Montserrat Caballe as Cleopatra "Da tempeste" G. Cesare

[baritonebynight]

I think she used her remaining florid resources to the max here. She isn't Sills, who's lightening fast accurate coloratura never fails to dazzel the listener, but she does make this role her own.

[jmiller05]

It's quite hilarious how Caballe cuts through most of the coloratura sections without a second thought, lol! Just not a role for her at this time. Her voice had lost a lot of flexibility by the 80's and her coloratura ability (which was always reasonable) had greatly diminished.

Still love her intent though. Even if completely out of her comfort zone, she still tries to interpret and express the music well.

[kltoh1974]

she's a lyric soprano but tried to sing coloratura. She failed badly.

[AulendilElessar]

There's a version of this sung by Caballe in the 60's. I bet it must be a thousand times better. Though the other arias of this performance aren't bad at all. She must have made a very interesting Cleopatra back in the sixties!

[tomclaudetom]

trop tard cleopatra montserrat bravo SILLS LA MEILLEUR.....

[genfox3]

hay que escuchar toda la òpera y en su conjunto Caballé es una buena cleopatra. A ver cuantas sopranos o mezzos actuales pueden con este personaje. Algunas cantan bien algunas arias pero ni se atreven con todo el personaje.  Espero ver el lunes a Dessey en garnier, pero lo que he escuchado en youtube no me gusta.

[leprincebeaumont]

A-G-G-H-I-A-C-C-I-A-N-T-E !!! Da vedere, ma anche da ascoltare!

[GeorgiNM]

(2) - , this performance of the aria, although really severely trimmed, finally comes across as a really energetic and meaningful piece, which sound's if not "Handelian'", whatever this is supposed to mean, quite idiomatic, thanks to Caballes capability of shaping music really effectively. Plus, at this stage especially, (1982), one went to see Caballe's endeavours mostly to see what SHE has to say in the role, which is always worth a hear, and not to get a sterile com'e scritto rendering.

[GeorgiNM]

(1) - People really love to shoot at it with generalistic comments along the lines of "Ya sure the coloratura sucks etc. and this is as un-handelian as it gets", but if you look closely, this is at least adequate coloratura with the sole problem of scalework being done a bit approximatively, with plus/minus one or two notes accuracy. Otherwise, although I admit the costume/makeup is a bit difficult to digest, it probably made more sense seen from afar as it normally is in an opera house,

[agcalem]

Opera is opera and not real life, but today's audiences tend to be more and more demanding. How could a Giulio Cesare fall in love with such a Cleopatra? Not even fo the singing .....

[lalagonegaga]

Looks kinda... hm... funny. :)

[asdfopera]

Caballe really did try to sing everything, but in every genera I always seem to find someone I like better. She did sing some great performances early in her career, but for me she isn't the definitive anything. Yes, her career was long and distinguished so she commands a lot of respect but you have to be honest.

[Schollistico]

she looks horrible...i do not care if she is Caballe...my god...we have to be honest...and for me, as musician...it is absolutly out of the style...she is horrible here. Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu­uu.....Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu­uuuuu

[marylambcarter]

im sorry guys ... its caballé , she can sing what she wants , even if it doesnt suit her , she is one of the imortals ... bravaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[vocalissimo1]

To start with, Caballe looks more like Katisha out of the Mikado in this clip than the great Queen Cleopatra. Then, of course, her singing here is about as un-Handelian as you can get. Why she thought she had to sing the Sutherland and Sills repertoire, especially given her incredible talent for verismo, I'll never know. The poor conductor does everything possible to keep the aria moving, but it bogs down constantly under the weight of Caballe's vocal baggage.

[edgy10040]

Vocal baggage! She has a voice. Sills was horrible and vulgar in this, truth be told. Sutherland is wonderful. The V'ador pupille in this performancee more than makes up for any other "problems" like having a big fabulous voice. There is a reason she sang everything everywhere: audiences were absolutely crazy for her because she had extraordinary talent and generosity onstage.

[leprincebeaumont]

Veramente orrenda! non basta avere una bella voce per cantare ques'aria. E poi gli arbitri che la Caballé si prende nell'eseguire quest'aria (così come i tagli praticati) sono inaccettabili!

[mtrav95]

It's amazing to think that the same singer in her career tackled Bellini, Donizetti, Strauss, Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, Wagner, Rossini, Handel, and countless others. You can't specialize in it all, but she came awfully close. And this video is taken at the tail-end of her career, and the voice is still in comparatively good shape. No, not an ideal Cleopatra, but she an amazing and intelligent singer, easily the best of her generation and one of the best ever on record. My hat is off to her.

[bjmiceli]

I would agree that Montserrat is a bit past her prime here, it is too slow and she does not make it a showpiece, but it would be wrong to judge her Cleopatra on this aria. She does absolutely wonderful things with legato, phrasing, color, etc in "Piangero'" and "Se pieta di me non senti" (also on YouTube), thing Sills and Sutherland could never do despite their better florid techiniques. I admire Montserrat; she loves singing and tried to do many things. No one hits a homer every time.

[rrgallo]

Who was Guilio Cesare?

[Onegin65]

Justino Díaz

[Rheinhart1]

Are you serious? Giulio Cesare is Italian for Julius Ceasar, the first Emperor of Rome, or, tyrant as some would have. This opera tells the story of his romance with Cleopatra, the Greek (Ptolemaic Dynasty) Queen of Egypt.

[rrgallo]

You misundertsood my question. Caballé was Cleopatra. Who was Giulio Césare?

[Onegin65]

Justino Díaz

[tukesabesmas]

Desde luego, nada que ver con lo que tendría que ser, esto ni es barroco ni es nada....es una versión lamentable, supongo que si ella misma se escucha se dará cuenta de lo que no debe volver a hacer.

[FoggyRoad81]

Lets call it what it is, a hot mess.

[eradesso]

Well, what a boring performance!

I do not mind though, she is Montsie afterall!

Nobody expects her to shine in this role but she owned many other great operas perhaps the best of which overall was Lucrezia.

[manrico60]

Sorry Caballe but not this for you...not at this time.

It is so slow that gets to the point that is boring,the agilita is all out of place and she is dressed in such a way that looks as a drag queen on broadway.

Listen to Sills:that is Cleopatra!!

[vocalissimo1]

@manrico60 You are so right! Talk about a most laboured and unhandelian interpretation. I'll admit to Caballe's greatness in Verdi and Puccini, but a Handel singer she aint!

[celloswiss]

@manrico60 I completely agree. Far too slow and visually - sorry - unappealing.

[gencerito]

que pena el estado de esta voz que en otros tiempos habia sido una delicia com cleopatra...y bueno esat voz asi pesada con pobre coloratura agudos estrientes y soin control es el resultado de,,TOSCA, BALLO IN MASCHERA,TURANDOT,SIGLINDA,.-.­..no entiendo como caballe hizo esta opera con esta voz asi toda pesada ya a esa altura de carrera....una pena...uno escucha ldel carnegie hall y ois esto y da bronca de como se arruino la voz

[bubblykings]

omg... a beautiful aria by Handel turned into a terrible thing! My goodness! Cleopatra has a terrible costume and this isn't a very good interpretation! I hate the set up.

[callastoujours]

Oh please!!! She is not for that role!!! and it is not only for the "physique du role".

Terrible.

[Ctmagnus]

alright alright, caballe was a big gal but good lord, how many other divas have sung a role that did not fit them physically? Caballe doesn't have to prove a thing to anyone, she is a legend.

[nancyfi]

pero no canta para nada "barroco" y esta opéra es absolutamente barroca...o sea, no me gusta! por muy Monserrat que sea

[alemerent]

Too slow, and ummm, well, how do I put this... which casting director felt it was appropriate to use such a heinous-looking person to play Cleopatra? Ugh. God! Not believable in the slightest, and why would anyone compare this to Sells or Dame Joan? Puh-lease.

[5kidsandme]

This is too slow.

[Klassizismus]

This is a very lovely performance! - Despite all the naughty comments.

[sagagossard]

QUE chistosa se ve con ese disfraz ja ja ja ni siquoera la escuche porque me mori de la risa viendola

[fantasual]

Along with age here Caballe had gotten way to heavy for her short stature wich made her sound short of breath here and there and moving around too much just made it worst.

[vitellia]

I actually find her Cleopatra preferable to Dame Joan's. Let's not even quibble about the musical flaws of this performance. I really think whoever's in charge determined to make her look ridiculous, with that makeup and the wig. Anyway, in her voice, there is that eternally feminine and youthful quality that makes Dame Joan's Cleopatra seem a little older and stiffer. I just wish she'd had more time in preparation and a better informed coaching staff. It would've been magnificent!!!

[genfox3]

Sin duda no es la mejor aria de caballé, pero pese a todos los comentarios negativos, cuando escuchas la totalidad de la òpera es una maravillosa Cleopatra

[stingabe]

Veebee39, you are sadly mistaken. It was the Vissi D'arte' of Leontyne Price the cause a 5 minute standing ovation. Montserrat is a great soprano but that is not apparent in the aria.

[Cadenza9]

This is even worse than Sutherland's rendition. One and a half stars.

[sicuro75]

Not only her image is quite bad and confused looking here but i did not care for how Caballe's voice sounded when she got to the 1980's.

[YoungbloodG]

Oh, the poor dear.... Yes, definitely many years too late in her career... She was an amazing singer though!

[operaman2000]

Simply fifteen years too late in her career.

[pc0sence]

Is there anything to stop her?

[veebee39]

Some of the comments on here, show a lot of ignorance. This may not have been the right role for Caballe. If you know ANYTHING about singing, you will try and listen to other recordings she made. I heard her live, opening the MET season in Tosca with Pavarotti. Her Vissi brought down the house for 5 minutes.........Where all those people there clueless???????

[EllimanAtomica]

I'm sorry, but in my opinion, this is horrendous. Haha. Her voice is much too heavy for this aria, and her diction is poor in places. Not to mention that its not the full aria...

[CHerbek]

This is awful! There's no virtuosity here, and this aria exists purely to be a display of the soprano's coloratura. Flop...

[benderpm]

She cheated us.......where is the entire aria?

[clashguy]

Ay Montsi Montsi....

[Orfeus80]

Caballe's earlier Cleopatra (1968) is stunning but by 1982 the voice became harsh and heavy. She has some nice moments here but generally it doesn't work.

[xafnndapp]

I agree...

[apodyterion]

She's a wonderful singer, but she bears an awfully strong resemblance to Chi Chi la Rue.

[k0229071]

LOL...I am sure many here know who Chi Chi La Rue is ;-) However, on to the subject at hand, her voice is too heavy for this style of repertoire. Sutherland is queen!

[RVP57]

tee hee hee!!!!

[DrGarri]

this is quite embarrasing...

[hillevifan]

please post other characters arias from this production

[paminaase]

heha she looks like japanese more than Cleopatra. I love Caballe but she's not my favorite in this role =( Cleopatra's aria didn't suit her

[angelstar2701]

i think that the image that caballe gave to the cliopatra image is devine. that metter by metter fegure is so light when it comes to singing, i cant think of anyone better then her for the patitura of clioptra.

[hkqinlu]

I only can say....it is so funny!!!

[Matt75003]

I am very surprised that she ever attempted this part. Coloratura was never her forte, and the Egyptian robes and makeup are unflattering, to say the least. Handel's music is irresistible, though, so maybe she just wanted to give it a try anyway.

[meltzerboy]

Audiolink, funny! Well, I usually love Caballe's singing but she is past her prime here, and also I think it's not really the right role for her. Once one has heard Sills, Sutherland, or Swenson sing this aria, it's hard to accept any less.

[niklausse]

I LOVE Ms Caballe but this reminds me of dr moreau´s island LOL

[vitellia]

Despite the strange cuts, almost rearrangements, really, she does sound marvelous! She's surprisingly supple and agile; this is a diva who's sung everything so well, and perhaps she's past her prime at this point, but she still sounds fresh and utmost feminine. I daresay I prefer her Cleopatra to Dame Joan's.

[Villainesse1]

yikes! wrong rep for Caballe..she tried (very hard) bless her.

[hkqinlu]

....I should say she was wrong to choose this role. Her coloratura was not so good~~~~

[Dymension]

Not bad for someone who also sang Norma, Aida, Salome...

[pirocagrande]

It is BarrISMO !!!! Baroque+Verismo!!!! LOL

I loved it..thank God no da capo..

[Audiolink]

Gosh, if I were Giulio and found THAT in Egypt I'd have run away screaming!

[secabun]

O.K. she doesn't look very well here, but the voice and the song are magnificent.

[Gulielmo]

Caballe the queen of the sopranos. I Dama de honor con una voz angelical. Con la voce d'un angelo. with the voice of an angel.

[Elisabetta611]

I LOVE Caballe in the right rep. But Handel was never her forte. Plus, I'm sorry, but she looks dreadful there. Not a good choice for her.

[mariogorga]

Whatever possessed Caballe to do "Giulio Cesare" she is not a Handel singer and she never was one, vocally at this stage in her career she is not singing well at all,to top it all she looks frightful.Please take not I love Montsy.

[pirocagrande]

Mariogorga

I think her contribution to the role is so real and intense. Baroque is boring if sung by 'white' voices or voices without intensity. I like her 'romantic' attacks and full sound.