J. Sutherland "Era desso" L. Borgia Barcelona 1989

[caltrask51]

I love Sutherland, but... she always makes the same face when she goes above high C.

[ChrisStockslager]

@caltrask51 Placement so the note won't go flat or lose its colour. :)

[wotan10950]

Well, it certainly isn't prime Sutherland, but it's better than most other sopranos who try these difficult bel canto roles. She is still the envy of many singers, and if she comes up a little short in this clip, she is surpassed only by her younger self. Sutherland will always remain the queen of bel canto.

[hugothebear]

Of course her voice was "winding down" as she herself put it in her farewell only a year later - but we just loved to see her and there were more than a few reminders of her more youthful days. Joan was an absolute one off and even in her last performances that glorious sumptuous voice was still coaxed into action by sound technique and phenomenal breath control. The transposed versions aren't as thrilling but more than worth it so we could continue to hear the lady sing.

[baritonebynight]

Despite what others think, I'm glad she sang into her mid 60s...giving a whole other generation a chance to see her live. I think she's glad too, because she made a whole heck of a lot of money doing it. Past her prime? So what, Dame Joan past her prime is better than anyone else singing at the time. I don't think she cares what critics think, as few people living know as much about singing than she does.

[iriisblue]

@baritonebynight Despite what others think? To the contrary, millions agree with you.

[raigekimaru]

@baritonebynight

of course she doesn't. successful people never care what critics think =P

[Eiswirth1]

She remains the best soprano in the last 60 years. There are so many other sopranos I absolutely love, but there's only one Sutherland! Brava Joan!!

[lastupendaboy]

I think the Ebs became hard to sustain...If she has wonderful Dbs and D,the Ebs are there,certainly....

[skitzo429]

i love her, but she really should have reitred long before this. The lowered key exacerbates the already problematic proejction in the lower register.

[vitruvio2]

un tono sotto..

[DiegoMartinazzoli]

Are we sure that she's singing "era desso" composed by Donizetti??

[thomastmwc]

her final high note is still ringing!!!!!!!!!!!! 64 yr old!!!!!! Believe it or not

[DiegoMartinazzoli]

Her final "high" D is completely out of tune

[thomastmwc]

nope

[emeboteerf]

Let's not discount the entire aria, even the entire soprano, because one note is imperfect. To do so would be outrageously foolish.

[emeboteerf]

And it is not out of tune, it's just not as full and resonant as she has sung it a million times.

[mmbriggs]

it gets so boring this harping on sutherland's late transpositons, so she could keep climatic notes at dflat, down from eflat. ia young singer transposeing is cheating--and many famous tenors have done and still do in their prime but a legendary singer in later years singing a role down has been going on since the 19th century and why not? at 58 and singing it down, her lucia was still incredible ans her dflats were incredilbe when heard at the met in lucia in 1982,

[thomastmwc]

u have some sense :):)!!!!!!!

[ChrisStockslager]

How was her Eflat in 1982, when you saw her?

[UrsulanChild]

Not too many sopranos out there that can deliver a High-Dflat with that much core in it, much less at age 63! This woman was simply amazing!

[yuroregaskurvesen]

Credete...in those days...she got a cold....so...she was unabel to sing...even though she sang....It was spring...I was there...I payed almost 600 dollars...plus the train from Rome...I am a tenor and musician...both, Kraus and Sutherland were "Superbi"

[mendiehu]

Give her a break! She's 63 here.

[henryv69]

Meglio la Sutherland abbassata di tono che altre cento soprano in tono!

[sutherlandfan]

Hay raggione amico Henry!!!!

[DiegoMartinazzoli]

Ma sì.. e avanti...

Vanifichiamo il lavoro dei compositori.

Bravi Bravi!!

Così che si fa. le trasposizioni e i riaggiamenti (come in questo caso, gran lavoro di taglia e cuci e riscrittura) sono prassi della musica leggera.

[Hako2004]

I am a singer, and understand the problems with energy and vocal changes that come over time. It is better to sing in a lower key and deliver the music well, then to get tired and strained.... just to prove a point. This isn't a hobby....it's a profession, and you are being paid very well to deliver high level entertainment to discerning fans. Sometimes you put ego aside, and do the sensible thing.

[iriisblue]

I don't think Dame Joan or anyone who knows anything about great singers would worry about complaints from someone who doesn't know a C from a D flat or a major third from a single whole tone.

[lastupidissimo]

miaow-hiss-hiss-scratch-scratc­h! Perhaps some viewers don't quite share your expertise in music theory, but that's no excuse to berate or belittle them, or be so arrogant to assume that the subject's opinions approximate your own. We are firstly youtubers, and we post our comments - even the philistines; professional musicians can always teach.

[albertogrilo]

Yesm you are right, but thera are quite a few virtual pianos online. Just search for "virtual piano" in the internet. Them you can conclude that the final note from Sutherland here a a big D flat ;)

[agnellodei]

So she transposed it down, big deal! she still sounds better than half sopranos attempting bel canto and notes above high C anyways! Plus, in the bel canto era it was normal transposing as well as in the baroque.

[Hako2004]

It's a D flat, on perfectly on pitch. Her D flats sound very different than her high C...to me anyway.

[Jabe88]

unlike her singing in paris 3 days later.

she was much better...

[Jabe88]

Is that a D flat/C sharp? or a C?

I can't really tell because the recording isn't very clear...

[actor001]

the best coloratura of the 20th century

it is a fact

[lastupendaboy]

Unreal!No one better!An amazing performance for anyone...forget that she's at the end of a great career at 62 or 3...!!!

[Hako2004]

Dame Joan was still singing high D's at this point in time, but she had wisely decided to forget trying for the Ebs.....hence the transposition.

[ChrisStockslager]

I wonder if they weren't stable anymore enough to hold long enough, or if the Ebs were just gone entirely? Her Australian Lucia Eb still sounded great!

[Hako2004]

The Ebs were gone by this late moment. She would retire the next year. I don't believe she sang any Ebs after 1986. The D she continued to sing through 1988. It's true the Ebs in the Aussie Lucias were solid and ringing, but disappeared as she entered her sixties.

[ChrisStockslager]

I wonder why they just disappeared, rather than got smaller?

[Jabe88]

one tone!

[cruzzurc2007]

That was amazing!

[OperaBR]

Her acting isn't as impressive as in the 1977 and 1980 videos, but I don't blame her for that. Singing this well at age 63 demands a lot of concentration and effort, and she gets an admirable result. The scales sound slightly less precise and some notes are already too veiled, but the performance as a whole wouldn't make anyone believe she would retire just 1 year after this!

[Hako2004]

That amazing instrument was, even at 70%, better than many in their prime. The high note is amazing.

[Jabe88]

Oh my! she is awesome!

[lungdoc]

La Stupenda earned that name for a reason...