La Stupenda will always be one of the top three greatest sopranos recorded. Her legacy is so great, that with her passing the very art form itself wanes, possibly to extinction. That said...The build up to “Ah Segnata Da Mia Sorte” is going, then it drops. She has not the lower register or driving tempo (thanks Richard) to sustain dramatic tension. Or maybe the voice is just too big for this role. Albeit Sills’ may have been too small, this scene blazes on the studio recording with Rudel. What a cool opera, with its breath taking ensembles, gorgeous choral writing and deeply complex ending. I can think of no other Donizetti opera that has the frequency of so many principals raising voices simultaneously.
Yes, her italian is not the best but the singing is just gorgeous, even at that stage of her career. The cast is outstanding too. We don't have this kind of singing anymore.
En réalité ce n'est pas un rôle pour Sutherland car vocalement ça ne lui correspond pas .Il y a des passages qui sollicitent le bas du registre et elle transpose vers le haut.Elle a beaucoup de mal à faire les notes de poitrine .En revanche le contre ré final est très bien ,mais c'est normal pour elle car elle est dans sa zone de confort..
Decca decided to record the opera in 1970 with the ‘great’ Elena Souliotis wasting the opportunity to either capture Sutherland or when Decca recorded NABUCCO or MACBETH/MACBETTO they could have possibly, at that late date utilized Callas. I remember the review in High Fidelity stating that Souliotis could hardly get the notes out let alone build a character. And the role of “Jane Seymour” was sung by Marilyn Horne. Another missed opportunity. But hey Decca, let’s bring out the Solti Ring in SACD from s long lost master tape (yeah right) that no one knew about.
Callas's voice was nowhere near as beautiful as Sutherland's, and Dame Joan had more power and technical mastery than any soprano. And I'm a huge Callas fan!
❤I saw Sutherland in Bolena ROH London 1988, with Susanne Mentzer as Seymour, and yes, Sutherland hit all the notes, but it was a dreary , unimaginative production, lacking in drama and excitement, as was the singing. I have always admired Sutherland as a singer, but this was not the way I wanted to remember her, also it was my first time seeing Bolena on stage, and was a big disappointment, it was just laboured, and dreary.
i often ask myself why one does have to open all those cuts in the score, add all of that coloratura... if you wanna be great, stick to what is written. and there you will be great. all this bla bla bla added is out of style. to me it just sounds out of place. and the recitar cantando? where is it?! why bother going to the opera? sorry, it's a "no" for me
I’m aggravated that Sutherland even attempted this opera. Her voice is too tiny at this stage of her career for this monumentally difficult and heavy role - not too big. Sutherland’s voice to me is the perfect example of a debased form of bel canto. Callas was the pinnacle of the art form, which has very little to do with making pretty sounds. (More on that later if you want to hear my thoughts on the matter.) First of all Sutherland’s tempi and those of the orchestra are slow, way too slow. In the live La Scala recording of I believe 1957, Callas and the orchestra are propelled along at a breakneck pace. She and the players are one, working in tandem, this is not a matter of their accompanying her. Callas flings the words out with her massive and cutting instrument. Her resentment is palpable - even if one does not know Italian one can sense the volcanic anger in Callas’ tone. With Sutherland the anger is pitched at the level of a complaint, with Callas the anger is titanic. With Callas the words seem as though they are tripping off the tip of her tongue, with Sutherland it feels as though the words are being pulled from the back of her throat. Sutherland’s final D is impressive yet it says nothing, but I assume this is what the audience is applauding. Callas’ final D is the encapsulation of all previously articulated expressions of anger and hurt and resentment coming to a concentrated head. Bonynge thinks he taught his wife the art of bel canto, but all he really did was to teach her how to sing a bunch of notes with a pretty voice. Callas resurrected the art of bel canto, but Bonynge and Sutherland nearly sent it to an early grave.
😂😂😂 did you ever hear her live? Somehow I don’t think you did. I know a slew of vicious old queens that did and small was one thing her voice was not. As for your supposed “intelligent”comments on Callas- you just join the ranks of every other tired fan that thinks callas could do no wrong, yadda yadda yadda. How lame and exhausting and BORING. Callas was exciting, but far from perfect. She had faults like every other singer, and she had a short career because she made terrible choices and abused her instrument. She only had about 10 good years, and even those were marred by uneven performances and ridiculous personal drama. Fascinating? Yes. The best soprano that ever lived? HARDLY.
@@aaronmalone7065 you a nasty piece of work. Yes I’ve heard Sutherland live. Her voice had no edge to it. I’d rather hear a flawed voice of great expressiveness than a pretty voice that sounds the same in every role.
@@191helen 😂 struck a nerve, I see. Claim What you want- I don’t believe you. You spend a lot of time trashing a woman that had a huge career, and whatever your opinion of her is, far too many people say the exact opposite Io make you believable. Call me names all you want, your comment is arrogant and stuck up.
Ok maybe not but still the over all quality of this production and all the singers is sooo much better than anything going on today... but yes Callas' is the real deal by comparison :)
@@hodgrix Very true, when comparing to today's sad singers. But back in the day, there were a number of better Anna Bolenas. Besides Callas there was Sills, Caballe, Gencer, Stapp, etc. All better Annas than Sutherland.
Art Danks yes I agree! I’m really not a fan of Sutherland, and when she did Bolena she was absolutely past her prime, and yet STILL vocally, technically and musically she is far superior to any of the clowns (excuse my language) singing this music today.
@@hodgrix No need to excuse anything. You are absolutely right about contemporary singers. Without mentioning names, the 2 that are most "noted" today for this role (hint: both have a Russian names, though one is an American), I can't stand either as Anna Bolena! I wish either Renee Fleming or Angela Gheorghiu would do the role. But they are both past their primes as well. So that pretty much leaves no one!
Most ignorant comment I have read in a while. Sutherland had glorious years at La Scala, they loved her there. Her Semiramide and Ugonotti are clear examples of that.
I sang in the chorus in this production a couple weeks later at the Michigan opera Theater - same cast. Amazingly the diction on stage was amazing - the voice was huge and bounced throughout the theater (Masonic Temple - Detroit). The first night, I don't know if she warmed up and sang poorly in the first act (huge vibrato, not well focused) - by the 2nd act she was on fire and was one of the GREAT experiences of my life, particularly the finale. Judith Forst was also SUPERB as was James Morris and Michael Meyers.
Not good. Sutherland's Italian is rather poor, In my 1st year Italian in College, got an A plus---and Yes, she Can sing Opera--I can not...but her, she is singing 'Yodel Opera' the voice going up and down....no purposeful staging of her actions...(perhaps she was having Leg cramps, or Hip problems)....Anna should be 'played and sung' with defiance; as she states that this Court is a shame, and the Verdict rendered before a Trial...Anna should sing like a Queen--regal and with Bravura....letting her words sink into the Mind of Henry, that though he will execute her....he will hear her defiance, in his head...long afterwards...Callas had the defiance and vocal power to deliver in clear Italian and high D..
So Callas indeed was a great Anna Bolena. She def has the high D here, and a very good one, too (not always the case with the Callas high notes at this stage of her career). However, it may be because there was a HUGE MERCY CUT in the music right before she sang it. She usually nailed the high D at end of Lucia Act 2 also, but again with almost 2 minutes of THRILLING music cut. History shows she never did sing a complete Lucia. That’s an entirely different ball game than the cut-to-shreds Lucia in vogue when Callas sang it-the act 1 aria had huge chunks of coloratura passages cut, the entire Lucia Raimondo scene was cut, the stretta of act 2 finale was cut to pieces, the list goes on. And how does anyone know what “purposeful staging of her actions” Callas displayed in this Anna Bolena scene? We have only the video of the 2nd act of Tosca to judge her in a “live” opera performance. From that and photographic evidence of other characters she portrayed onstage, it’s apparent she did a lot of hand-wringing as part of her purposeful staging, in my opinion, not always purposeful or appropriate. She was great and I love her. But she was just a human being subject the vagaries of the human condition. She had flaws just like all human beings. Deifying her does her no favors.
stan ochocki: So you can speak Italian with one year of college. And you received an “A”, hmm, but you failed Modesty 101. Where are you now singing? How is your career going? Still singing when 58? I DOUBT IT. Get off your high horse a**hole.
Troppe variazioni musicali che finiscono con edulcorare la tensione drammatica della musica e del testo. Vocalmente formidabile la Sutherland !
Just listen to that huge beautiful sound!
Preciosa y majestuosa aria ❤
I got goosebumps, at the mere volume of sound exhibited in the coloratura! And the sustained High D at the end is the cherry on top!!
La Stupenda will always be one of the top three greatest sopranos recorded. Her legacy is so great, that with her passing the very art form itself wanes, possibly to extinction.
That said...The build up to “Ah Segnata Da Mia Sorte” is going, then it drops. She has not the lower register or driving tempo (thanks Richard) to sustain dramatic tension. Or maybe the voice is just too big for this role. Albeit Sills’ may have been too small, this scene blazes on the studio recording with Rudel.
What a cool opera, with its breath taking ensembles, gorgeous choral writing and deeply complex ending. I can think of no other Donizetti opera that has the frequency of so many principals raising voices simultaneously.
Wow wow wow wow WOWWWWWW !! That is all I can say!
Uno dei brani più intensi della musica classica
It really is
Bravi
Wow! At her late years she still deserves high quality !
James Morris (pre-Wagner) is Henry VIII in this performance. And Ben Heppner was in the cast too.
Yes, her italian is not the best but the singing is just gorgeous, even at that stage of her career. The cast is outstanding too. We don't have this kind of singing anymore.
En réalité ce n'est pas un rôle pour Sutherland car vocalement ça ne lui correspond pas .Il y a des passages qui sollicitent le bas du registre et elle transpose vers le haut.Elle a beaucoup de mal à faire les notes de poitrine .En revanche le contre ré final est très bien ,mais c'est normal pour elle car elle est dans sa zone de confort..
She was just a little beyond her prime by this point. I really wish she had sung and recorded this about 20 years earlier.
Decca decided to record the opera in 1970 with the ‘great’ Elena Souliotis wasting the opportunity to either capture Sutherland or when Decca recorded NABUCCO or MACBETH/MACBETTO they could have possibly, at that late date utilized Callas. I remember the review in High Fidelity stating that Souliotis could hardly get the notes out let alone build a character. And the role of “Jane Seymour” was sung by Marilyn Horne. Another missed opportunity. But hey Decca, let’s bring out the Solti Ring in SACD from s long lost master tape (yeah right) that no one knew about.
Quão difícil deve ser cantar com essa vestimenta pesada....
Cast?
In this scene Callas is without peer. Just an overwhelming wall of sound.
Callas's voice was nowhere near as beautiful as Sutherland's, and Dame Joan had more power and technical mastery than any soprano. And I'm a huge Callas fan!
❤I saw Sutherland in Bolena ROH London 1988, with Susanne Mentzer as Seymour, and yes, Sutherland hit all the notes, but it was a dreary , unimaginative production, lacking in drama and excitement, as was the singing. I have always admired Sutherland as a singer, but this was not the way I wanted to remember her, also it was my first time seeing Bolena on stage, and was a big disappointment, it was just laboured, and dreary.
Wonder what she's trying to prove😢
i often ask myself why one does have to open all those cuts in the score, add all of that coloratura... if you wanna be great, stick to what is written. and there you will be great. all this bla bla bla added is out of style. to me it just sounds out of place. and the recitar cantando? where is it?! why bother going to the opera? sorry, it's a "no" for me
I’m aggravated that Sutherland even attempted this opera. Her voice is too tiny at this stage of her career for this monumentally difficult and heavy role - not too big. Sutherland’s voice to me is the perfect example of a debased form of bel canto. Callas was the pinnacle of the art form, which has very little to do with making pretty sounds. (More on that later if you want to hear my thoughts on the matter.) First of all Sutherland’s tempi and those of the orchestra are slow, way too slow. In the live La Scala recording of I believe 1957, Callas and the orchestra are propelled along at a breakneck pace. She and the players are one, working in tandem, this is not a matter of their accompanying her. Callas flings the words out with her massive and cutting instrument. Her resentment is palpable - even if one does not know Italian one can sense the volcanic anger in Callas’ tone. With Sutherland the anger is pitched at the level of a complaint, with Callas the anger is titanic. With Callas the words seem as though they are tripping off the tip of her tongue, with Sutherland it feels as though the words are being pulled from the back of her throat. Sutherland’s final D is impressive yet it says nothing, but I assume this is what the audience is applauding. Callas’ final D is the encapsulation of all previously articulated expressions of anger and hurt and resentment coming to a concentrated head. Bonynge thinks he taught his wife the art of bel canto, but all he really did was to teach her how to sing a bunch of notes with a pretty voice. Callas resurrected the art of bel canto, but Bonynge and Sutherland nearly sent it to an early grave.
Your analysis of Callas hits the nail on the head - thank you !
Thank you for this intelligent comment
😂😂😂 did you ever hear her live? Somehow I don’t think you did. I know a slew of vicious old queens that did and small was one thing her voice was not.
As for your supposed “intelligent”comments on Callas- you just join the ranks of every other tired fan that thinks callas could do no wrong, yadda yadda yadda. How lame and exhausting and BORING.
Callas was exciting, but far from perfect. She had faults like every other singer, and she had a short career because she made terrible choices and abused her instrument. She only had about 10 good years, and even those were marred by uneven performances and ridiculous personal drama.
Fascinating? Yes. The best soprano that ever lived? HARDLY.
@@aaronmalone7065 you a nasty piece of work. Yes I’ve heard Sutherland live. Her voice had no edge to it. I’d rather hear a flawed voice of great expressiveness than a pretty voice that sounds the same in every role.
@@191helen 😂 struck a nerve, I see. Claim
What you want- I don’t believe you. You spend a lot of time trashing a woman that had a huge career, and whatever your opinion of her is, far too many people say the exact opposite Io make you believable. Call me names all you want, your comment is arrogant and stuck up.
Not as exciting as Callas's version.
Ok maybe not but still the over all quality of this production and all the singers is sooo much better than anything going on today... but yes Callas' is the real deal by comparison :)
@@hodgrix Very true, when comparing to today's sad singers. But back in the day, there were a number of better Anna Bolenas. Besides Callas there was Sills, Caballe, Gencer, Stapp, etc. All better Annas than Sutherland.
Art Danks yes I agree! I’m really not a fan of Sutherland, and when she did Bolena she was absolutely past her prime, and yet STILL vocally, technically and musically she is far superior to any of the clowns (excuse my language) singing this music today.
@@hodgrix No need to excuse anything. You are absolutely right about contemporary singers. Without mentioning names, the 2 that are most "noted" today for this role (hint: both have a Russian names, though one is an American), I can't stand either as Anna Bolena! I wish either Renee Fleming or Angela Gheorghiu would do the role. But they are both past their primes as well. So that pretty much leaves no one!
Art Danks Cecilia Bartoli? She actually has the technique range and musicianship
Horrible Italian diction... she could have NEVER EVER done that in Milan.
Yuri Zivago She sang many many times at La Scala, even with her poor diction. And the Milanese public was always thrilled with her.
Ah, maybe that's why she was enthustiastically acclaimed in Milan in the dozens of times she sang there...
Most ignorant comment I have read in a while. Sutherland had glorious years at La Scala, they loved her there. Her Semiramide and Ugonotti are clear examples of that.
I sang in the chorus in this production a couple weeks later at the Michigan opera Theater - same cast. Amazingly the diction on stage was amazing - the voice was huge and bounced throughout the theater (Masonic Temple - Detroit). The first night, I don't know if she warmed up and sang poorly in the first act (huge vibrato, not well focused) - by the 2nd act she was on fire and was one of the GREAT experiences of my life, particularly the finale. Judith Forst was also SUPERB as was James Morris and Michael Meyers.
@@KenyonCT Lucky you!
Not good. Sutherland's Italian is rather poor, In my 1st year Italian in College, got an A plus---and Yes, she Can sing Opera--I can not...but her, she is singing 'Yodel Opera' the voice going up and down....no purposeful staging of her actions...(perhaps she was having Leg cramps, or Hip problems)....Anna should be 'played and sung' with defiance; as she states that this Court is a shame, and the Verdict rendered before a Trial...Anna should sing like a Queen--regal and with Bravura....letting her words sink into the Mind of Henry, that though he will execute her....he will hear her defiance, in his head...long afterwards...Callas had the defiance and vocal power to deliver in clear Italian and high D..
DEFIANCE....JUST AS CALLAS DID!
Sure. Make a psycho-drama out of it. 🙄 Good luck with that.
Stan...Ugh....
So Callas indeed was a great Anna Bolena. She def has the high D here, and a very good one, too (not always the case with the Callas high notes at this stage of her career). However, it may be because there was a HUGE MERCY CUT in the music right before she sang it.
She usually nailed the high D at end of Lucia Act 2 also, but again with almost 2 minutes of THRILLING music cut. History shows she never did sing a complete Lucia. That’s an entirely different ball game than the cut-to-shreds Lucia in vogue when Callas sang it-the act 1 aria had huge chunks of coloratura passages cut, the entire Lucia Raimondo scene was cut, the stretta of act 2 finale was cut to pieces, the list goes on. And how does anyone know what “purposeful staging of her actions” Callas displayed in this Anna Bolena scene? We have only the video of the 2nd act of Tosca to judge her in a “live” opera performance. From that and photographic evidence of other characters she portrayed onstage, it’s apparent she did a lot of hand-wringing as part of her purposeful staging, in my opinion, not always purposeful or appropriate. She was great and I love her. But she was just a human being subject the vagaries of the human condition. She had flaws just like all human beings. Deifying her does her no favors.
stan ochocki: So you can speak Italian with one year of college. And you received an “A”, hmm, but you failed Modesty 101. Where are you now singing? How is your career going? Still singing when 58? I DOUBT IT. Get off your high horse a**hole.