Juan Diego Flórez and Benjamin Bernheim reveal the secrets of the tenor's voice

They are the heroes of opera. When tenors hit the high C, the audience is enthralled. But what is their secret? How do they manage to sing in this high register and what happens in their body?

With these questions we start the new series "The great voices of today" - the first episode is dedicated to tenors. We talk to two of the greatest tenors of our time: Juan Diego Flórez and Benjamin Bernheim who give insights into the art of the high notes.

The tenor voice is the highest natural male singing voice. The average male voice is a baritone voice. There are only 3 or 4 notes in range between baritone and tenor – but it makes all the difference.

Tenor is from the Latin ‘tenere’, which means ‘to hold’. This is because in very early music – from about 1250 to 1500 – the tenor’s job was to ‘hold down’ the melody, providing the foundation for the music.

There are different types of tenor: The leggero tenor, dramatic tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, the heldentenor (heroic tenor), the Mozart tenor, the tenor buffo.

The tenor’s voice is a phenomenon. "I think audiences love high notes," says Peruvian Juan Diego Flórez, one of the greatest tenors in the world today. "Because they ring in their ears and it's exciting."

No other voice prompts such a reaction from audiences. It’s like a circus high-wire act. "The bet we make on a tenor is, will he succeed?" says world-famous French tenor Benjamin Bernheim.

Such pressure requires nerves of steel. "Even when I go to the opera I listen out for the tenor," says Bernheim. "Because I know that’s how people watch us. It's like: let’s see if he can do it."

It’s one of the highest notes for a tenor: the infamous High C. The tenor is the highest male voice. His vocal range generally spans two