361395/23 "2006-06-21T03:18:00Z")
Go here and listen to the first .wav file. I think that’s certainly her. Anyone agree? [http://www.towarnicka.com/music-nowy.html](http://www.towarnicka.com/music-nowy.html) ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-magnificent-piece-and-who-is-the-angel-singing-it/361395/24 "2006-06-21T03:29:32Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Go here and listen to the first .wav file. I think that’s certainly her. Anyone agree? > > [http://www.towarnicka.com/music-nowy.html](http://www.towarnicka.com/music-nowy.html) Well done. Click [here](http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B000063JBL/171-0932438-8090600?v=glance&n=301062) and sample track III I’m impressed. Thanks!! ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-magnificent-piece-and-who-is-the-angel-singing-it/361395/25 "2006-06-21T03:33:14Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > I’m impressed. Thanks!! Glad to help. This just shows how freakishly obsessive I can be. I tend to try to disguise that aspect of my personality slightly better! ---
**Author:** ![Figaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Figaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Figaro)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-magnificent-piece-and-who-is-the-angel-singing-it/361395/26 "2006-06-22T13:50:34Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > Doesn’t sound like Sumi Jo to me, but **Figaro** may come along and prove one of my predictions dead wrong. He’s the resident expert. > > Ditto Natalie Dessay, in case anyone’s about to throw her name out. Definitely not any of the notable people already mentioned from the opera world. It’s not a voice or a piece of music I’m familiar with. I agree that at times the sound resembles that of a boy soprano, but the upper register is far too well focused and pliable to be a boy’s, and the presence of a gentle vibrato would also be very unusual for a boy - they usually can only muster a “straight” tone - so I am %90 certain it’s a woman’s voice, albeit a very quirky one. You can never be sure, though. ---
**Author:** ![Figaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Figaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Figaro)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-magnificent-piece-and-who-is-the-angel-singing-it/361395/27 "2006-06-22T13:53:35Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Go here and listen to the first .wav file. I think that’s certainly her. Anyone agree? > > [http://www.towarnicka.com/music-nowy.html](http://www.towarnicka.com/music-nowy.html) I can see why you’d think so. I’m not completely convinced, but it’s an awfully good guess. You may be on to something. I’d have to hear something with some lower register in it (that’s by far the more distinctive part of the OP’s sample) before I could say for sure it’s the same voice. ---
**Author:** ![Figaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Figaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Figaro)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-magnificent-piece-and-who-is-the-angel-singing-it/361395/28 "2006-06-22T14:01:31Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Well done. Click [here](http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B000063JBL/171-0932438-8090600?v=glance&n=301062) and sample track III > > I’m impressed. Thanks!! Heh. This’ll teach me to read to the end before responding to threads! Nice work, **jsgoddess**! (and sorry for the triple post) ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-magnificent-piece-and-who-is-the-angel-singing-it/361395/29 "2006-06-22T20:19:40Z")
> [@Figaro](#): > > … it’s a woman’s voice, albeit a very quirky one. You can never be sure, though. It’s a haunting, evocative, ethereal piece, but her vocal control isn’t exactly world class, though that might be the director’s objective. The vocalist sometimes seems right on the edge of losing it, and is no match for any of the sopranos or mezzo-sopranos I listed above. Not to sound catty or anything … 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-magnificent-piece-and-who-is-the-angel-singing-it/361395/30 "2006-06-22T21:24:29Z")
> [@astro](#): > > A [castrati](http://www.cix.co.uk/~velluti/cast.htm) perhaps? You did read your own cite, didn’t you? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-magnificent-piece-and-who-is-the-angel-singing-it/361395.md?page=1)