[1960] 'IL BACIO'ㅡJoan Sutherland (Luigi Arditi)

[OperaMystery80]

Too slow for my taste. This is best when the pacing is bouncier and livelier/faster since it's a happy song, Sutherland has fine coloratura and technique but it would be much more dazzling when sung at a faster pace. Just saying.

[Ariadne7710]

@OperaMystery80 You are absolutely right. But also it is not sang in a style that suits this particular song. The best interpretation by miles and the best extra embellishments are by Ingeborg Hallstein. She takes it in the right tempo and has that belllike crystalline clarity in her voice and diction which are key to this song. You can find it on YT. Sutherland's additional embelishments just don't blend at all well into it and spoil the melody.

[OperaMystery80]

@Ariadne7710 Please listen to Bognoa Sokorska singing this aria. It's the best, better than Ingeborg Hallstein. Sokorska has an amazingly beautiful voice, a bloom and clarity that fits the dreamy romantic happy nature of the song. I do agree that Hallstein is better than Sutherland singing this. This was just too boring. You can't even tell that she's in love. Beverly Sills did a marvelous job also..she sang this aria at age 8! It's on Youtube.

[Ariadne7710]

@OperaMystery80 Yes, I know I have heard Bognoa Sokorska singing this and several other pieces. She has an absolutely amazing crystalline voice and great coloratura technique. The reasons I prefer Hallstein slightly in this piece is that:-

1. Her additional embellishments are more in tune with the original melody and better composed and

2. Her tone on very high notes still maintains a melodious timbre.

Otherwise they are both fantastic.

[ervikervik777]

Супер техника! Брависсимо!

[yiudiumui]

her high notes are sick!

[dziady1]

Miliza Korjus was the only one to sing this stuff- without shrieking the top

as here .

[ronfast]

well I am going too say this callas was not that good of a singer too me her tone was poor she was more of an actress if anything Maria could never come dame Joan Sutherland cosmological decades, honey!....

[coryisawake]

@ronfast Callas was not considered exceptional based purely on her acting. Sutherland and every notable contemporary musician realized this and revered her for the til-then forgotten accountability she felt to be a technician of the highest order as well as a fine actress. Apparently you know better?

[MrPipposiculo]

...una preparazione tecnica di altissimo livello.Da qui,altre spiccate prerogative: un'eleganza ..che nasce dalla straordinaria facilità e scorrevolezza dell'esecuzione; la levigatezza del suono;la perfezione delle legature;il senso del ritmo....Da ultimo ,una squisita dialettica salottiera...spigliata nella romamza italiana...R.Celletti-Asolo Musica1979

[zdebowski]

Beautiful! I just love Joan! So much precision and quality in her voice, but it sounds so easy for her! FLAWLESS. Thank you Joan!

P.S. How could someone not like this?

[vonFalkenstein77]

Dame Joan was the greatest-ever soprano....

[mrluistena]

Bravoooooooooooooo

[1947Rollo]

Parlare della Sutherland si rischia di finire nel roboante o nel banale.Ebbene sono rischi che correrò entrambi. E' magicamente fantastica !!! Vi pare poco? Descansa in paz maravillosa Joan.

[leprincebeaumont]

Che eleganza e che perfezione vocale! Strepitosa!

[federricoilgrande]

How silly is to compare two geniuses of the Opera like Callas and Joan....better to leave those people with their m...ations and thanks God that gave us the opportunity to admire both ::))

[federricoilgrande]

How silly is to comapre two geniuses of the Opera like Callas and Joan....better to leave those people with their m...ations and thanks God that gave us the opportunity to admire both ::))

[Coloraturissimo]

Dearest, beloved Stupenda - Reast in Peace! I'll be always loving You!

[rellim970]

Sia eterno il tuo riposo sublime ancella d'Euterpe.

[ZBpopelka]

Sulle labbra se potessi dolce un bacio ti darei. Tutte ti direi le dolcezze dell’amor. Sempre assisa te d’appresso, mille gaudii ti direi, Ah! ti direi. Ed i palpiti udirei che rispondono al mio cor. Gemme e perle non desio, non son vaga d’altro affetto. Un tuo sguardo è il mio diletto, un tuo bacio è il mio tesor. Ah! Vieni! ah vien! più non tardare! a me! Ah vien! nell’ebbrezza d’un amplesso ch’io viva! Ah!

[basenjidiva]

Sutherland's coloratura technique is incredible. Her fioratura is matchless and, considering the tremendous size of her voice, her agility is truly astounding! It's almost like doing petit-pointe with a battering-ram!

Many the night I was thrilled to hear her huge voice fill the houose at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Her diction was something less than crisp, but her vocality was amazing.

Bravaah, Sutherland!

[Eiswirth1]

Stunning; simply too beautiful for words.

[MastersoftheOpera]

It's a beautiful rendition, although I love this aria sung with a lighter coloratura technique. Sutherland's voice is too big for a waltz-like aria like this one. Also, Sills was singng Il Bacio when she was 8 years old. That's quite an accomplishment as this aria is difficult!

[petelovesbevsills]

WILL there EVER be such a stupendous voice again ?! Brava !!!!!!!!!!!

[MastersoftheOpera]

That's nice of you to say considering your screename is Petelovesbevsills! But Sills herself was a Sutherland fan. I'm a bigger Sills fan than Sutherland's but Joan did have a great singing voice. I'm just not crazy about her is all.

[lastupendaboy]

Such beauty,such ease...such breathe!Magnificent live performance!!!!!!!NO one sings like that....period.

[meltzerboy]

I'm not sure about Marilyn Horne, but Callas is very definitely a favorite of Sutherland's and Bonygne's unless Sutherland is lying in her autobiography. Callas, Flagstad, and Galli-Curci are three of Sutherland's favorite sopranos.

[CaptFitzbattleaxe]

@meltzerboy Very true about Sutherland admiring Callas. When the former was getting her teeth fixed in the late 50s, she brought her Callas LPs for the dentist to play, because she preferred listening to opera over instrumental music!

[meltzerboy]

@CaptFitzbattleaxe I wasn't aware of that. I do know that In her autobiography, she mentions how her dentist almost spoiled her enjoyment of Tchaikovsky by playing his music during sessions.

[evita010]

I'm a opera singer,I study at Conservatory superior of music.Rita Streich's version is very very good

[evita010]

I love Joan Sutherland's voice but in this Aria I prefer Anna Netrebko.Mrs Sutherland have a magnific coloratura but in this Aria Mrs Netrebko is much expresive

[katesinger]

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo­

[JDOopera76]

1959, but close enough :)

[virtuosistico]

Sempre superlativa. Bellissime variazioni!!!

[Magniloquent1]

Absolutely Gorgeous

[meltzerboy]

I wonder whether Adelina Patti could have sung this as well as Sutherland even at her best. There is an old recording when Patti was in her early 60's but she is well past her prime. The song itself may have been written for Patti. Lucrezia Bori sings it very well too, with beautiful tone but of course with less ornamentation than Sutherland.

[charis337]

Never been a fan of Sutherland but I have to admit this is delightful!

[paganviodio]

This Lightness in the voice,i mean,it comes out without forcing,this fast scales you can only sing good if you have this lightness,otherwise it is gonna sound as heavy as an elephant trying to do ballet...as most of the sopranos do....Callas inclusive.this effortless singing has no compare,just very few people can do this.I dont know if one can learn or practice this...i wonder if one can...

[albyback88]

I might agree on what you say about MOST sopranos being not this light and agile at performing scales or whatsoever. But what you claim by saying "Callas inclusive" is simply pointless. I won't get into another of those idiotic contests which aim to compare her to other brilliant singers, struggling to point out who is the best. Neither will I say Callas was the best ever. She didn't have this type ov voice but she had OTHER qualities very few singers have been able to keep up with.

[albyback88]

So, I wouldn't really include Callas among those singers you say to be "as heavy as elephants trying to do ballet".

[paganviodio]

callas has sure diffirent qualities,she has a volumoeus voice.she also can sing the fast scales.but she practiced that,and this lightness is not in the voice to find.even callas would agree with me.this is not a insult on her.because she has the greatest name,she doesnt have to be seen as-all-doer.she had a good voice,but not that light as mrs.sutherland,and you guys gotta live with that.

[paganviodio]

this is just fucking amazing or not?....such a clarity....This fast coloratura,i normally hear not such clear as here.Joan Sutherland should have admired Callas,such a coloratura as Sutherland Callas couldnt hold with.This is really amazing.

[ARReith]

my new fave song!

[court0114]

I couldn't agree more. She is my all time favorite soprano and she never sang a consonant in her life. The tone was so incredible she didn't need consonants!

[Hako2004]

Callas also said this, watching a Sutherland rehearsal: "This isn't good". When asked if she didn't think Sutherland's singing was good, she replied " No... it's too good". Callas admired Sutherland as well, sent her notes and visited her backstage.

[goldenthroat86]

Sutherland IDOLIZED Callas, as did Horne and Sills...and the list goes on!

[koreandaniel]

Sorry goldenthroat... If you say they are after Callas, then who's out of Callas's influence?

[Princegto]

Immense performance

It is a beautiful video

great video

bye

[mll20829]

Your ears must be filled with deamons cause that deamon Callas could never breath the same air as Dame Sutherland let alone sound like her.

[mll20829]

way better than beverly's version at a little girl

[domi2020]

Wow this is phenomenal- comes from the Gala from Karajan's recording of Der Fledermaus. What astounding display of coloratura- e la stupenda!!!! Viva Sutherland..