Strange as it may sound, it was, in large measure, Mirella Freni's singing that convinced me, back in the Sixties when I was an undergraduate at Columbia University, just a short subway ride from the Met, that I just had to come to live in Italy. And here I am now, resident in Milan, where I have lived ever since 1980. She was always very kind to me. I particularly treasure the memory of an evening when, having just sung Mimì in Philadelphia, she gave me a lift back to Manhattan in her chauffeured limousine. We talked all the way; she in Italian and I in what was, back then, my rather rudimentary Italian (a language that I had begun studying largely because of her). A lovely person and a wonderful singer!
David Steven Tabbat That is a wonderful story! Are you still living in Italy ? I am thinking about moving there as I am an opera singer needing to polish my Italian! Am unsure where to settle there..Naples , Verona or Palermo..
@@birdlover7776 For reasons having to do with crime and corruption, I would advise you to avoid Naples and Palermo and to choose -- out of the three cities you have named -- Verona, a lovely and livable city.
@@birdlover7776 Among the three cities you have named, I would avoid (for reasons of inefficiency, crime and corruption) Naples and Palermo, and would recommend Verona, a lovely and livable city.
The magnificent Mirella Freni. NYC and the Metropolitan opera adored her.. She was my favorite soprano. Listen to that ovation. She had an amazing career with a phenomenal voice. RIP my dear Freni.
Amazing! What a voice, what a loss. Thank you, TH-cam for preserving this for people who've never seen or heard her, and for those of us who can't get enough.
I’m just now learning of Freni’s passing. Very sad. I’ve spent countless hours over the years basking in the beauty of her voice. I saw her live only once, as Alice Ford in Falstaff at the Met. I believe it was in 2002. She was the oldest in the cast by many years, but she still outsang everyone.
I didn't realize until I was reading through the comments, she just passed a few days ago, what a tragic loss to the opera world!! RIP dear woman, your voice was so absolutely beautiful!
Freni could spin magic from thin air. I saw her onstage as Mimi, and in the final phrase of Addio senza rancor, she held and caressed that phrase like she was stroking with her hand the curves of the most beautiful antique furniture. It was amazing.
Una gran soprano lírica de gran potencia, y de larga carrera…muy inteligente, que supo escoger su repertorio y cantar hasta los 70 años , para luego ser maestra y jurado en muchos lugares del mundo.
As I always say....The past was always better.... No point of comparison with singers from this generation. Such perfection doesn t exist on them. Present singer will not never achieve it. Today' singers "must" learn from these marvellous artists.... Brava Mirella!!!!!!!
Because of the wise husbanding of her voice, Mirella Freni managed to have one of the longest careers of any soprano, but more importantly, the quality of the voice became better and better over time and didn't diminish until the very end which came about ten years after this video. The only thing one cannot appreciate from this clip is the bloom of sound as she rose up the scale. You can get the gist of this sound in the last line of the above video...Che al novo di morrà ... on the" di" , listen to how the sound swells and multiply by ten. The note is a G# i think. How wonderful.
Mirella was very cleverly in her career, in her prime , she sung bell canto, then romanticism and finally verismo. Her Adriana is unforgettable 🌹🌷🍀🌺☘️❤️
Само совершенство, спасибо, что Вы были с нами, Мирелла Френи, мы вас слушаем и будем слушать, как образец высочайшего,настоящего качественного оперного пения ...
I heard her live twice, the first time as Aida and the second as Fedora. Both times I knew there would never be a more beautiful soprano voice than that of Mirella Freni.
Sadly I did not appreciate her earlier work when I first started listening to opera. I preferred big, rich voices. As I got older and she started performing bigger roles, I then began to listen to her earlier works and started to understand the true beauty of her voice. What an amazing artist
Mirella Freni is an amazing singer, and no one would argue that fact. The only argument that bothers me in most of these comments is the disparagement of the current crop of young singers. You simply can't compare a twenty one-year-old singer fresh out of an undergraduate degree to a singer with decades of craft under her belt. Don't blame the singers for the current trend of "younger and prettier". That is a global issue. The wise young singers will, with proper guidance, chose suitable rep that will allow them to develop into great artists. Please don't blame your aesthetic issues on the fact that "young singers don't work hard". That's neither fair nor true. Have a little faith, and, if you are capable, support the programs and schools that allow promising young singers to grow into the great artists that this essential art form needs to thrive for generations to come.
wbs partially agree with you on this! The young generation is no way comparable with the great singers of golden era, which is deadly solid truth! The main reason is that young singers today are either rising to fame too quickly or give it up soon! Opera singers career is highly risky and need a long time experience and extremely careful choosing and organising the roles in right order. The opera market today doesn't allow a RIGHT And SLOW growing period for young singers! And what's more, opera is a way more complex making and designing today ,like the producing a motion picture. The STAR singer might not is as important as before. Image that you would just listened to Di Stefano or Callas fifty yrs back no matter what opera he/she was in. Tims changed now. Today an important opera performance requires a famous director or producer!
I cannot stop weeping.... this is a fifetime live performance... Mirella you'll be a milestone, a benchmark for any opera singer for decades to come!!
Divinità Mirellonar
Strange as it may sound, it was, in large measure, Mirella Freni's singing that convinced me, back in the Sixties when I was an undergraduate at Columbia University, just a short subway ride from the Met, that I just had to come to live in Italy. And here I am now, resident in Milan, where I have lived ever since 1980. She was always very kind to me. I particularly treasure the memory of an evening when, having just sung Mimì in Philadelphia, she gave me a lift back to Manhattan in her chauffeured limousine. We talked all the way; she in Italian and I in what was, back then, my rather rudimentary Italian (a language that I had begun studying largely because of her). A lovely person and a wonderful singer!
what a marvelous story! Amazing.
David Steven Tabbat That is a wonderful story! Are you still living in Italy ? I am thinking about moving there as I am an opera singer needing to polish my Italian! Am unsure where to settle there..Naples , Verona or Palermo..
@@birdlover7776 For reasons having to do with crime and corruption, I would advise you to avoid Naples and Palermo and to choose -- out of the three cities you have named -- Verona, a lovely and livable city.
@@birdlover7776 Among the three cities you have named, I would avoid (for reasons of inefficiency, crime and corruption) Naples and Palermo, and would recommend Verona, a lovely and livable city.
David Steven Tabbat Thank you for your response. Verona sounds lovely. Are you still in Italy or have you chosen elsewhere
I have never heard the aria sung better, with such simplicity, simply beautiful, brava Mirella.
Freni's voice was enticing bordering in fervor. One of the last great voices of Italy. May she rest in peace.
She could sing the dictionary and I would still marvel at this outstanding soprano. Sheer delight to listen to anything she performs.
Loved your comment :D
Thank you for that nice reply!
Brian Allen grazie a dio che sei nata
Cuteo05 ho visto alla scal l'ultima Adriana, signora Freni, signora Cossotto, maestro Gavazzeni. meravigliosa meraviglia
you are so right
The magnificent Mirella Freni. NYC and the Metropolitan opera adored her.. She was my favorite soprano. Listen to that ovation. She had an amazing career with a phenomenal voice. RIP my dear Freni.
She sang from the heart and her interpretation struck a cord in the heart of every listener.
So sad to hear she’s gone! Beautiful woman with a beautiful voice! Requiescat in pace, Mirella!
Così desidero ricordarti, circondanta dall'ammirazione, dall'affetto che la tua splendida arte, generava in tutti noi. Grazie.
No tricks, no put-on gestures, just perfect singing.
I always come back to this performance. What a sublime presence and voice!!! #RIP
Me too❤
The entire operatic world is in mourning today. Fortunately there are some excellent recordings of her magnificent voice. Requiescat in pace, Madama.
Still today, this performance gives me lovely chills. Absolutely beautiful!
She is simply PERFECT !❤
La plus grande adriana lecouvreur merci à vous de ne pas nous la faire oublier une pépite d´or ....
Ciao Mirella grandissima!!! Posa in pace! Feb 9, 2020. 💔💔💔😭🌹🎭
She was all perfection. RIP beloved Diva Mirella Freni.
A most beautiful pure voice. And she gave us opera fans a lot of pleasure RIP MsFreni
Amazing! What a voice, what a loss. Thank you, TH-cam for preserving this for people who've never seen or heard her, and for those of us who can't get enough.
She is now singing with the angels, RIP Mirella.
She is unparalleled. An artist like no other!
Maravillosa descansa en paz queridisima Mirella que tu voz se oiga eternamente en los cielos
My late wife and I were there. Memorable.
grande Freni... mi favorita entre todas sin compararla con nadie ni mejor ni peor, mi favorita. Grazie Mirella per la tua bellissima voce
Is it possible to sing this aria better? It's not possible at all! Outstanding performance
Her voice got nice and robust in the upper register...I love that!
???????
It should be illegal to sing that beautifully! Incredible!
ç
A lo más profundo del alma. Un milagro.
Just as beautiful as her performance in Milan, 1968!!!!!!
I can't believe she's gone! Rest in peace, beautiful soul.
www.findagrave.com/memorial/206965867/mirella-freni#view-photo=199306825
th-cam.com/video/OYeuItzKpxY/w-d-xo.html
I’m just now learning of Freni’s passing. Very sad. I’ve spent countless hours over the years basking in the beauty of her voice. I saw her live only once, as Alice Ford in Falstaff at the Met. I believe it was in 2002. She was the oldest in the cast by many years, but she still outsang everyone.
That is so cool
Grandeur of soul. Thank you Mirella!
She's simply amazing.
God bless her soul and that of her family.
Pretty much the definitive interpretation of this aria. So beautiful.
Freni, Tebaldi and Caballe own this music. Each one is unique in vocal terms. They all 'act' with their voices. La Freni is just superb. Bravissima.
Cuánto se le quiso a esta soprano lírica de Timbre aterciopelado, de gran volumen!!
Bravíssima, Mirela. A great singer.
My favourite soprano!
Stupenda, emozionante, meravigliosa Mirella!!!!!
I didn't realize until I was reading through the comments, she just passed a few days ago, what a tragic loss to the opera world!! RIP dear woman, your voice was so absolutely beautiful!
Freni could spin magic from thin air. I saw her onstage as Mimi, and in the final phrase of Addio senza rancor, she held and caressed that phrase like she was stroking with her hand the curves of the most beautiful antique furniture. It was amazing.
Dave Glo Wish I was there !
Una gran soprano lírica de gran potencia, y de larga carrera…muy inteligente, que supo escoger su repertorio y cantar hasta los 70 años , para luego ser maestra y jurado en muchos lugares del mundo.
As I always say....The past was always better.... No point of comparison with singers from this generation. Such perfection doesn t exist on them. Present singer will not never achieve it. Today' singers "must" learn from these marvellous artists.... Brava Mirella!!!!!!!
I couldn't agree more! Today's singers are unfortunately disrespectful to traditions and lack professional humility.
Miralla Freni es única, este aria es una joya, es de una perfección y una sensibilidad absolutas....
UNICA!!!!!!!!!!! CUANTA BELLEZA EN SU VOZ!!!
Now You can sing with the angels. R.i.p.dear mirella. February 9th.2020
Simply beautiful
Because of the wise husbanding of her voice, Mirella Freni managed to have one of the longest careers of any soprano, but more importantly, the quality of the voice became better and better over time and didn't diminish until the very end which came about ten years after this video. The only thing one cannot appreciate from this clip is the bloom of sound as she rose up the scale. You can get the gist of this sound in the last line of the above video...Che al novo di morrà ... on the" di" , listen to how the sound swells and multiply by ten. The note is a G# i think. How wonderful.
Maravilhosa!!!!!!!! 😍
Una scuola di canto !! ❤️
Espectacular. ..qué belleza...perfección. ..
Grande, maravillosa, no necesitó show para brindar lo mejor con sus interpretaciones
The end of an era. Brava, Freni. La Studpenda!
Luciano and Ms freni will live forever I bet they're singing together RIP to both legend's ❤❤
Grande e umile ancella del Signore! ❤️ R.I.P. MIRELLA
assolutamente straordinaria la Mirella Freni!
Her voice is just so gorgeous, it goes beyond hearing. You can see it! Don't you know?!?
Mirella was very cleverly in her career, in her prime , she sung bell canto, then romanticism and finally verismo.
Her Adriana is unforgettable
🌹🌷🍀🌺☘️❤️
Ms. Freni's magnificent vocal was solidly backed by the superb Met orchestra under the baton of James Levine.
Mirella Freni had the voice of an angel !!!
Прекрасная вокалиста, настоящая прима !!!
MAGNIFICAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Само совершенство, спасибо, что Вы были с нами, Мирелла Френи, мы вас слушаем и будем слушать, как образец высочайшего,настоящего качественного оперного пения ...
A true inspiration!! I love you forever and ever my dear! May you rest in eternal peace 💕💕💕💕
Sono fiera di essere italiana. Voce sublime.❤
Que grandísima soprano! En este repertorio era única.
Wonderful Mirella ❤️
No gimmicks, just perfect, natural singing, and no shaking jaw or waggling tongue on sustained tones.
Favolosa, meravigliosa anche stupenda Mirella bravissima❤
Pure class
sublime ♥
😱😱😱. QUESTA È. ARTE. GRANDISSIMA FRENI. 😱😱😱
Bravo mirela et merci de ne pas l´oublier 🙏🙏💐🍀🎼
Absolutely the best❤
I saw her last performance at La Scala, with Fiorenza ed il Topone Placido, dir M. Gavazzeni. I remember like now
Orgoglio Italiano! Italian Pride!
Brava!!!!!!!!
Vocal Goddess.
I heard her live twice, the first time as Aida and the second as Fedora. Both times I knew there would never be a more beautiful soprano voice than that of Mirella Freni.
Was her voice massive in the house?
@@mugrad25 I wouldn't say massive but she easily filled the house. Sounded just like she does on record.
Ciao Mirella, per sempre in cielo con Luciano, le voci degli angeli
Legend.
I love her voice here!
Beautiful Brava Mirella
Requiescat in pace, Mirella.
Sadly I did not appreciate her earlier work when I first started listening to opera. I preferred big, rich voices. As I got older and she started performing bigger roles, I then began to listen to her earlier works and started to understand the true beauty of her voice. What an amazing artist
Whenever I listen to Freni I wonder if it is a woman or an angel singing.
And that's how THAT goes! Brava diva!!
Completely flawless in every way. Brava.
Edit: except the conductor
Rest in peace wonderful Mirella ❤️
Meraviglia assolutamente
El más alto nivel!!!!!!
R.I.P. Mirella Freni
Mirella Freni is an amazing singer, and no one would argue that fact. The only argument that bothers me in most of these comments is the disparagement of the current crop of young singers. You simply can't compare a twenty one-year-old singer fresh out of an undergraduate degree to a singer with decades of craft under her belt. Don't blame the singers for the current trend of "younger and prettier". That is a global issue. The wise young singers will, with proper guidance, chose suitable rep that will allow them to develop into great artists. Please don't blame your aesthetic issues on the fact that "young singers don't work hard". That's neither fair nor true. Have a little faith, and, if you are capable, support the programs and schools that allow promising young singers to grow into the great artists that this essential art form needs to thrive for generations to come.
wbs partially agree with you on this! The young generation is no way comparable with the great singers of golden era, which is deadly solid truth!
The main reason is that young singers today are either rising to fame too quickly or give it up soon! Opera singers career is highly risky and need a long time experience and extremely careful choosing and organising the roles in right order. The opera market today doesn't allow a RIGHT And SLOW growing period for young singers! And what's more, opera is a way more complex making and designing today ,like the producing a motion picture. The STAR singer might not is as important as before. Image that you would just listened to Di Stefano or Callas fifty yrs back no matter what opera he/she was in. Tims changed now. Today an important opera performance requires a famous director or producer!
Steve FOX b
Try this and see if you still disparage young singers.
th-cam.com/video/ErN8JDGjrHQ/w-d-xo.html
I miss these galas so much!!! Why have they been stopped?
fantastica, mirella aveva tecnica di canto molto buona, mi piace molto, la voce Brillante!
Nadie, absolutamente nadie en ésta aria como la gran Magda Olivero
Awww. God Bless! R.I.P!!
Magical.
RIP. Grandissima Soprano.
Magic
Perfecta, un milagro.
RIP dear lady