Absolutely brilliant, especially Farrell. She could’ve given Nilsson a run for her money, but wasn’t particularly interested in an opera career. Believe it or not, I met her once when I was a kid. Farrell and her husband were financial clients of my dad’s. They lived on Staten Island, and although we were driving from the Bronx, it felt like we were driving to another country. Her husband answered the door and got down to business with my dad. Miss Farrell gave me an iced tea, and my dad and I heard someone playing the piano in another room. My dad was a music buff, and Miss Farrell noticed him trying to catch a glimpse. She said, “Hey, you wanna meet Lenny?” And we did.
Farrell was really quite a phenomenon - she is so absolutely convincing in everything she sings - be it hochdramatisch or lyric, Italian or German. She plays with her voice with so much ease, pulls it back opens up big guns. The sound is also so beautiful - completely even throughout all registers, Her musicality is quite extraordinary - listen the way she crescendos and decrescendos.
I truly believe she was one of the greatest voices we have seen, and it is because of the MET that she never was truly appreciated the way she should have. Her Puccini CD is absolutely amazing. Every interpretation is so wonderful. In Questa Reggia was sung with so much ease. It was wonderful. She is amazing.
Yes, and remember she also sang with the Bach Aria Group and in Handel oratorio and in 20th Century music [no one can match her performance of Barber's Knoxville Summer or Menotti's Toi this we've come] and Broadway and popular music. A true vocal phenomenon who was without artifice when she sang.
Just a small addition to my entry below. When asked why she did not include Menotti's "To this we've come" on her album of American operas, Renee Fleming replied [referring to Farrell's recording of the aria] " When the perfect performance of a piece exists why do it again?"
@@matthewdavid3409 What happened between her and the Met that made this the case? Did Bing do something to screw HER over too, like he did so many others? I've often wondered why she wasn't a bigger name than she was. She was WAY better than Flagstad, or even Traubel!
@@artdanks from what I have heard, her and Bing had a kind of rough relationship. Both weren't necessarily kind to one another from what I have read. I think she is excellent too. I also like that you mentioned Traubel who was so excellent! Flagstad was great, but Traubel was equally good or better imo.
Imagine if Bing had not been prejudiced against singers who had not trained and come up in provincial European houses what might have been at the MET. I would have loved to have seen a Ring Cycle with Nilsson and Farrell alternatley singing Brunnhilde and Sieglinde. That would have been enough to have Wagner come down from music heaven and bless the stage.
C'est particulièrement magnifique..fin et plein de nuances, la puissance est là mais juste lorsqu'il le faut....ce très beau vraiment...je ne connaissais pas cette grande soprano ....
You know, I have never been a fan of Wagner AT ALL. BUT, hearing these 2 voices singing his music is a whole different world! I'm so used to "Wagnerian voices" be so cold and steely, and shrieking. But King and Farrel's voices are every bit as big and powerful, but also very focused, refined, and beautiful! I'm actually able to enjoy the music when its sung with voices like this!
@@hansjancker5057 I'd say not lighter, just much more flexible. Lorenz is unbelievable as Bacchus in the live 1944 Vienna "Ariadne auf Naxos." Also this "Die Walkure" scene with Maria Reining, Rother conducting.
What glorious memories,I think at Carnegie or was it Philharmonic at Lincoln Center her two the greatest American Voices doing justice to Wagner with Bernstein. Great!
My father was an IRS agent who had to audit the Regan's taxes. He went out to their Staten Island home and they were very pleasant, despite the audit. My father heard a great pianist tinkling away in another room, and Eileen Farrrell asked him, "You wanna meet Lenny? He's in the music room." She was quite a lady, but she didn't give a damn about fame and stardom.
Farrell was a great Wagnerian soprano who didn't much care for Wagner's music - except for Brunnhilde in Siegfried, she never sang any of his roles complete. In 1968 New Yorkers could hear Herbert von Karajan conduct Walkure as well - which may have inspired his rival to program Act 1!
You are absolutely wrong in this. She sang several Wagner roles with Bernstein in concert. It was Bing's old fashioned prejudice against American singers who had not "done their apprenticeships" in Europe that kept her from the Metropolitan except in a few seasons and in secondary operas. Imagine a Walkure with this Sieglinde and Nilsson as Brunnhilde and then a second round exchanging the roles. This would have been a coup for the Met and for both sopranos [Nilsson was a very good Sieglinde the few times she sang it and was only prevented from this kind of role exchange by not having an equal to exchange with]. I saw her in concert in Chicago and she sang Senta's ballad and the Wiesendonck Lieder as well as French songs and the great "To this we've come" aria from The Consul. In the audience were Nilsson, Schwarzkopf, and Dietrich-Fischer all performing either in the week before or after her. You do not get that kind of audience unless you are amond the greatest of all time.
Wilson Watt Bing was an absolute demon. For every artist that sang on the Met stage, at least another 15 were blocked by him for some reason or another. Only if their fame grew too great to ignore would he engage them after that. Sills comes to mind and even then, he was reluctant. A malignant, egomaniacal force given way too much power.
@@wilsonwatt9283 The only complete Wagner role she sang was Brunnhilde in Siegfried which has appeared on cd. She only sang excerpts from Wagner operas with Bernstein.
@@kevinmulder3373 Thank you! I don't know why people like Watt write what they do. Of course (for those who don't know) Brunnhilde/Siegfried is an anomaly, twenty minutes or so of singing.
When approached to sing Wagner, Farrell was wary due to possible damage from complete performances which is why I believe she only sang/recorded excerpts. Nilsson was curious about Farrell’s voice attended several of her performances and saw her I believe as competition. It is sad that she had such a small operatic performing output and she didn’t record more (no Verdi Requiem😤.) Also, while she took music and performing seriously, she didn’t take herself seriously and found Bing’s autocratic management style difficult. America’s and music’s loss!!😢
Among opera connoisseurs she is a household name. No one has come close to her in terms of combination of musical knowledge, technique, and beauty of voice combined with interpretive sensitivity that allowed her to sing everything from Bach and Handel to Wagner to bel canto to verismo and Verdi to 20th century classical and then jazz interpretations of the great American popular song composers. An absolute phenomenon. I was lucky to hear her in concert on her last tour. She was spectacular. In the audience at the Auditorium were Birgit Nilsson, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. You do not get persons of that caliber coming to here you unless you are truly legendary.
Farrell gets more slack than she should. Her top notes were always precarious, and I don’t think she had anywhere near the stamina to get through an entire Ring cycle. But having heard her sing the Immolation Scene I know one thing is true -she was very loud!
Absolutely brilliant, especially Farrell. She could’ve given Nilsson a run for her money, but wasn’t particularly interested in an opera career. Believe it or not, I met her once when I was a kid. Farrell and her husband were financial clients of my dad’s. They lived on Staten Island, and although we were driving from the Bronx, it felt like we were driving to another country. Her husband answered the door and got down to business with my dad. Miss Farrell gave me an iced tea, and my dad and I heard someone playing the piano in another room. My dad was a music buff, and Miss Farrell noticed him trying to catch a glimpse. She said, “Hey, you wanna meet Lenny?” And we did.
Great story!
Not long after King burst on the scene. He was a revelation. The heldentenor the world was waiting for!
Quelle puissance vocale la Farrell, et quelle manière de monter en son, c'est énorme et sans jamais altérer le style et l'interprétation. Classe !
Farrell was really quite a phenomenon - she is so absolutely convincing in everything she sings - be it hochdramatisch or lyric, Italian or German. She plays with her voice with so much ease, pulls it back opens up big guns. The sound is also so beautiful - completely even throughout all registers, Her musicality is quite extraordinary - listen the way she crescendos and decrescendos.
I truly believe she was one of the greatest voices we have seen, and it is because of the MET that she never was truly appreciated the way she should have. Her Puccini CD is absolutely amazing. Every interpretation is so wonderful. In Questa Reggia was sung with so much ease. It was wonderful. She is amazing.
Yes, and remember she also sang with the Bach Aria Group and in Handel oratorio and in 20th Century music [no one can match her performance of Barber's Knoxville Summer or Menotti's Toi this we've come] and Broadway and popular music. A true vocal phenomenon who was without artifice when she sang.
Just a small addition to my entry below. When asked why she did not include Menotti's "To this we've come" on her album of American operas, Renee Fleming replied [referring to Farrell's recording of the aria] " When the perfect performance of a piece exists why do it again?"
@@matthewdavid3409 What happened between her and the Met that made this the case? Did Bing do something to screw HER over too, like he did so many others? I've often wondered why she wasn't a bigger name than she was. She was WAY better than Flagstad, or even Traubel!
@@artdanks from what I have heard, her and Bing had a kind of rough relationship. Both weren't necessarily kind to one another from what I have read. I think she is excellent too. I also like that you mentioned Traubel who was so excellent! Flagstad was great, but Traubel was equally good or better imo.
James King truly lives up to his last name!
I did not expect Farrell to sound this fresh-voiced in 1968. Wow.
Thank you for posting ❤
Energy-packed, high-voltage rendition! Two giants at their best!
Imagine if Bing had not been prejudiced against singers who had not trained and come up in provincial European houses what might have been at the MET. I would have loved to have seen a Ring Cycle with Nilsson and Farrell alternatley singing Brunnhilde and Sieglinde. That would have been enough to have Wagner come down from music heaven and bless the stage.
Love hearing Lenny Jumping up and down on the podium !!!!
C'est particulièrement magnifique..fin et plein de nuances, la puissance est là mais juste lorsqu'il le faut....ce très beau vraiment...je ne connaissais pas cette grande soprano ....
You know, I have never been a fan of Wagner AT ALL. BUT, hearing these 2 voices singing his music is a whole different world! I'm so used to "Wagnerian voices" be so cold and steely, and shrieking. But King and Farrel's voices are every bit as big and powerful, but also very focused, refined, and beautiful! I'm actually able to enjoy the music when its sung with voices like this!
Check out max Lorenz
@@markquehl2496 According to James King, Lorenz's voice is lighter than his.
@@hansjancker5057 I'd say not lighter, just much more flexible. Lorenz is unbelievable as Bacchus in the live 1944 Vienna "Ariadne auf Naxos." Also this "Die Walkure" scene with Maria Reining, Rother conducting.
What glorious memories,I think at Carnegie or was it Philharmonic at Lincoln Center her two the greatest American Voices doing justice to Wagner with Bernstein. Great!
Wow, she sounds great! King is known in this role...
My father was an IRS agent who had to audit the Regan's taxes. He went out to their Staten Island home and they were very pleasant, despite the audit. My father heard a great pianist tinkling away in another room, and Eileen Farrrell asked him, "You wanna meet Lenny? He's in the music room." She was quite a lady, but she didn't give a damn about fame and stardom.
Farrell was a great Wagnerian soprano who didn't much care for Wagner's music - except for Brunnhilde in Siegfried, she never sang any of his roles complete. In 1968 New Yorkers could hear Herbert von Karajan conduct Walkure as well - which may have inspired his rival to program Act 1!
You are absolutely wrong in this. She sang several Wagner roles with Bernstein in concert. It was Bing's old fashioned prejudice against American singers who had not "done their apprenticeships" in Europe that kept her from the Metropolitan except in a few seasons and in secondary operas. Imagine a Walkure with this Sieglinde and Nilsson as Brunnhilde and then a second round exchanging the roles. This would have been a coup for the Met and for both sopranos [Nilsson was a very good Sieglinde the few times she sang it and was only prevented from this kind of role exchange by not having an equal to exchange with]. I saw her in concert in Chicago and she sang Senta's ballad and the Wiesendonck Lieder as well as French songs and the great "To this we've come" aria from The Consul. In the audience were Nilsson, Schwarzkopf, and Dietrich-Fischer all performing either in the week before or after her. You do not get that kind of audience unless you are amond the greatest of all time.
Wilson Watt Bing was an absolute demon. For every artist that sang on the Met stage, at least another 15 were blocked by him for some reason or another. Only if their fame grew too great to ignore would he engage them after that. Sills comes to mind and even then, he was reluctant. A malignant, egomaniacal force given way too much power.
@@wilsonwatt9283 The only complete Wagner role she sang was Brunnhilde in Siegfried which has appeared on cd. She only sang excerpts from Wagner operas with Bernstein.
@@kevinmulder3373 Thank you! I don't know why people like Watt write what they do. Of course (for those who don't know) Brunnhilde/Siegfried is an anomaly, twenty minutes or so of singing.
I adore Farell but here I can barely understand a word of what she sings.
Normal que ces deux la, Eilleen et Lenny, s'entendent comme larrons en foire, ils étaient du même modèle, pouvaient tout jouer et tout chanter.
When approached to sing Wagner, Farrell was wary due to possible damage from complete performances which is why I believe she only sang/recorded excerpts. Nilsson was curious about Farrell’s voice attended several of her performances and saw her I believe as competition. It is sad that she had such a small operatic performing output and she didn’t record more (no Verdi Requiem😤.) Also, while she took music and performing seriously, she didn’t take herself seriously and found Bing’s autocratic management style difficult. America’s and music’s loss!!😢
How is she not a household name???????
Are you Neil?
Among opera connoisseurs she is a household name. No one has come close to her in terms of combination of musical knowledge, technique, and beauty of voice combined with interpretive sensitivity that allowed her to sing everything from Bach and Handel to Wagner to bel canto to verismo and Verdi to 20th century classical and then jazz interpretations of the great American popular song composers. An absolute phenomenon. I was lucky to hear her in concert on her last tour. She was spectacular. In the audience at the Auditorium were Birgit Nilsson, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. You do not get persons of that caliber coming to here you unless you are truly legendary.
She is at my house. I first heard her in person when she sang a Civic Music concert in Debuque, Iowa when I was 12 years old.
Because she wasn't "beautiful" and was overweight. She didn't qualify for Pretentious "glamour" girl of the decade. And she couldn't care at all.
Farrell gets more slack than she should. Her top notes were always precarious, and I don’t think she had anywhere near the stamina to get through an entire Ring cycle. But having heard her sing the Immolation Scene I know one thing is true -she was very loud!