JOAN SUTHERLAND - Alcina aria

[liricarieantiche]

STUPENDA!!!!! 

[HeidelbergSoprano]

One word... Perfection!

[flyboytim]

I cry for the beauty of the singing and this greatly missed singer of galactic talent. Vale Joan.

[bmh4d0k3n]

The rubato isn't exactly Handelian and her gown rather resembles a cabbage, but my, she's in glorious voice.

[MrStpendouslvforjo]

JoanSutherland is the best because she had all the qualities 100% 1 speed and accuracy 2.a perfect TRILL 3.Power and amplitude (never shrill) she had a soft-grained voice that filled the theatre 4.Excellent musical sense and a partner dedicated to the building and maintenece of her Instrument5.Extra Range and the voice grew in SIZE AND POWER as it went up past High C......

[DreyMaree]

OMG She's phenomenal!!!

[catrynn]

Sutherland is singing Morgana's aria here. That is the part that Dessay plays in the DVD from Paris, while in the 1959 recording Sutherland is Alcina not Morgana. I think Sutherland and Dessay are both brilliant in their own ways. I don't know why we love to criticise these artists and put one against the other. Why can't we just enjoy their tremendous artisry and voices and the different interpretations?

[nunolamas1]

She´s great., but I like much more the early music stile of Kirkby!

[GoldenAgeSunshine]

An example of belcanto style and technique, with perfect trills. Who can sing those magnificent trills today? No other soprano has ever equalled Sutherland! And singing Alcina with such energy and solar control is astonishing. Ask Dessay and the like where they'll stand in say 10 years ...?! A true legend. RIP

[leugim1961]

la divina muerta, la estupenda muerta, solo nos queda la soberbia. Descansa en paz Joan y gracias gracias y gracias.

[timananda]

Fantastic. How effortless!

[aarongluzman]

Extraordinary...

La Stupenda o The incomparable...

Her secret...

Effortless, warm, vibrant...

Freely, powerfully, intensely...

Clarity and finesse...

Her voice was so naturally glorious...

Una diva

©...Aronne

[aguacun]

R.I.P. Joan Sutherland... R.I.P. Opera...

[195511SM]

She was a rather "handsome" woman........For some reason she reminds me of Julia Child.....

[magicmonkichi]

@195511SM

As my mother says "She may not be your 'typical beauty', but holy crap listen to that voice!" :D

[Loismustdie26]

cute, i love the wife/ husband combo. I there anything written about them performing so well together because they knew each other so intimately well?

[leontyne2]

Perfection! The Queen of Bel Canto! Long Live Dame Joan!

[falsobordone]

la mimica facciale è terrificante...

[lisolisao]

en el final de la area ella emprega una tecnica maravillosa que no ha visto igual.... para mi es la mejor de las mejores,,, la admiro como persona y como cantante....

[Caskader]

Talk about being past one's prime..

[MarkJSau]

@Caskader Talk about having no idea about the voice

[alexninko]

La stupenda!

[ilpremio2008]

quindi ha anche i superpoteri?

[opricnik]

La Carter aveva il diadema-boomerang. Lei ha il vestito-ali di farfalla.

[ilpremio2008]

La nostra eroina, dopo l'aria di bravura, afferrerà il leggio e con forza sovrumana lo scaglierà verso l'alto, aprendosi un varco nel tetto della sala da concerto, e se ne volerà via verso un mondo migliore, un mondo in cui non ci saranno finalmente più parole da pronunciare e tutto sarà aaaaaaeeeeeeooooouuuuiiiii!!! W wondervocalizerwoman!!!!!!!!!!­!

[ilpremio2008]

I don't understand which language is she singing? Oh, now I realise: it must be a vocalize :-)

[Homoclassicus]

The same old Italian mumbling about diction, even if their singers were among the singers that had most recognizably bad diction in other languages and definitely were the ones that sang the least in other languages, preferring to distort the operas by translating them. It's nonsense to complain and difficult to "wear those singers' shoes" when by comparison few of her contemporary Italian singers ever knew how it is to learn an entirely different language and try to sing it properly.

[DCFunBud]

Sutherland is large woman, tall and broad with a large head, strong chin and jaw, and a flaming head of hair. Her attire is a costume not a dress. If you were sitting in the last seat of the highest balcony, you would be grateful to be able to see her. She is dressed to be seen by hundreds at a distance. This isn't television!

[opricnik]

Oddio! Ma ha il mantello di Wonder Woman! Pare Linda Carter... :-)

[numestube]

eheheh un mix tra wonder woman e the jocker! .... ma la voce  signori ci obbliga ancora e per sempre a infiniti grazie per averci manifestato in terra qualcosa dell'eterna natura divina

[TheMenelik60]

Se ti attirano più i vestiti della voce prova ad interessarti di moda.

[spqrmor]

Excelent soprano technique! But it's better for me to listen to her performances then look at her.

[enokababy]

Sutherland has always been an amazing coloratura soprano with a mellow, effortless voice, but I've always preferred listening to her than watching her! She's not a good actress and even her appearance doesn't help much... :P

[luisortmul]

i don't mind looking at her so much, I think she is really good for someone who hated performing and was very shy at the beginning of ther career... she seems quite natural and nice looking to me (nice facial expressions most of the time)

[ChrisStockslager]

I think she looks pretty --- well except for the green tent she's wearing. ;)

[ChrisStockslager]

@ChrisStockslager No, she really does look pretty here. The dress is just awful. I think Joan looked her best from the late seventies onto the present.

[ChrisStockslager]

@luisortmul I agree! Compared to Gruberova's or Bartoli's facial distortions, Joan is an absolute dream.

[bellini7verdi]

@ChrisStockslager totalmente de acuerdo..............sobresali­ente opinion.eres un fenomeno che..........

[Medea59]

ich persönlich habe schon wirklich viele Interpretationen dieser Morgana gehört, und ich muss sagen, dass mir die von Joan Sutherland immer noch am besten gefallen.

Dieses Kleid allerdings sieht aus wie eine Mischung aus Hulk und Superman............

[Drelnis]

lol that's the strangest thing I've ever heard. I mean Dessay herself idolises Sutherland. How much do you actually know about opera to beable to say that? How many recordings do you own, how many of those are Sutherland's?

[gibraltarrr]

i hate when clips cut off right at the applause :/

[operadude32]

I love that you can get idea of how LARGE her voice was at the end of the B section! Brava Joan!

[UglowD]

To compare Dessay to Sutherland is obscene. Dessay is a fine signer actress. Sutherland is the supreme practitioner of the bel canto repertoire in the post war period.

[phylislg]

I prefer those who're more historically informed. Sutherland's version isn't that good.

[viafilodrammatici]

I completely agree.

[ChrisPaulPf]

Thanks to Dame Joan Sutherland to have rediscovered this opera in the 60ies. Without he and he husband, the young singers (like Dessay) would even know about Alcina.

[pertrujo]

whay do you say that?

[pertrujo]

Don't be confused. Don't mix Circus with Art please.

[pertrujo]

Don't be confused. Don't mix Circus with Art please.

[andrecueca]

she makes dessay look like an amateur

[wironalga]

A lesson of style, taste, technique, everything.... This is the desert island Handel you regularly miss 9 times out of 10. Viva la Stupenda!

[bighoody0]

Did anyone mention that she ws in her sixties here ?? Dessay, in her - very good - rendition of the aria on stage was not even 40 !! let's listen to her in 20 years ! And go listen La Stupenda in her earlier recording of that aria in '59 - '60. No match !

[arvanitsa]

56 she was here

[lospazio]

@bighoody0 Actually, she was in her fifties. She was born in November 1926, so she was 55 or 56 at the moment of this concert.

[xInLoveWithGaarax]

@bighoody0 Vut the artist should know when they should go away from the stage. So the people will remember they good performances not the mest up ones

[xInLoveWithGaarax]

@bighoody0 Vut the artist should know when they should go away from the stage. So the people will remember they good performances not the mess up ones

[strangeenchantedboy]

@bighoody0 she was born in 1926...this is 1982... she's 56 here. And Amazing

[MrStpendouslvforjo]

@bighoody0 that was incredible when she got to the end and the voice just PINGED with GLEAM to high D and then the power and amplitude of her voice just continued and the cameraman was great in that he went way out so as to show her getting smaller and smaller but the SIZE of the VOICE was just HUGE!! anyway, I had to comment....i know im a fanatic, but she is sooo incredibly AWESOME!

[MrAndredekock]

@bighoody0 Not quite my friend, but at 56 this is just stunning and even MORE so if she really did have a cold that evening! I agree with everything else you said even though I'm not a wild Dame Joan fan, but where praise is due let it be given.Brava Dame Joan. RIP.

[pianofolle]

Well Dessay is surely very good. But Suderland has more energy and power, matter of taste i prefer her in this performance.

[jhvorotin]

I disagree. Dessay in her performancfe on youtube acts, moves a lot...she takes more risks not only because she acts (Sutherland is passive she just sings) but also because she sings with extreme confidence high notes...very precise. And the rendition by Dessay is much faster than Sutherland, who does not look like she is enjoying the piece anyways

[hisimperialmajesty]

It should be noted that she was actually ill during this concert...a cold, I believe. In previous (and subsequent) performances, she performed this aria with a much fuller tone and also at a faster tempo and more confident high notes.

[jhvorotin]

Yes this may be the reason why...she is still very good given the difficulty of the piece. Handel's vocal music is awesome. I love it

[nclysander]

I see what you mean, as Dessay is easily the best actress of the two, though I personally prefer Sutherland's voice. As for the slow tempo ... you can't lay all the blame of that at her feet; Bonynge definitely had a role in it as well!

[petitspirouet]

et dire que certains payaient pour voir ce genre de concert, que c'etait triste et lugubre a avoir des cauchemards.

[sunnybear69]

c'è solo una parola : DIVINA !!!!

[Coloraturissimo]

D'ACCORDO !!!! :))))

[albafango]

Sack and Robin were not amongst the worst singers of the 20th century no matter how subjective our opinions are.....like who you like....but don't denigrate others merely because you don't like them...

[Noshirm]

Thank you for these words. Robin was immensely gifted. I do not understand why people cannot respect her gifts. Sutherland studied with her mother until the age of 19. I wonder who SHE had studied with?! Sutherland, de los Angeles, Callas, Galli-Curci, Lorengar, Sayao, Flagstad...so many great singers to treasure!

[SsteinwayS]

I love Dessay in this one. She is so typically Baroque. I love Sutherland, but Dessay is so much more fluent and natural. Sutherland seems so uptight and forced in this aria.

[rmceldow]

I couldn't disagree more. Joan's performance is far from forced, in my opinion. I think she does a great job with tasteful ornamentation. Joan sings with such a clear tone and ideal flexibility in all registers. La Stupenda!

[cuicuimusic]

No no no.

[hillevifan]

Is it just me or is her face very red?

[garconfrancais01]

quelle anee est ca?

[despina92]

C'est le 1982

[gmitch06]

This lady is so fabulous that it's ridiculous.

[turandot82]

You said it all. :)

[lastupendaboy]

Stunning as usual...And joan did sing f's...only not as she aged...and most roles never approached those heights.With age,and natural heaviness,the top can go,especially full-voiced notes.

[musicadei]

My God, she sounds spectacular! Honey I hope to be singing like this when I get to the top of the hill!

[debislo]

mm dudes and gals, listen to her 60's recording of the same aria... she is JUST AS GREAT"! amazing. The woman was a master of technique, which defies years... she was and is unsurpassed as the greatest technician of the 20 century. Live with it...

[Gigglingatagas]

Fabulous for her age. I wish that anyone alive today sounded remotely like she did, even here! I do prefer her as Alcina as opposed to Morgana, however.

[JDOopera76]

But Sutherland borrowed this aria as Alcina - she never sang the role of Morgana, yet she always performed this aria in performance as Alcina :)

[agathosj]

Great woman.

[mdancer01]

this voice is so unique

and for that agelike a vocal miracle

viva la stupenda forever

[streich13]

No one can render this aria like Dame Joan, and it will be a favourite for me always.

[encoberta]

Athlet, yes.

[OperaBR]

Frankly, I do love Dessay, but comparing her to Sutherland is very unfair... towards Dessay! Dessay could be compared favorably to Jo, Peters, Galli-Curci and other leggero sopranos. Sutherland had a voice that appears once in a century, she simply can't be compared to anyone in terms of vocal quality (maybe only Callas). In terms of technique, no doubt Sutherland was way above most coloratura sopranos ever, even here at 55!

[Hako2004]

No, Sevoflurane, not unkind....just honest. My post was for the individual that couldn't understand anyone liking Dame Joan. She is 55 here, singing when many sopranos, especially those that sang coloratura repertory, had already retired. I have grown tired of people comparing videos of Dame Joan past her prime to singers many years younger. I like Dessay, but doubt she will be singing circles around anyone at age 55. This is part of Dame Joan's uniqueness.

[BeauTenor]

exactly what I think too. Joan was a freak of nature, and she was incomparable. She sang repertoire at the end of her career that very few could touch in their PRIME. There is NO ONE singing today that could sing the same repertoire as well or with the same heft and fluidity.

[Hako2004]

Some of the "older guys" I've run into are in their teens.  Only those ignorant of voice, singing, and the unbelieveable scope of Dame Joans career would make such an absurd statement. Dessay made her fame largely on her amazing top extension, and on her commitment to the portrayal of the character. She is now losing the battle with her voice, in her early forties....when Sutherland was still in her peak. Sutherland here is fifty-five, and has less voice, but still more than most ever had.

[sevoflurane]

That's a bit unkind, don't you think? Dessay lost the quality of the voice after a physical illness. But being a great artist she makes the most of what's left.

[agnellodei]

And she still has a high F...even with vocal complications.

[b4xenia]

Sorry, that was only a high D. And anyone who can sing that well at 56 years of age after a full career can't be considered to have "vocal complications". She is simply one of a kind! :-)

[agnellodei]

I meant Natalie still has an F.

Joan never went above high E.

[Jabe88]

She did sing the F

[agnellodei]

When and where? 'coz when she sang the Queen of the night arias she sang them transposed a half step down. And when she sang Esclarmonde she sang the aria with the high G down a major third.

[Jabe88]

Listen to o zittre nicht (studio), and the live one from 1962 (better and longer F).

The High G in Esclarmonde is optional. The note is a High F but she sang an E natural.

[agnellodei]

the note in Esclarmonde is a WRITTEN high G...

It was called "Eiffel's G" in its time.

[agnellodei]

Yeah but it wasn't a good one.

[Homoclassicus]

Mariah Carey goes well above High F. But she's not Joan Sutherland because of that. I mean, we all love stratospheric high notes, but when it comes to Art, there are many other priorities. That is not meant to bash Dessay, whom I love as an artist, but comparing two performances in terms of who does the highest note isn't quite what makes Opera the special art it is... ;-)

[Lohengrin]

Indeed freaky high notes have nothing to do with singing.Mariah Carey can sing 1 octave above Callas and Sutherland's E6 natural. Carrey can sing G7!!! Sack and Robin could sing C7 and they wer probly two of the worst singers of the 20th century.

[mom2dave]

Interesting screen name? Are you an anesthetist or something?

[sevoflurane]

lol I am indeed!

[meltzerboy]

This performance of the aria is not quite so good as her phenomenal rendition with orchestra when she was younger (once featured on YouTube), but it is still fabulous. I heard Sutherland in concert many times (including this number from Alcina), and the richness, quality, and agility of her voice were always impressive. I think I preferred her concert performances to her performances in opera; one could revel in the sound and technique of the voice to a greater degree.

[artdanks]

In your dreams!

[sevoflurane]

It's funny she is saying "Tornami a vagheggiar".

[foropera]

Wow, what a sound, what an athlet.

[Jabe88]

you HAVE to be kidding... haha

[BeauTenor]

well sort of, no lungs on stage, but her voice really IS way smaller than Sutherland's was...WAY smaller.

[BeauTenor]

Just a sidebar....what's with the bat cape?

[Jabe88]

LOL

[niklausse]

Dessay has nothing to do in Handel , she admitted some years ago that there were none role for her voice in Handel´s operas, Historical handelian sopranos such as Cuzzoni or Strada del po were almost mezzo sopranos. Good barroque singers must have a well-centred voice, perfectly at ease on the sol3-sol4 (g'-g'') octave, Handel only wrote 3 top c´s in all his operas. Dessay is simply too high for Handel.

[BeauTenor]

Yeah, right. Remember, Dessay's voice is about 9 times SMALLER than Sutherland's was. She started out singing Wagner and Verdi. Dessay couldn't even TRY to do what Sutherland did. She'd spit out a lung.

[Operaphile]

My God, that was phenomenal!!!!!!! And it was late in her career too!!!! Brava la stupenda, brava!!!!

[andreasscholl]

Les is more, so they say....

Well Sutherland looks grande in red and green.

Huge hair, huge, dress and booming voice!

I love it!!!!!

Brava Sutherland!!!!

[Jabe88]

great!

[Hako2004]

I wish Ricky would stop "helping" her with her make-up. "Put more on" or "it isnt enough" seemed to be his constant refrain....sigh. That aside, Alcina was always a role Dame Joan could fly though, never stumbling in the endless filagree, and being very expressive throughout.