Leyla Gencer - Shirley Verret - Maria Stuarda confrontation

[arturo8402]

tempo aside, Gencer and Verrett gives everything you would want in this scene!

[debislo]

Chanteuses hors pair et hantées par la si puissante évocation et musique de Donizetti mais quelle direction d'orchestre nulle a chier...

[hchristopher1]

The conducting is an abortion.

[jovi1715]

Pensate se esistesse un video di una cosa del genere....

[philipc67]

Doesn't get any better than this. Despite the very poor orchestral accompaniment (too fast, not in sync with the singers), the drama is palpable, the voices of those two great ladies unspairing. Oh, that Leyla's spitting out of the crucial words and the huge High D in the end!

THIS is staged opera, people!

Caballe and Sills (but no low notes) also had her moments, Sutherland had some lovely passages but her diction was terrible, her dramatic sense zero.

[MisterSoprano]

Wonderful!

[Pietraincatenata]

Due grandissime interpreti di questo celeberrimo duetto funestate da una direzione d'orchestra semplicemente scandalosa: non segue i cantanti, accellera in modo sbagliato, nel "tutti" copre le voci, un vero disastro. Ma la grandezza della Gencer e della Verrett, fortunatamente, emerge ugualmente. L'invettiva rabbiosa della Gencer/Stuarda è memorabile!

[GylchrisSprauve]

Look...this is as good as it gets...these two nobles square off and they both hold their own...I'm like, Ms. Gencer? Is that you? What happened in the dressing room backstage that you were clearing up on the stage with Shirley? Hahahahahah!!! BEST MARY STUART CONFRONTATION EVER!!!

[SiEtIn1]

that high D La Gencer throws at the end of the ensemble really does something to me, but it is only the crowning moment of a wonderfully sung scene. lucky audiences in Florence

[RVP57]

This is fabulous, real music theatre, way ahead of its time. This is easily equal to Verdi's great middle period work, and you can clearly discern the influence of one great composer on another. Of course it takes great artists to bring great music to life and these ladies fit the bill! Brava Verrett! Brava Gencer!

[ptichkagulnara]

die beste MARIA STUARDA und beste ELISABTH...

[tallguyphl]

The singing is fantastic! But the whole thing is a snooze until the final stretta. Tempi are woefully slow and uneven. All praise to the tenor who tried to move things along in his solo passages with little success.

[sezgin86]

Gencer sounds like a real mezzo at the beginning of the aria!! She is great so is Verret!!

[MastersoftheOpera]

This is a marvelously sung Confrontation Scene in Maria Stuarda because Shirley Verrett was a gifted bel canto soprano (Norma, Adalgisa, Giovanna Seymour) but she was underrated. Leyla Gencer also was underrated and she was an immensely talented bel canto singer. Both have such great majestic voices

[AOG93]

My God, I wish I was there! I Love Genver in Stuarda. I also wish Sutherland would have done it earlier... And that Callas would have done it in her prime (What a Stuarda that would've been!!). I dream of a video of this performance! Verret is amazing also. She never dissapoints. Modern mezzos should be ashamed.

[eradesso]

Unrivalled! I would give it 6 stars if I could!!!

[FraSarn]

Great comment, just perfect and concise!

Listen, I assume from your nickname that you're a fanatic of Lucrezia Borgia...the unbelievably beautiful final aria "Era desso il figlio mio..." Have you listened to Joan Sutherland singing that aria. She is just fantastic. If you like also Maria Stuarda, I warmly invite you to listen to the "Confrontation scene" sung by Leyla Gencer and Shirley Verrett. It's just beyond believe. I look forward to hearing from you. Ciao. Francesco

[eradesso]

Ciao Francesco! Devo dirti che in materia di Era Desso (che ovviamente adoro ai limiti del fanatismo) dò il mio 10 alla Devia.

La Sutherland, insomma, ha una dizione talmente fastidiosa... ha uno strumento meraviglioso, sia chiaro... ma preferisco una sbavatura della Gencer, o qualche agilità in meno della Caballé piuttosto che la Sutherland..

Idem per la Sutherland nella "Figlia impura" la dizione rovina il clima della scena..

[allanaki]

@eradesso : concordo in pieno ! Non riesco a farmi trascinare dall'entusiasmo quando ascolto la Sutherland.. Anzi, purtroppo devo dire che la ascolto poco proprio per la fastidiosa pronuncia alla Oliver Hardy doppiato da Sordi..

[MisterSoprano]

BRAVE!

[madcrazymad]

Che brividi!

[neronnenn]

Che incontro di giganti! BRAVEEEEEEEE

[FraSarn]

Just beyond fucking believe. DIVINE! I can't get over it.

[MarquisDePosa53]

Nine of the finest minutes in all of opera. This is art, painted by Donizetti and interpreted Gencer and Verret. Simply extraordinary

[Heraopera]

This is singing together and serving the music! BRAVE

[EHAbello]

Two great singers/actors on top of their game.

What else could one wish for.Ah to have seen this in House.

[VivaMariaCallas]

Some of the most thrilling singing... no one can do the insult and those guttural attacks like Gencer.

[tetrazzini]

Maintes fois copiées, jamais égalées...Je ne sais pas si je m'en remettrai un jour !

[ioSonoCallas]

Absolument fabuleux, nulles rivales dans ce rôle pour Gencer!