Ghena Dimitrova - Il Trovatore - D'amor sull'ali rosee

[foropera]

She tries to keep it all pure, lyric, and and light, and she is very brave to try so (for such a dark and large voice). At the end though, she has to throw these high notes more strongly not to miss them and it breaks the dreamy floating color...A pity, and this fast vibrato on the top, too. She's better to me as Norma which combines all her gifts.

[assindiastignani]

Actually, it's a D-Flat, and it is written. Deutekom used to sing it and every once in awhile Leontyne did too. The coloratura up to B-Flat - which most Leonoras sing, as does Dimitrova here - is the "Oppure." I grew up hearing the latter, but actualIy I like both. Either way, this aria is hard enough, and the main thing is that the Leonora knows which version suits her - towards the end of the evening, and with a lot of big singing still coming up.

[ezayi]

Im sorry, I love her but this is too loud. She had pianos and she didn´t use them here. Didn´t like this at all.

[DonPaolissimo]

One of the very greatest sopranos ever to grace the operatic stage - shame that she nwever had the opportunity to sing with a worthy partner, such as Franco Corelli (although Nicola Martinucci does admirably in a pinch).

[mannail888]

@DonPaolissimo You know what: they are doing it over time in the great beyond.

[dermotafan]

Oh dear, what a slow conducting, she could've done marvels with her voice in this aria, and what I hear, is just a tired Milanov, whom I don't like particul

arly.Ghena deserved better conductors and bettter promotion. She is unique. Not in this aria.

[MarioLubenov]

Une beauté de chant, une plénitude d'émotion... à couper le souffle ! et de plus il s'agit d'un enregistrement pris sur le vif. Je regrette un peu qu'on ne l'ait pas laissée enregistrer un peu plus de disques en studio ; il y en a tant qui ne lui arrivent pas à la cheville et qui polluent le marché. Quelle pitié !

[nitrate6971]

when listening to this killer aria I have a habit of wondering if the lady singing can go right from it into her big duet with Manrico and then do the duet with Luna, which is a dramatic rollercoaster. Then in the last act she has to do her dying scene with Man in the prison cell.

[bodiloto]

+100 !!! LA REGINA BULGARA  !!!!!

[Azucena1510]

@bodiloto

[bodiloto]

@Azucena1510 Nel 1968 avevo ascoltato dal vivo per la prima volta la sua voce . Adesso mi rendo conto che la nostra genetazione abbiamo ascoltato dal vivo solisti che non esistono piu ! Che fortuna ! La voce di Dimitrova canta ancora in me ! Per me da vivo La Dimitrova aveva la piu bella voce di soprano drammatico !

[bodiloto]

@Azucena1510 auguro à tutte le soprani nel Mondo di avere la voce di Dimitrova !

Io sono fra gli uomini piu fortunati nel Mondo,mi sveglio ogni mattina con le voci del passato,che bellezza,che emozione ! Giovani adesso cantate Voi !

IN BOCCA AL LUPO !

[Azucena1510]

Grazie!!

[Spieldenberg]

A wonderful mezza voce... Brava !

[corellithebest]

She is so sublimely passionate, sophisticated and moving in this highly romantic aria! She was indeed a wonderful artist. God bless her soul!

[Gbrunet25]

will we ever hear another voice like this one??? God its just PERFECT!!!!

[jackylen57]

Quelle voix merveilleuse!

Merci

[BDSCalgary]

Reigning in a huge voice to sound delicate like say, a lyric voice, is not only stupid (it removes the quality of the voice) but is very constricting and ruins a voice. That is why we hear not huge voiced singers much today, they exist, but in no time teachers, producers, directors, etc. force them to hold back the tone so they all sound like Mozart singers, and in the end, the voices are destroyed. It is NOT risky for a huge voice to sing piano, but a huge voice cannot sing super soft always.

[basbaryton]

Thanks so much for this reply. I find it to be a highly intelligent answer and I hope that many read it. What you say about large voices is absolutely true. Again, thanks!

[FloriaTosca85]

Why some teachers never get that?I had my experience with such a teacher.Thank heavens I stopped before the damage was done!She wanted me to "become" a lyrico-leggiero because she claimed singing dramatically ruins one's voice. It does if the voice IS NOT dramatic to start with.But when you get a dramatic, you leave her be, let her voice evolve naturally not try to change it!Good voice teachers work with what they get, not try to change it into what they'd like.

[callastoujours]

@FloriaTosca85 You have a good point there!!! I agree 100%!!!

[BDSCalgary]

One must consider something about "large voiced singers." Even when singing full voiced but NOT forte, they sound very loud compared to normal voices. Their pianissimi also are quite huge compared to other voices (even though they can sound delicate as can be). It is NOT that Dimitrova is always singing loudly and unwilling to sing piano, but that her regular medium volume is still HUGE compared to most singers you hear. Reigning in a huge voice so it sounds "nice" like much smaller voices (con)

[MusicaParola]

There is no high D in this performance, but she sings a mighty C. The high D, written in the score, comes at the last repeat of "ah, le pene." Most sopranos omit it. Dimitrova has a wonderful voice, but one misses the trills in this aria.

[Klytemnest]

The high D-flat is optional, so it is not technically an "omission".

[operamusicfan]

No one said there was a high D.

[ezayi]

but you said a D flat which she didn´do anyway. Not in this recording.

[birgitnilsson]

Imiss those trills too. nevertheless, Ghena was a superb singer.

[kgarmaker123]

@MusicaParola its a d flat. not a d.

[egrosz]

Amazing!

[ginlemon29]

Absolutely not bad Ghena! But I prefered you in more dramatic role

[swe50]

As amazing as Dimitrova performs in cuesta reggia as malplacé seems this to be. I am not an opera expert. Can anybody comment on this ?

[birgitnilsson]

whaat are you trying to stirr up, troublemaker?

[543johnson]

Dimitrova was never known for her ingenous characters like she was for her bloodthirsty ones. Her Leonora is good, but we can't wish for her to turn the volume down.

[pirocagrande]

Some big voices like hers, cannot simply sing SOFT and SWEET like a regular lyrical soprano. Of course she has great dynamics from PPP to FFFF..but it is a "demonic" sound, she cannot just sing 50% of her voice all the time. UnderSINGING is as harmfull as OVERsinging!

[emmatoth]

Finally , you are here the only one who knows somethings about voices!

Such thing "to big" voice is stupid thing thing to say, because the operasinger/ #1 / 's voice has to go through at least 80, sometimes 100! people playing in the orchestra/

If you ever tried, you understand how serious study is singing! Everybody thinks they know how to sing! Unbelivevable!

[Klytemnest]

I wish she had had the courage to sing pianissimi more often. Her pp high A-flat at the end of the Mazeppa aria is to die for! She always sang a gorgeous high A pianissimo at the end of "Non pianger mia compagna" from Don Carlo. And the high D-flat at the end of the Sleepwalking scene has to be heard to be believed! Absolutely miraculous! I think singing pp always felt like a risk for her, so she rarely dared to do it in public.

[Marroiamaxu]

If one has a BIG voice is easier to understand why is "risky" to sing pianissimo..all the time for the "sake" of singing softer. The easier is to sing the same thing by a 'lyric' soprano instead...imagine this:

I love Caballe's FFF..now...I wish she sang like that all the time...a HUGE Turandot as opposed to the "full of dynamics" she does --diferent from Dimitrova's whicj is a BIG CANON of voice throughout the opera...Caballe would die int he middle of the opera!! So you know what I mean?

[Klytemnest]

I do understand. I am an opera singer myself, so I know how the voice works. FF singing is about abandon, pp singing is about careful control. It is hard to switch between the two.

I agree with you. I think it was easier for Dimitrova to just let her voice go. I think her softrer singing was so beautiful and so impressive - I wish she had done more of it.

[dulcamara66]

Grande Ghena