One of the great intelligent singing artists?

The controller of the BBC Proms fended off charges of "dumbing down" the annual event after the West End singer Michael Ball (above) was signed to perform an evening of show tunes. Nicholas Kenyon, the Proms controller, praised Ball's voice and said he felt sure a classical music audience would accept his inclusion. "I think he is one of the great, intelligent singing artists alive today," he said. "He deserves a place at the Proms just as much as performers in the great classical tradition" ~ Independent 26 April 2007

This new version is built around an irredeemably vulgar performance from Michael Ball, whose amplified crooning makes crossover king Alfie Boe sound almost like an opera singer ~ Anthony Holden reviews English National Opera's Kismet in today's Observer.

But it is possible to be naughty but nice.
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