My teacher sang with Joan onstage for 10 years, and he told me that her husband was very instrumental in taking her away from her studies as a mezzo and making her sing very high and light. Apparently, he heard her singing along to some coloratura music in their house whilst doing some cleaning and thought that was the direction she should go. It would have been interesting to see how she'd have come out if allowed to develop the chest voice properly.
Clara Petrella is one of the best lyrics ever… Muzio, Tebaldi, Petrella and Cigna show what was missing in Sutherland’s voice. And of course the baritone Ponselle! 🤣
Perhaps a little sympathy. She was casting around for odd things to sing at the end of her career - so did Tebaldi. She chose a particular vocal path with Bonynge, and for a decade at her peak produced some pretty extraordinary sounds.
I think Ms Sutherland could have developed her voice much better because I can hear some good material. That's a shame. P.S. how about her diction? It's the worst one I've ever heard!
@@draganvidic2039 I agree, her diction was horriblewhen she sings I cringe. As an Italian opera lover I could never stand her voice no even in lighter roles
Absolutely d'acord that most of the repertoire is not for Sutherland and she shouldn't have attempted it. (I would exclude Turandot, that I listen to sometimes with pleasure). She and her husband decided to form her voice in a special way, surely not complete, but the sound, like it or not, is memorable in the first moment and she could do incredible things with it. No singer was ever complete. I'd make an exception for Pol Plançon,who was damned perfect. I never would recommend Sutherland's way to any youngest singer. Also Caruso's not to talk about Callas'. But im very glad they were going it because of wonderful vocal experiences. In the case of Sutherland for example Esclarmonde or Marguerite de Valois, her first Donna Anna etc. Imagine Petrella as Lakmé or Ponselle as Lucia. Sutherland's fault is, she tried and recorded the heavy Verdi- and Verismo-roles with her personal approach. It is good to mention, that this music has to sound different. But I think it's inappropriate to say, the other ladys are better singers. Their approach to voice and music is much more adequate to the roles in question in this video. Last thought: I think, the singers we will remember are not the those who were faultless. It's them that had voice and personality, unique timbre and a reliable technique. You remeber Flagstad and Nilsson, not Grob-Prantl. You remember Vickers (I can hear the hurls...) and not Suthaus, who had a much better technique. I think when Sutherland and Bonyngne had formed from Sutherland's voice a normal dramtic soprano (I think that would have been possible), no one would remember her. She wouldn't have made this spectacular carrer. She wouldn't have sounded so special, like it or not. Perhaps an example from the 20th painting: Picasso in the beginning of his career had a marvellous technique for romantic portraits in the tradition of Velázquez. He could have stayed there and get a third rate spanish painter. Or he became Picasso, the world famous painter. Letting traditionel technique go he created, like it or not, an absolutely memorable own style. I think it's the difference between craftsmanship and true art. So to repeat: every young singer should have proper craftsmanship, but then has to develop his or her own forms and techniques of expression and personality. Thank you for your work and stimulus for debate. Greetings from Germany
This site is a priceless gem.
My teacher sang with Joan onstage for 10 years, and he told me that her husband was very instrumental in taking her away from her studies as a mezzo and making her sing very high and light. Apparently, he heard her singing along to some coloratura music in their house whilst doing some cleaning and thought that was the direction she should go. It would have been interesting to see how she'd have come out if allowed to develop the chest voice properly.
Clara Petrella is one of the best lyrics ever…
Muzio, Tebaldi, Petrella and Cigna show what was missing in Sutherland’s voice.
And of course the baritone Ponselle! 🤣
Perhaps a little sympathy. She was casting around for odd things to sing at the end of her career - so did Tebaldi. She chose a particular vocal path with Bonynge, and for a decade at her peak produced some pretty extraordinary sounds.
I think Ms Sutherland could have developed her voice much better because I can hear some good material. That's a shame.
P.S. how about her diction? It's the worst one I've ever heard!
Agreed unfortunately.
And 90% of ”opera”-lovers don’t get this…
Having one octave with coloratura but without diction is not a well trained voice.
@@draganvidic2039 I agree, her diction was horriblewhen she sings I cringe. As an Italian opera lover I could never stand her voice no even in lighter roles
Lol....Sutherland has NEVER cracked EVER!
Absolutely d'acord that most of the repertoire is not for Sutherland and she shouldn't have attempted it. (I would exclude Turandot, that I listen to sometimes with pleasure). She and her husband decided to form her voice in a special way, surely not complete, but the sound, like it or not, is memorable in the first moment and she could do incredible things with it. No singer was ever complete. I'd make an exception for Pol Plançon,who was damned perfect. I never would recommend Sutherland's way to any youngest singer. Also Caruso's not to talk about Callas'. But im very glad they were going it because of wonderful vocal experiences. In the case of Sutherland for example Esclarmonde or Marguerite de Valois, her first Donna Anna etc. Imagine Petrella as Lakmé or Ponselle as Lucia. Sutherland's fault is, she tried and recorded the heavy Verdi- and Verismo-roles with her personal approach. It is good to mention, that this music has to sound different. But I think it's inappropriate to say, the other ladys are better singers. Their approach to voice and music is much more adequate to the roles in question in this video. Last thought: I think, the singers we will remember are not the those who were faultless. It's them that had voice and personality, unique timbre and a reliable technique. You remeber Flagstad and Nilsson, not Grob-Prantl. You remember Vickers (I can hear the hurls...) and not Suthaus, who had a much better technique. I think when Sutherland and Bonyngne had formed from Sutherland's voice a normal dramtic soprano (I think that would have been possible), no one would remember her. She wouldn't have made this spectacular carrer. She wouldn't have sounded so special, like it or not.
Perhaps an example from the 20th painting: Picasso in the beginning of his career had a marvellous technique for romantic portraits in the tradition of Velázquez. He could have stayed there and get a third rate spanish painter. Or he became Picasso, the world famous painter. Letting traditionel technique go he created, like it or not, an absolutely memorable own style.
I think it's the difference between craftsmanship and true art.
So to repeat: every young singer should have proper craftsmanship, but then has to develop his or her own forms and techniques of expression and personality. Thank you for your work and stimulus for debate. Greetings from Germany
The problem is that bad singers and bad painters are classed as artists, artist with a personality 😣☹️😕🤔🤔🤔