Jon Vickers & Gwyneth Jones in L'incoronazione di Poppea

[tenorschofield]

They both are extraordinary!!!!, They show that even if someone is a drmatic singer, they must reatain ellegance and voice flexibility. I loved both in dramatic roles, but in here must sya that they are also superb. Bravi both!!!!!. Oh boy!, this gives the lema"everything was better in the old times" a real sense!!!!!

[Sadiesexy]

@tenorschofield You did not doubt the singers were better before?

[tenorschofield]

@Sadiesexy Dear friend, just said that it looks like the lema that past time was always better, comes to very real, when hearing this wonderful singers that are not active now. Of course the exception makes the rule so it migth be some very good artists in our days, but in the past, they where lots of them!! Thank you for caring about my comment.

[Sadiesexy]

@tenorschofield Heia! I see your point, but from my point of view there has not been developed one good big voice since1975.

[tenorschofield]

@Sadiesexy Sadly must agree with you, even if me myself as a tenor, has to be included.In the old times, there were lots of good wonderful big voices...now it looks like a desert, even if there are some Jonas Kauffman and similar "on the run". Il tempo passato, sempre fu meglio"!!!!

[Sadiesexy]

@tenorschofield I believe we have the dialog way of recording to blame.

[tenorschofield]

@Sadiesexy I like your phrase, even if it has a double sense I am not quite sure to understand completly,but must agree again with the idea that we singers and teachers are to blame for the "lack of big voices". Probably the first of those because we did not took the risk to imitate the past singers, even if our teachers blamed the idea!!!! I once auditioned for a German big theater, and they said,"Oh no, you cannot sing like the old past singers like Corelli or Del Monaco in this days"...???

[Sadiesexy]

@tenorschofield The old singers were trained to set the stage on fire alone with the voice and the new singers are not.

[ezev8logos]

si habría mas operas del barroco con cantantes como Jon Vickers definitivamente la gente podría interesarse mas en ellas

[dziady1]

this sort of thing gives opera a bad name.

[bmh4d0k3n]

Wow, so many HIP strawmen here! If an early music (or any) performance is boring, bland, and out of tune, they're doing it wrong. No one should sing entirely without vibrato, for one; the tone SHOULD be warm and vibrant. The whole POINT of HIP is to BRING OUT the colors through phrasing choices, etc. Who wants to hear Mozart sung like Wagner? That said, I generally enjoy this performance; though some of the scooping and such doesn't belong here, the passage around 2:45 is breathtakingly lovely.

[Homoclassicus]

No matter whether this is authentic singing or not, the passion is so intense in both Vickers' and Jones' performances that one may only admire the way they sing and perform this Jones' voice shapes some notes with a thrilling delicacy and beauty, it's really a marvel (as in 2:46). IMO the radical requirement of authenticism is just another form of extremism, just as bad. I do enjoy performances that, even sung in a modern way, are made with true art and - what is even rarer - deep emotion.

[hchristopher1]

I love Jones. I love Vickers. What is heck are they doing turned lose in THIS opera. Just wong. Like asking Nillson to sing Gretel.

[moghedien13]

what is the name of this duet btw?

[CharlotteinWeimar]

Glorious Jon and generous Gwyneth, bravo!

I have just posted Jon Vickers in the blissfully "unauthentic" Sir Thomas Beecham recording of Messiah. His power and conviction just blows one away. Though the tone may be huge, the so called "purists" cannot fault his musicality for he manages all the runs and divisions beautifully and his piano singing is breathtaking.

[aigyptophilos]

what a fine document! thanks to oneguin65!!!

[Furrer25]

Vaya ACENTAZO tiene el Vickers. Es dificir verle en estos papeles, siempre será Peter Grimes :P

[agathe1821]

L'incoronazione di Poppea is not a renaissance opera, it is an early baroque opera

[mariahelleberg]

Probably the last time one could hear a Brünnhilde and an Enee from Les Troyens sing renaissance opera! By the way this cast also ennumbered Christa Ludwig and Nicolai Giaurov! Quite a performance!

[Sadiesexy]

I adore this mans voice.

[Samurai9]

Coincidentally, Vickers looks just like a Roman emperor as portrayed on an ancient  coin or statue.

[Sadiesexy]

Yes, he looks like Cæsar Nero.

[Samurai9]

This really is a magical, transfixing performance. Unforgettable.

[greve]

You say it!

[Sadiesexy]

What is the title of this duet?

[00000ppp]

Great casting! Finally singers with some intensity. Newer ever early music again for me!!

[violashizzle]

Too bad the piece is never performed properly anymore because of that silly "period performance" obsession.

[triarius]

What a load of crap! You must be an aficionado of the orthodox 19th century opera-cum-philharmonics stuff?

How very sad! It's called "wooden ear" in my parts.

[violashizzle]

Nothing to do with 19th century opera just with beautiful singing and gorgeous orchestral tone that seem to have gone the way of the dodo since about 1980.

[violashizzle]

Period performance is all fine and well for those who happen to like it but what about the rest of us who can't stomach the poor intonation, sea-sickening swelling of long notes and lack of colour or lustre in the tone? Why do we have to be told that that is the so called "correct" way of performances and that different ideals are wrong?

[Chiliarches]

Period performance: A highly speculative and extremely unattractive musical approach preached as religion and promulgated by a tight group of wild-eyed, impotent academics. No thank you.

[moghedien13]

i agree. i dont know much about the term period performance, but everything has been going downhill for a few decades now. it seems all they want are good looks, cheesy histrionics, and no voice. these two certainly are unconventional voices for this opera, but you wont find their sense of style, restraint, and finesse anywhere today.

[nivoabul]

Well, "period performance" has at least one merit: they play the WHOLE music just like it's written, they don't cut-and-paste bars. Unlike in this miserable performance.

[Greatfan]

FINALLY a baroque opera which is not a pretentious and yawn - provoking sleeping pill ! I am sure that Vickers and Jones are less arrognt than many of those petulant specialists in Monteverdi or Vivaldi who kill all vitality in music !

[altodivo]

WOW...someone's gotta chill out a bit. And this is not a baroque opera just so you know, its late Renaissance. This 'style' represented here has simply died. No need to be so aggressive!

[Greatfan]

Is it late Renaissance ? Well, then many baroque singers sing it baroque-like, with white and fixed voices. I am not agressive. On the contrary baroque specialists see typical voices as beefy, uncontrolled and their owners are always unmusical. Many so called specialists are prejudiced, not me. I a}havbe seen Monteverdi so many times in baroque way...I can take that style but they must admit that there are other sort of approaches to singing and music, all valid.

[Samurai9]

Jones is quite good here. Bizarre casting, but entertaining.

[jessyquedens]

Bizarre is right!

[sgnmath1234]

The date of 1974 is incorrect. Vickers sang this role in Paris only from March 17 1978 until Feb 9, 1979.

[CzarDodon]

Vickers is great in most everything he does, Jones could also turn in a great performance on the right night... but neither of them are good in Monteverdi. It's a great curiosity though :-) and better voices than some of the miniature voices that get passed off as authentic today. Monteverdi needs lighter voices but they have to be voices!

[CONTESTAR]

I totally agree, but I have to laugh at a strange thought that creeps into my mind.. I have this funny feeling that if Monteverdi could hear this two monstrous voices do his Opera he yould have loved it!! We'll never know if I am right but somehow I believe he would!

[CzarDodon]

Well Wagner didn't invent big voices, mother nature did. So we can assume that big voices, maybe not so heavily filled and expanded as those for Wagner, did sing in Monteverdi's day. I can't think he said 'oh my god that's too powerful and rich and full of colour, give me that whimpy little guy with the weedy little voice, he sounds muych more like Ulisse"

[moghedien13]

I'm just glad that whoever did teh casting thought ahead and made sure that Poppea and Nerone were well matched , not just in terms of vocal heft and size, but tempermant.  Vickers masucline interpretation and Jone's sexuality are great.

[ravinecab]

ce n'est pas musicologique soit ! mais c'est splendide et Vickers est vraiment Néron... il forme avec Jones un vrai couple avec ce coté sensuel. Ce n'est pas le cas lorsque deux femmes tiennent les 2 rôles . En un mot on y croit !!!

[wachtelms]

Might one see the Seneca death prediction from Athena?

[Cadmium77]

Wow...I never thought I'd see Jon Vickers on You Tube...This is splendid...and Jone is perfect as Nero...he's got the perfect Monteverdi voice...

Thank you so much for giving me this happiness..

[apodyterion]

Vickers looks a lot like the real Nero. He was also as luney as the real Nero.

[vickersman]

Do you mean he acted as "looney" as Nero? I hope you aren't suggesting Vickers- the man was/is "looney", because he was one of the world's most studious,direct and decisive operatic artists to have ever sung a role!

[bradleyjenks]

That does not preclude him being a 'looney' as a person. Look at Kathleen Battle; studious, musical, and nutso. Lots of others too. I don't know the guy, so I can't comment as to him. Great, yes. But that doesn't make him 'not' crazy! =)

[SCN2003]

Fascinating! Musically not that authentic, but dramatically most convincing. These must also be the largest voices ever to have taken on the 2 roles.

[bradleyjenks]

Well, Authenticity is overrated. Frankly, half the things 'period' purists want are bad vocalism. The misconception is that older is necessarily better. Remember, most orchestras in this time were bakers, tailors, etc. by trade but played an instrument (badly) and most composers wrote letters describing their dissatisfaction with many of the performances and performers. Purists are wrong. We do okay these days. Even with the oldest of music.

[benjaminvox]

At the risk of being considered a complete musical philistine (o wait, i already am), I couldn't have said it better myself. A healthy, well used (and by that I mean correctly used) voice is going to grow and develop a vibrato. Anything else is artificial affectation.

[CzarDodon]

Check out the Russian bass Mark Reizen, the exception confirms the rule. No wobble at 85! hearing is believing... but normally you are right, old voices wobble (vibrato is not the correct term, its healthy at any age. Lets say vibrato is a natural wave in intensity, wobble is an unpleasent wave in pitch)

[LohengrinT]

@bradleyjenks

purists are always wrong - and they are always against extremely talented people. Purists were against Sutherland singing Handel in Athalia and she was is and will remain the most fabulous Handelian we have ever heard