Originally one-third of Sol3 Mio, with his two brothers, tenor Amitai has a successful solo career in opera, making his European debut in Paris early last year. Later he received rave reviews for his performance in Handel’s Semele with New Zealand Opera.
If I want to de-stress, one piece I love is the end of Act 3 moving into Act 4 of Charles Gounod’s opera Roméo et Juliette. Two other favourites that come to mind are “Fair-Weather Friend” by Bruno Major and “Morning Ride” by Fiji.
All great songs, in my opinion.
My music taste has not stayed the same over the years, and it really does reflect how much I’ve changed as a person. In saying this, I still enjoy the classics. There’s a lot of new music out today that just doesn’t do anything for me. My brothers would agree with me.
Exercise and music definitely go hand in hand for me, especially when I’m stressed. I tend to go to the gym whenever I feel like it, but it mostly helps when I’m stressed, so popping on my headphones to smash out a workout gets me through it, without a problem. There is nothing like throwing tin [lifting weights] to some of your favourite rock songs – or R ’n’ B, if you’re like me.
Music is an integral part of my self-care routine. I have playlists for almost every mood or situation.
Music is an integral part of my self-care routine. I have playlists for almost every mood or situation. We forget that we turn to music for various reasons, whether they be emotional, physical or mental. Personally, music helps to put me in the right state of mind for something that I’m preparing for, and we all know that your health starts with your thinking. Being able to be my most productive means that I’ll start with some music that really sets the tone for me and gets me level.
I’m a very “beat-based” audiophile, so any song that has a good rhythm or foundation to it, I’ll be happy with. There are some songs out there that I have not liked lyrically, but have been drawn to their beats. I guess you could say that I’m more of an instrumental type of listener when it comes to music I “don’t like”, but then, it has to be pretty serious for me to not like certain music. I can appreciate most of them.
Amitai’s favourite music to relax to
- Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod
- “Fair-Weather Friend” by Bruno Major
- “Morning Ride” by Fiji
6 New Zealand musicians share their favourite songs to relax to
Listen to our relaxing Spotify playlist here.
