Beverly Sills Perfect Queen of the Night "Der Hölle Rache" 1966

[Nozzari]

It's not perfect. The F's are a bit under. Never-the-less it's still a good performance.

[bieberMAN93]

pfff...the high tones are killing here nothing special

[tristanhnl]

I agree this role doesn't showcase Bev's talent to its fullest. If you judge her solely on this role I can understand the unfavourable reviews. But if you check out her other repertoire, particularly in French and Italian, you'd find a brilliant artist who often melded gorgeous singing with fiery acting. Beverly also had some of the virtuoso fioritura of any coloratura I've ever heard. Check out her performances in Handel's Julius Caesar, particularly "Da Tempeste".

[TimeWasting101]

This was not either her best recording nor her favorite; she never "got" the Queen of the Night, and you can hear it. Shame; her shading was usually superb, buit ESPECIALLY as she got older she tended to go sharp.

[jmiller05]

I never get the Sills hype. Her voice often sounded so thin and sharp.

[Ettoredipugnar]

@jmiller05  Its the same with the Fleming hype. Facil ticks ,warbeling. Don't get it.

[Steinweg9]

This is dreadful. She was mostly terrible all of the time. This is anti-tone produced by a very poor technician who never unlearned the habits she learned as a six-year-old. The consistent non-vowel on which she set her colorless little shake was never supported. the voice was never built, so it could take no pressure -- this concluding Bb is horrible. My students never hear this singer's name. She was that bad.

[davinapons]

@Steinweg9 And where do you teach? Interesting comments? Nobody has heard your name or any of your students. And they never will with ignorant comments like that.

[pedrofribeiro]

@Steinweg9 I don't think she's that bad! But indeed, she doesn't deserve half the credit she gets.

[undeuxtroisquatreish]

@Steinweg9 - Does anti-tone mean atonal? If she were a poor technician why did she achieve the reputation she did? Now, can we talk about the money she made? As an APPARENT vocal coach/instructor, you must know that vowel migration is all part of singing in the highest registers of any voice type. Ergo, like Renee Fleming said in a master class at Harvard, "they don't know what you're singing when you're that far up anyway." It's only too bad we haven't heard you sing at the Met!

[baritonebynight]

@Steinweg9 She was the mistress of diction and one of the best singing actresses of our time. Do you know that she studied with Estelle Liebling? A voice doesnt' "take" pressure. If your students have never heard her name, I'm guessing you are a special ed teacher.

[ericscam2]

Terrible recording quality...unsurpassed voice...the best coloratura of all time.

[amarichiu]

She didn't hit well the high F. The rest is very flat.

[medusacries]

ewwww totally flat

[TheIndustrialClef]

The first recording was definitely not so good. The second one was much better. The former sounded too rushed and off pitch.

[haveacorndog]

She's flat on the first one and sharp on the second one, which is a half step down anyway. Perfection is a deceptive standard, anyway. These great singers may make mistakes, but they still sing it better than most viewers on youtube ever could.

[gayoperadude63]

The 2 nd was in English. I like number 2 better

[TheAleph74]

Is it my imagination or she is a little flat on those F's?

[Ariadne7710]

@TheAleph74 No it is not your imagination. She is VERY flat!!!!!

[pedrofribeiro]

@TheAleph74 Indeed, she was terribly off-pitch.

[intelegentable]

Sills was exciting to listen to and had a beautiful and wonderful voice full of personality and incredible energy. She was a phenomenon.

[vocalissimo1]

All of the so-called Fs in the first recording are flat.



[DanRobSo]

Bubbles' exact thoughts on the role of the Queen of the Night: "What a bore she is!"

[dessay1]

NICE SHOT - off though Bev .... NICE SHOT THOUGH ... [those damn highs].

The outfit unfortunately makes her look like a bug .... why not set this in the corporate world .... the Queen in a kind of Hilary / Mau pantssuit???

The 2nd shot is much MUCH better - the German one flops ....

[dessay1]

NICE SHOT - off though Bev .... NICE SHOT THOUGH ... [those damn highs].

The outfit unfortunately makes her look like a bug .... why not set this in the corporate world .... the Queen in a kind of Hilary / Mau pantssuit???

[EmilyGreene1984]

@dessay1 I can imagine the Queen of the Night like a modern day political figure like Hilary Clinton, Michelle Obama, or Nancy Pelosi.

[dessay1]

NICE SHOT - off though Bev .... NICE SHOT THOUGH ... [those damn highs].

[mikica563]

Diana Damrau is the best QOTN ever (in my opinion, of course) !!!!

[zachiase55]

I love miss Sills, but it's far from "perfect".

[baritonebynight]

Sills stated that her batting average was "4 out of the 5" top Fs and only sang one perfect QON that was recorded. She didn't care for the role at all and quickly dropped it from her repertoire.

[pagerbear]

It's an interesting comparison, and I find all the YouTubers trying to appear knowledgeable amusing.

[baritonebynight]

@pagerbear Yes, I love it when non singers give world class singers advice. amusing.

[yvesjmt]

The second part is not German at all. Seems to be English - or at leat the last verse.

[lightninghead17]

The second one most assuredly!

[SparafucileDiMantova]

None. Shouting, speeding,. She had better performances.

[CaptFitzbattleaxe]

My guess is the second one. The Fs seem a shade under-pitch in the first one.

[ruddybgc]

The second one by far! In the first one she is also inconsistent with tempo, she speeds up during certain passages (like the part with the triplets), and it makes it sound frantic. And her Fs are nicer in the second too, sooo basically I love the second one!

[OperaCurtainCalls]

First version extremely bad tuning! Did not have patience to listen to the second

[OperaCurtainCalls]

This is so out of tune it is dreadful

[Cantabile3strart]

Here is a problem! what was worse? 1st. shouting, need more support of diafragma

2nd agree that I did not understand a single word, terrible pronunciation.

[disneylandman66]

@Cantabile3strart I think #2 was in English (?) I still could not make out a word.

[billyflynn2]

She's meant to be angry so the whole shout thing is realistic. However, who can shout perfect high f's?

?.

[petelovesbevsills]

Are we allowed to say BOTH? If not, the first one! The second one has the better sound though!

[chucklds]

Sorry, but I always thought Sills was shouting at me...plus, not hitting those high notes cleanly.

[KUROCKCHALK]

I dont understand a single word in the second version...so i am going for the first version even though note wise the second one is cleaner.

[danL1011]

My vote is on the 2nd performance even though I thought I heard one bad note near one of the high F's. Thx for the interview excerpt.

[MoniXcullen2695]

the second part was incredible, thanks for uploading