Every Christmas for the past 41 years my partner plays this stunning rendition. I can't remember a year where we haven't looked at one another and said "No one will ever top that"...and no one has either! Thank you blueblanket100 for a great upload and Brava Joan!!
...thrilling, glorious, ravishingly beautiful. This is so much more than a display of phenomenal vocal prowess, but a transcendent interpretation that fully embodies in sound the triumphant spiritual event this great song describes. " O Holy Night..." indeed...Dame Joan Sutherland, La Stupenda indeed!!!
Just came back to earth then. Leontyne Price gives Joan a run for her money though. Two beatuiful singers, that top note is heaven sent for sure. Thank you for such beauty
For me Joan Sutherland's career ended around 1970. After that time it began to show signs of ware and a certain "plumby" sound. From around 1955 to 1970 there was simply no one to compare in technical perfection, and I'm quite sure never will be.
The ONLY singer I have ever heard that could manage the most demanding soprano roles in bel canto opera without a hint of strain or fear, and yes that includes Caballe etc.
Well, nope. I can't help it, but this piece is Pavarotti's. Dame Sutherland is magnificent, but honestly? Her voice is just too powerful and overbearing for a piece of music that should have more drama and less volume.
@primavoce444 I actually love this tempo as it gives the song real energy and impetus. Unfortunately, there are many slow and droopy versions of O Holy Night which are highly self-indulgent and suffer from musical inertia.
What a spiritually powerful voice in a classic that was never sung until Dame Joan sang it....quite beyond belief. Dame Joan, you live with the angels !!! W.
Amazing, I don't give a shit I can't understand a word she is saying, she legato is perfection, the column of sound is glorious, the top notes are clean and majestic.
This is how it's supposed to go. Why o why do so many want to spoil it? With Ave Verum Corpus, it is the most spiritually uplifting song, or hymn, or anthem, ever created. Miss Sutherland is beyond compare. Bravissime!
There are so many dreadful versions of this beautiful sacred music on you tube ranging from twee to "soulful". I wish some of the fans of those poor versions would listen just once to this magnificent rendition. God bless Dame Joan, RIP
Not a believer here, but it would be great if there was a place where all these ladies would seat and chat, after they are no longer on this earth.
What a magnificent singer she was, what a vocal miracle.... I have heard Sutherland all my life, since adolescence....I experienced some great moments doing so.
I am not a religious man but if there is a heaven, you can bet there's music there as Dame Joan no doubt went straight to the applause of God. So long, and thank you.
Knowing that she is gone from us not, it is hard to imagine the magnificence of this voice. She gave so much. Not without critics, but forget that. This is a glorious tribute to a stupendous voice that made the problem of the world shrink when she hit those glorious hign notes like no one else. May the angels above crowd around her and give her the glory she gave us for so long. Bravi Dame Joan. WT
There's a version of this on You Tube sung by Licia Albanese and Giuseppe di Stefano. Sort of a duet, I believe. I downloaded it because I thought it was very interesting and beautiful, which it is. But Dame Joan's sounds like a violin played very high in the strings. How we all loved that lady!
OMG--- this is so beautiful that it's painful. Dame Joan Sutherland, like Maria Callas before her, made this world a better place in which to live. Her voice was positively sublime, at times so much so that one truly is amazed that this sound came from a human being. Am grieving over her passing. But what a career! Truly, she lived her life beautifully, casting a beacon of light into the lives of anyone who could hear her sing. May she sing forever in eternity!
@Zva26 I echo your beautiful sentiments, Zva26. The lush, radiant sound of Sutherland's voice was unlike that of any other soprano, and her florid technique was phenomenal. This version of my favorite Christmas song is awe-inspiring. Bjorling's rendition is equally magnificent. Thanks for forwarding, and thanks to blueblanket00 for posting.
Horne is another all- time great . I did not see very often on stage, Her concert in Philly @ 1979 in terms of musical vistas and execution was magical.
@65attila Just a quick interpolation to say that I am loving listening to my Dame Joan recordings with special nostalgia since the news of her death; thank heavens for the disc heritage she has left for us!
@Zva26 I'm not sure Dame Joan was a human being. I never sang with her (too young for that), but have sung with people who sang with her and they felt that she must be an angel among men.
@baritonebynight - Sutherland and Callas raised the bar so high with their respective strengths that I doubt whether the opera world will ever see their likes again. That one immediately followed the other is a cause for wonder. Ditto for Flagstad and Nilsson. I'd say that the four of them together arguably represent the greatest soprano singing in the Twentieth Century. There were many wonderful and beautiful sopranos, but I think these four defined the last century of opera.
@Zva26 Some would add Muzio, Lotte Lehmann, and Tebaldi. Please also give an honorable mention to Galli-Curci; her birthday is tomorrow, November 18, 1882.
@meltzerboy I've heard Tebaldi's, which is not sung in as high a key, but is beautiful nevertheless. Bjoerling's is absolutely gorgeous; Leontyne's is magical also. I'm going to see if I can locate Lehmann's and Galli Curci's. A happy birthday to the great Amelita! I'm sure she's enriching the heavens with HER voice as well!
@Zva26 You won't find Galli-Curci's because she never recorded it; not sure about Lehmann or Muzio. I was referring to your comment about the 4 unique sopranos: Callas, Sutherland, Flagstad, and Nilsson, by saying that some opera lovers would include Muzio, Lehmann, Tebaldi, and Galli-Curci to the short list, I for one. I'm sure G-C appreciates your birthday wishes. As you know, she and Sutherland greatly admired one another. Sutherland also admired Callas and Flagstad; the lady had great taste!
@liedersanger1 - Of course Ponselle, Milanov, Price, and Tebaldi were sublime..I love all of them and wouldn't want to be without ANY of them. That said, I'd say that Flagstad, Nilsson, Callas, and Sutherland actually defined a kind of grandeur and excitement that eluded everyone else. Also, I'd put Marilyn Horne into this group as well. This most emphatically does NOT relegate other "greats" like de los Angeles, Schwarzkopf, Verrett, Ludwig, Caballe' etc, as "also-rans". All were sublime.
@Zva26 I agree. Dont forget Kathryn Grayson who introduced opera to the silver screen! Ofcourse Julie Andrews and her legitimate singing for the more popular sector.
@Shamsithaca - I love both Kathryn Grayson and Julie Andrews. Grayson was the first to bring REAL opera into films in the 1940s (I exclude Deanna Durbin and Jeanette MacDonald, of course), and she must be credited for this. However, neither Kathryn Grayson or Julie Andrews EVER possessed anywhere NEAR the vocal endowments of either Sutherland, Callas, Nilsson, or Flagstad. It's a disservice to Kathryn Grayson to even mention her in the same sentence, but she was a doll anyway.
@Shamsithaca - I love both Kathryn Grayson and Julie Andrews. Grayson was the first to bring REAL opera into films in the 1940s (I exclude Deanna Durbin and Jeanette MacDonald, of course), and she must be credited for this. However, neither Kathryn Grayson or Julie Andrews EVER possessed anywhere NEAR the vocal endowments of either Sutherland, Callas, Nilsson, or Flagstad. It's a disservice to Kathryn Grayson to even mention her in the same sentence, but she was a doll anyway.
@liedersanger1 Well, Leontyne, God bless her and keep her, is still with us, so Joan gets first dibs in heaven! Leontyne's Christmas album is one of the most beautiful achievements in recording history. It's only a matter of personal preference if Joan is my #1 favorite.
Once again, Joan proves what an epic sound she was capable of. The vocal prodigality and laryngeal stamina are astounding. As the vocal line rises to almost impossible heights, Joan crests over the orchestra like a monumental wave, swamping the orchestra with a triumphant and opulent sound. I just hope no one has bought this album with the intention of singing along!!!
One Word ....Breathtaking..... she was the best !
emceedisco 3 weeks ago
Dame Sutherland... In my opinion, the greatest soprano the earth has ever known.
Moustik2011 2 months ago in playlist More videos from blueblanket00
The incomparable!!!!
Falstaff2805 2 months ago
Every Christmas for the past 41 years my partner plays this stunning rendition. I can't remember a year where we haven't looked at one another and said "No one will ever top that"...and no one has either! Thank you blueblanket100 for a great upload and Brava Joan!!
petelovesbevsills 2 months ago in playlist More videos from blueblanket00
...thrilling, glorious, ravishingly beautiful. This is so much more than a display of phenomenal vocal prowess, but a transcendent interpretation that fully embodies in sound the triumphant spiritual event this great song describes. " O Holy Night..." indeed...Dame Joan Sutherland, La Stupenda indeed!!!
photo161 2 months ago
mushy mushy but impressive
thomastmwc 2 months ago
Ora canta in Cielo !
Buon Natale 2011.
MrPipposiculo 2 months ago
Glorious! And nice that the tempo is not too slow. Thanks for posting!
jontlew 2 months ago
What top note did she sing on the last verse? Was this a high A flat? Sounds very glorious indeed!
classyteacherdiva 2 months ago
@classyteacherdiva C-sharp actually.
Shamsithaca 2 months ago
@classyteacherdiva It was Db
nwdixieboy 2 months ago
Just came back to earth then. Leontyne Price gives Joan a run for her money though. Two beatuiful singers, that top note is heaven sent for sure. Thank you for such beauty
levismother 2 months ago
God, this is amazing
levismother 2 months ago
Absolutely wonderful! I had no idea she recorded this. Sublime, powerful and magisterial without undue sentiment.
fortepiano44 2 months ago
Coloratura! What a delight!
iadlaws 2 months ago
Just so amazing I''msitting here open mouthed in admiration
SuperKopstar 2 months ago
Christina Aguilera? Are you kidding me? ...
TheWisemonkey8 2 months ago
Oh my god it's so high!!
MegaPrincessbear 3 months ago
words are redundant...
12pepap 3 months ago
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Yes! Hear the angel's voices!
zehtesko 5 months ago
Comment removed
zehtesko 5 months ago
For me Joan Sutherland's career ended around 1970. After that time it began to show signs of ware and a certain "plumby" sound. From around 1955 to 1970 there was simply no one to compare in technical perfection, and I'm quite sure never will be.
The ONLY singer I have ever heard that could manage the most demanding soprano roles in bel canto opera without a hint of strain or fear, and yes that includes Caballe etc.
TheVaughan5 5 months ago
Well, nope. I can't help it, but this piece is Pavarotti's. Dame Sutherland is magnificent, but honestly? Her voice is just too powerful and overbearing for a piece of music that should have more drama and less volume.
Peppi94 6 months ago
@Peppi94 However, Sutherland's versions of Hark the Herald Angels and Adeste Fideles are probably the best among classical singers'.
ChrisStockslager 3 months ago
@Peppi94 This piece belongs to Jussi Björling!!
perhegg 2 months ago
What a joy just to hear this woman sing. There will never be another who can compare.
gdl0748 6 months ago
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im not nearly as good as that but pls listen to my verson!!!
i hav a dream too!!
/watch?v=JIDYBasar8U
theeReddVision 6 months ago
@primavoce444 I actually love this tempo as it gives the song real energy and impetus. Unfortunately, there are many slow and droopy versions of O Holy Night which are highly self-indulgent and suffer from musical inertia.
vocalissimo1 6 months ago 5
FANTASTIC!!!
Geert Dehoux, pianist.
geertdehoux 7 months ago
Dear Joan, everything you did was so beautiful, rich, and warm, I will miss you forever. So sad, you disappeared last year !
fanofbelcanto 7 months ago
Wonderful!
physivois 7 months ago
How fabulous - how loud with her glorious voice - any wonder I have adored this great singer for years - and always will. Graham Melb Aus
23zowie23 11 months ago
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the greatest singer who has ever walked on this planet earth.
frankjopie 11 months ago
Salute!!!
tingchenchang 1 year ago
LA STUPENDA!!
UNICA!!!!!!!
BELLISIMO TIMBRE!!
acitipo 1 year ago
Magnificent!! Never knew this existed. Found it by Accident. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.
curlingnf 1 year ago 3
One word: majestic!
WestVoice 1 year ago
You must hear Ave Maria by Sutherland
bruceapardue 1 year ago
She is very good. I would say that Leontyne Price and Jessye Norman are just about as good.
rwthom 1 year ago
Just sublime, inmortal!
freddyqueer 1 year ago
Lovely.
leonardovittori1 1 year ago
What a spiritually powerful voice in a classic that was never sung until Dame Joan sang it....quite beyond belief. Dame Joan, you live with the angels !!! W.
wtoutback 1 year ago 2
semplicemente straordinaria!!!!!
VL2891 1 year ago
Amazing, I don't give a shit I can't understand a word she is saying, she legato is perfection, the column of sound is glorious, the top notes are clean and majestic.
She is a GODDESS.
primohomme 1 year ago 3
Very nice.
Devotedlamb19 1 year ago
This is how it's supposed to go. Why o why do so many want to spoil it? With Ave Verum Corpus, it is the most spiritually uplifting song, or hymn, or anthem, ever created. Miss Sutherland is beyond compare. Bravissime!
harryslide 1 year ago 2
There are so many dreadful versions of this beautiful sacred music on you tube ranging from twee to "soulful". I wish some of the fans of those poor versions would listen just once to this magnificent rendition. God bless Dame Joan, RIP
Suamhneas 1 year ago
I am crying...
heigei1 1 year ago
Not a believer here, but it would be great if there was a place where all these ladies would seat and chat, after they are no longer on this earth.
What a magnificent singer she was, what a vocal miracle.... I have heard Sutherland all my life, since adolescence....I experienced some great moments doing so.
I hope she was also happy as a woman.
colonia3059 1 year ago
Joan Sutherland O Holy Night
ac3761G 1 year ago
I am not a religious man but if there is a heaven, you can bet there's music there as Dame Joan no doubt went straight to the applause of God. So long, and thank you.
regent260 1 year ago
It is so beautiful ,and bring the spirit of christmas
giddyupSENSATION 1 year ago
It's positively Wagnerian.
Matalizari 1 year ago 2
Trying not to cry... trying not to cry...
Matalizari 1 year ago
tremendous - thank you
x
anjerson 1 year ago
Knowing that she is gone from us not, it is hard to imagine the magnificence of this voice. She gave so much. Not without critics, but forget that. This is a glorious tribute to a stupendous voice that made the problem of the world shrink when she hit those glorious hign notes like no one else. May the angels above crowd around her and give her the glory she gave us for so long. Bravi Dame Joan. WT
wtoutback 1 year ago 3
There's a version of this on You Tube sung by Licia Albanese and Giuseppe di Stefano. Sort of a duet, I believe. I downloaded it because I thought it was very interesting and beautiful, which it is. But Dame Joan's sounds like a violin played very high in the strings. How we all loved that lady!
Zva26 1 year ago
Absolute beauty! Thank you.
vstasov 1 year ago
That's what I call a high key. It is stupendous how she sings this!
richstout 1 year ago
Comment removed
richstout 1 year ago
OMG--- this is so beautiful that it's painful. Dame Joan Sutherland, like Maria Callas before her, made this world a better place in which to live. Her voice was positively sublime, at times so much so that one truly is amazed that this sound came from a human being. Am grieving over her passing. But what a career! Truly, she lived her life beautifully, casting a beacon of light into the lives of anyone who could hear her sing. May she sing forever in eternity!
Zva26 1 year ago 4
@Zva26 I echo your beautiful sentiments, Zva26. The lush, radiant sound of Sutherland's voice was unlike that of any other soprano, and her florid technique was phenomenal. This version of my favorite Christmas song is awe-inspiring. Bjorling's rendition is equally magnificent. Thanks for forwarding, and thanks to blueblanket00 for posting.
meltzerboy 1 year ago 2
@meltzerboy
Nate
I was listening to over an hour of Sutherland last night on
the edge of tears. This performance put me over the edge.
Joan was the Golden Age voice and singer I luckily heard on stage...
Regards-John
65attila 1 year ago
@65attila I completely agree, and would add Marilyn Horne.
meltzerboy 1 year ago
@meltzerboy
Horne is another all- time great . I did not see very often on stage, Her concert in Philly @ 1979 in terms of musical vistas and execution was magical.
65attila 1 year ago
@65attila Just a quick interpolation to say that I am loving listening to my Dame Joan recordings with special nostalgia since the news of her death; thank heavens for the disc heritage she has left for us!
kiwikjk 1 year ago
@Zva26 I'm not sure Dame Joan was a human being. I never sang with her (too young for that), but have sung with people who sang with her and they felt that she must be an angel among men.
baritonebynight 1 year ago 2
@baritonebynight - Sutherland and Callas raised the bar so high with their respective strengths that I doubt whether the opera world will ever see their likes again. That one immediately followed the other is a cause for wonder. Ditto for Flagstad and Nilsson. I'd say that the four of them together arguably represent the greatest soprano singing in the Twentieth Century. There were many wonderful and beautiful sopranos, but I think these four defined the last century of opera.
Zva26 1 year ago 20
@Zva26 Some would add Muzio, Lotte Lehmann, and Tebaldi. Please also give an honorable mention to Galli-Curci; her birthday is tomorrow, November 18, 1882.
meltzerboy 1 year ago
@meltzerboy I've heard Tebaldi's, which is not sung in as high a key, but is beautiful nevertheless. Bjoerling's is absolutely gorgeous; Leontyne's is magical also. I'm going to see if I can locate Lehmann's and Galli Curci's. A happy birthday to the great Amelita! I'm sure she's enriching the heavens with HER voice as well!
Zva26 1 year ago
@Zva26 You won't find Galli-Curci's because she never recorded it; not sure about Lehmann or Muzio. I was referring to your comment about the 4 unique sopranos: Callas, Sutherland, Flagstad, and Nilsson, by saying that some opera lovers would include Muzio, Lehmann, Tebaldi, and Galli-Curci to the short list, I for one. I'm sure G-C appreciates your birthday wishes. As you know, she and Sutherland greatly admired one another. Sutherland also admired Callas and Flagstad; the lady had great taste!
meltzerboy 1 year ago
@Zva26 I don't think it will sadly.
emma41093 1 year ago
@Zva26 They were born 2 years apart Callas in 24, Sutherland 26
00193900 1 year ago
@Zva26 Ponselle, Milanov, and Price belong on your list. Probably Tebaldi too.
liedersanger1 10 months ago
@liedersanger1 - Of course Ponselle, Milanov, Price, and Tebaldi were sublime..I love all of them and wouldn't want to be without ANY of them. That said, I'd say that Flagstad, Nilsson, Callas, and Sutherland actually defined a kind of grandeur and excitement that eluded everyone else. Also, I'd put Marilyn Horne into this group as well. This most emphatically does NOT relegate other "greats" like de los Angeles, Schwarzkopf, Verrett, Ludwig, Caballe' etc, as "also-rans". All were sublime.
Zva26 10 months ago
@Zva26 As my father used to say, "That's what makes horse races!"
liedersanger1 10 months ago 2
@liedersanger1 i love that.
cjm608 8 months ago
@Zva26 I agree. Dont forget Kathryn Grayson who introduced opera to the silver screen! Ofcourse Julie Andrews and her legitimate singing for the more popular sector.
Shamsithaca 2 months ago
@Shamsithaca - I love both Kathryn Grayson and Julie Andrews. Grayson was the first to bring REAL opera into films in the 1940s (I exclude Deanna Durbin and Jeanette MacDonald, of course), and she must be credited for this. However, neither Kathryn Grayson or Julie Andrews EVER possessed anywhere NEAR the vocal endowments of either Sutherland, Callas, Nilsson, or Flagstad. It's a disservice to Kathryn Grayson to even mention her in the same sentence, but she was a doll anyway.
Zva26 2 months ago
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@Shamsithaca - I love both Kathryn Grayson and Julie Andrews. Grayson was the first to bring REAL opera into films in the 1940s (I exclude Deanna Durbin and Jeanette MacDonald, of course), and she must be credited for this. However, neither Kathryn Grayson or Julie Andrews EVER possessed anywhere NEAR the vocal endowments of either Sutherland, Callas, Nilsson, or Flagstad. It's a disservice to Kathryn Grayson to even mention her in the same sentence, but she was a doll anyway.
Zva26 2 months ago
@Zva26 please don't forget the legendary Devia
thomastmwc 2 months ago
A heavenly duet Sutherland and Pavarotti
Sebastian740 1 year ago 2
Christmastime in heaven 2010--"But who will sing O Holy Night"? And with one voice, the heavenly choir calls out, "Joan!"
Richiesutherland 1 year ago
@Richiesutherland Or maybe "Leontyne!" :-)
liedersanger1 1 year ago
@liedersanger1 Well, Leontyne, God bless her and keep her, is still with us, so Joan gets first dibs in heaven! Leontyne's Christmas album is one of the most beautiful achievements in recording history. It's only a matter of personal preference if Joan is my #1 favorite.
Richiesutherland 1 year ago
Once again, Joan proves what an epic sound she was capable of. The vocal prodigality and laryngeal stamina are astounding. As the vocal line rises to almost impossible heights, Joan crests over the orchestra like a monumental wave, swamping the orchestra with a triumphant and opulent sound. I just hope no one has bought this album with the intention of singing along!!!
vocalissimo1 1 year ago 15
@vocalissimo1 I did, but being a bass-baritone, it's much easier for me to hit a Db than a soprano. Haha. :P
ChrisStockslager 1 year ago
GLORIOUS!!!
hornplayermark 1 year ago
Absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!!!
orgelfanaat8 1 year ago
Incredible singing, but I always have the feeling that Dame Joan would have woken the Baby Jesus with that high-D!!
wotan10950 1 year ago
@wotan10950
I agree (LOL)...I would have wanted to have been awake for that also!!! I'm not sure whether he would have understood the words.
andrecooper555 1 year ago
Great recording, the whole album is fantastic. But I always wondered: how come the only high note in the whole album is the D-flat (?) here?
ChrisStockslager 2 years ago
@ChrisStockslager "Deck the Hall" has a short run which peaks at a high D :) but yeah, why not some high E-flats somewhere on the album, huh? :)
JDOopera76 1 year ago