Gundula Janowitz - "Porgi Amor" (1980)

[kablue79]

This aria IS Ms Janowitz.

Trade Mark.

[Nungirl238]

This is one of the most perfect things I've ever heard.

[111sparkle111]

wow how she's draggin the tempo down. very instrumental. gorgeous, but I'll take more human like callas, etc..

[patrickm62nov]

My all time favourite rendition of this song!

[ThPaw]

Phantastic.*****

[EatAnApplexD]

lol she has my last name

[operalovely]

Superrrrrrrrrr!

[TheSmoshmy]

Incredible that Janowiz is able to support the voice at this incredibly slow tempo.Not only is it ludicrously slow but it actually seems to get even slower.I have never been a great fan of Solti and i really think that he was over-rated

[thomasmoredamian]

I've never heard anything as lovely as Janowitz's voice! Check out her Carmina Burana: it is conducted by Eugen Joachum, and you'll drop dead with joy. The "Dulcissime" is magical.

[bernardkulche]

Breathtaking pure voice..

[Pierinopasquotti]

Ne ho sentito una ventina di soprani nelle arie di Mozart ma Gundula Janowitz le supera tutte. Bravissima. Grazie infinite

[macenroc]

The introspection of this performance is quite illuminating and makes it riveting and devine .. I do prefer the more ebullient Dorothea Roschmann though.

[Uruguruh]

Too slow...

It's not Isolde's Liebestod.

[Lindow]

As bautifully as she sings this I have to agree with the criticism: this piece marks the beginning of the second act, not the end of the opera nor the end of the Countess's life although she does contemplate dying in the piece. It's not a meditational piece either. So really, a slow tempo for this is great but to put people to sleep with it is going overboard.

[clatnt]

Semplicemente celestiale!

Wonderful!

[mrdrodrigues]

@Lindow I was not put to sleep, I was put to cherish with misty eyes. I think Gundula's rendition's one of the best. This aria has to be slow and VERY light. Renee and Gundula (and perhaps Leontyne and Gheorghiu... perhaps... maybe not) perform it that way. But I guess this aria has always generated deverging opinions; each one likes a different way.

[5574974]

I'm not a fan of Mozart, but I do adore the divinity of Janowitz's voice so I suppose I'll put up with ol' Wolfgang for the moment.

[callistrate]

Glorious voice for a glorious aria, and here the tempo allows such an expressive moment of pure music. Brava.

Two other great Countess Almaviva were to succeed on this same prodigious production by Giogio Strelher: Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Dame Margaret Price. Unforgatable.

[swanningaround]

Interesting. I find that the same old names come up when mentioning the famous Mozart arias. Gundula is always there. Leontyne and Kiri are usually mentioned also. I also love anything by Maria Stader. I find her even more precise than Gundula - if that is possible.

[ShawDAMAN]

I actually like the tempo and I think her interpretation is quite touching.

[laraandlars]

too slow, too dramatic, she closes her eyes a lot of time seperating herself from her audience and her Italian is not clear. She does have a nice tone though she makes it a little too special.

[christineannemarsden]

Agree

[eddieman2004]

similar voice (I think better) plus better tempo ..see......Porgi Amor sung by Mirusia Louwerse in Vienna

and she is very young.......

[thiagosoler]

Hmmmm.... that version with André Rieu? No, no, no... Listen Kiri Te Kanawa, please.

[BeniaminoGigli1985]

The best version I have ever heard.

[henson80]

C'est très personnalisé, peut-être un peu lent, cependant...

Cette interprétation est remarquable !

[NorthShoreCanary]

While objectively the tempo may be a bit slow and a syllable was ignored for the sake of purity of sound (a singer knows when s/he has to compromise for the greater good), the overall effect, for me, is ethereal. The aria floats and I love what she's done with it.

[agcalem]

I fully agree with you but neverthless I still prefer that phantastic version of the 60's with Karl Böhm, Fischer-Dieskau, Prey, Edith Mathis, etc.

[ilwfrjp]

Yep! At some things Solti was just terrible. Janowitz however still managed to sing beautifully.

[violinist1990]

Love the tempo!

[kikoencasa]

bellisima condesa de gundula, brava

[TPHV]

Absurdly slow, Solti is his usual terrible self (in Mozart) and Janowitz could just as well have been singing in arabic, just beautiful sounds, but not the words.

[lecriveuse]

true. the countess' aria is my all-time favorite. i have heard much better.

[itiacat]

I wish I could hear the consonants. Beautiful sound...but the crisp consonants are missing.

[igalic1977]

i learn italian singing with italian guy from covent garden..he said that in italian vowels are the most important...so..who cares for crisp consonants here:) she is great..little too slow thoug

[chutzpah37]

heard better from thee and thine young(ish) gundula - still a beauty though - body, mind and voce.

[swanningaround]

Janowitz is the absolute master of Mozart along with Schwarzkopf. Te Kanawa has a slighty different and also captivating sound. These three ladies are amongst the best.

[Piracious]

gundula is a true godess of sheer awesomeness, what a contessa

[Jitpring]

Total mastery on all counts.

[mocheee]

can anyboy give me the lyrics of this song..

its really beautiful i love this very much

[kleinbittersdorf]

LA CONTESSA

Porgi, amor, qualche ristoro

al mio duolo, a' miei sospir.

O mi rendi il mio tesoro,

o mi lascia almen morir.

[swanningaround]

To me Gundula is number 1 for Mozart. Period.

[OlgaSoprano]

What a totally captivating performance. GORGEOUS! That was my intro to Janowitz, by the way. Thanks for posting...

[CzarDodon]

I find this terribly slow! it is Larghetto but a 2/4 Larghetto, not 4/4. I'm surprised Solti let her slow it down so much, the opening tempo was already slow but she just drags and drags...and where are the words? she sounds like an instrument but there are words here too... very beautiful words by Lorenzo da Ponte!

[ElisaN92]

wow, she has such control over her voice and you can see she's really concentrating.

sublime ..

[beckylink]

There is beauty here undeniably, but I agree that her voice has a very covered sound which leaves me longing for more of an open throat. Let that voice OUT!!!! Not at all similar to Schwarzkopf to me. Is she older here?

[Gabriel13187]

I had the chance to experience her in this role 6 years later... She was incredible... Her pianos and pianisimi fulled the Oper of Wien of sound... This was her parade role!

[neronnenn]

Fantastic Gundula! I had the chance to hear her voice many times, she has a pure and perfect voice, very different from Schwarzopf, less emotion, more colour....

[mariasarda]

Même lignée que la Schwartzkopf, en plus consistant et moins lumineux.

[lord6busy]

wow... His voice is very similar to that of Schwarzkopf

[arcticcats2008]

Beautiful, but far too slow and indulgent. I'm not thumbing my nose on Janowitz, but this is Mozart and must be sung more classically. Otherwise, it just loses its form and innate impulse.

[swanningaround]

I love this. I think this version is better than Elisabeth's and Kiri's. They are also great Mozart sopranos.

[KatherineXIX]

Most Countesses are much better actresses, but Janowitz is the best one to listen to. Such a pure, beautiful tone!

[NATULINAN]

DIVINE

[ballycotton32]

Beauty is Truth,

And Truth Beauty.

Keats

[operaaddict]

wow i love it! actualy prefer this slower version absolutly fantastic

[bobbyVisitor]

Am I wrong that this is terribly slow?

[Sochilinda]

She keeps trying to do it slower. She has a boring instinct for this aria. 3/5

[clashguy]

6/5

[1psoas9]

I agree with Tirstiano about her boyish tone -- it iscapable of great ambiguity. She has a very similar quality in singing Pamina's lament, "aCH, ICH FUHL'S" -- A SADNESS THAT'S COLLECTED, MEDITATIVE, ALMOST DISTILLED....

[ballycotton32]

I disagree, there is nothing boyish about her she is very feminine,her voice projects all that is best in women.

[Merlin1940]

Still another wonderful upload from MUEZZAB. Thanks so much!

Tue 13 Nov 2007 22:16 GMT

[ballycotton94]

Thank you MUEZZAB,the singing is transcendent,I have never experienced a performance as good as this.

[pianoandpipes]

Obviously a beautiful voice. And I know that back in the 80s it was the style to kind of forsake words toward the top, whatev. But I don't believe they were into the clavicular breathing back then. Lol...

Still beautiful..

[Esceha57]

I rated five stars, bur this upload deserves much more !!

Cor Schorel

Netherlands

[ursus1302]

diese arie kann man nicht mehr besser singen-technische perfektion gepaart mit unglaublicher stimmschönheit

[rmbarge]

Not in her best voice here, IMO. Still, I'd give my eye teeth to hear this quality in a live performance.

[fuzmiq]

this is a waaaaay slow tempo. i would listen to renee anyday. it sounds like like she is deliberately not pronouncing the words to effect the tone.

[unfildevoce]

Can anyone suggest a singer who sings with a technique

similar to Janowitz. In my opinion this is as good as it gets. The voice truly rides on air.

[CONTESTAR]

Actually I can!! I suggest the contessa who sung the same (Strehler) staging in La Scala under Muti!! I have rare extracts from that...

It was a young Cheryl Studer and sounded as close to this particular sound as no-one else!!

[justwatchingyours]

It is her song. I love the way she sings this song.

[Bhekie]

great control... love the song altogether.. and this is just the right tempo, larghetto, consider the libretto, you are not going to sing this song upbeat if this song is about dying

[fiordiligicymraeg]

the tempo is too slow - as soon as she gets to the "o mi lascia almen morir" with the sequence of notes up to the top a she picks up the tempo too suit her needs (ca 2:47), it gets faster because she needs it to be if she wants to reach the end of the phrase without breathing - this breaks up the whole piece. This piece is almost always done to slowly for my liking.

Plus the fact that cotrubas sings flat a lot!

[sudengab]

I meant janowitz, of course!

[fiordiligicymraeg]

I meant janowitz, obviously, not cotrubas!

[fiordiligicymraeg]

janowitz of course, not cotrubas - sorry! And why the thumbs down??? For stating an obvious fact? Give me a break...

[marcocito]

Potrobsas : "Too covered" Se ve que no conoces nada en el canto!

[lindyms]

To hear the absolute best Porgi Amor, listen to Gundula's 1967 recording of this part with Karl Bohm. Just divine!! However, I would love to see any version by Margaret Price if anyone can post one here?

[rmbarge]

Yeah great recording. Can Bohm conduct Mozart, or what?

[Nugnugs]

Janowitz's countess under Karl Böhm, recorded for Deutsche Grammophon with forces of the Berlin Deutsche Oper, was in fact recorded in 1968.

[sfkcbf]

For better, clear, rich sound, listen to the recently released, 5-CD set "Gundula Janowitz, The Golden Voice." For the most passionate singing I've heard, try the Berlin recording of Richard Strauss' "Four Last Songs" and especially the finale of his "Cappricio," both on DG.

[Amphipolis]

All those portamenti are totally out of style, however G. Janowitz is a great singer and she can convey emotion, that's for sure!!!

[Merlin1940]

I do hate portamentos usually, but I love Janowitz' ones, that are thought and done differently, more measured and more appropriately IMO (not to mention with a powerful yet delicat iron-velvet voice none else has)

Tue 13 Nov 2007 22:03 GMT

[iAMturandot]

wonderfully done. simply wonderful. stunning in every way. thank you for this clip! this is trully a superb artist in her prime. brrrravissima!

[rowley555]

What I love about Janowitz is how subtlely and effectively she can convey emotion....here, pain and emptiness without having to resort to oversentimentality...brava

[edgabo2]

I have to disagree with most compliments here... To my very sensitive ear, this is a very pitchy, thin-voiced reading. I cannot comment on her voice in general, but to even compare this to Fleming's is absurd!

[walshamite]

I advise, listen to her Four Last songs with Karajan, on DG. This evaluation is just plain wrong, friend edgabo. I think we all share your sensitive ears, but the 1980s recording here, heard compressed via online bandwidth, shouldn't be seen as representative, enjoyable as these clips are. She sang with great soul, accuracy and depth. A classic voice.

[valeriemw]

Much as I like Fleming,she is not in the same class as Janowitz.

[D9l3tt]

truly sublime

[ncrunch]

perfect technique

[davidzac]

magnífico

[srfygirl]

This is not that great people! She sounds underdeveloped

[Gabriel13187]

ja ja ja ... you are not a serious person...

[potrobsas]

I don't like how her voice is placed.Too covered !

[sfkcbf]

As I suggested earlier, to hear her full capabilities, listen to the newly released 5-CD set "Gundula Janowitz, The Golden Voice" (DG), and especially along with my other suggested recordings of Richard Strauss.

[marvoid]

Actually, if you had ever heard her live you would know this is a nonsensical remark - she had in her prime, as here, an incredibly full, rich (and when required LOUD) tone!

[viverito]

If you love Gundula Janowitz here then you should also listen to her recordings of The Four Last Songs nobody else does it better

[Gabriel13187]

I do love Gundula Janowitz... and her four last Songs are a masterpiece... of course you mean the version with Karajan... Have you heard the one under Haitink? You should, if you love her... and there are so many things one should listen to, if you love her...

[mariogorga]

Dear Miss Fleming this is a Contessa not you!,the breath control and the musical line in here are just a wonder, Mozart would have been happy,perhaps he never heard his music done in such a heavenly way!!.

[jonbaum]

One of the most amazing voices ever!!!!

[fgraue]

que tempo!!! Solti que inmenso dircetor, ella es sencillamente increible...

[ruckels]

A notch above sublime

[emme43]

I have no words to express what it feels like listening to this rendition of porgi amor.Bravissima.Pianissima!

[operaticxingenue]

Simply heartbreaking. Wow. Thank you for uploading!

[Gabriel13187]

Thanks for sharing this wonderful version... I had it in videocassette, but hadnt seen it for a very long time... Isn´t she the personification of this role... The nicest voice in a wonderful performance!

[tongoide]

Gracias muezzab por mandar todo esto. La versión es fantástica.

[Tristiano]

It is so ethereal with her boyish tone, so lovely and sad. Almost Empty. Just how one could imagine the Contessa

[tantcx]

Splendid!

[D9l3tt]

This is one of the truly Greatest performances of Porgi Amor, ever. I am in shock.