British bass singer Matthew Rose has revealed the previously unacknowledged similarities between opera and golf.
Although extremely different on the surface, the two disciplines do in fact have a lot in common, he told the Independent recently.
Speaking ahead of his performance in Jacques Offenbach''s Les Contes d''Hoffmann in London later this month, Rose revealed that he aspired to become a golfer before finding success in his music career.
He said: "To sing you need as good a posture as you do for hitting a golf ball. Your intake of breath is like your backswing, while the swing and follow-through is your phrase.
"Just as you must hit a golf ball on what we call the ''sweet spot'', so you must hit the sweet spot in your facial cavities when you produce a note."
According to the newspaper, acclaimed opera singers such as Bryn Terfel, Barbara Bonney and Sir Thomas Allen are also known to be keen golfers.
Les Contes d''Hoffman runs at the Royal Opera House from November 25th to December 13th.
19/11/2008