This is what I was hoping for from this channel! I have great appreciation for classical music but never got into opera for some reason. This is where to start. Your descriptions really got my in. And YES to the video about voice types!
Callas' Eb6 on Aida is like an extinction sized meteor crossing the skies. I love how you were very polite to acknowledge the other soprani who attempted the feat, eventhough they sound like children compared to what Callas did that night. There is a compilation video of soprani singing, or better yet, trying to sing it, in comparison to Callas. The difference is so huge that makes one think why they even tried haha!
Nice to hear the Dvořák in the background :) This was a great vid and a great list, looking forward to checking out the rest of your stuff! When I was in high school I inherited my great uncle's entire obsessive Gigli collection and it's...very extensive. Many bootlegs and unreleased recordings, I don't have them with me right now or I'd provide specifics. That Rosa Ponselle recording...wow.
It took me ages to reply to this because honestly, I love your channel so much I barely knew what to say 😂 Thank you so much! That Gigli collection sounds AMAZING - a true treasure! (I had to leave a lot of my own operatic collection at home when I was an expat in Berlin - I feel you!)
Thanks for sharing all of these recordings, Robin! I look forward to checking them out. I really loved that story about Zeani - I first heard of it in Joan Sutherland’s autobiography 😊
Instead of the Aida recording, you should have had Callas’s first traviata in Mexico. She sings it with the voice of a Brünnhilde and with a perfection that not even the great Virginia could match.
Hey Robin! Found you on DownieLive's channel. Your editing is sick! I'm super impressed by your storyline, looks like you work really hard on each video & that in itself is super super super inspiring. When's your next video out? A bit on me, I'm Will & I make Canadian travel and personal growth videos. Hope you have an awesome day and you are awesome, keep being you! 😁☝🏻
Thank you! My next video should be out sometime between Friday and Sunday, and after that I'll go back to my regular every-two-weeks, end-of-the-week schedule! :) I'll happily go and check out your channel now, as well - glad you enjoyed the vid! :)
I love all of of your opera selections. May I add a few of mine, if we stick to live performances, but expand to other voice types as well: Not in any particular order. Beverly Sills, Rossini/ L'Assedio di Corinto/ Giusto in Ciel, 197? La Scala. Franco Corelli, Puccini/Tosca/ E lucevan le Stelle, 1966 Parma. Montserrat Caballé, Bellini/Norma/ Deh non volerli vittime, 1974 Orange (same performance as above). By the way, I share your vintage liking and your taste in opera, as well as the idea that it should be presented with a little background story.
Also, found this Renata Scotto version of Senza Mama while looking for a fully orchestrated version (to get myself some context) ruclips.net/video/IjlJPJNzKKQ/видео.html
I know, right?! I have a childhood memory of seeing that production on TV sometime, and it's indelibly burned in my brain. One of my strongest, first impressions of opera, ever! :)
If I’m being honest, I’m not a huge fan of Rosa Ponselle. I love Montserrat Caballé (especially her recording of Sempre Libera from La Traviata from 1972 I believe), Leontyne Price’s Aida, I haven’t heard too many of Tebaldi’s recordings, I would recommend Mirella Freni in La Boheme, Martina Arroyo in Turandot from 1967 I believe and Maria Callas in La Gioconda from 1953 (before she lost all that weight).
Why do you think people criticize Maria Callas's voice so much? Opera enthusiasts have a lot to say about her and the vocal category that she belongs to etc. It's been 44 years since her death and she is still the most 'talked-about' soprano of all time. I'm a Pop/RnB singer, and I started to appreciate and love opera because of Callas. Although she was not the first soprano I knew, it was Sutherland and then I came across with Callas. After listening to her, I stopped listening to Sutherland. For some reason, Maria Callas excites me no matter how many times I listened to the great operas she had sung.
Criticized in which way? As category goes shes a Soprano Assoluta, the only one in the 20th century. They criticize her voice based on PERSONAL TASTE, voice beauty etc. Her vocal technique was rock solid, if not the greatest of all. No human being could have the same career as Callas without a superhuman technique. Remember Callas debuted professionally at the early age of 16 in the heavy role of Santuzza and sang just heavy roles for 8 years straight before she moved to Italy and single handedly started the Bel Canto revival. Callas herself devided her career in two parts, the first part lasted 8 years and from the age of 16 up to 24 she sang just heavy roles like Tosca, Cavaleria, Fidelio, Suor Angelica and etc. After that, in Italy, she sang douzins of Turandots, Aidas, Giocondas, Nabucco, Wagner roles, Macbeth AND still had plenty of voice left to revive the Bel Canto Operas, reaching her vocal peak on Normas, Lucias, Bolenas, Elviras, Violetas and the list is endless. So you see, that woman was superhuman to say the least. And clueless people will say she had a "short career". She alternated in the same week between Wagner's Brunhilde and Puritani Elvira, this feat alone would be enough to secure her place as the greatest soprano of the 20th century. Many of Callas' vocal stunts remain unrepeated in history given their ultimate dificulty. No singer before or after Callas was able to repeat quite a list of them. Callas sang Nabucco on stage just once in her life, and that performance is STILL unmatched to this day. Nobody, and I mean nobody can sing that crazy role 100% AS WRITTEN in the score, they will cut/ignore parts here and there. Callas didnt only sing it 100% as written, with all the trills, murderous scales and octave jumps, but also interpolated high C6, Eb6 and E6 throughout the Opera. The bar is so high I doubt anyone will ever reach it.
That's true. I've been a fan of Callas for 3 years now. No doubt about that. I'm just wondering why people are so focused on Callas, which means she is that popular. That's all.
People like to try to poke holes in artists, even when they're exceptional, is my view. On top of this, the media at the time really wanted to create drama (and sell newspapers) by creating a false rivalry, and therefore dichotomy, between Callas and Tebaldi. Callas and Tebaldi weren't rivals in the dramatic way that the press painted them to be, but I think that narrative in the media created the "which-team-are-you-on" mentality among opera lovers, where they felt they had to choose one soprano and dislike the other. I think they're both absolutely, completely brilliant.
@@robinhahnsopran GREAT response about La Divina! I also personally think much of it had a lot to do with the fact that so much about Callas was already unconventional and controversial. The unusual sound of her voice, the unbelievable variety of repertoire from Brunnhilda to Gilda, from Turandot to Lucia, and everything in between. Also, her very rapid weight loss which truly transformed her physically into such a classic beauty! Also, her STONG work ethic in her art, as well as her impeccable musicianship AND sense of theater. Because she KNEW what was required at all times for any performance, she would settle for nothing less, and was very direct about that. This was not liked, so she was falsely labeled as temperamental. And on and on. Basically, because she was such an amazing rarity in the opera world, people felt threatened and many would try to sabotage her, but it just never worked! (Although I do suspect that's inevitably what beat her down, and started taking its toll on her physically and mentally. I personally believe that THIS is what caused her to "lose her voice" in time. Not the weight loss, not the roles she sang or the way she sang. And not even over-doing anything! I've always felt she became a tragic victim of people either exploiting her, or malignant her, etc. So that by 1977 she herself became the most tragic of operatic characters. May she rest in eternal peace!
This is what I was hoping for from this channel! I have great appreciation for classical music but never got into opera for some reason. This is where to start. Your descriptions really got my in.
And YES to the video about voice types!
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Callas' Eb6 on Aida is like an extinction sized meteor crossing the skies. I love how you were very polite to acknowledge the other soprani who attempted the feat, eventhough they sound like children compared to what Callas did that night. There is a compilation video of soprani singing, or better yet, trying to sing it, in comparison to Callas. The difference is so huge that makes one think why they even tried haha!
Nice to hear the Dvořák in the background :) This was a great vid and a great list, looking forward to checking out the rest of your stuff! When I was in high school I inherited my great uncle's entire obsessive Gigli collection and it's...very extensive. Many bootlegs and unreleased recordings, I don't have them with me right now or I'd provide specifics. That Rosa Ponselle recording...wow.
It took me ages to reply to this because honestly, I love your channel so much I barely knew what to say 😂 Thank you so much! That Gigli collection sounds AMAZING - a true treasure! (I had to leave a lot of my own operatic collection at home when I was an expat in Berlin - I feel you!)
Excuse me, I must leave now to listen to all the things!!!
Exactly what I was hoping for! :D
La Tebaldi è sempre un piacere ascoltarla...Pace Pace mio Dio... magistrale...
Thanks for sharing all of these recordings, Robin! I look forward to checking them out. I really loved that story about Zeani - I first heard of it in Joan Sutherland’s autobiography 😊
I didn't realize it was in Sutherland's biography! What an epic story. :) So glad you liked the video!
Instead of the Aida recording, you should have had Callas’s first traviata in Mexico. She sings it with the voice of a Brünnhilde and with a perfection that not even the great Virginia could match.
As soon as I saw the title I thought about that windy Casta Diva 😭😭😭
It's SO powerful! As soon as I knew I was making this video, I knew I needed to find it! :)
Hey Robin! Found you on DownieLive's channel. Your editing is sick! I'm super impressed by your storyline, looks like you work really hard on each video & that in itself is super super super inspiring. When's your next video out? A bit on me, I'm Will & I make Canadian travel and personal growth videos. Hope you have an awesome day and you are awesome, keep being you! 😁☝🏻
Thank you! My next video should be out sometime between Friday and Sunday, and after that I'll go back to my regular every-two-weeks, end-of-the-week schedule! :) I'll happily go and check out your channel now, as well - glad you enjoyed the vid! :)
@@robinhahnsopran It’s my absolute pleasure!! If ever you want to connect on Instagram I’d be so happy to! My handle is @Sprouht_ ! Stay safe :)
@@Sprouht Mine is @robinhahnsopran! I'll go check yours out :)
I love all of of your opera selections. May I add a few of mine, if we stick to live performances, but expand to other voice types as well: Not in any particular order. Beverly Sills, Rossini/ L'Assedio di Corinto/ Giusto in Ciel, 197? La Scala. Franco Corelli, Puccini/Tosca/ E lucevan le Stelle, 1966 Parma. Montserrat Caballé, Bellini/Norma/ Deh non volerli vittime, 1974 Orange (same performance as above). By the way, I share your vintage liking and your taste in opera, as well as the idea that it should be presented with a little background story.
What a fantastic channel!!
Oh my goodness, the Caballé! This makes me want to finally watch Norma, haha. Yes please, on the soprano voice types!!
Also, found this Renata Scotto version of Senza Mama while looking for a fully orchestrated version (to get myself some context)
ruclips.net/video/IjlJPJNzKKQ/видео.html
Oh, how wonderful! Thanks for sharing this! :)
That wind is magical!!
I know, right?! I have a childhood memory of seeing that production on TV sometime, and it's indelibly burned in my brain. One of my strongest, first impressions of opera, ever! :)
Great Video! I don’t know much about Opera, But I love your videos!!
Thank you so much!
I like that this video only has great actual singers
Definitely yes to the voice videos!
Who's the best soprano of all time? Or are you ever making that video?
Good vid!
Thank you! Yes, I'll definitely make my top 10 best sopranos of all time vid! :)
María Malibrán.
Can you please do a video entirely sung in the style of Mozart/Rossini recitative?
Oooooh, I LOVE this idea - thank you! I even think I know what video I might do this in... stay tuned!
If I’m being honest, I’m not a huge fan of Rosa Ponselle. I love Montserrat Caballé (especially her recording of Sempre Libera from La Traviata from 1972 I believe), Leontyne Price’s Aida, I haven’t heard too many of Tebaldi’s recordings, I would recommend Mirella Freni in La Boheme, Martina Arroyo in Turandot from 1967 I believe and Maria Callas in La Gioconda from 1953 (before she lost all that weight).
Take a listen to Rosanna Carteri, Lina Bruna Rasa, Claudia Muzio, Catarina Mancini, Joseph Scmidt, David Devries, and Maria Cagnilia
Cruda sventura m'astringe, ahimè, a languir come il dì primo da tant'anni dura profonde è il mio soffrir. Insomma, soffro, soffro, soffro. *piangendo*
Caballe ,the best of all 🥰
Montserrat caballe the best ever soprano, voice of an angel 😇 ❤ ♥
No Maria hero Rosa Ponselle is.
Why do you think people criticize Maria Callas's voice so much? Opera enthusiasts have a lot to say about her and the vocal category that she belongs to etc. It's been 44 years since her death and she is still the most 'talked-about' soprano of all time.
I'm a Pop/RnB singer, and I started to appreciate and love opera because of Callas. Although she was not the first soprano I knew, it was Sutherland and then I came across with Callas. After listening to her, I stopped listening to Sutherland. For some reason, Maria Callas excites me no matter how many times I listened to the great operas she had sung.
Criticized in which way? As category goes shes a Soprano Assoluta, the only one in the 20th century. They criticize her voice based on PERSONAL TASTE, voice beauty etc. Her vocal technique was rock solid, if not the greatest of all. No human being could have the same career as Callas without a superhuman technique. Remember Callas debuted professionally at the early age of 16 in the heavy role of Santuzza and sang just heavy roles for 8 years straight before she moved to Italy and single handedly started the Bel Canto revival. Callas herself devided her career in two parts, the first part lasted 8 years and from the age of 16 up to 24 she sang just heavy roles like Tosca, Cavaleria, Fidelio, Suor Angelica and etc. After that, in Italy, she sang douzins of Turandots, Aidas, Giocondas, Nabucco, Wagner roles, Macbeth AND still had plenty of voice left to revive the Bel Canto Operas, reaching her vocal peak on Normas, Lucias, Bolenas, Elviras, Violetas and the list is endless.
So you see, that woman was superhuman to say the least. And clueless people will say she had a "short career". She alternated in the same week between Wagner's Brunhilde and Puritani Elvira, this feat alone would be enough to secure her place as the greatest soprano of the 20th century. Many of Callas' vocal stunts remain unrepeated in history given their ultimate dificulty. No singer before or after Callas was able to repeat quite a list of them.
Callas sang Nabucco on stage just once in her life, and that performance is STILL unmatched to this day. Nobody, and I mean nobody can sing that crazy role 100% AS WRITTEN in the score, they will cut/ignore parts here and there. Callas didnt only sing it 100% as written, with all the trills, murderous scales and octave jumps, but also interpolated high C6, Eb6 and E6 throughout the Opera. The bar is so high I doubt anyone will ever reach it.
That's true. I've been a fan of Callas for 3 years now. No doubt about that. I'm just wondering why people are so focused on Callas, which means she is that popular. That's all.
People like to try to poke holes in artists, even when they're exceptional, is my view.
On top of this, the media at the time really wanted to create drama (and sell newspapers) by creating a false rivalry, and therefore dichotomy, between Callas and Tebaldi. Callas and Tebaldi weren't rivals in the dramatic way that the press painted them to be, but I think that narrative in the media created the "which-team-are-you-on" mentality among opera lovers, where they felt they had to choose one soprano and dislike the other.
I think they're both absolutely, completely brilliant.
@@robinhahnsopran GREAT response about La Divina! I also personally think much of it had a lot to do with the fact that so much about Callas was already unconventional and controversial. The unusual sound of her voice, the unbelievable variety of repertoire from Brunnhilda to Gilda, from Turandot to Lucia, and everything in between. Also, her very rapid weight loss which truly transformed her physically into such a classic beauty! Also, her STONG work ethic in her art, as well as her impeccable musicianship AND sense of theater. Because she KNEW what was required at all times for any performance, she would settle for nothing less, and was very direct about that. This was not liked, so she was falsely labeled as temperamental.
And on and on. Basically, because she was such an amazing rarity in the opera world, people felt threatened and many would try to sabotage her, but it just never worked! (Although I do suspect that's inevitably what beat her down, and started taking its toll on her physically and mentally. I personally believe that THIS is what caused her to "lose her voice" in time. Not the weight loss, not the roles she sang or the way she sang. And not even over-doing anything! I've always felt she became a tragic victim of people either exploiting her, or malignant her, etc. So that by 1977 she herself became the most tragic of operatic characters. May she rest in eternal peace!
The record I love the most is Callas as Violetta in 1951:
ruclips.net/video/IK-1wQoC-jk/видео.html
No disagreement here.
Callas forever
She is an absolute queen!
+
Thanks for the algorithm bump! :D
Pésaro.