Thank you, thank you, thank you. Miss Bumbry is absolutely stunning with her distinctly recognizable and thrilling voice. She always kept me at the edge of my seat.
you know, Franco Corelli said something in Great Singers on Great Singing that I think should be noted here.Someone said Bumbry should not have sung the high Dflat at the end of the Sleepwalking scene, and his response was too often people judge what is otherwise a fantastic performance by one note. What of the rest of what she sang?
Grace was a Prima Donna as a Mezzo! Her Carmen, her Amneris, her Eboli, dominated the stage and blew away more than a few of the sopranos, who thought she was going to be Seconda Donna! Her Bayreuth Venus at 24 was the Soprano version! Grace had star quality, and glamor, galore and she had a voice that opened doors to the soprano rep! She achieved her artistic and career goals! She became a star Soprano an a star Mezzo! Get over it!
I will grant you that other singers do this high B very well as well, and I'm sure you have a favourite. But where I believe Bumbry shines is in keeping the quality of her sound in her entire register - her high notes are as supported and as large as her lower notes. I'd rather hear this high B, in this video, than other high Bs by other singers, who probably won't reach her present age with her quality.
A very mezzo tessitura... or in other words, as in the case of her Giocondas, Turandots and Toscas, a dramatic soprano. :) I think if we put it like that we'll be in agreement. I have enjoyed this discussion, by the way. So rare to have intelligent, non inflamatory discussions on TH-cam nowadays.
That is true. So it's a good thing none of the notes in this particular video are screamed, especially the high note (which is a B natural, by the way).
I posted this two years ago, but took it down because it wasn't getting many views. She and Levine were at odds by this point, but she sings with stunning tone. Levine is with her all the way. Your copy looks slightly different from mine. Wonder why
bumbry and the met were already at odds in the early 80s. in 1982, she gave an interview to opera news magazine in which she had talked vaguely about the met giving big productions to someone not suited for the dramatic parts that she wanted (lady macbeth, gioconda, norma). she was obviously talking about scotto. she felt the met wasn't giving her enough work and she seemed to concentrate in europe about then.
I antecipate that you might say that many singers are hired for roles they don't do well - and you'd be right. So let's leave the hiring out of it, my mistake for bringing it up. The quality of sound and register she shows is important for her classification as Soprano, but even more so, the length of time she sang as such. You don't last long outside your register unless you're brilliant. Anyway, her mezzo's wonderful too, I feel priviledged that we have access to both.
I've always thought that Grace's voice was more true to a mezzo than a soprano. Her voice was very rich and the mezzo tessitura was really more of a fit for her great voice. Compare her Casta Diva to Sutherland or Caballe and they ran circles around her, but, her Vissi Darte slammed other soprano's interpretations so she had a decent versatility. On the flip side, I always thought Shirley Verrett was MORE of a soprano (and she also starred in mezzo roles) than a mezzo because her voice was more geared for Norma and other roles. I think when an artist strays outside of their true range it's a big gamble and often doesn't pay off. I also think that her great rivalry with Shirley Verrett inspired both of them to out do each other. Grace was wonderful as Amneris in Aida, and she could deliver the most beautiful interpretation of "I'o son lumile ancella" from Adriana Lecouvreur, but some of her other soprano/higher range interpretations weren't as strong. I'm still a fan either way.
Well, she clearly wasn't a light soprano or a lyric soprano, that's all. The fact that she did a Casta Diva at all speaks volumes - I don't believe Nilsson every did a Norma. You have to listen to it remembering it's a dramatic soprano singing it. It's like Sutherland's or Caballe's Turandot, or Kraus singing "Nessun dorma" or "Lucevan le stelle"; you take it with a pinch of salt, admiring the good and admiring the guts of the performer, but you know full well they're singing something that's not really for their voice. I find her Norma astounding, myself. And yes - her "Io son l'umille ancella" is a little gift from God.
@@joemiller6975 Never said it wasn't, she's one of my favorite's and still is. My point is that Ms Verrett's abilities in the more Bel Canto soprano roles with higher range fit her more solidly at her height than Ms Bumbry's and that was a difference between them.
@@gcmacyman I agree that Verret was more comfortable in the bel canto, aspects of Norma ,however I never felt she had the heft or dramatic thrust for Tosca, and preferred Grace in that part .I felt Verrett was rather overwhelmed by some of the heavier roles she took on. Grace was thrilling in dramatic soprano roles like Gioconda, Lady MacBeth, Turandot, her top was astounding and her sense of the dramatic exemplary. I felt Verrett had a lighter and less powerful voice. She was however a marvelously gifted and most wonderful artist whom I greatly admire and respect. It is a testament to both Ladies intelligence and character that they never feuded but embraced and collaborated and with the other. Their Concert was a joy to see and hear!
@@joemiller6975 Completely agree. Ms Bumbry has a very full rich voice that has a distinctive reach and a great fit for her dramatic soprano roles. And yes their concert at Covent Garden was phenomenal. I was actually in high school and saw it on PBS, and as I turned to the station, Ms Bumbry was halfway through I'o Son Lumile Ancella and I froze with fascination and became an instant fan as she ended the aria. In college (before theater class for one semester) I would go to the library each day and step by step listen to a recording of Aida (on the library record player lol) with Leontyne Price, Placido Domingo and Ms Bumbry as Amneris. I would read the libretto as I listened, learn Italian at the same time, and learn the story of this wonderful opera performed by superior singers. It was extraordinary.
Big time! She speaks about it very vaguely in interviews, but she did not like the conditions under which she had to sing. She surely felt that she and Carreras should have been given the broadcast and not Price/Giacomini. After hearing both, I'd agree. She also was at odds with Levine during this time because as she said, "the conductor had some other voice in mind. Instead of saying fire me or work with me as the artist I am and with my voice, I didn't want to be difficult
I must again bring up the facts. No mezzo with high notes (I could name one, incidently) could have the sort of career she had and end up as she has. And, her Adriana and Gioconda are as good as her Tosca (and man, her Tosca!) and Turandot. Or Abigaille, incidently, or Leonora. Or Aida. If it had been just a whim, no one would even hire her for any of these.
Бамбри была и сопрано, и меццо, и пела и более, и менее успешно. В этой нешуточной арии ей не хватало и голосовой мощи (что превосходно понимал Ливайн, очень тактично поддерживая ее пение), и верхов, что доказала на пределе возможности спетая не лучшим образом кульминационная нота, и низов, что продемонстрировал измененный финал арии. Основное удовольствие я получил от умного и тонкого оркестра в руках большого мастера.
Bumbry griped her whole life about one thing or another. if it was not about the conductor, then it was the director or the mezzo in the production or the soprano who was second cast - I experienced it all first hand! By the way, she acknowledges the first violinist during her applause biut doesnt even LOOK at Levine!
I do, actually. I see that you do not, and since there is a certain subjectivity to it I will agree to disagree, I do not wish to start a subjective discussion because no one wins those. I will however point out two facts: 1st, Bumbry sang Turandots, Normas, Toscas, Adrianna Lecouvreurs. 2nd, her sound is, even today at her age, extremely round, healthy, and beautiful. Had she been screaming these notes, neither of these would be possible. I find her vocally perfect, myself.
Levine was at odds with many great singers who were also Met material. Another example was Gilda Cruz-Romo who, like Ms. Bumbry opted to perform in Europe.
I very much doubt that if she hadn't done it well she would be at all able to do them - but then, there are many artists whose career I respect utterly but don't particularly like, so fair enough. In her case, though, she definitely should sing at 75. :) Not Turandots, obviously, but she recently did a Queen of Spades that I hear, from people who watched, was breathtaking, eclipsed everyone else.
A highly successful career that has spanned decades, and an exhuberant audience here, dispute both 1) your claim that the high note (a B natural, by the way, not a C) was screamed and b) the inference that she was not successful as a soprano.
and tried to please him, and almost lost my voice for it." She speaks about that Forza as her only near vocal disaster. This was taken from an Opera News interview around 2006.
Ah, ok. Being, as I said, unfamiliar with Salome as a whole I'll take your word for it. Regarding the intelligence VS how things turned out, I think if we agree to disagree on this one as well - because neither of us can say for certain - we'll wrap up this discussion nicely. ;)
A valid theory, which if true means that she was intelligent enough to manage it that way. And therefore it allowed her to sing both repertoires. As you can probably gather it's not a theory I subscribe to, but it's valid and reveals, again, great intelligence, which paid off years after. I am surprised, I'll admit, that you put Eboli and Salome so close together, but I know only bits of Salome. Only time I saw one live it was atrocious, anyway.
Bumbry was never a soprano. She sort of fell between mezzo and soprano and, to her own detriment, thought she was better than she really was. She was obsessed with Verrett and her transitional success and was not an especially well-liked colleague. She never went off the deep end like Battle did, but she flirted with it.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Miss Bumbry is absolutely stunning with her distinctly recognizable and thrilling voice. She always kept me at the edge of my seat.
you know, Franco Corelli said something in Great Singers on Great Singing that I think should be noted here.Someone said Bumbry should not have sung the high Dflat at the end of the Sleepwalking scene, and his response was too often people judge what is otherwise a fantastic performance by one note. What of the rest of what she sang?
her version is fabulous! amazing
Grace was a Prima Donna as a Mezzo! Her Carmen, her Amneris, her Eboli, dominated the stage and blew away more than a few of the sopranos, who thought she was going to be Seconda Donna! Her Bayreuth Venus at 24 was the Soprano version! Grace had star quality, and glamor, galore and she had a voice that opened doors to the soprano rep! She achieved her artistic and career goals! She became a star Soprano an a star Mezzo! Get over it!
Excellent
I will grant you that other singers do this high B very well as well, and I'm sure you have a favourite. But where I believe Bumbry shines is in keeping the quality of her sound in her entire register - her high notes are as supported and as large as her lower notes. I'd rather hear this high B, in this video, than other high Bs by other singers, who probably won't reach her present age with her quality.
A very mezzo tessitura... or in other words, as in the case of her Giocondas, Turandots and Toscas, a dramatic soprano. :) I think if we put it like that we'll be in agreement. I have enjoyed this discussion, by the way. So rare to have intelligent, non inflamatory discussions on TH-cam nowadays.
Bravo Bumbry!
That is true. So it's a good thing none of the notes in this particular video are screamed, especially the high note (which is a B natural, by the way).
Regarding finesse, though, I feel I must bring your attention to her "Ecco, respiro appena". If that's not finesse, nothing is. One of my favourites.
I posted this two years ago, but took it down because it wasn't getting many views. She and Levine were at odds by this point, but she sings with stunning tone. Levine is with her all the way. Your copy looks slightly different from mine. Wonder why
bumbry and the met were already at odds in the early 80s. in 1982, she gave an interview to opera news magazine in which she had talked vaguely about the met giving big productions to someone not suited for the dramatic parts that she wanted (lady macbeth, gioconda, norma). she was obviously talking about scotto. she felt the met wasn't giving her enough work and she seemed to concentrate in europe about then.
Bumbry spent her whole career griping
I antecipate that you might say that many singers are hired for roles they don't do well - and you'd be right. So let's leave the hiring out of it, my mistake for bringing it up. The quality of sound and register she shows is important for her classification as Soprano, but even more so, the length of time she sang as such. You don't last long outside your register unless you're brilliant. Anyway, her mezzo's wonderful too, I feel priviledged that we have access to both.
I've always thought that Grace's voice was more true to a mezzo than a soprano. Her voice was very rich and the mezzo tessitura was really more of a fit for her great voice. Compare her Casta Diva to Sutherland or Caballe and they ran circles around her, but, her Vissi Darte slammed other soprano's interpretations so she had a decent versatility. On the flip side, I always thought Shirley Verrett was MORE of a soprano (and she also starred in mezzo roles) than a mezzo because her voice was more geared for Norma and other roles. I think when an artist strays outside of their true range it's a big gamble and often doesn't pay off. I also think that her great rivalry with Shirley Verrett inspired both of them to out do each other. Grace was wonderful as Amneris in Aida, and she could deliver the most beautiful interpretation of "I'o son lumile ancella" from Adriana Lecouvreur, but some of her other soprano/higher range interpretations weren't as strong. I'm still a fan either way.
Well, she clearly wasn't a light soprano or a lyric soprano, that's all. The fact that she did a Casta Diva at all speaks volumes - I don't believe Nilsson every did a Norma. You have to listen to it remembering it's a dramatic soprano singing it. It's like Sutherland's or Caballe's Turandot, or Kraus singing "Nessun dorma" or "Lucevan le stelle"; you take it with a pinch of salt, admiring the good and admiring the guts of the performer, but you know full well they're singing something that's not really for their voice. I find her Norma astounding, myself. And yes - her "Io son l'umille ancella" is a little gift from God.
Bumbry's gamble paid off! She was very successful as a soprano. Her career was nothing short of astounding!
@@joemiller6975 Never said it wasn't, she's one of my favorite's and still is. My point is that Ms Verrett's abilities in the more Bel Canto soprano roles with higher range fit her more solidly at her height than Ms Bumbry's and that was a difference between them.
@@gcmacyman I agree that Verret was more comfortable in the bel canto, aspects of Norma ,however I never felt she had the heft or dramatic thrust for Tosca, and preferred Grace in that part .I felt Verrett was rather overwhelmed by some of the heavier roles she took on. Grace was thrilling in dramatic soprano roles like Gioconda, Lady MacBeth, Turandot, her top was astounding and her sense of the dramatic exemplary. I felt Verrett had a lighter and less powerful voice. She was however a marvelously gifted and most wonderful artist whom I greatly admire and respect. It is a testament to both Ladies intelligence and character that they never feuded but embraced and collaborated and with the other. Their Concert was a joy to see and hear!
@@joemiller6975 Completely agree. Ms Bumbry has a very full rich voice that has a distinctive reach and a great fit for her dramatic soprano roles. And yes their concert at Covent Garden was phenomenal. I was actually in high school and saw it on PBS, and as I turned to the station, Ms Bumbry was halfway through I'o Son Lumile Ancella and I froze with fascination and became an instant fan as she ended the aria. In college (before theater class for one semester) I would go to the library each day and step by step listen to a recording of Aida (on the library record player lol) with Leontyne Price, Placido Domingo and Ms Bumbry as Amneris. I would read the libretto as I listened, learn Italian at the same time, and learn the story of this wonderful opera performed by superior singers. It was extraordinary.
Big time! She speaks about it very vaguely in interviews, but she did not like the conditions under which she had to sing. She surely felt that she and Carreras should have been given the broadcast and not Price/Giacomini. After hearing both, I'd agree. She also was at odds with Levine during this time because as she said, "the conductor had some other voice in mind. Instead of saying fire me or work with me as the artist I am and with my voice, I didn't want to be difficult
Courtney what year was this performance?
The article is Grace Ann Under Pressure printed 2001 and reprinted 2005-2006 season fyi
Bravissima
I must again bring up the facts. No mezzo with high notes (I could name one, incidently) could have the sort of career she had and end up as she has. And, her Adriana and Gioconda are as good as her Tosca (and man, her Tosca!) and Turandot. Or Abigaille, incidently, or Leonora. Or Aida. If it had been just a whim, no one would even hire her for any of these.
Бамбри была и сопрано, и меццо, и пела и более, и менее успешно. В этой нешуточной арии ей не хватало и голосовой мощи (что превосходно понимал Ливайн, очень тактично поддерживая ее пение), и верхов, что доказала на пределе возможности спетая не лучшим образом кульминационная нота, и низов, что продемонстрировал измененный финал арии. Основное удовольствие я получил от умного и тонкого оркестра в руках большого мастера.
Bumbry griped her whole life about one thing or another. if it was not about the conductor, then it was the director or the mezzo in the production or the soprano who was second cast - I experienced it all first hand! By the way, she acknowledges the first violinist during her applause biut doesnt even LOOK at Levine!
I would agree.
I do, actually. I see that you do not, and since there is a certain subjectivity to it I will agree to disagree, I do not wish to start a subjective discussion because no one wins those. I will however point out two facts: 1st, Bumbry sang Turandots, Normas, Toscas, Adrianna Lecouvreurs. 2nd, her sound is, even today at her age, extremely round, healthy, and beautiful. Had she been screaming these notes, neither of these would be possible. I find her vocally perfect, myself.
Wow, didn't know there was friction between Bumbry and Levine
Levine was at odds with many great singers who were also Met material. Another example was Gilda Cruz-Romo who, like Ms. Bumbry opted to perform in Europe.
Also, I hate the way TH-cam's changed. I'm trying to keep track of this conversation and the posts are all over the place. Bleh.
Peter Piers me too 😤
I very much doubt that if she hadn't done it well she would be at all able to do them - but then, there are many artists whose career I respect utterly but don't particularly like, so fair enough. In her case, though, she definitely should sing at 75. :) Not Turandots, obviously, but she recently did a Queen of Spades that I hear, from people who watched, was breathtaking, eclipsed everyone else.
A highly successful career that has spanned decades, and an exhuberant audience here, dispute both 1) your claim that the high note (a B natural, by the way, not a C) was screamed and b) the inference that she was not successful as a soprano.
and tried to please him, and almost lost my voice for it." She speaks about that Forza as her only near vocal disaster. This was taken from an Opera News interview around 2006.
she was a short soprano
+Federico Mastrangelo No a high mezzo!
So was Rosa Ponselle! She lived in fear of top notes throughout her career yet her voice was glorious to hear!
Ah, ok. Being, as I said, unfamiliar with Salome as a whole I'll take your word for it. Regarding the intelligence VS how things turned out, I think if we agree to disagree on this one as well - because neither of us can say for certain - we'll wrap up this discussion nicely. ;)
Well @arthur diggs!
i could not find any flaws. there are deaf people over here.
A valid theory, which if true means that she was intelligent enough to manage it that way. And therefore it allowed her to sing both repertoires. As you can probably gather it's not a theory I subscribe to, but it's valid and reveals, again, great intelligence, which paid off years after. I am surprised, I'll admit, that you put Eboli and Salome so close together, but I know only bits of Salome. Only time I saw one live it was atrocious, anyway.
Bumbry was never a soprano. She sort of fell between mezzo and soprano and, to her own detriment, thought she was better than she really was. She was obsessed with Verrett and her transitional success and was not an especially well-liked colleague. She never went off the deep end like Battle did, but she flirted with it.
brava, ma non sento quelle morbidezze e l'abbandono che l'aria richiede, tutto un po troppo spinto.