Montserrat Caballé - Fiorenza Cossotto - Pedro Lavirgen - Norma act I final - part 2

[jmiller05]

Not Caballe at her best, she gets rather sharp and screamy on those C's in the coloratura section, but her dramatic gestures are fabulous. Really embodies the part completely.

Cossotto was so spent by the late 70's. Her voice had become insipid and thin, and all her beautiful mezzo textures had ran dry. That final high note is so misjudged and flat.

[28vivaladiva]

Monserrat is the best soprano ever!!! She is amazing! Oh and cossoto just feels painfull to lisen and even more painfull to watch her! She is trying so much to sing and to act at the same time! It doesn't come naturally to her at all! Thank God for CABALLE!

[MariaCallasLegend]

Why Caballe cracks on 1:33??Was she in cold?

[anoperafan]

Wonderful dramatic interaction, and I say 'brava' to both

[dsenRuskin]

Whatever Cossotto did, she and Caballe were very often paired--referring to each other as "sisters". There is a video of a curtain call during which Caballe gathers up the excessively bowing Cossotto and leads her affectionately off the stage. Very slick, and very cute.

[Elisabetta611]

And people say Caballe couldn't act! She is SUPERB here!

[xafnndapp]

well, "superb" it's a bit too much....

[marylambcarter]

cossotto is a shitty stupid and cruel singer , in the 70s she didnt have any good high notes anymore ... just terrible in this video, caballé is brava( not in top shape in the coloratura of the " non tremare", but nevertheless brava!) cossotto ... her last notes here are just pure shit , yes she sreamed , but not on key ... stupid singer !

and please do not compare her to simionato .. a true Diva ! and what she did to callas is just shameful she is ugly and stupid and cruel and sings of key !

[xafnndapp]

oh please stop this nonsense....

Cossotto was a fantastic mezzo until the early 70s, notwithstanding what she did to Callas in 1965.

Here she is definitely not what she used to be until 5-6 years before, but I wish we would have more mezzos like her here today!

[coralrabida]

Pedro Lavirgen el mejor del reparto con diferencia.

[albertogrilo]

Please! Allways the problem with Callas - Cossotto. If the soprano is not in good voice, why should the mezzo go along with that?

Don't forget that Cossotto was one of the best Azucenas ever...

[BeauTenor]

Oy. Typical Cossotto. FLAT on the high note and holds the FLAT note too long. I never understood the hype about her. I've always thought she was overrated.

[xafnndapp]

typical Cossotto from late 70s on.

Until the early 70s she was FANTASTIC, and the hype is justified by those early years.

[Laleyla]

Cossotto always did what she could to steal the show, a most selfish singer. Caballe BRAVISSIMA!

[waterfordwinstons]

Mosteserrat Caballe Is just amazing in this... Dont bite my Head off People i am not and expert but i get the scene that cossotto is doing her best to steel the scene... but fails... I just dont feel her....... the tennor i just wont even say anything.... Thanks God for miss Caballe Brava Diva.

[Dymension]

You are absolutely right about Cossotto. There was a famous performance of Norma from La Scala with Callas and Cossotto and Callas was not in voice. Cossotto decided to take the high note in spite of the fact that Callas couldn't. Thus was born her reputation for being a scene stealer

[ioSonoCallas]

It wasn't in La Scala but in the Paris Opera in May, 1964, it's true that F.Cossoto had this terrible reputation because she didn't care about the poor suffering Callas (very low blood pressure and very very slow heartbeat), it was the first years of her career, her debuts in Paris and naturally she wanted the public to hear her beautiful powerful voice.

Obviously that wasn't charitable for Maria Callas but we cannot blame a young singer to sing that well!

[ioSonoCallas]

Oh sorry, i made a mistake in my previous comment, the exact date is in May, 1965!

[senilangakali]

yes. Cossotto has a reputation. But the greatness of her art is witnessed in her Vocal Longevity. After Simionato and Cossotto, Italy has yet to produce another mezzo soprano of this quality...one that can sing almost anything...that is greatness...