A pair of classically trained opera singers turned the genre on its head during their “America’s Got Talent” audition. Voce Nova’s Gilad Paz and Natalia Tsvi began with a traditional duet, then dropped the beat, turning the song into a high-energy dance number that left the judges speechless.
Tenor Paz and soprano Tsvi formed Voce Nova, Latin for “fresh voice,” after meeting at an opera event in New York. They shared a vision of bringing opera into the 21st century by combining it with the excitement of contemporary pop and electronic music.
The result was a dazzling, high-energy performance of “Libiamo,” a duet from Verdi’s opera “La Traviata,” complete with stripped-down costumes, upbeat choreography and a heavy helping of bass. Some might call it popera.
For his part, Simon was not impressed, slapping the red X almost immediately after the beat dropped. Apparently, Voce Nova was not the fresh voice he was looking for.
