The momentary expressive look at 7:23, of sadness relief and exultation at once. She knew she nailed it, she may have had doubts she would for some reason, and she knew there weren’t many such moments left to have. Stupendous.
I heard her sing live in concert once. It was in a 2500 seat auditorium, and I was in the last row of the top balcony. Her voice was huge. It filled the auditorium. And it was beautiful. Her high notes were unbelievable. It was incredible. She was magnificent.
She sang with Indy Orchestra in Jan. 1970, I was a student and nearly turned into a complete ninny from the waiting until she came to sing. She walked out on the stage of Clowes Hall and that is when I knew what a true diva was. The size of the voice alone-let alone the beauty, I went to MET in April of that year to hear she and Horne in Norma!Thought I would pass out in duets.Anyway-many high notes since- LOVE HER!!!Chorus Master- Indianapolis Opera
I heard Sutherland live. And Sills live. And Price live. And Pavarotti live. And they were all wonderful! Too many people like to criticize the great artists of the past. Joan Sutherland was truly "La Stupenda". She was one of the greatest sopranos who ever lived. I am grateful to have heard her sing live. And I am glad to have many of her cds and dvds so that I may listen and watch her magnificent performances whenever I want to do so.
SymphonyBrahms I would certainly never criticise the singers of Dame Joan's generation. I would criticise the modern singers who can never compare with them.
Oh La Stupenda!!!!! Escribio las paginas mas brillantes de la Opera... su timbre maravilloso, gran agilidad hasta el final de su larga carrera. Recibio la ovacion mas sonada, esa noche. A ella se debe haber puesto a la luz Operas raras y olvidadas.
I worship this. What a total diva... in the good sense. She was not young anymore, but I love the dramatic soprano richness she developed in the middle of the voice at this stage and her high notes were still better than anyone around today.. at age 57!!! My feelings are that a diva of this stature can take whatever liberties she wishes with the music. I think this was the norm in the Bel Canto age.. taking such liberties.
This only sounds "bad" in comparison to her younger self. Around 1960 she was vocal triumph. Truly stellar. In her later career she developed warmth and velvet in her voice. Naturally she lost the brilliance and enormity of her top range, the D# and E and maybe the vibrato got quite loose in the very end. But that's all natural and inevitable. She maintained almost everything else. Projection, resonance, stamina, agility, intonation. She's to admire. Whether you lover her or not. She was outstanding. Especially around 1960 she was miraculous. I'd give anything to travel back in time to witness her voice in an opera house. Or during the recording sessions for the art of the primadonna album. I'd really give almost anything for that. Just like for callas around 1950. My aunt once saw sutherland live some time in the 70s here in Hamburg. She was sitting at the very back of the concert hall with no view of the stage and she said it was as if the notes where played and placed all around her and each note was filling the entire venue with vibration and sound. And that her big high notes shot the roof off and obliterated the orchestra completely. And that was already in her later career. Imagine how that sounded 15-20 years earlier.
Until this performance, music from Semiramide was last heard at the Metropolitan Opera in 1895! Now you may not "like" this performance, but Joan Sutherland was great! Even here as an aged dramatic-coloratura she is still great--incomparable even!--and you can't take that away from her! EVERY VOICE AGES just like the rest of the body so I don't get the criticism. It's a testament to her rock solid technique that she can perform this well, with that size voice (and it was immense), at that age. Look up her singing the same aria 20 years prior to this when she was at height of her vocal prowess!
Any opera singer with a rock solid technique like Joan Sutherland can sing till their 70's and men even later and sound much better and younger than young wannabe opera singers. Joan Sutherland has just proven my point in this video. She was tremendous.
E' stata la prima interprete moderna di questo difficile ruolo. Memorabile alla Scala e magnifica nella registrazione Decca, ancora oggi di assoluto riferimento. Sono state tante le interpreti in questi ultimi anni, ma Lei, la Stupenda, rimane: Stat Crux dum volvitur orbis!
I wish Ricky hadn't modulated it down for her in the 'dolce pensier' section; that first set of runs is already low for a soprano in the original key, and Joan has to use all of her formidable technique to get through it . But all of those runs are right on the breath, as always, which is why she can sing this very difficult aria at this age! We miss you, Joanie, and Ricky, thank you for all you do!
Getting old .... Retiring earlier - this is what makes singing so fascinating. So let enjoy while we can or while we can sing. I heard Sutherland many times and her signatured-ending top is priceless in any live-performances.
Questi artisti sono di un metallo purissimo-...ammirevole che abbia ancora per amore dei suoi fans...la voglia di mettersi in gioco...non si è mai risparmiata...con un repertorio da paura...che non le ha precluso nessun autore...dove la musicista si difendeva anche dall'usura del tempo...ma l'oro della sua tecnica...porta a casa una ...emotiva esecuzione....dove lo splendore crepuscolare la rende ancora più ---artista... e indimenticabile.Basterebbe quel finale..che sembra una stella filante ...per abbracciarla con tutta la riconoscenza che Merita.
One other comment. Just her stage presence was something you could never find today. So grand. So monumental. Like a goddess from Mt Olympus. Even with that hair and dress LOL So totally different from the very warm, lady from your block feeling you get from her in interviews.
Without Sutherland, I'm not sure we would even have Semiramide in the repertoire (at least not as soon as we did). My favorite rendition is from the Art of the Prima Donna. I remember the first time I heard the high note (Eb or E (I think)) right before the second stanza of the cabaletta. I must have played that section alone over 100 times. I had never heard a sound like that in my life (still haven't heard a better one). Here she is 23 years later, still going strong. BRAVA!
I was forunate enough to have seen her onstage at the Lyric Opera Chicago 11 years earlier than this concerf. She was absolutely spectacular and, of course, as she was onstage performing the character much more dramatic even in this love aria. I believe that she could not be surpassed in Semiramide by any soprano at that time.
Big hair; big bow. Things were big in the 80's. Someday someone will be making fun of what we look like right now. But Ms. Sutherland sounds wonderful. If you don't like it, close your eyes or find an earlier recording of hers. For myself, I hope I can sing 16th notes like that when I'm in my 60's.
BRAVO!!! io sono con te, salutti, cuesta e la mia introduzione: Do not criticize, unless you can do better. Enjoy the opportunity TH-cam gives us, to watch and listen to past and present great moments. No criticar, a no ser que lo puedan hacer mejor. Disfrutad esta oportunidad de TH-cam , para ver y escuchar grandes momentos del pasado y presente.
Together with her husband Richard Boning created magic, he knew her voice to perfection. I love her reading of the letter in LA Traviata. That alone bring me to tears.
+profgv2011 You mean when she sang her first Lucia in 1959? If I knew who she was then and I was old enough, I would have pay for a ticket from the States to Covent Garden just to hear her.
She was 57 at this performance, and had been breaking new ground and setting the highest standards for most of her career. Perhaps this wasn't the best choice at her age, but she still out-sings almost everyone else, only failing against her much younger self. I saw her quite a few times in opera, concert, and recital - you can't imagine the sound of that voice in the theater.
+Dave Glo I am her biggest fan. She is the greatest. But sorry, this is an off night. And this is probably the least impressive representation of her great art I've heard her at any concert or gala. She lowered Bel Raggio's high E to a D flat, which makes the rest of the tessitura sound wobbly. Thankfully, she corrected that in her later concerts and even sung some better concerts at 63. She is 57 here. Sorry, I adore her, but even she knows she was not good that night. Note that the bravas that greet her were enormous. The bravas that greeted her after she sang were much more subtle.
+Dave Glo I can imagine it, having heard her live several times, as well. But you're right. Forget recordings for a voice like this. They're only mere approximations. The greatest bel canto singer of the 20th century, perhaps of all time.
Interestingly enough the classical music critic of the New Yorker magazine, Andrew Porter, in his review of this concert stated that Joan Sutherland and the recently retired Birgit Nilsson's performances were the best of the day. Virtually every important opera singer in the world performed. I guess that shows what a difference there is between a poorly recorded video and experiencing it live in the theater. He added prophetically considering Joan's and Birgit's ages it didn't spell good things for the future of opera.
don't overstate anything. Edita Gruberova at her 73 yr old just delivered a spectacular performance in SH. Her voice is still fresh like a virgin girl.
Fantastic singing from our beloved Joan. It's very sad that she wasn't at the MET for the year's 1979, 80, 81. This will never come back again and her complete Semiramide would be fantastic to see. It's also a pity that they hadn'd filmed Tales of Hoffmann, I Puritani, Esclarmonde. What a great mistake from the MET. Forgive my not so good english please.
Those gorgeous outfits for Esclarmonde, and the fact no one will ever be able to sing it again. What a tragedy it wasn't filmed. I would have loved to have heard early fat Callas tackle the role as well.
She finally got to sing her Semiramide at the MET - and at a a gala to boot - after they refused to mount a production for her, which was a crime I will never forgive them for. Revenge is a dish best served cold, as they say. She and Richard must have been giddy - - - I know I am.
@Andrew Yes, it was a great loss to fans like you and me. But the Met eventually did produce Semiramide with June Anderson, Marilyn Horne, Sam Ramey. And to be honest, at that point in their respective careers, Anderson sang the role much better than Sutherland would’ve been able to.
I’d like to add one more point - the Met had full plans to produce Semiramide with Sutherland and Horne. It was a 3-deal package, wherein Sutherland would sing Abduction from the Seraglio (conducted by Levine), Semiramide, and The Merry Widow. Sutherland found that during her preparation for Konstanze that she could no longer sing the role comfortably, so she canceled. The Met was furious, and in turn canceled the rest of the 3-opera deal. The Merry Widow was no great loss, but Semiramide was. Suth & Bonynge refused to return to the until 1982 for Lucia.
@@wotan10950 I heard my sister prepare for Konstanze and it is a harrowing part. Sutherland sang it with perfection in 1960 but she was around 30 then. Mozart demands perfection! She had the notes and technique but no longer comfortably had the tessitura for Marten aller Arten.
@@wotan10950 Thanks! I did not know the history. Regardless, it was a great loss that I still mourn 40 years later.........and a stupid management decision.
DJ's live opera performances were conducted exclusively by Bonynge from 1968 onward. She worked with other conductors in the studio. As to the ludicrous remark that she was "dropped" by opera houses, be assured the DJ was the greatest opera singer of her era and sang what she wanted, where she wanted, when she wanted. When she retired, and well before then, she was the highest paid opera house performer in the world.
Macho Voce Not entirely true. In Australia, for example, she sang Otello in the 1980s under Carlo Felice Cilario's baton. And Bonynge wasn't her only accompanist in recitals either. I saw her in Buffalo with a lady accompanist. Of course, 99% of her work was with Bonynge.
I absolutely LOVED that she chose this selection for the gala. Admittedly, it's merely a warm-up for her (she didn't warm up). But how perfectly delightful to sing SEMIRAMIDE on the stage of the Met with her husband conducting as a fabulous fuck you to Levine and his cadre of Assholes who could have had her unsurpassed interpretation had they not terminated her engagement four years before.
+george prentice In addition to starring in three nationally broadcast concerts from across the plaza that drew bigger audiences than anything from the Met at the time. Let's also not forget the Bonynges offered MERRY WIDOW that Levine said was wrong for the Met and would never be done there. He also said they'd never use supertitles. Yeah, he's a fatuous ass.
+Macho Voce Joanie could be very witty. It was a quality in her personality that was under-estimated. She was not as placid as people supposed! Polite, yes. Placid? No! The ridiculous thing about dumping The Merry Widow was that they claimed the version would not be 'adaptable'. That was clearly nonsense. When the next soprano comes along, you just re-gig the version to suit her! That is the way it goes. If Sutherland or Caballe premiere a production, when another singer takes over, the costumes must be adjusted to suit the new soprano. That applies to every opera everywhere! They were fools.
+Macho Voce Only Joan can get away with insisting that her husband conducts even though Levine must have been furious. She did transpose Bel Raggio a by a 3rd though.
Rossini....loved all the trills and frills he could get a singer to do....and of course...no matter how you put it....he certainly would have loved Sutherland and her ability to make his note shine. Enjoy while you can...there is no one singing now that has the ability or even sound to do justice to his work....keep that in mind...
It's worth noting that Dame Joan sang the highest note in the entire gala, (with Roberta Peters) - and sang an entire two and a half octaves in this aria - (actually TWO High Dflats - one was in the "fireworks " between the aria and cabaletta) Still - I wish she had just sung an aria from Lucia like "Regnava...Quando rapito in estasi" - where she didn't have to transpose.
I was there! Gone are those days, glorious days. Dame Joan's voice was the largest ever, filling with ease the vast auditorium. She even nailed down Eva Marton in Turandot! Now, filth is ruling.
Her face immediately after finishing is deeply private, miles away, as if considering what just happened---I got through it, the voice isn't what it once was, time passes quickly...then she comes back to the audience after a few seconds. I have read that JS had wanted to retire a few years later but Bonynge had talked her out of it. JS = divine.
I've heard an interview with Bonynge where he's said she wanted to retire a few years earlier, and he replied "why? you still sound pretty wonderful!". She may have been 'past her prime' and ready to retire, but I won't complain that she kept on for a few years ^_^. Brava Dame Joan!
I'm wondering who had the biggest hair - husband or wife? But seriously I remember seeing her in Lucia at Covent Garden at this around this time. I hadn't been sure whether to go or not but the reviews were good so I queued overnight and got a ticket. What you never really get from the recordings is just how much presence her voice had in the theatre. It was absolutely thrilling.
The opera "know it all" about her transposing the cabaletta is correct. But, the original key is A Major thus asking for a high E. She recorded it on The Voice of the Century" in that key, but really always sang the aria in A flat . going to the E flat. Thank-you!!!!
The Met Centennial Gala was nearly as notable for its unending cavalcade of gaudy '80s fashions and hairdos than it was for the singing. As much as I love Joan, I can't watch this without cringing. That backdrop isn't helping either.
Sorry if you have a problem with my wording, I have a masters degree in music and I've score studied probably 20 Rossini operas. To my knowledge she never sang this role at written pitch live (though a studio recording exists), even when she was in her 30s she sang bel raggio a semitone lower, which is fine. This is different, its a third lower, and shes omitting the low notes, I just think by this point she should have relinquised singing this. Just an opinion.
Every note is cleanly sung as if on a piano, and all the coloratura is sung legato and gracefully. Sadly (with the exception of Lisette Oropesa) what passes as Rossini singing today is gargling and aspiration.
She might feel well that night for some reason, she sounded aspirated and her lower register is not that clear she has the ,O' sound but in her early years she is magnificent, Joan should choose other aria than this she seems not so comfortable in this key that night that causes to produce this O sound
@GoldenAgeSunshine Oh, my God, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED your reference to Gruberova. And it's soooo true! Hahahahahahaha. She's gonna be 90, and squeaking out what's supposed to be an Eb (but really a C), playing Bolena with a walker, and just collapse then and there!
In answer to your question: During the first few years of her career she sang with numerous of the top conductors of the day. A few years later - not sure exactly when - around the mid 60s, she would only sing if her husband was hired to conduct. She maintained that they came as a "team". This way he got to have a career Some opera houses went along with this, other dropped her. She had a big falling out with La Scala over this around that time. and I think never sang there again.
La Sutherland rimane una dea di questo ruolo, però un po' di sano spirito critico, qui è innegabile (e per lei sacrosanto) che il declino è evidentissimo, sentitevi che Raggio Lusinghier faceva nel 62 alla Scala, o nel CD con Bonynge...un altro mondo!
She is not in as good voice here as usual. I heard her Anna Bolena the next year in Chicago and she was marvelous. I had heard her a number of times [between 1970 and 1984 at the Lyric, the Met, and Covent Garden] and her voice was incredibly well maintained over her very long career.
Dame Joan is, for me, is the greatest singer of all time. But this not her finest performance; she sounds like she had a cold. I hate that awful set, and the bow on her dress is hideous, but she gives it her best, I'd take her at her worst more than any other singer, living or dead, at their best. That final high note was spectacular, however.
@leprincebeaumont Concordo su tutto. Anche se comunque qualche problemino se si è un po pignoli lo si trova. Però concordo che a 58 anni è messa molto meglio del 80% dei soprani che ci sono oggi.
That was the wildest, weirdest, and most unnecessary sudden transposition in music history. They should've kept the original key of A and dispensed with all the tasteless ornaments (courtesy of Maestro Ricky). Bartoli sings this superbly and much more stylishly, without hitting anything higher than B. Here it's transposed to an odd key of F#/Gb so Dame Joan can hit that long C#/Db. Were they thinking they could fool the audience? I love her no matter what the top note is. Ricky is so vain.
The momentary expressive look at 7:23, of sadness relief and exultation at once. She knew she nailed it, she may have had doubts she would for some reason, and she knew there weren’t many such moments left to have.
Stupendous.
I heard her sing live in concert once. It was in a 2500 seat auditorium, and I was in the last row of the top balcony. Her voice was huge. It filled the auditorium. And it was beautiful. Her high notes were unbelievable. It was incredible. She was magnificent.
I am envious
Adore adore adore
Grande soprano
Yes! I saw the Sutherland, Horne, Bonynge NORMA during the late 60's MET tour. Singley or together it was almost life-changing!
She sang with Indy Orchestra in Jan. 1970, I was a student and nearly turned into a complete ninny from the waiting until she came to sing. She walked out on the stage of Clowes Hall and that is when I knew what a true diva was. The size of the voice alone-let alone the beauty, I went to MET in April of that year to hear she and Horne in Norma!Thought I would pass out in duets.Anyway-many high notes since- LOVE HER!!!Chorus Master- Indianapolis Opera
I heard Sutherland live. And Sills live. And Price live. And Pavarotti live. And they were all wonderful! Too many people like to criticize the great artists of the past. Joan Sutherland was truly "La Stupenda". She was one of the greatest sopranos who ever lived. I am grateful to have heard her sing live. And I am glad to have many of her cds and dvds so that I may listen and watch her magnificent performances whenever I want to do so.
SymphonyBrahms I would certainly never criticise the singers of Dame Joan's generation. I would criticise the modern singers who can never compare with them.
Apparently, those who live near Ms. Price still get to hear her live.....and according to her "its not too shabby!".
I am so jealous
She is truly divine. A gift from God.. May her soul rest in peace
Oh La Stupenda!!!!! Escribio las paginas mas brillantes de la Opera... su timbre maravilloso, gran agilidad hasta el final de su larga carrera. Recibio la ovacion mas sonada, esa noche. A ella se debe haber puesto a la luz Operas raras y olvidadas.
Cantante straordinaria! C'è poco da dire! Un'artista eccezionale, che ha dato alla musica lirica, momenti di straordinaria bellezza.... Saluti
I worship this. What a total diva... in the good sense. She was not young anymore, but I love the dramatic soprano richness she developed in the middle of the voice at this stage and her high notes were still better than anyone around today.. at age 57!!! My feelings are that a diva of this stature can take whatever liberties she wishes with the music. I think this was the norm in the Bel Canto age.. taking such liberties.
John Roberts She was 57 here, not 64.
I heard her live a few times when I was young....always freaking amazing
Indeed...accent on always, as her consistency was truly superhuman
This only sounds "bad" in comparison to her younger self. Around 1960 she was vocal triumph. Truly stellar.
In her later career she developed warmth and velvet in her voice. Naturally she lost the brilliance and enormity of her top range, the D# and E and maybe the vibrato got quite loose in the very end. But that's all natural and inevitable. She maintained almost everything else. Projection, resonance, stamina, agility, intonation.
She's to admire. Whether you lover her or not. She was outstanding.
Especially around 1960 she was miraculous. I'd give anything to travel back in time to witness her voice in an opera house. Or during the recording sessions for the art of the primadonna album. I'd really give almost anything for that. Just like for callas around 1950.
My aunt once saw sutherland live some time in the 70s here in Hamburg. She was sitting at the very back of the concert hall with no view of the stage and she said it was as if the notes where played and placed all around her and each note was filling the entire venue with vibration and sound. And that her big high notes shot the roof off and obliterated the orchestra completely. And that was already in her later career. Imagine how that sounded 15-20 years earlier.
I can't tell you how much I love the greeting they give her before she even sings!
Until this performance, music from Semiramide was last heard at the Metropolitan Opera in 1895! Now you may not "like" this performance, but Joan Sutherland was great! Even here as an aged dramatic-coloratura she is still great--incomparable even!--and you can't take that away from her! EVERY VOICE AGES just like the rest of the body so I don't get the criticism. It's a testament to her rock solid technique that she can perform this well, with that size voice (and it was immense), at that age. Look up her singing the same aria 20 years prior to this when she was at height of her vocal prowess!
Any opera singer with a rock solid technique like Joan Sutherland can sing till their 70's and men even later and sound much better and younger than young wannabe opera singers. Joan Sutherland has just proven my point in this video. She was tremendous.
...and her final high Dflat is so glorious a sound...!
Spectacular. We'll never hear another like her.
Promise?
Never a voice like Joanie again
June Anderson
Netrebko? Joking. Netrebko is dreadful. She can't touch Joan with a thousand foot pole!
Stunning singing - I love the emellishments.
Grande Joan! Che tu possa allietare gli angeli in cielo come hai allietato nooi sulla terra! Grazie per tutto,grazie per sempre! Angelo Di Bucchianico
For age this is nothing short of STUPENDOUS! Bravissima!
La Stupenda ! One of the most revered sopranos in Opera. Incredible.
E' stata la prima interprete moderna di questo difficile ruolo. Memorabile alla Scala e magnifica nella registrazione Decca, ancora oggi di assoluto riferimento. Sono state tante le interpreti in questi ultimi anni, ma Lei, la Stupenda, rimane: Stat Crux dum volvitur orbis!
I wish Ricky hadn't modulated it down for her in the 'dolce pensier' section; that first set of runs is already low for a soprano in the original key, and Joan has to use all of her formidable technique to get through it . But all of those runs are right on the breath, as always, which is why she can sing this very difficult aria at this age! We miss you, Joanie, and Ricky, thank you for all you do!
This is 5 times better than Damrau’s performance in 2020.
Thank you
Getting old .... Retiring earlier - this is what makes singing so fascinating. So let enjoy while we can or while we can sing. I heard Sutherland many times and her signatured-ending top is priceless in any live-performances.
BRAVA JOAN SUTHERLAND! STUPENDA! AMAZING COLORATURA AND VOICE! WONDERFUL! MAGISTRAL!
Questi artisti sono di un metallo purissimo-...ammirevole che abbia ancora per amore dei suoi fans...la voglia di mettersi in gioco...non si è mai risparmiata...con un repertorio da paura...che non le ha precluso nessun autore...dove la musicista si difendeva anche dall'usura del tempo...ma l'oro della sua tecnica...porta a casa una ...emotiva esecuzione....dove lo splendore crepuscolare la rende ancora più ---artista... e indimenticabile.Basterebbe quel finale..che sembra una stella filante ...per abbracciarla con tutta la riconoscenza che Merita.
One other comment. Just her stage presence was something you could never find today. So grand. So monumental. Like a goddess from Mt Olympus. Even with that hair and dress LOL So totally different from the very warm, lady from your block feeling you get from her in interviews.
And as incredible as it may now seem, like many others I'm sure, I used to take her presence on the operatic scene for granted.
Without Sutherland, I'm not sure we would even have Semiramide in the repertoire (at least not as soon as we did). My favorite rendition is from the Art of the Prima Donna. I remember the first time I heard the high note (Eb or E (I think)) right before the second stanza of the cabaletta. I must have played that section alone over 100 times. I had never heard a sound like that in my life (still haven't heard a better one).
Here she is 23 years later, still going strong. BRAVA!
she hasn't even sung yet and her bow is just beautiful! haha! i love this woman!
DAME JOAN SUTHERLAND amazing gifted singing career along side MARILYN HORNE & JESSYE NORMAN they will all be missed .
What a voice, what a dress, what hair. Beautifully done La Stupenda.
La maravillosa Joan Sutherland de timbre unico y tecnica fabulosa que rescato tantas arias olvidadas.
I was forunate enough to have seen her onstage at the Lyric Opera Chicago 11 years earlier than this concerf. She was absolutely spectacular and, of course, as she was onstage performing the character much more dramatic even in this love aria. I believe that she could not be surpassed in Semiramide by any soprano at that time.
Grandioosa! Commovente...
Gorgeous! I love her voice so much! Such legato and ease. (But lord, those 80's styles... what's with that huge bow on her back... lol)
Its funny, I believe she only wore the bow twice. At this concert, one in Pasadena. The concert in Sidney was sans bow.
4:31 I LOVE the way he looks at her. And she was right there waiting. A team to the full sense of the word.
Big hair; big bow. Things were big in the 80's. Someday someone will be making fun of what we look like right now. But Ms. Sutherland sounds wonderful. If you don't like it, close your eyes or find an earlier recording of hers. For myself, I hope I can sing 16th notes like that when I'm in my 60's.
BRAVO!!! io sono con te, salutti, cuesta e la mia introduzione:
Do not criticize, unless you can do better. Enjoy the opportunity TH-cam gives us, to watch and listen to past and present great moments. No criticar, a no ser que lo puedan hacer mejor. Disfrutad esta oportunidad de TH-cam , para ver y escuchar grandes momentos del pasado y presente.
Together with her husband Richard Boning created magic, he knew her voice to perfection. I love her reading of the letter in LA Traviata. That alone bring me to tears.
Her Traviata is a dream ; I have both of the recordings she made of the opera and adore them equally.
Ela foi a artista mais aplaudida do Met Centennial Gala ! Brava " La Stupenda " !
That dame could sing.
La preuve sur la terre de ce que peut être le Paradis ! Dame Joan, de ces personnes bénies qui nous aident à vivre !!!!JACQUES ROUCHOUSE
The one and only....The late great Joan Sutherland...Ask anyone who was there from the beginning...
+profgv2011 You mean when she sang her first Lucia in 1959? If I knew who she was then and I was old enough, I would have pay for a ticket from the States to Covent Garden just to hear her.
person of interest I have a friend who who remembers her first Lucia at Covent Garden and I saw her last appearance there.
She was 57 at this performance, and had been breaking new ground and setting the highest standards for most of her career. Perhaps this wasn't the best choice at her age, but she still out-sings almost everyone else, only failing against her much younger self. I saw her quite a few times in opera, concert, and recital - you can't imagine the sound of that voice in the theater.
+Dave Glo I am her biggest fan. She is the greatest. But sorry, this is an off night. And this is probably the least impressive representation of her great art I've heard her at any concert or gala. She lowered Bel Raggio's high E to a D flat, which makes the rest of the tessitura sound wobbly. Thankfully, she corrected that in her later concerts and even sung some better concerts at 63. She is 57 here. Sorry, I adore her, but even she knows she was not good that night. Note that the bravas that greet her were enormous. The bravas that greeted her after she sang were much more subtle.
+Dave Glo I can imagine it, having heard her live several times, as well. But you're right. Forget recordings for a voice like this. They're only mere approximations. The greatest bel canto singer of the 20th century, perhaps of all time.
Interestingly enough the classical music critic of the New Yorker magazine, Andrew Porter, in his review of this concert stated that Joan Sutherland and the recently retired Birgit Nilsson's performances were the best of the day. Virtually every important opera singer in the world performed. I guess that shows what a difference there is between a poorly recorded video and experiencing it live in the theater. He added prophetically considering Joan's and Birgit's ages it didn't spell good things for the future of opera.
Every singer has a bad night now and then. She's only human.
don't overstate anything. Edita Gruberova at her 73 yr old just delivered a spectacular performance in SH. Her voice is still fresh like a virgin girl.
Fantastic singing from our beloved Joan. It's very sad that she wasn't at the MET for the year's 1979, 80, 81. This will never come back again and her complete Semiramide would be fantastic to see. It's also a pity that they hadn'd filmed Tales of Hoffmann, I Puritani, Esclarmonde. What a great mistake from the MET. Forgive my not so good english please.
sutherland Fan They did film Hoffmann, but as a test. It was never released, but there are clips of those 1974 performances floating around on TH-cam.
I agree 100%
Those gorgeous outfits for Esclarmonde, and the fact no one will ever be able to sing it again. What a tragedy it wasn't filmed. I would have loved to have heard early fat Callas tackle the role as well.
La Stupenda! The one and only Joan Sutherland.
"La Stupenda!" indeed!!! Rest in peace.
She sings like an angel (but what is going on with that bow on her back?!)
Brava! Brava!! Brava!!! Nothing left to be said :-)
She finally got to sing her Semiramide at the MET - and at a a gala to boot - after they refused to mount a production for her, which was a crime I will never forgive them for. Revenge is a dish best served cold, as they say. She and Richard must have been giddy - - - I know I am.
@Andrew
Yes, it was a great loss to fans like you and me. But the Met eventually did produce Semiramide with June Anderson, Marilyn Horne, Sam Ramey. And to be honest, at that point in their respective careers, Anderson sang the role much better than Sutherland would’ve been able to.
I didn't know the backstory. Thanks
I’d like to add one more point - the Met had full plans to produce Semiramide with Sutherland and Horne. It was a 3-deal package, wherein Sutherland would sing Abduction from the Seraglio (conducted by Levine), Semiramide, and The Merry Widow. Sutherland found that during her preparation for Konstanze that she could no longer sing the role comfortably, so she canceled. The Met was furious, and in turn canceled the rest of the 3-opera deal. The Merry Widow was no great loss, but Semiramide was. Suth & Bonynge refused to return to the until 1982 for Lucia.
@@wotan10950 I heard my sister prepare for Konstanze and it is a harrowing part. Sutherland sang it with perfection in 1960 but she was around 30 then. Mozart demands perfection! She had the notes and technique but no longer comfortably had the tessitura for Marten aller Arten.
@@wotan10950 Thanks! I did not know the history. Regardless, it was a great loss that I still mourn 40 years later.........and a stupid management decision.
DJ's live opera performances were conducted exclusively by Bonynge from 1968 onward. She worked with other conductors in the studio. As to the ludicrous remark that she was "dropped" by opera houses, be assured the DJ was the greatest opera singer of her era and sang what she wanted, where she wanted, when she wanted. When she retired, and well before then, she was the highest paid opera house performer in the world.
Macho Voce Not entirely true. In Australia, for example, she sang Otello in the 1980s under Carlo Felice Cilario's baton. And Bonynge wasn't her only accompanist in recitals either. I saw her in Buffalo with a lady accompanist. Of course, 99% of her work was with Bonynge.
The correction is appreciated. She also sang some performances under Gamley. But most of her career, both opera and recital, is with Bonynge.
Well said..........
Just majestic. They don't make them like Joan anymore.
ALL THE AMAZING OPERA SINGERS WERE AT THIS METROPOLITAN OPERA GALA IT WAS AMAZING TO HAVE THEM ALL TOGETHER
This was truly a great night for the L´Oréal Elnett brand
Haha!
Yaasss kween. Come on back combing
Per Jacobsen -yes because she really was worth it !!!
i love so much to live in times of youtube.
what an event, but oooh god, what a costume
I absolutely LOVED that she chose this selection for the gala. Admittedly, it's merely a warm-up for her (she didn't warm up). But how perfectly delightful to sing SEMIRAMIDE on the stage of the Met with her husband conducting as a fabulous fuck you to Levine and his cadre of Assholes who could have had her unsurpassed interpretation had they not terminated her engagement four years before.
You are 1000% RIGHT!!😀
Well said!!
+george prentice In addition to starring in three nationally broadcast concerts from across the plaza that drew bigger audiences than anything from the Met at the time. Let's also not forget the Bonynges offered MERRY WIDOW that Levine said was wrong for the Met and would never be done there. He also said they'd never use supertitles. Yeah, he's a fatuous ass.
+Macho Voce Joanie could be very witty. It was a quality in her personality that was under-estimated. She was not as placid as people supposed! Polite, yes. Placid? No! The ridiculous thing about dumping The Merry Widow was that they claimed the version would not be 'adaptable'. That was clearly nonsense. When the next soprano comes along, you just re-gig the version to suit her! That is the way it goes. If Sutherland or Caballe premiere a production, when another singer takes over, the costumes must be adjusted to suit the new soprano. That applies to every opera everywhere! They were fools.
+Macho Voce But of course she had just sung LUCIA.
+Macho Voce Only Joan can get away with insisting that her husband conducts even though Levine must have been furious. She did transpose Bel Raggio a by a 3rd though.
很完美的控音，当Joan 唱很高音时是那样的完美，her voice is amazing and very awesome ❤👏👏👏
to me she could have sung it a whole octave lower, she'd still be THE Semirade
I totally agree. The best ever!!!!
That best ever
Rossini....loved all the trills and frills he could get a singer to do....and of course...no matter how you put it....he certainly would have loved Sutherland and her ability to make his note shine. Enjoy while you can...there is no one singing now that has the ability or even sound to do justice to his work....keep that in mind...
VIVA LA STUPENDA!!!
It's worth noting that Dame Joan sang the highest note in the entire gala, (with Roberta Peters) - and sang an entire two and a half octaves in this aria - (actually TWO High Dflats - one was in the "fireworks " between the aria and cabaletta)
Still - I wish she had just sung an aria from Lucia like "Regnava...Quando rapito in estasi" - where she didn't have to transpose.
+george prentice you go, GP!
+Macho Voce 😊
Judy Blegen sang C-sharp in the Rose Duet with Von Stade, which, if you're a string player, is technically higher than D-flat.
Fue la ovación mas sonada, cerrada, e impresionante en esta Gala del MET en 1983.
Even though this isn't the best performance of her life, this clearly shows why Joan Sutherland was and is the best soprano of all time!!
Amazing it seems that the best ala Joan and others get beaten up for anything while mediocrities get praised for simply surviving. Brava Joan
I agree! Well said!
Isn't that true! Bette Davis said "the birds always pick at the best fruit"!
I was there! Gone are those days, glorious days. Dame Joan's voice was the largest ever, filling with ease the vast auditorium. She even nailed down Eva Marton in Turandot! Now, filth is ruling.
Are you saying her voice was bigger than Marton's!!!!???
angel
Her face immediately after finishing is deeply private, miles away, as if considering what just happened---I got through it, the voice isn't what it once was, time passes quickly...then she comes back to the audience after a few seconds. I have read that JS had wanted to retire a few years later but Bonynge had talked her out of it. JS = divine.
I've heard an interview with Bonynge where he's said she wanted to retire a few years earlier, and he replied "why? you still sound pretty wonderful!". She may have been 'past her prime' and ready to retire, but I won't complain that she kept on for a few years ^_^. Brava Dame Joan!
I'm wondering who had the biggest hair - husband or wife?
But seriously I remember seeing her in Lucia at Covent Garden at this around this time. I hadn't been sure whether to go or not but the reviews were good so I queued overnight and got a ticket. What you never really get from the recordings is just how much presence her voice had in the theatre. It was absolutely thrilling.
A Diva till the end.
What can one say? Bravissima!
Greatest voice of the 20th century.
The opera "know it all" about her transposing the cabaletta is correct. But, the original key is A Major thus asking for a high E. She recorded it on The Voice of the Century" in that key, but really always sang the aria in A flat . going to the E flat.
Thank-you!!!!
She sang the original with big E nature at La Scala... It was amazing. Check it out
The Met Centennial Gala was nearly as notable for its unending cavalcade of gaudy '80s fashions and hairdos than it was for the singing. As much as I love Joan, I can't watch this without cringing. That backdrop isn't helping either.
Well if you get distracted that easily, close your eyes.
@courtjesting LOL - quite the thatch, isn't it? What a voice, though. Such a listenable tone compared to many a soprano....
the best semiramide ever
Bravo!!!!
Sorry if you have a problem with my wording, I have a masters degree in music and I've score studied probably 20 Rossini operas. To my knowledge she never sang this role at written pitch live (though a studio recording exists), even when she was in her 30s she sang bel raggio a semitone lower, which is fine. This is different, its a third lower, and shes omitting the low notes, I just think by this point she should have relinquised singing this. Just an opinion.
If you can find it, listen to the live RAI performance from 1968. You might have a new favorite.
To still have the elasticity in the vocal cords at that point
Every note is cleanly sung as if on a piano, and all the coloratura is sung legato and gracefully. Sadly (with the exception of Lisette Oropesa) what passes as Rossini singing today is gargling and aspiration.
Have you sung Fioratura?
Ну и образ для голоса прекрасной Мансеррат Кабаллье и её красивой внешности
She might feel well that night for some reason, she sounded aspirated and her lower register is not that clear she has the ,O' sound but in her early years she is magnificent, Joan should choose other aria than this she seems not so comfortable in this key that night that causes to produce this O sound
потрясаюча техніка виконання.шкоооооола.!!!!!!пріма.
А зачем так много буквы "о"?
ЛІТЕРА\О\ ДЛЯ ТОГО,ЩОБ ПІДКРЕСЛИТИ ЗНАЧЕННЯ ШКОЛИ.БО БІЛЬША ЧАСТИНА СПІВАКОВ Й СПІВАЧОК АБО ЇЇ НЕ МАЮТЬ,АБО НЕ ДОВЧЕНІ.@@tatyanakoleso8318
💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
@GoldenAgeSunshine Oh, my God, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED your reference to Gruberova. And it's soooo true! Hahahahahahaha. She's gonna be 90, and squeaking out what's supposed to be an Eb (but really a C), playing Bolena with a walker, and just collapse then and there!
In answer to your question: During the first few years of her career she sang with numerous of the top conductors of the day. A few years later - not sure exactly when - around the mid 60s, she would only sing if her husband was hired to conduct. She maintained that they came as a "team". This way he got to have a career Some opera houses went along with this, other dropped her. She had a big falling out with La Scala over this around that time. and I think never sang there again.
Erstaunliche Leistung, mit 57 Jahren. Ich wusste gar nicht, sie war 1,87 groß.
No: la modulazione @4:33 non si può sentire! Da la maggiore a sol bemolle maggiore. NOOOOOOOO
La Sutherland rimane una dea di questo ruolo, però un po' di sano spirito critico, qui è innegabile (e per lei sacrosanto) che il declino è evidentissimo, sentitevi che Raggio Lusinghier faceva nel 62 alla Scala, o nel CD con Bonynge...un altro mondo!
Prima Prima Donna
Diosa.
Whose hair is bigger, Joan or Richard's? I don't know!!!
Люблю. Чому Джоан не розкручували як Марію?.. Достойна Джоан, Монсеррат, Леонтіна Прайс, Дж. Норман, Тебальді... Такі дівчата з рідкісним талантом...
She is not in as good voice here as usual. I heard her Anna Bolena the next year in Chicago and she was marvelous. I had heard her a number of times [between 1970 and 1984 at the Lyric, the Met, and Covent Garden] and her voice was incredibly well maintained over her very long career.
@nclysander I believe she had a cold during this performance, in reference to 6:03.
LULZ!!! at Cio Cio san does Las Vegas! great Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan is, for me, is the greatest singer of all time. But this not her finest performance; she sounds like she had a cold. I hate that awful set, and the bow on her dress is hideous, but she gives it her best, I'd take her at her worst more than any other singer, living or dead, at their best. That final high note was spectacular, however.
Suth Pav Great performance and half the singers these days couldn't do it at half her age. The other half wouldn't dare to try.
I agree with you 100%!
Excellent. Who's the singer, the conductor and orchestra; I don't see the names.
For great artistry at an older age check out Mirella Freni at 68 sings "Adieu, forets"
@leprincebeaumont Concordo su tutto. Anche se comunque qualche problemino se si è un po pignoli lo si trova. Però concordo che a 58 anni è messa molto meglio del 80% dei soprani che ci sono oggi.
That was the wildest, weirdest, and most unnecessary sudden transposition in music history. They should've kept the original key of A and dispensed with all the tasteless ornaments (courtesy of Maestro Ricky). Bartoli sings this superbly and much more stylishly, without hitting anything higher than B. Here it's transposed to an odd key of F#/Gb so Dame Joan can hit that long C#/Db. Were they thinking they could fool the audience? I love her no matter what the top note is. Ricky is so vain.