Joan Sutherland - Die Loreley (Ich weiss nicht) 1960 live recital

[kikananihanai]

This seemed appropriate to listen to today after the capsizing last weekend of the Costa Concordia after hitting a rock off Porto Santo Stefano, Italy. One can envision Lorelei sitting astride the rock calling to the ship's captain.

[profesorsergio]

Superlative version of this so romantic Liszt music. Thank you!!!. Favourite and shared. Regards, Sergio.

[vonFalkenstein77]

Just beautiful. Dame Joan could have also been a great Lied-Singer.

Listen to her album with romantic trios for soprano, horn and piano...

[sirenadellopera]

Who knew Liszt wrote vocal music like this? I am looking at this song, as well as others, right now as a singer. I completely overlooked Liszt at the conservatory, and after.

[primohomme]

@sirenadellopera

I have the sheet music for this song if you want it :) it's a lovely piece for mezzo-soprano

[Homoclassicus]

Sutherland sings this beautiful song in the most sensual, tasteful way. I have always considered this as as perfect sample of the richness of her voice. It was recorded at the same period she was singing Aminas and Lucias with the clearest, most silvery sound, and yet the sound here is entirely different. Definitely recognizable, but dark and slightly metallic as that of a spinto. Unlike other sopranos, her solid low doesn't sound "detached" from the rest of the voice.

[primohomme]

@Homoclassicus

I think she sort of smallness of her chest register in the soprano bel cantor repertoire was entirely by choice. I think she was certainly able to sing at least down to Ab3 quite decently and with reasonable projection, but usually chose not to in order to match the placement with the upper register.

[Homoclassicus]

@primohomme I think you're right. In interviews she usually talked about the importance of correct placement, adequate use of the low register and homogeneity of sound. She wasn't of that kind of singer that uses 100% of her strength at the bottom or at the top of her voice, and actually she was praised in the beginning of her fame for her ability and willingness to scale back her voice according to the necessities of the role, as well as for never forcing much on the low and high notes.

[Hako2004]

@Homoclassicus

Yes, quite true. Richard worked on scaling back the entire voice, and encouraged Joan not to push on the low register. Marilyn Horne talked frequently about the importance of getting in and out of the chest voice gracefully by being conscious of the "weight" of the sound. Dame Joan described herself as a regular "basher" on the low tones as a young singer, but made a conscious effort not to "bash" as her technique developed and matured. She sings this piece exquisitely.

[FeelinMinnesota]

@primohomme Listen to this primohomme, I think it's from 1981, she uses low notes a bit stronger than in the coloratura pieces, BTW It's Verdi's Otello. watch?v=E4dGiMp8n44

[MadonnaImperia]

@Homoclassicus Some of the darkness and richness you hear here is due to the fact that this recital (found on the BellaVoce cd "BBC-Recitals 1958 - 1960 - 1961"; the two other recitals are pitched correctly) is pitched a semitone too low. This becomes especially clear when she sings the more "showy" pieces, such as "Les filles de Cadix".

[Homoclassicus]

@MadonnaImperia I didn't know that, so thanks for the information. It'd be good to hear this in the right pitch.

[MadonnaImperia]

@Homoclassicus I agree. I was very, very disappointed when I got the cd from Amazon and found out. Luckily it still contains some interesting things - a Bach aria from 1958 and a 1961 section including arias from "Una cosa rara", "Il fanatico per la musica", "Gli tre cicisbei ridicoli" etc. with Bonynge accompanying on hapsichord.

[primohomme]

@MadonnaImperia

This IS the right pitch, as it is in the same key as the score :)

If it were to actually be at a lower pitch, then it would be by a few cents not by a whole semitone

I have heard this particular piece in a higher key by Joan, but that one to me sounds "chip munked"

From an LP release as opposed to a CD release.

[MadonnaImperia]

@primohomme I haven't seen the score, but when you listen to other sopranos singing it on YouTube they sing it a semitone higher. And that entire 1960 recital on the aforementioned cd is too low - it is blatantly obvious in the selections that are more typical of Sutherland, such as Rossini and Delibes.

[primohomme]

@Homoclassicus

This IS the right pitch, as it is in the same key as the score :)

[HM0880]

Mmm... just lovely!

[primohomme]

@bconsitt

The phrase starting at 02:22, the low Bb is at 02:27.