I have never commented on You Tube, despite elevated blood pressure in the comments section, but this morning I’ve read so many stupid things (and from the negative things said in this feed) I just feel called to say a few things. I never heard Callas live, but the sound was often not beautiful and there was always a slow oscillation on the top notes even in her best period. So what? She was a brilliant actress and thrilling musician. Caballé I heard many times in many roles, and she was one of my very favorite singers in all of my opera going career, a peerless musician, but you could never call her a gifted thespian. So what? As far as musical nuance and specificity goes, and the kindness and largesse of her singing, I can’t imagine more. Then there was Sills, whom I saw in these roles at City Opera when I was a teenager. I didn’t have the greatest frame of reference then, but her acting was pointed and brilliant. I also heard her many times in opera and concert. Again, I was young so I didn’t have the greatest knowledge but I knew enough to keep coming back because there was nobody more compelling in dramatic and comic roles (her Rosina inspired belly laughs). Her singing was full of inconsistencies, as all the recordings attest, but again, who cares? She delivered variety, originality and determined commitment like nobody else. I could go on. Sutherland I heard live, and she gave another kind of thrill. All of these and more sang within the bel canto tradition, and please, folks let’s remember that the first Wagnerians were bel canto trained singers. Now we have this miraculous gift in Sondra Radvanovsky. Could you naysayers just be a little bit grateful that someone of amazing technical prowess (not forgetting that the ultimate technical achievement in bel canto training was considered the mastery of the messa di voce, and hers is without equal in today’s singing world, and I would measure it against any of her forbears mentioned above), stunning acting powers (I agree with whomever mentioned that the Met staging of Devereux brings out the best in her acting…trying to sing this last scene in defiance of this silly/creepy deconstruction of a white renaissance gown would be a challenge for La Divina herself…actually she would have probably refused to wear it, but Sondra probably saw it as a challenge) and a voice of immense color. Have those who say her color is nasal actually heard her in the opera house? It’s not nasal in the classically bad sense, just placed high in the sinuses but with an open throat below, which allows her to access so much color in the lower middle voice. This kind of voice doesn’t record the beauty that that high placement carries in the opera house, allowing it to carry easily over a large orchestra. Freni sounds so acidic and nasal in many recordings, but I also heard her dozens of times live, and it was so rich and nuanced. Sondra R has a bigger voice (with perfect pianissimo) than Sills (and even Sutherland), better acting chops and a much higher range than Caballé, perfectly spinning high notes without a hint of wobble unlike Callas (a wobble was considered a great defect in the bel canto age, and I would still call it very unattractive). But again, SO WHAT!? Like her forbears, Radvanovsky delivers the goods with her own set of astonishing gifts. If you can’t appreciate and enjoy them, couldn’t you please show her the respect she deserves for a long career (I sang with her at Glimmerglass…gulp…25 years ago and she was already full of promise then, a voice to be noticed, and she has just gotten more and more fascinating and surprising over time) in which she has delivered a greater variety of roles than anyone on the list of divas above except Callas. C’mon, you mean opera queens. Keep your unwonted negativity to yourselves, and show her the gratitude and respect she deserves. This is a truly great singing actress.
Thank you for this exquisite form of artistry, singing and heartfelt expression!!! I am in absolute musical ecstasy!!! Sondra is in my top singers of all time and will be right there in history with singers like Caruso, Sutherland, Callas, Caballe..etc...Grazie!!!!!!
Totally agree. Radvanovsky's variety of color, the long breath scan, the ring on top, the dramatic flair, the slender pianissimi, the sheer grandeur of the tone in the house -- all this plus the way the tones acquire a distinct vocal "face" from moment to moment bear the stamp of greatness and are her ticket to posterity.
Sondra is incredible. I’ve heard/seen her several times. The voice is instantly recognizable for its unique timbre and slight presence or gravel. In the hall, it’s dark, silvery, penetrating, and thrilling. And it’s quite flexible for a voice that size. And musically she’s right on point these days.
I find Sondra Rhadvanovsky to be the greatest artist now before the public.Some of the negative comme nts are hard to fathom.Her range of dynamics,phenomenal breath control and sheer musicality are breathtaking.Brava Sondra👏👏👏👏
Sondra is the greatest artist I ever heard in 30 years of opera going around the world. The greatest since Callas in many ways : vocally, technically, dramatically, musically. Full point. Her Elizabeth is unpaired since the early Gruberova. Her recent Tosca in Peralada with Kaufmann is the greatest I ever heard live or on recording. Ever. Her Aida is pairing and in some ways surpassing L Price (technic, style, spelling ...)Those criticizing can do whatever they want. Some actually did criticize Callas too, which tells us quite clearly that ANYTHING is possible as far as "taste" is concerned. I feel just sorry for them as they are missing the most thrilling operatic experience we are lucky to be able to experience in our lifetime.
I heard her in Chicago in this ‘Three Queens’ evening. The sound you either like or don’t. I always have. It’s exotic in an era packed with generic voices. But what you cannot take away from her is the size of the instrument. The Lyric Opera House is enormous, and famous for its unflattering acoustic. In everything I have heard her sing there, from this production to Aida, she completely fills the place with massive tone. Someone calls the voice here unmanageable. But her command of dynamics from ff to pp suggests quite the opposite. Of all the singers who have done the role the last 50 years, surely in pure weight of the sound she comes closest to what Callas would have sounded like in the early 50’s. Her coloratura is not polished, and although much improved from her early career her intonation can lean a little south, but I have always found her a very exciting singer. (The sets and costuming were indeed ridiculous.)
This doesn’t do her any justice, I saw her in 2016 RD at The MET live, she was fabulous ! That production, the set, the costumes , the cane suited her very, very well. The only reason she didn’t still the show was that the cast included Garanca , Kwiecien and Polenzani, the big guns of that period ...and the 4 musketeers brought he house into frenzy.
I'm really sorry. But anyone who has ever experienced Edita Gruberova in this role will not discover anything of belcanto in these tones. At best, pressed out tones, which in places remind more of shouting than of singing. At least that's how I feel in all the lectures of Radvanovsky's interpretations of the Donizetti queens. And the very worst thing about this performance indeed is its last note! Anyone who doesn't believe it should watch and listen to the 2005 Munich performance with Gruberova as Elisabetta and make up your own mind.
The voice not be what it was 10 years ago, but she is in great shape for being well into her 50s. No wobble, etc. This is still at the level expected for an international house.
@@crazyorganist1609 Sills was 51 when she retired in 1980. I saw her in concert in 1979. Her voice was pretty much shot at 50 from too many demanding roles.
Magnificent singing. What a very bright star shining on the operatic stage for our pleasure. A fantastic soprano surpassing most of our current sopranos.
Sondra is so marvelous in everything she sings…..bel canto, Verdi, Puccini…..and I’ve seen her in the theater in many of those. For this role, however, I prefer Sills, despite the lack of opulence in her tone. And I’m not basing it on a video; I actually saw her in the opera at NYCOpera. It was the first opera I ever saw in a theater.
SHE is nothing less than sensational, but the ridiculous costume and the lack of direction burdens her performance. I prefer her much in the MET version
The “costume” was custom-made for her by fashion designer Rubin Singer and this is from the 3 Queens concerts of scenes conceived more as a solo concert with soloists rather than the fully staged Tudor triology 😃🎶👑
Sondra is a truly great Norma, as far as I'm concerned. I've also enjoyed her live in Trovatore, Poliuto, Ballo, and others I can't remember at the moment. She has a really charming personality. But I just don't like her in the three queens. For me the greatest Three Queens of all time was Gencer, thrilling, distinctive. Sills is fun, so is Gruberova. But for me, at least, the three queens are roles for which Sondra's voice isn't suited.
Caballé fue una de las más grandes…y murió en 2018… no podemos vivir del pasado por que la ópera es un arte vivo y hoy Radvanovsky guste o no su instrumento es una cantante excepcional, la historia dirá si se merece un puesto en el olimpo -dudoso- pero hoy es una cantante de absoluta entrega y gran musicalidad que emociona, a pesar de su discutible estilo belcantista
@@francescocamillo7524 el instrumento era bueno pero no sabe cantar, ni el italiano ni fioriture. Y cuando se le acabe lo que la naturaleza le dió no tendrá la técnica para solucionar problemas de la edad. No tiene buena técnica vocal. Es una verdadera lástima porque es la unica que hubiera podido hacer algo grande en la ópera y en 20 años no creo que nadie se acuerde de ella...
Pero bueno, les pasa a todos...cantan demasiado y demasiadas cosas y sin descanso. Kraus decia que el peor enemigo de un cantante era el avión, pues te permite cantar en un sitio i en otro al dia siguiente. Antes iban en barco o en tren y podian descansar. Pero quizá algún dia alguien no se deje llevar por el sistema i haga una carrera sana y duradera como los cantantes de antaño.
I have never commented on You Tube, despite elevated blood pressure in the comments section, but this morning I’ve read so many stupid things (and from the negative things said in this feed) I just feel called to say a few things.
I never heard Callas live, but the sound was often not beautiful and there was always a slow oscillation on the top notes even in her best period. So what? She was a brilliant actress and thrilling musician. Caballé I heard many times in many roles, and she was one of my very favorite singers in all of my opera going career, a peerless musician, but you could never call her a gifted thespian. So what? As far as musical nuance and specificity goes, and the kindness and largesse of her singing, I can’t imagine more. Then there was Sills, whom I saw in these roles at City Opera when I was a teenager. I didn’t have the greatest frame of reference then, but her acting was pointed and brilliant. I also heard her many times in opera and concert. Again, I was young so I didn’t have the greatest knowledge but I knew enough to keep coming back because there was nobody more compelling in dramatic and comic roles (her Rosina inspired belly laughs). Her singing was full of inconsistencies, as all the recordings attest, but again, who cares? She delivered variety, originality and determined commitment like nobody else. I could go on. Sutherland I heard live, and she gave another kind of thrill.
All of these and more sang within the bel canto tradition, and please, folks let’s remember that the first Wagnerians were bel canto trained singers. Now we have this miraculous gift in Sondra Radvanovsky. Could you naysayers just be a little bit grateful that someone of amazing technical prowess (not forgetting that the ultimate technical achievement in bel canto training was considered the mastery of the messa di voce, and hers is without equal in today’s singing world, and I would measure it against any of her forbears mentioned above), stunning acting powers (I agree with whomever mentioned that the Met staging of Devereux brings out the best in her acting…trying to sing this last scene in defiance of this silly/creepy deconstruction of a white renaissance gown would be a challenge for La Divina herself…actually she would have probably refused to wear it, but Sondra probably saw it as a challenge) and a voice of immense color. Have those who say her color is nasal actually heard her in the opera house? It’s not nasal in the classically bad sense, just placed high in the sinuses but with an open throat below, which allows her to access so much color in the lower middle voice. This kind of voice doesn’t record the beauty that that high placement carries in the opera house, allowing it to carry easily over a large orchestra. Freni sounds so acidic and nasal in many recordings, but I also heard her dozens of times live, and it was so rich and nuanced. Sondra R has a bigger voice (with perfect pianissimo) than
Sills (and even Sutherland), better acting chops and a much higher range than Caballé, perfectly spinning high notes without a hint of wobble unlike
Callas (a wobble was considered a great defect in the bel canto age, and I would still call it very unattractive). But again, SO WHAT!? Like her forbears, Radvanovsky delivers the goods with her own set of astonishing gifts. If you can’t appreciate and enjoy them, couldn’t you please show her the respect she deserves for a long career (I sang with her at Glimmerglass…gulp…25 years ago and she was already full of promise then, a voice to be noticed, and she has just gotten more and more fascinating and surprising over time) in which she has delivered a greater variety of roles than anyone on the list of divas above except Callas. C’mon, you mean opera queens. Keep your unwonted negativity to yourselves, and show her the gratitude and respect she deserves. This is a truly great singing actress.
Bravo!!!!!
Excellent answer Dear Drew Minter !
This. ALL of this!
A - MEN!!!
Qué un
Caballé did the most remarkable rendition of Devereux in 70’s and Sondra now is really good too ! Thanks for sharing !
Sheer perfection, immense joy for us who can share her art. Touching beyond words 💥
Thank you for this exquisite form of artistry, singing and heartfelt expression!!! I am in absolute musical ecstasy!!! Sondra is in my top singers of all time and will be right there in history with singers like Caruso, Sutherland, Callas, Caballe..etc...Grazie!!!!!!
Totally agree. Radvanovsky's variety of color, the long breath scan, the ring on top, the dramatic flair, the slender pianissimi, the sheer grandeur of the tone in the house -- all this plus the way the tones acquire a distinct vocal "face" from moment to moment bear the stamp of greatness and are her ticket to posterity.
@@grig035 Very impressive and eloquent review. Radvanovsky can sing the spinto roles and just as wonderful the bel canto. Pleasure to know you here!
I have seen her in Norma, she was very good in such a difficult part. She is one of the best .❤
Sondra is incredible. I’ve heard/seen her several times. The voice is instantly recognizable for its unique timbre and slight presence or gravel. In the hall, it’s dark, silvery, penetrating, and thrilling. And it’s quite flexible for a voice that size. And musically she’s right on point these days.
Carl, you are right! It is incredible, how badly she sings and how enthusiastically people celebrate that.
Gracias!💕
I find Sondra Rhadvanovsky to be the greatest artist now before the public.Some of the negative comme nts are hard to fathom.Her range of dynamics,phenomenal breath control and sheer musicality are breathtaking.Brava Sondra👏👏👏👏
Sondra 56... fantástica, valiente, vocalmente esta sanisima, concierto de alto nivel!
Sondra is the greatest artist I ever heard in 30 years of opera going around the world. The greatest since Callas in many ways : vocally, technically, dramatically, musically. Full point. Her Elizabeth is unpaired since the early Gruberova. Her recent Tosca in Peralada with Kaufmann is the greatest I ever heard live or on recording. Ever. Her Aida is pairing and in some ways surpassing L Price (technic, style, spelling ...)Those criticizing can do whatever they want. Some actually did criticize Callas too, which tells us quite clearly that ANYTHING is possible as far as "taste" is concerned. I feel just sorry for them as they are missing the most thrilling operatic experience we are lucky to be able to experience in our lifetime.
I heard her in Chicago in this ‘Three Queens’ evening. The sound you either like or don’t. I always have. It’s exotic in an era packed with generic voices. But what you cannot take away from her is the size of the instrument. The Lyric Opera House is enormous, and famous for its unflattering acoustic. In everything I have heard her sing there, from this production to Aida, she completely fills the place with massive tone. Someone calls the voice here unmanageable. But her command of dynamics from ff to pp suggests quite the opposite. Of all the singers who have done the role the last 50 years, surely in pure weight of the sound she comes closest to what Callas would have sounded like in the early 50’s. Her coloratura is not polished, and although much improved from her early career her intonation can lean a little south, but I have always found her a very exciting singer. (The sets and costuming were indeed ridiculous.)
So rightly written!!
I was interested in her, which is why I went to see you live. Her voice in a live theater is exactly like you said, enormous. Arresting.
This doesn’t do her any justice, I saw her in 2016 RD at The MET live, she was fabulous ! That production, the set, the costumes , the cane suited her very, very well. The only reason she didn’t still the show was that the cast included Garanca , Kwiecien and Polenzani, the big guns of that period ...and the 4 musketeers brought he house into frenzy.
Sills owns Roberto Devereux for her incredibly moving and powerful interpretation. Radvanovsky's vibrato is so intrusive
I'm really sorry. But anyone who has ever experienced Edita Gruberova in this role will not discover anything of belcanto in these tones. At best, pressed out tones, which in places remind more of shouting than of singing. At least that's how I feel in all the lectures of Radvanovsky's interpretations of the Donizetti queens. And the very worst thing about this performance indeed is its last note! Anyone who doesn't believe it should watch and listen to the 2005 Munich performance with Gruberova as Elisabetta and make up your own mind.
You are so right. This is not belcanto at all.
Sure . Grubi with her scoops up to every shrill high note so wide that they approach a perfect 5th…😂😂😂
The voice not be what it was 10 years ago, but she is in great shape for being well into her 50s. No wobble, etc. This is still at the level expected for an international house.
She can't hold her high notes anymore. Sutherland and Sills could. Sutherland definitely could
@@crazyorganist1609 Sills was 51 when she retired in 1980. I saw her in concert in 1979. Her voice was pretty much shot at 50 from too many demanding roles.
@@crazyorganist1609 the high D in 16:07 was 4 full seconds long.
Absolutely Sublime!!!! Brava Sondra!!!
Brava☀️💐
One of the very best!!!Brava!!!
Magnificent singing. What a very bright star shining on the operatic stage for our pleasure. A fantastic soprano surpassing most of our current sopranos.
Wonderful!!
Radvanosky is magnificent but the stark background lacks the drama that is opera
Bravo bravo bravo
¡¡Perfecta!!
ДИВА!,
How I miss Real Opera and Real Opera Productions. This is a textbook example of why Opera is Dying.
MARAVILLOSA
Sondra is so marvelous in everything she sings…..bel canto, Verdi, Puccini…..and I’ve seen her in the theater in many of those. For this role, however, I prefer Sills, despite the lack of opulence in her tone. And I’m not basing it on a video; I actually saw her in the opera at NYCOpera. It was the first opera I ever saw in a theater.
Sills sang with her heart and mind and had the proper technique
Yes, Sills was wonderful in these roles. How lucky you were!
I give her credit just for surviving a Euro-Trash production such as this mess!
I'm confused. Is this Roberto Devereux or the doll scene from Tales of Hoffman?
Give me Sills. She sang this role to perfection.
I agree with you 100%. Vivva la Sills!
Alas, Sills is dead.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️... 🙏
the orchestra is way too early at the end of the aria...
At least the costumes and the set didn't cost a lot.
Very good.....but I still have to give this round to Beverly Sills.
I agree with you 100%
SHE is nothing less than sensational, but the ridiculous costume and the lack of direction burdens her performance. I prefer her much in the MET version
The “costume” was custom-made for her by fashion designer Rubin Singer and this is from the 3 Queens concerts of scenes conceived more as a solo concert with soloists rather than the fully staged Tudor triology 😃🎶👑
@@aplussexual Oh thank you .. one of the worst costumes ever!
You are SO right! She is a sensation!!! And costume is HORRIBLE :(((
Actually in Chicago and in Barcelona that was conceived as a semi-staged concert version
@@francescocamillo7524 And?
The costume would be good for Glinda, the good Witch, in an updated , futuristic treatment of the “Wizard of Oz”!
Mmmmm... ni el vestuario ni nada
🤦🏻♂️
Horrible dress for this production.....MAL GUSTO DEL QUE LO CREO In my opinion this was great for the Doll part in "Los Cuentos de Hoffman"
Sondra is a truly great Norma, as far as I'm concerned. I've also enjoyed her live in Trovatore, Poliuto, Ballo, and others I can't remember at the moment. She has a really charming personality. But I just don't like her in the three queens. For me the greatest Three Queens of all time was Gencer, thrilling, distinctive. Sills is fun, so is Gruberova. But for me, at least, the three queens are roles for which Sondra's voice isn't suited.
That ending sucked.
Pessima dizione, non si capisce una parola. Vada a studiare.
Why she always sing nasal like that. It's so stuck
Comparada con la Caballé, es una aficionada de mal gusto.
Caballé fue una de las más grandes…y murió en 2018… no podemos vivir del pasado por que la ópera es un arte vivo y hoy Radvanovsky guste o no su instrumento es una cantante excepcional, la historia dirá si se merece un puesto en el olimpo -dudoso- pero hoy es una cantante de absoluta entrega y gran musicalidad que emociona, a pesar de su discutible estilo belcantista
@@francescocamillo7524 cantante y actriz, cosa en que los criticones no reparan....
@@francescocamillo7524 el instrumento era bueno pero no sabe cantar, ni el italiano ni fioriture. Y cuando se le acabe lo que la naturaleza le dió no tendrá la técnica para solucionar problemas de la edad. No tiene buena técnica vocal. Es una verdadera lástima porque es la unica que hubiera podido hacer algo grande en la ópera y en 20 años no creo que nadie se acuerde de ella...
Pero bueno, les pasa a todos...cantan demasiado y demasiadas cosas y sin descanso. Kraus decia que el peor enemigo de un cantante era el avión, pues te permite cantar en un sitio i en otro al dia siguiente. Antes iban en barco o en tren y podian descansar.
Pero quizá algún dia alguien no se deje llevar por el sistema i haga una carrera sana y duradera como los cantantes de antaño.
well, Caballe was the kind of voice that comes one for century
In decline.
?