There is nothing lacking in this performance. Her agility, firm top notes and brilliant timbre is incredible. Her interpretation is moving. So much ability and virtuosity in the 50's. A tradition perhaps now lost for good. Definitely a golden age for opera.
I can't stop listening to this woman..I didnt think it got any better than Joan but this is definately of the same caliber if not more....and her legato and coloratura was intense and beautiful, and her Ebs were AMAZING!!!
She blended parlando effects with great musicality and her vocal colors are so rich and affecting to this listener. Such a great and memorable singer. The second verse was sped up to a full allegro and some of her phrases were so manic that she expressed the loss of her mind with amazing conviction. And those trills, God in heaven!
Era ora che si facesse conoscere questa splendida voce dai mi bemolle sovracuto limpidi come il cristallo. Bravissima. Dispiace che non sei stata apprezzata non dal pubblico o dalla critica ma da chi aveva paura di te. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@@brunopicaude3092 I love Callas' so much, but this role is Virginia Zeani's, to my like!!! Love them both❤❤❤ We are no longer seeing these type of glorious singing and devotion anymore...
I try very hard not to live in the past but the moment I heard this I found myself wishing that "modern" ladies would put this level of musicianship, vocal focus and intensity into the music itself. I have no idea what Zeani did in the way of "acting" but everything is here in this wonderul clear focused open throated voice. What a treasure and what a shame that this singer was so overshadowed by her great contemporaries, surely this lady deserved equal recognition. She still stuns me !
I saw the production of Lucia at the Stoll theatre as a 10 year old and the emotion has stayed with me ever since, I don't know how much I understood, but I was aware that I was seeing and hearing something special. My parents who took me because they couldn't get a baby sitter were uneducated working people (they left school at 13 and 15) they loved opera and were delighted to share that with me. i am going to see the ROH production of Lucia next week May 2016 and wonder if it is possible to ever recreate that magic of sharing something so wonderful with my parents. In memory of Freda and Bernard Soley.
Aceasta performanta interpretativa este UNICA. Este incredibil cum a reusit Virginia Zeani sa interpreteze acet rol, Lucia. Am audiat si celelalte mari voci de soprana, dar numai Virginia Zeani a reusit aceasta colectie de bijuterii vocale in acest rol. Exceptional !!!
All it takes for an opera to go right to the hearts of listeners is the right interpreter of the main role. And this is magical. Thank you, Yvonne; thank you, Mme Zeani.
The Hague, Holland. January 28, 1963. Lucia di Lammermoor. Splendid. And terribly friendly when signing autographs when we were waiting for her at the artist exit. Among others , a photo with her husband Nicola Rossi-Lemeni. I still cherish them. Edgardo was sung by....a young and slim Luciano Pavarotti. A "promising" tenor as the papers wrote..... You were great, Madame!.
Mare, foarte mare, soprana noastra care a incantat lumea cu vocea sa cristalina, minunata si performanta printre celelalte mari soprane ale timpului !❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉
Incredible voice, the beauty of her instrument is truly breathtaking; even with the technology of the time, her big, echoing volume, delicious dark timbre and perfectly pitched overtones convey an exceptional singer! Thank you for sharing :)
She was a great singer and should have been far more famous. She was beautiful as well. Maybe Southerland took all the oxygen out of the operatic air?? I think it proves again that other factors determine fame and fortune, not only greatness. Her high "E"s here are really very spectacular and she sings this difficult aria so very well.
Quando i cantanti erano artisti veri: personalità, voce e melodramma. L'onestà e verità che oggi il marketing ha ammazzato. Una voce piena di risorse espressive e di una sicurezza tecnica stratosferica.
Dincolo de extraordinara voce, de tehnica impecabilă, Doamna Virginia Zeani este, cu adevărat, o Femeie. Frumoasă, puternică, luptătoare, adică unică. ( Beyond the extraordinary voice, the impeccable technique, Mrs. Virginia Zeani is truly a Woman. Beautiful, strong, fighting, unique.)
@corellithebest The Stoll Theatre in London was built by Oscar Hammerstein as The London Opera House. It was superb,even larger than Covent Garden. Zeani sang there with a visiting 100% Italian touring company in a scratch production. She never sang Lucia at Covent Garden & only made her debut there as Violetta as a last minute replacement for Sutherland. Unfortunately they sang the same repertoire & Sutherland, being our home grown rising star was given precedence. But oh, how we needed both!
So much better than for example Nadine Sierra, Lisette Oropesa or the HORRENDOUS saddening Olga Peretyatko... This voice has for example a proper chestvoice and she sings with her whole voice! Listen to her astounding chestvoice participation further up into her middle register. This is a true Lucia and no birdsinging or a techniqually crippled ”artist” like Peretyatko, this soprano simply got it all.
Zeani should have been at the Met. The phrasing is impeccable along with a superbly focused tone.It also states that Lipkowska was a splendid teacher. ALL Singers can learn much from this recording.
Zeani's sublime, ethereal and magical, and yet full-bodied, genuinely and essentially human Lucia is the only one I have heard so far that, in conveying the profound complexity and tragic fragility of the character can be measured to Callas' one! Mesmerizing artistry of Mme Zeani!
Dame Joan was a great singer, but Mme. Zeani lived the character. With Sutherland you hear a great sound, but Mme. Zeani's performance is ART. Just sensational.
What a beautiful lovely silvery,voice but with lots of warmth. Great technique and a wonderful interpretation. I had only seen her name in passing in the past but since you recently started drawing everyone's attention to her I played a few of your posts and it was a relevation. A pity some of the big Opera Houses outside Italy didn't give her the recognition she deserved. And a great lady also. I heard her interview.
Absolutely stunning. I have been studying the mad scene for post grad studies and been trying to find excellent interpreters of the role and the bel canto style. I think this comes close to perfect than most. Amazing amazing.
Thanks for the upload - I think I'm in love! Maria Callas's former husband, Giovanni Battista Meneghini, once told Zeani: "Virginia, I have to tell you, you are one of the very few sopranos my wife is frightened of!" (wiki)
+Tim Calder Tita Meneghini said many rather bitter, in their veracity somewhat suspect things about his wife and what she had supposedly said. He even wrote a book "Mia Moglie, Maria Callas" (I don't think it's ever been translated into English) just full of such little tid-bits. Who knows? That she was very threatened by Tebaldi was no secret. Either way, Zeani was a wonderful and unjusly little-known singer. Like so many others of that era, she was a little in the shadow of Callas, Tebaldi and Milanov.
+assindiastignani we all know that Callas was great. But she also had a mult-milionair husband Meneghini who managed her career with Opera houses and EMI. Zeani's husband sang with Callas at EMI studios until he married Zeani... Probably he married a "wrong woman"... May be someone "helped" her staying in the shadow of Callas... But she had her magnificent international career for 35 years and another not less siccessful cateef as a teacher.... And she is still alive ... in good shape. And many of those pirate recording help her overshadow the shadow of Callas...
Again.....WOW!!! I can't BELIEVE I never heard this great voice before! And so very dramatic as well! Up till now, there have only been 3 Lucias I ever felt did justice to the role (Callas, Sutherland, and Sills). But now there is a 4th! Thank you soooo much for sharing you collection of these amazing recordings!
Today’s Lucia is Lisette Oropesa. Her performance from Madrid with Camarena and Rucinski is spell binding. That said, THIS is a performance ranks among the very greats.
@@-uda2672 I stand by what I said...if she needs to work on her technique to be sure to protect that gorgeous voice, so be it. I do know she works with some of the finest vocal coaches in opera. So, I’m sure she’ll be fine and continue to thrive.
@dantitustimshu Absolutely agree! I enjoy so much Mme Zeani's rendition of Lucia! She, like Callas, has, after many years, restored genuine humanity to that character!
It is very difficult to cap the "Alfin son tua" aria, with its brilliant cadenza, with an even more exciting "Spargi d'amaro pianto"; it will often sound more "ordinary" and just a bit anticlimactic. But Zeani achieves it, magnificently!
Ich stimme Ihnen wiederum in allen Punkten zu.Das ist bei mir sehr selten der Fall.Normalerweise schlage ich mich immer mit den meißten Kommentatoren herum und das ist nicht sehr erfreulich.Es ist sehr schön mit Ihnen auf deutsch konferieren zu können,es macht keine Freude immer nur englisch,französisch und italienisch sprechen zu müssen-Viele Grüße bis zum nächsten mal--
Charlotte, what a heart-stirring rendition of the mad scene! Zeani's approach to it is individual and supported with a secure technique. I first heard her on the Decca/London disc which contained two excerpts from Lucia. And thank you for the stunning photographs. George
According to one of Sutherland's biographies, Covent Garden was planning to present Lucia with her in 1957, but postponed the production to 1959 when they found out an Italian company would be presenting it with Zeani in 1957 at the Stoll Theatre.
@Kievest I absolutely agree with you! And the best examples of sublime sopranos who were "humble servants" of the composer and his music were Callas and Zeani! And "a servant of the composer" were exact Callas' words!
That final note is uncanny... It has so much ring and body that it sounds like both the top E as well an octave lower in a 'belt' sound at the exact same time. Listen to it twice, first time expect the top E, secondly, expect an octave lower - both somehow come through.
Hallo,Heraopera-Vielen Dank für Ihre Antwort-Ich bin seit 50 Jahren Callas-Fan.Unter den heutigen Sängerinnen liebe ich Elena Mosuc,Lucia Aliberti,Dimitra Theodossiou,Jeniffer Larmore(die neuerdings die Lady Macbeth singt mit grandiosem Des in alto-)Es gibt heute auch sehr gute Sängerinnen -Herzliche Grüße aus Halle /Saale
Vielen Dank Heraopera für Ihre Antwort.Allen voran bin ich Callas-Fan und das seit 50 Jahren,Ich liebe von den heutigen Sängerinnen-Mariella Devia,Lucia Aliberti,Jenniffer Larmore(Sie singt neuerdings die Lady Macbeth,mit allen high-C´s und einem grandiosen Des)-Elena Mosuc,Dimitra Theodossiou und viele mehr .Herzliche Grüße nach Wien aus Halle /Saale
Thank you, dear Yvonne, for this immensely precious operatic jewel! Just a question: so this was not at Covent Garden, but at another London theatre, Stoll Theatre? And I like so much her photos here, do they represent her as Lucia? What an acting!
From reading her bio, it sounds like she was smarter with her repertoire than Callas was. Both obviously had huge and yet agile voices with large ranges. And both could sing everything from coloratura soprano to dramatic soprano. But Callas from the start kept doing it all simultaneously, bouncing back and forth between all vocal types. Whereas it looks like Zeani in the beginning focused on the more lyric and coloratura roles, and then as she aged and matured she was able to add the much heavier roles. I can't help think that Callas' bouncing back and forth contributed to her early vocal demise, while Zeani's gradually adding the heavier roles helped maintain her uncompromised vocal skills.
Art Danks I find her interpretation way more interesting than Sutherland's. Zeani sings this role very much in the Callas tradition but with the advantage of a beautiful voice.
@@eduardobraivein8496 Very true on both accounts. I always loved Sutherland's Lucia for the sheer beauty of her voice, although there really wasn't any drama to it. And I loved Callas' Lucia for what she could do with it vocally / dramatically, although it wasn't the most beautiful. Zeani had both!
Art Danks Right. And we shouldn't forget Anna Moffo and Beverly Sills, both for her beautiful vocal powers as well as for her dramatic accomplishments.
Art Danks By the way: I forgot June Anderson, Edita Gruberova, Mariella Devia and Sumi Jo. Which category should they fall into? (vocally and dramatically speaking).
@@eduardobraivein8496 I've always only considered Sumi Jo as a lyric coloratura but with substance. Much like Roberta Peters. Will discuss the others later. I enjoy our chats.
Bueno, en Londres puede que no, lo ignoro, pero la ópera era bastante conocida y además ya circulaba la grabación de Callas de 1953 de estudio. Sin desmerecer esta, que es fantástica.
She is absolutely fantastic, but the merits of her Lucia here mentioned were done before her by Maria Callas. Toti dal Monte, famous Lucia of the past, said after hearing Callas in Lucia at La Scala in 54: "Here is the dramatic truth of this role!" and greeted Maria Callas saying humblily: "You have surpassed me, Maria!". Zeani's Lucia is fantastic but the discovery and the revelation of this role was done by Callas, before Zeani's marvellous interpretation of Lucia..
Dear Sergio you are mistaken. If you look into the performance annals of both Virginia Zeani and Maria Callas you will discover that it was Virginia Zeani who first sang Lucia, in Athens in 1950. Maria Callas did not make her European debut as Lucia until 1953 in Florence.
Interesting that when the wonderful Joan Sutherland performed this a couple of years later it shot Joan to stardom, although Zeani is a recognised great singer what was it that stop her from becoming a world star overnight?
It's not the whole story, but just as she was on the brink of major "stardom" she married Nicola Rossi Lemeni, after which he made no more recordings with Maria Meneghini Callas. Make of that what you will. Decca and later DG both wanted Zeani for recordings, and the impresario Sandor Gorlinski wanted to promote her in a world tour, but none of them needed Signor Rossi Lemeni. So, for the sake of her very recent marriage she declined the offers and thought, naively perhaps, that there would be opportunities to record later on. Sadly that was not to be. She never had a "personal manager" but dealt with both her own and her husband's bookings herself. She accepted work as it was offered and this meant sometimes losing out on a superior opportunity because she was already committed elsewhere. Once she stopped performing, because there were so few major recordings, her name began to fade. Her legacy comes largely from tapes of broadcasts of live performances saved by her devoted fans. Thanks to the internet and CD reissues of these performances her wonderful work can be widely enjoyed once more. As, like me, you admire her singing. do please spread the word! Incidentally Joan Sutherland was, and Richard Bonynge is among her greatest admirers, as is she of them.
@@danladi4073 Callas was not 'in charge of casting' but after his marriage to Zeani she did refuse to record any more with Nicola Rossi Lemeni and he lost his contract. Zeani asked Decca to take him on but they already had Cesare Siepi. So, for the sake of not 'unbalancing' her precious, recent marriage, she herself withdrew from Decca. Unless you have been inside the highly competitive world of opera you may not understand and think this is fanciful, but believe me it is not. Two big stars in one marriage is not easy, but they made a success of it, albeit at the cost of her wider fame.
Do you have any source or evidence to support your claim that Callas refused to record with Rossi-Lemeni or should I just trust you on the veracity of gossip?
@@danladi4073 Mme Zeani and her family have been a friends for many years and what I have written is not idle gossip. I have been trusted with managing her website and made most of the first RUclips postings from material she provided. Fortunately these have been recirculated and added to by others, so her legacy, which was on the brink of disappearing because there were so few major label recordings. has been rescued.
I don't know if it's the poor audio quality, but this sounds merely OK to me. Her agility is also very matter-of-fact, not on the same level with Sutherland.
This brilliant performance is a live radio broadcast from the Stoll Theatre in London in 1957, so it is real not studio-synthetic and should be enjoyed for that.
I DO LOVE Zeani a lot and I always criticize Callas a lot but Callas' "ugly" sharp voice is better for this scene, it is more nervous, less even and what is the most important thing - Callas has more shadows, Zeani sings only beautifully and it is boring sometimes. Callas in 1952 was more terrific than Zeani for me
![Virginia Zeani - Violetta supreme - La Traviata [6] Act III - Addio" Live Met NY](/img/1.gif)
I SINCEARLY hope that all singing teachers listen to this voice. It had everything. This is what soprano singing should sound like. WHAT A VOICE!!
Samuel Kock
AGREED !!!
The English audiences seldom broke in like that with applause in an opera. But they of course couldn't help it - she is a miracle.....
There is nothing lacking in this performance. Her agility, firm top notes and brilliant timbre is incredible. Her interpretation is moving. So much ability and virtuosity in the 50's. A tradition perhaps now lost for good. Definitely a golden age for opera.
In comparison with Joan's recordings of this , Zeani makes the emotions more real and the voice really rings! Thanks again Yvonne
I can't stop listening to this woman..I didnt think it got any better than Joan but this is definately of the same caliber if not more....and her legato and coloratura was intense and beautiful, and her Ebs were AMAZING!!!
pure gold... Love/bravo!!! Bravo,
Such a voice and performance should be preserved for posterity.
Definitely, Virginia Zeani (Zehan) is a living legend of opera golden age era.
She blended parlando effects with great musicality and her vocal colors are so rich and affecting to this listener. Such a great and memorable singer. The second verse was sped up to a full allegro and some of her phrases were so manic that she expressed the loss of her mind with amazing conviction. And those trills, God in heaven!
👍
Why isn't Zeani more well known and loved? Beautiful and thrilling voice!
Golden era, under the shadow of great Callas... she is the best of a lot of roles... La Travita.
You can only have one star at the top....its a shame.
@@道-p2e callas is the best la traviata ever period, callas 1951 la traviata is second to none, the same with callas 1952 la traviata
This is one soprano who gives "soul" to Lucia. Amazing. Beautiful.
I loved Maria Callas' mad scene singing, but this is so stunning, masterful...and her gorgeous voice matches the character so well.
Bravo!!!
Era ora che si facesse conoscere questa splendida voce dai mi bemolle sovracuto limpidi come il cristallo. Bravissima. Dispiace che non sei stata apprezzata non dal pubblico o dalla critica ma da chi aveva paura di te. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
You're perfectly right. And hearing V. Zeani saying in a masterclass that "Callas had a perfect coloratura" was a great thing.
@@brunopicaude3092 I love Callas' so much, but this role is Virginia Zeani's, to my like!!!
Love them both❤❤❤
We are no longer seeing these type of glorious singing and devotion anymore...
@@道-p2e and La Traviata?
@@roximol9829 Yes. Certainly... and huntingly soul sticking gorgeous🈵🈵🈵
A FANTASTIC STUNNING High E flat!!
Wow! Lovely and that high E!!!
I try very hard not to live in the past but the moment I heard this I found myself wishing that "modern" ladies would put this level of musicianship, vocal focus and intensity into the music itself. I have no idea what Zeani did in the way of "acting" but everything is here in this wonderul clear focused open throated voice. What a treasure and what a shame that this singer was so overshadowed by her great contemporaries, surely this lady deserved equal recognition. She still stuns me !
I saw the production of Lucia at the Stoll theatre as a 10 year old and the emotion has stayed with me ever since, I don't know how much I understood, but I was aware that I was seeing and hearing something special. My parents who took me because they couldn't get a baby sitter were uneducated working people (they left school at 13 and 15) they loved opera and were delighted to share that with me. i am going to see the ROH production of Lucia next week May 2016 and wonder if it is possible to ever recreate that magic of sharing something so wonderful with my parents. In memory of Freda and Bernard Soley.
This is an immensely important comment for you were there and you experienced something you realised was very special. Bravo!
Aceasta performanta interpretativa este UNICA. Este incredibil cum a reusit Virginia Zeani sa interpreteze acet rol, Lucia. Am audiat si celelalte mari voci de soprana, dar numai Virginia Zeani a reusit aceasta colectie de bijuterii vocale in acest rol. Exceptional !!!
Ai dreptate ,aici Doamna Virginia Zeani e fantastica,dar asculta si interpretarea Annei Moffo .La coloratura Moffo e impresionanta .
Zeani has this very beautiful vocal quality... stunning... and a soul...
Wow, who will ever forget this kind of mad singing, Wow!!! Bravo+Love,
All it takes for an opera to go right to the hearts of listeners is the right interpreter of the main role. And this is magical. Thank you, Yvonne; thank you, Mme Zeani.
The Hague, Holland. January 28, 1963. Lucia di Lammermoor. Splendid. And terribly friendly when signing autographs when we were waiting for her at the artist exit. Among others , a photo with her husband Nicola Rossi-Lemeni. I still cherish them.
Edgardo was sung by....a young and slim Luciano Pavarotti.
A "promising" tenor as the papers wrote.....
You were great, Madame!.
Rossi-Lemeni was my teacher’s teacher!!! How fortunate you were… RIP, I hope they are reunited at last 🌹
@@ronkalinovsky6898 Thanks for your comment!
Mare, foarte mare, soprana noastra care a incantat lumea cu vocea sa cristalina, minunata si performanta printre celelalte mari soprane ale timpului !❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉
Incredible voice, the beauty of her instrument is truly breathtaking; even with the technology of the time, her big, echoing volume, delicious dark timbre and perfectly pitched overtones convey an exceptional singer! Thank you for sharing :)
Une grandiose Lucia ! Oserais je dire : la meilleure !!!!❤️❤️
N’est pas même une question!!! Qu’elle repose en paix… 🌹
Ein wundervoller dramatischer Koloratursopran-bravissima Virginia Zeani!!!
She was a great singer and should have been far more famous. She was beautiful as well. Maybe Southerland took all the oxygen out of the operatic air?? I think it proves again that other factors determine fame and fortune, not only greatness. Her high "E"s here are really very spectacular and she sings this difficult aria so very well.
vdarte
Totally agree!
True chiaroscuro here, chestvoice and singing with her whole voice.
Sutherland could produce beautiful sounds. Here Zeani sings the phrases and gives a splendid characterization. This is genuine operatic singing.
captivating... extra dose of sadness... 🌹🌹🌹
Quando i cantanti erano artisti veri: personalità, voce e melodramma. L'onestà e verità che oggi il marketing ha ammazzato. Una voce piena di risorse espressive e di una sicurezza tecnica stratosferica.
Dincolo de extraordinara voce, de tehnica impecabilă, Doamna Virginia Zeani este, cu adevărat, o Femeie. Frumoasă, puternică, luptătoare, adică unică. (
Beyond the extraordinary voice, the impeccable technique, Mrs. Virginia Zeani is truly a Woman. Beautiful, strong, fighting, unique.)
Aici si nunumai aici Doamna Zeani este fantastica ,superba,sau vorba italienilor : insuperabile,e indimenticabile !
@corellithebest The Stoll Theatre in London was built by Oscar Hammerstein as The London Opera House. It was superb,even larger than Covent Garden. Zeani sang there with a visiting 100% Italian touring company in a scratch production. She never sang Lucia at Covent Garden & only made her debut there as Violetta as a last minute replacement for Sutherland. Unfortunately they sang the same repertoire & Sutherland, being our home grown rising star was given precedence. But oh, how we needed both!
So much better than for example Nadine Sierra, Lisette Oropesa or the HORRENDOUS saddening Olga Peretyatko...
This voice has for example a proper chestvoice and she sings with her whole voice!
Listen to her astounding chestvoice participation further up into her middle register.
This is a true Lucia and no birdsinging or a techniqually crippled ”artist” like Peretyatko, this soprano simply got it all.
To compare VIRGINIA ZEANI with nowadays "stars" is a blasphemy...
Sheer genius coupled with a formidable technique. Brava, Virginia!
Zeani should have been at the Met. The phrasing is impeccable along with a superbly focused tone.It also states that Lipkowska was a splendid teacher. ALL Singers can learn much from this recording.
Zeani's sublime, ethereal and magical, and yet full-bodied, genuinely and essentially human Lucia is the only one I have heard so far that, in conveying the profound complexity and tragic fragility of the character can be measured to Callas' one! Mesmerizing artistry of Mme Zeani!
très belle interprétation.merci de nous faire partager les interprétations de celle si belle soprano
Dios ha sido muy generoso con Virginia Zean, una voz angelical, una excelente persona y además guapísima.
¿ Qué más se puede pedir?
JEWEL
A wonderful find. Many thanks for introducing me to the voice of Virginia Zeani.
Dame Joan was a great singer, but Mme. Zeani lived the character. With Sutherland you hear a great sound, but Mme. Zeani's performance is ART. Just sensational.
BRAVISSIMA !
Incroyable!
What can one say?
Great, g-r-e-a-t performance!
Thank you!
Doug --
What a beautiful lovely silvery,voice but with lots of warmth. Great technique and a wonderful interpretation. I had only seen her name in passing in the past but since you recently started drawing everyone's attention to her I played a few of your posts and it was a relevation. A pity some of the big Opera Houses outside Italy didn't give her the recognition she deserved. And a great lady also. I heard her interview.
What a voice, Brava!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Superb,unic,Dumnezeu sa o odihneasca in pace!
amen
Una gran interpretación de Virginia Zeani.. Magnifica
Absolutely stunning. I have been studying the mad scene for post grad studies and been trying to find excellent interpreters of the role and the bel canto style. I think this comes close to perfect than most. Amazing amazing.
Thanks for the upload - I think I'm in love! Maria Callas's former husband, Giovanni Battista Meneghini, once told Zeani: "Virginia, I have to tell you, you are one of the very few sopranos my wife is frightened of!" (wiki)
+Tim Calder Tita Meneghini said many rather bitter, in their veracity somewhat suspect things about his wife and what she had supposedly said. He even wrote a book "Mia Moglie, Maria Callas" (I don't think it's ever been translated into English) just full of such little tid-bits. Who knows? That she was very threatened by Tebaldi was no secret. Either way, Zeani was a wonderful and unjusly little-known singer. Like so many others of that era, she was a little in the shadow of Callas, Tebaldi and Milanov.
+assindiastignani we all know that Callas was great. But she also had a mult-milionair husband Meneghini who managed her career with Opera houses and EMI. Zeani's husband sang with Callas at EMI studios until he married Zeani... Probably he married a "wrong woman"... May be someone "helped" her staying in the shadow of Callas... But she had her magnificent international career for 35 years and another not less siccessful cateef as a teacher.... And she is still alive ... in good shape. And many of those pirate recording help her overshadow the shadow of Callas...
Why would Callas feel threatened by Tebaldi, a soprano with whom she barely shared roles? They rarely sang the same repertoire.
The best version
Really fantastic!
Incredibile! Superba! Favolosa!
Again.....WOW!!! I can't BELIEVE I never heard this great voice before! And so very dramatic as well! Up till now, there have only been 3 Lucias I ever felt did justice to the role (Callas, Sutherland, and Sills). But now there is a 4th! Thank you soooo much for sharing you collection of these amazing recordings!
You know we have been really sleeping in Virginia zeani. This is amazing. This is really good
Art Danks
Please Sutherland was never this good and only acceptable in her early years.
She never had a chestvoice or this clear chiaroscuro sound.
Today’s Lucia is Lisette Oropesa. Her performance from Madrid with Camarena and Rucinski is spell binding.
That said, THIS is a performance ranks among the very greats.
@@-uda2672 I stand by what I said...if she needs to work on her technique to be sure to protect that gorgeous voice, so be it. I do know she works with some of the finest vocal coaches in opera. So, I’m sure she’ll be fine and continue to thrive.
Giusto.
@dantitustimshu Absolutely agree! I enjoy so much Mme Zeani's rendition of Lucia! She, like Callas, has, after many years, restored genuine humanity to that character!
Grande cantora e atriz, e também muito bela. Eu a vi cantando no nosso TM em La Traviata e La Sonnambula.
This is truly great.
stupenda e quasi incredibile la Lucia
di Virginia Zeani's Dramatic
Lucia J Mad Scene 2 London 1957
extraordinar! mi-a taiat rasuflarea!
R.I.P. Great Virginia... 🥀
WOW
divina .
Come stai caro amico ? Si Virginia e divina !
It is very difficult to cap the "Alfin son tua" aria, with its brilliant cadenza, with an even more exciting "Spargi d'amaro pianto"; it will often sound more "ordinary" and just a bit anticlimactic. But Zeani achieves it, magnificently!
Stunning.
incredibile, inumana!!!!
Fantastic !!! Just discovered this jewel !!!
Ich stimme Ihnen wiederum in allen Punkten zu.Das ist bei mir sehr selten der Fall.Normalerweise schlage ich mich immer mit den meißten Kommentatoren herum und das ist nicht sehr erfreulich.Es ist sehr schön mit Ihnen auf deutsch konferieren zu können,es macht keine Freude immer nur englisch,französisch und italienisch sprechen zu müssen-Viele Grüße bis zum nächsten mal--
RIP Virginia Zeani a great Lucia!
incredible!!
Charlotte, what a heart-stirring rendition of the mad scene! Zeani's approach to it is individual and supported with a secure technique. I first heard her on the Decca/London disc which contained two excerpts from Lucia. And thank you for the stunning photographs. George
Era magnifica
BRAVISIMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Elle avait comme Pavarotti la voix du bon Dieu. Je suis toute boulversée de l'entendre. Quuelle merveilleuse voix.
True, and Mme Zeani loves Callas. But in her live performances at the Stoll Theatre in 1957, Zeani reinstated Lucia for British opera goers.
Staggeringly good!
Superb!
Era bravissima
WOW!!!!!!!
favolosa!
According to one of Sutherland's biographies, Covent Garden was planning to present Lucia with her in 1957, but postponed the production to 1959 when they found out an Italian company would be presenting it with Zeani in 1957 at the Stoll Theatre.
Bravissimo to our Romanian Diva...! God rest her soul in peace!
@Kievest I absolutely agree with you! And the best examples of sublime sopranos who were "humble servants" of the composer and his music were Callas and Zeani! And "a servant of the composer" were exact Callas' words!
That final note is uncanny... It has so much ring and body that it sounds like both the top E as well an octave lower in a 'belt' sound at the exact same time. Listen to it twice, first time expect the top E, secondly, expect an octave lower - both somehow come through.
Hallo,Heraopera-Vielen Dank für Ihre Antwort-Ich bin seit 50 Jahren Callas-Fan.Unter den heutigen Sängerinnen liebe ich Elena Mosuc,Lucia Aliberti,Dimitra Theodossiou,Jeniffer Larmore(die neuerdings die Lady Macbeth singt mit grandiosem Des in alto-)Es gibt heute auch sehr gute Sängerinnen -Herzliche Grüße aus Halle /Saale
Vielen Dank Heraopera für Ihre Antwort.Allen voran bin ich Callas-Fan und das seit 50 Jahren,Ich liebe von den heutigen Sängerinnen-Mariella Devia,Lucia Aliberti,Jenniffer Larmore(Sie singt neuerdings die Lady Macbeth,mit allen high-C´s und einem grandiosen Des)-Elena Mosuc,Dimitra Theodossiou und viele mehr .Herzliche Grüße nach Wien aus Halle /Saale
Right up there with Callas and Sutherland.
Thank you, dear Yvonne, for this immensely precious operatic jewel! Just a question: so this was not at Covent Garden, but at another London theatre, Stoll Theatre? And I like so much her photos here, do they represent her as Lucia? What an acting!
With many singers the voice sounds thin at that high Eflat, Zeani's voice sounds even all the way to the top.
Bravooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.........................................................................................................................................................................
*“Virginia, I have to tell you, you are one of the very few sopranos my wife
is frightened of!” Titto Meneghini, husband of Maria Callas.*
From reading her bio, it sounds like she was smarter with her repertoire than Callas was. Both obviously had huge and yet agile voices with large ranges. And both could sing everything from coloratura soprano to dramatic soprano. But Callas from the start kept doing it all simultaneously, bouncing back and forth between all vocal types. Whereas it looks like Zeani in the beginning focused on the more lyric and coloratura roles, and then as she aged and matured she was able to add the much heavier roles. I can't help think that Callas' bouncing back and forth contributed to her early vocal demise, while Zeani's gradually adding the heavier roles helped maintain her uncompromised vocal skills.
Art Danks
I find her interpretation way more interesting than Sutherland's.
Zeani sings this role very much in the Callas tradition but with the advantage of a beautiful voice.
@@eduardobraivein8496 Very true on both accounts. I always loved Sutherland's Lucia for the sheer beauty of her voice, although there really wasn't any drama to it. And I loved Callas' Lucia for what she could do with it vocally / dramatically, although it wasn't the most beautiful. Zeani had both!
Art Danks
Right. And we shouldn't forget Anna Moffo and Beverly Sills, both for her beautiful vocal powers as well as for her dramatic accomplishments.
Art Danks
By the way: I forgot June Anderson, Edita Gruberova, Mariella Devia and Sumi Jo. Which category should they fall into? (vocally and dramatically speaking).
@@eduardobraivein8496 I've always only considered Sumi Jo as a lyric coloratura but with substance. Much like Roberta Peters. Will discuss the others later. I enjoy our chats.
She is Gheorghiu's idol. Now I understand why.
Bueno, en Londres puede que no, lo ignoro, pero la ópera era bastante conocida y además ya circulaba la grabación de Callas de 1953 de estudio. Sin desmerecer esta, que es fantástica.
meega coolle stimme !! rip (95 !!) ;-( 🖤🕊🕊🕊🖤🥁🕊🕊🕊🖤😭💚🎶🙏🎶🎷🎼🎺🎸🎵😙🎺😙🎷✋🎹 🎼🎶♩♪♫♬♭♮♯🖤🕊🕊🕊🖤 ruclips.net/video/xlLvrnCZjmA/видео.html
Nicht 95, eigentlich 97!!! Ruhe in Frieden…
She is absolutely fantastic, but the merits of her Lucia here mentioned were done before her by Maria Callas. Toti dal Monte, famous Lucia of the past, said after hearing Callas in Lucia at La Scala in 54: "Here is the dramatic truth of this role!" and greeted Maria Callas saying humblily: "You have surpassed me, Maria!". Zeani's Lucia is fantastic but the discovery and the revelation of this role was done by Callas, before Zeani's marvellous interpretation of Lucia..
Dear Sergio you are mistaken. If you look into the performance annals of both Virginia Zeani and Maria Callas you will discover that it was Virginia Zeani who first sang Lucia, in Athens in 1950. Maria Callas did not make her European debut as Lucia until 1953 in Florence.
Callas sang Lucia in Mexico in 1952, iirc.
@@danladi4073 Not in Europa !
9:38
Interesting that when the wonderful Joan Sutherland performed this a couple of years later it shot Joan to stardom, although Zeani is a recognised great singer what was it that stop her from becoming a world star overnight?
It's not the whole story, but just as she was on the brink of major "stardom" she married Nicola Rossi Lemeni, after which he made no more recordings with Maria Meneghini Callas. Make of that what you will. Decca and later DG both wanted Zeani for recordings, and the impresario Sandor Gorlinski wanted to promote her in a world tour, but none of them needed Signor Rossi Lemeni. So, for the sake of her very recent marriage she declined the offers and thought, naively perhaps, that there would be opportunities to record later on. Sadly that was not to be. She never had a "personal manager" but dealt with both her own and her husband's bookings herself. She accepted work as it was offered and this meant sometimes losing out on a superior opportunity because she was already committed elsewhere. Once she stopped performing, because there were so few major recordings, her name began to fade. Her legacy comes largely from tapes of broadcasts of live performances saved by her devoted fans. Thanks to the internet and CD reissues of these performances her wonderful work can be widely enjoyed once more. As, like me, you admire her singing. do please spread the word! Incidentally Joan Sutherland was, and Richard Bonynge is among her greatest admirers, as is she of them.
I don't believe Callas was ever in charge of casting at EMI, and in any case, I'm not sure what that had to do with Zeani.
@@danladi4073 Callas was not 'in charge of casting' but after his marriage to Zeani she did refuse to record any more with Nicola Rossi Lemeni and he lost his contract. Zeani asked Decca to take him on but they already had Cesare Siepi. So, for the sake of not 'unbalancing' her precious, recent marriage, she herself withdrew from Decca. Unless you have been inside the highly competitive world of opera you may not understand and think this is fanciful, but believe me it is not. Two big stars in one marriage is not easy, but they made a success of it, albeit at the cost of her wider fame.
Do you have any source or evidence to support your claim that Callas refused to record with Rossi-Lemeni or should I just trust you on the veracity of gossip?
@@danladi4073 Mme Zeani and her family have been a friends for many years and what I have written is not idle gossip. I have been trusted with managing her website and made most of the first RUclips postings from material she provided. Fortunately these have been recirculated and added to by others, so her legacy, which was on the brink of disappearing because there were so few major label recordings. has been rescued.
5:16 9:38
Small wonder Callas was scared of Zeani.
I LOVE ZEANIIIIIIIII ... but lucia had already been revolutionized by La CALLAS ...
Zeani sang Lucia for the first time in 1950 in Athens. I'm not sure when Callas first sang it.
I don't know if it's the poor audio quality, but this sounds merely OK to me. Her agility is also very matter-of-fact, not on the same level with Sutherland.
This brilliant performance is a live radio broadcast from the Stoll Theatre in London in 1957, so it is real not studio-synthetic and should be enjoyed for that.
ni de cerca como callas ni sutherland
The voice is better, more beautiful, than both Callas and Southerland's; try again!
I DO LOVE Zeani a lot and I always criticize Callas a lot but Callas' "ugly" sharp voice is better for this scene, it is more nervous, less even and what is the most important thing - Callas has more shadows, Zeani sings only beautifully and it is boring sometimes. Callas in 1952 was more terrific than Zeani for me
No need to keep comparing for we have both to enjoy in their different ways and according to their different gifts.