Patricia Racette "L'altra notte" Mefistofele Gala Tucker 98

[hchristopher1]

Yeah: Callas made such a great career of being "calm". Calm down, Callas, Calm down, Corelli, Calm down, Verdi.  Jesus. Some people really need to know what Opera IS before yammering.

[hchristopher1]

I'm amazed that anyone would suggest an opera singer to "calm down" or that this singer is "un po esagerata". Also hilarious the prediction that she wouldn't last, this being 12 years ago (practically the entire length of Callas entire career).  Racette is coming into her stride now, voice maturing, etc. She's unique in Opera today. Brava.

[truverdigirl]

Excellent rendition. Well done La Racette! :)

[roeslerswiss]

Striking good acting and interpretation!

[Webarton]

She really needs to calm down. What the hell? Why does every singer get so excited while singing, it really shows in the sound. This one is lucky her voice is fantastic. Likely won't last though.

[akaylindsay]

@Webarton Well this was 13 years ago and she is, and continues to be, a major star on the international stage. Calm down...haha, man. I guess some people liked what opera was in the 80s.

[Chilair1]

wow.

[Nidoamor]

Un po esagerata .. Sarebbe stato meglio se avesse interpretato con un sentimento piu intimo e personale

[faricallas]

Es un poquito, para mi gusto exagerada y está sobreactuando.

[voce29]

I( am going to hear her Tosca with Kaufmann. But what I hear here makes me a little uncomfortable. There is an edge on her voice, which I dont' know what to make of. And sometimes she sounds flat.

[suzanneetmoi]

@voce29 This was 12 YEARS ago, pretty much at the beginning of her career-having just won the Richard Tucker Award....

[voce29]

@voce29 It was an absolutely stellar performance. Kaufmann and Terfel were magnificent and Racette did not dissapoint singing with these two towering singers.Spledid , indeed.

[Turand0t]

@sexybcl21 Try Callas or Tebaldi. alhough Tebaldi lacks the trill... Roxana Briban is quite exiting too... Personally I think Callas' rendition is far superior as for the dramatic quality and expression.

[jussitenor]

This is the most strident and edgy soprano, I have ever heard. You can teach someone to act ,but beautiful voice quality......is a gift. Keep acting Patricia. SHe is over sold and why???? There are far more beautiful soprano voices today!

[jussitenor]

Try SOUR milk and I think you have it spot on!!!! Let's let Elsie sing she has a very milky tone? Mooooo........

[Pywacket2]

I keep returning to this performance and marvel again and again at perfectly Racette molds this poignant and dramatic aria. Brava Racette! Bravo Boito.

[MisterSoprano]

Lets see... try Eva Marton and Verónica Villarroel.

[dvdgrog]

such an artist!

[MisterSoprano]

Quite poor singing - her voice is not big enough for this aria.

[dacor31]

@MisterSoprano

I'm really surprised by your comment !

[MisterSoprano]

I respect people have different tastes, so can understand some people my like this, but I don't.

[Pywacket2]

Exquisite. I'm sure Boito would have been thrilled with her reading.

[Iareto]

I hear so many technical issues whenever she sings (her acclaimed Butterfly is where I hear the most of it oddly enough). She's a singer who sacrifices the voice for the drama. Some like it, some don't. I personally don't care for her sound. Regardless of her mediocre technique.

[ciociosan]

i would rather have a committed, sincere, genuine singing actress with a bland tamber than a singer who merely produces beautiful tones.

brava, racette!

[MarioAColmenares]

Por que no esta la version de Licia Albannese?,la mejor de todas...

[alecs1976]

martina arroyo for example

[alecs1976]

no it's my mind that forbids me to accept mediocre singing as being beautiful where it isn't!

[qyzuf]

good voice, there is an acting skill, but there needs to be far less of it (less manierism)

[lmspr]

I love this aria. Patricia Racette sings it beautifully.

[mayrynhu1234]

muito  lindo .............alimenta a alma ...

[freespiritQC]

Onegin65,

Your contribution to youtube is priceless.

And I don't khow, altough I have a degree in singing, how many singers I discoverd, thanks to you.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

FreespiritQC

[Onegin65]

My pleasure

[tiger1dk]

Sorry, I meant "look", not "luck" nice

[tiger1dk]

Quite an impressive voice. Pity, though, that she sings two notes that are slightly below pitch, the "via" at 2:40 and the same (although maybe a bit better) at 4:55. Also, her dress is too low cut to luck nice.

Tiger

[anuchid29]

I herad no Flat notes , may be it's your hard hearing?

[bradoperaman]

This is totally great. Saw her at the Met as Butterfly and she embodied the role entirely. She was very young here but her singing has matured and gained depth for sure. She will last.

[jasmottacanta]

She's singing far better these days

[idraote]

excellent pronunciation, good actress, fine interpreter but the voice is no more than average, all those breaths are unpleasant and the thrill non existent

[scribeuisum]

Il primo la acuto è completamente stonato.

[Dymension]

Overall there is more bloom to her voice in this video than there is now, but she's still exceptional...

[alecs1976]

bloom ? this is a rather thin and at times strident voice...

[freddyqueer]

Magnigicent! One of the greatest singers of our time! Great fan since I heard her on the Met Opera Saturday broadcasts! THIS IS A GOLDEN AGE with singers like her!

[laurencemalherbe]

Ms Racette is a great Artist... She sings with her soul and that is SO important. She generous... I saw her in february at the Met singing in "Peter Grimes" and she was absolutly fabulous... the voice is fresh, colorfull, intense, ... She's wonderful... So thank you for your Art Ms Racette...

[IfYourMomWereATaco]

i saw her there also. it was my first time going to see anything at the met and i was psyched to be there...but i don't know if she was just having a bad day or what, but i her vibrato was so thick i could hardly hear what pitch she was singing. she sounds on this video nothing like what i remember

[CONTESTAR]

This is by all means a committed and beautiful interpretation.

However, I disagree with the histrionic way it takes. She looks here like a normal girl suffering unjustly but Margherita is long lost and she did commit the crimes she is accused of! By this moment she is mad and already on another human level of numbness as opposed to a suffering girl. The aria is a post belcanto era version of a mad-scene actually.

She sounds like someone who works hard so I think she should consider that.

[796824]

There is already a hint of a wobble which will become wider and flatness. She needs to learn by listening to the singers of the Golden Age.

[loriceceliag]

796824,

You know nothing about singing, I suggest you keep your uneducated, dumb comments to yourself. Pat is an amazing singer and a friend of mine. So unless you're brave enough to put a video of yourself singing on you-tube and let other people comment and critic you, then keep your mouth shut.

[796824]

If you live in the United States, Freedom of Speech applies. Read, "THE TWILIGHT of BEL CANTO" by LEONARDO DI CIAMPA. Meanwhile, for your edification suggest you listen to ELIZABETH RETHBERG - MAFALDA FAVERO and MARJORIE LAWRENCE on You Tube to discover what the great singers exemplified. Good day

[Dymension]

Amen! All great singers...

[Dymension]

Oh, stop it! She does have a slightly wide vibrato on top, but to your defense this was 10 years ago, and the vibrato hasn't changed a bit. It has gotten a little hard edged though, and you can't really hear that sort of thing in a house the size of the Met, which tends wash out all imperfections...

[loriceceliag]

Well, while you sit at your computer and analyze her singing, she is being hired by every major opera house and conductor in the world. So stick that in your pipe and smoke it. :)

[796824]

Since NO one knows how to sing today, it is of no importance. Suggest reading "The Twilight of Bel Canto" by Leonardo di Ciampa. Today, Opera is Musical Comedy. Audiences of the past era, whose only access to the Metropolitan Opera was the "RADIO," appreciated "quality," since the singers KNEW how to sing without bellowing or requiring the subterfuge of unnecessary accoutrements such as outrageous sets and ludicrous staging.Suggest listening to Elizabeth Rethberg and Claudio Muzio on You Tube.

[Dymension]

What's your problem? Did you get the message I posted about her being exceptional? You're just some bitter "know-it-all" who refuse to listen to opinions from educated people. This all started with someone's comment about her listening to the old greats. GET OVER YOUR DAMNED SELF!

[paragod333]

That's one of the sillier comments I've read on Youtube. How does one learn by listening to the "singer of the Golden Age"? Which Golden Age did you have in mind?

[796824]

Suggest listening to FLAGSTAD on You Tube singing "Che Faro Senza Eurudice." Although a Dramatic Soprano, Flagstad never forced her voice which accounts for the steady periodicity of the frequencies.The individual who placed Flagstad's recording requests turning up the sound. Also suggest listening to MAFALDA FAVERO singing Violetta in the 1st act duet from La Traviata with the great Beniamino Gigli.

[unclealand]

You should see her do Cho Cho San in "Butterfly."

[boris1281]

Wow! I must say that this performance totally bumped me out! She is so powerful an actress that I doubt I have seen something of that measure in the last decades. Very, very powerful, made my day. Her voice does not seem to be very rich (volume and range) though, but she has a perfect command of it and could attach it to thedramatism of her performance. Way to go, Signora!

[loriceceliag]

I would just like to add that she has the best voice teacher in the world... :)

More videos please!

[rrgallo]

who's her teacher?

[sharky123]

Racette is my favorite soprano working in opera today. Her musicianship and level of intensity in all she does is shattering. While I love her in these old chestnuts, her work in contemporary opera is amazing: Emmeline, American Tragedy, Cold Sassy Tree, Jenufa, Katya Kabanova - even her Butterfly - are as good as it gets these days - and that's pretty damned good! Brava Patricia!

[nessie96]

Couldn't agree with you more. Saw her this season as Butterfly and last season as Elisabetta in Don Carlo at the MET....she is an extraordinarily talented singer who can really act as well.

[sschimel]

Wow! I[ve heard of her but never heard her sing before. Speaking of Sills, there is a quality about Racette's vibrato that reminds me a little of Sills (in a good way). She's hosting The Met finals on Sunday, which I'm going to.

[Dymension]

Yes there is!

[protocol66]

Can't we just praise her voice without having to talk about her sexual preferences? Do we do the same for Beverly Sills (RIP) or Leontyne Price? It's about the MUSIC.

[volumeraiser]

Be sure to catch her in the upcoming 'Peter Grimes' in HD from the MET on March 15.

BTW - I don't care if she's gay. Why even bring it up?

[droopyfall]

From Michelangelo Signorile regarding out gays,"It matters to those people whose jobs, relationships and whose very lives are threatened because of their sexuality."

Patricia Racette has said that since she came out, it is something extra she always has to deal with in interviews but she refuses to be ashamed of who she is.

[nessie96]

You bet...I never miss an opportunity to hear the divine voice of one Ms. Racette!!!

[dacooldl]

Racette is gorgeous, her voice is gorgeous and she has a genuine stage presence to boot. Also, as an opera singer and a gay person, I'm incredibly proud of her for coming out in an industry that is still surprisingly closeted/homophobic.

[d123h456]

Absolutely agree.

[altodivo]

Incredible, and I know it shouldn't matter, but she's GORGEOUS.

[nessie96]

Woo Hoo...she is fabulous!!!!! A true singing actress!!!

[JBL228]

Finally, a Pat Racette clip on Youtube!

[Gigglingatagas]

I couldn't agree more! I used to check once every few months. Great aria, too!

[Artheartus]

Wow she is amazing! Thank you for posting this!! Are there any other videos of her?