The Divine Fragility of Beverly Sills

[kc55mo]

There is no doubt that Sills' voice became worn before she retired. However, no one made me believe what she was selling more than she does. Her total commitment and passion were extraordinary. I love Sutherland and Caballe for their extraordinary talent but I love Sills because she sang each character as if being that person was the most important thing in the world at that moment.

[LohengrinT]

@kc55mo

yes indeed it took me 15 years to discover her 2-3 roles where she was truly Divine (Palmira, Marie and Cleopatra) because due to her obsession with Callas she kept singing roles she couldnt sing (Norma Bolena Elisabeta) even in her dreams

In these 2-3 roles she was truly divine

Btw after 21 years I still havent found any role or performance where Horne was truly divine, so I lost my hope

[DemisLian]

@LohengrinT When you say she couldn't sing Elisabeta.... surely you can't mean the role in Roberto Deveraux...! I have the live DVD from Wolf's Trapp and she is perfect beyond words.

In the other DVD I have of her as Marie... her "divine role", I don't like her actually. She sounds outdated and she sings it in English.

[LohengrinT]

@DemisLian

the reason u think she is fabulous in Devereux is because u have never heard how this role is supposed to be sung - she has molested it ;)

[DemisLian]

@LohengrinT Well ok, I don't have any other recording of this amazing opera, Callas never touched it unfortunatelly.... But Beverly creates a tragic heroine that "convinces" me. And I'm not a musician to go buy the partitura to learn it and imagine how someone else should have sung it. This is what I have, one Devereux, one Vestale, one Agnese, one Pirata, one Poliuto...

Do you have another, more true-to-the-composer, recorded interpretation to suggest?

[LohengrinT]

@DemisLian

none, a truly great performance of Devereux did not occur in the 20th century

[LohengrinT]

@WiseMonkey888

in the studio one the wobble has begun

Sutherland was very very efficient as Norma, descent, Sills was LOL also as Bolena (uber screamy LOL) also as Elisabetta (hearing a canary screaming to prove she was assoluta).

Sad spectacles driven by psychopathic ambition

[operafan0anegnd]

Certainly attempts to over stretch in any endeavour, certainly in singing also,

can lead to further problems, a degree of failure, and bring about some

loss of respect among some in the audience.

Human ambitions often induce us to stretch ourselves, beyond limits.

Sometimes we cannot be sure till we try. :)

Sometimes others pressure singers to do so. C'est la vie.

She seems to have survived without any permanent problems. :)

She will be mainly remembered for the excellent singing of much.

[operafan0anegnd]

"anti Sills" ???

Is that an extremely distressing, psychological state,

akin to insanity? :) I am not familiar with this condition. :)

Hope there is a cure. :)

Perhaps some people may reflect a little divinity. :)

[LohengrinT]

@operafan0anegnd

no it is just the taste of someone who does not like singers over stretching themselves in order to sing what they couldnt sing (Im referring to her Bolena Norma Elisabeta etc where she was totally ridiculous).

In the repertoire that was written fo her voice like Pamira, Cleopatra, Fille du Regimen she was truly Divine.

Then the "Callas syndrome" got her: I have to sing whatever Callas sang" - there the atrocities began like with so many other pure coloraturas

[90lysander]

@LohengrinT I can understand you not caring for her Bolena, Elisabetta, and Norma, even though I don't agree (especially in regards to the Donizetti), but surely Pamira, Cleopatra, and la Fille weren't her only good, pure coloratura roles?

[LohengrinT]

@90lysander

well I wont study the entire catalog of Sills, like I did with Sutherland, to locate the very very very! few moments she was truly Divine, I lost my patience with Sutherland ahahahaha

Yes Sills was atrocious as Bolena, Norma and Elisabetta (at last we can say that without the fear of the Sillsian Queens :)) but indeed she had her true moments of Divinity as Palmira (in La Scala not in her studio one) and as Marie and Cleopatra (although as Cleopatra she acted terribly)

[LohengrinT]

@90lysander

she was also atrocious as Manon and Thais because she had lost her voice when she sang those roles plus she never had the lower voice to sing those roles to begin with. In her poor mind (she was incredibly stupid) she thought she had a lower register thus isntead of staying in the upper tuned pure coloratura roles she went into pretending she was Callas - her courtyard (the staccati lovers) preotected her for many years - truth at the end always comes out ;)

[LohengrinT]

@90lysander

it is extremely sad spectacle to see an Opera Singer trapped within an environment of idiotic gays that actually decide what the singer should sing. Same thing has happened to Gruberova the last 15 years - same thing with Sutherland - I dont mind that 80% of opera fans are gays, I do mind that their complete lack of respect towards Music leads the opera singers into singing atrociously

It is the Gay Mafia you know :))

[operafan0anegnd]

Hi, LohengrinT.

You must have me confused with somebody else. I am not an anti-fan of anyone.

I try to appreciate each and every artist I hear. Some I like a lot more, some less.

Those I like less, I do not bother to listen to again as much. I do not register dislike

for any video nor make negative comments. I do sometimes say this singer is not as good as that one. I simply deselect those I like less.

BTW I really love most of Beverley Sills performances.

Only describe the Creator as divine.

[LohengrinT]

@operafan0anegnd

Ι am the die-hard anti Sills fan not you

For me both the Creator and the Interpreter can be divine

[operafan0anegnd]

So amazingly beautiful. Love it.

[LohengrinT]

@operafan0anegnd

well and this is coming from a die-hard Sills anti-fan, Sills is Divine in this role

[StuartLou]

THIS is SiIls at her best. Fortunately i heard her many times with the NYC Opera when she sounded like this. By the time she sang this at the Met. - it was labored and "that sound" was gone. Oh, those at the NYC Opera still linger in my memory.

[godivapaw]

@StuartLou The recording I have of her singing this when she sang it at the Met, I love it dearly.  So her voice was a bit older and maybe slightly worn, but it was still breathtakingly fabulous and brought me to tears!

[looksee26]

What an apt description:divine fragility indeed. Of all the different emotions Sills achieved in her singing: anger, humour, sadness, mischievousness, et al, this fragility was uniquely and touchingly hers. Thanks for posting.

[arturo8402]

She is sooooo GREAT in this!! HEr Callas and Sutherland all had their own Rossini heroine to triumph in,....I love Bev!!

[MastersoftheOpera]

Pamira in Siege of Corinth is a challenging role. It calls for a flexible and high soprano voice. Sills had what it took to nail the part; she and Marilyn Horne had great success at La Scala with this role; and she also sang it at the Met. Great stuff! Brava Beverly Sills

[dougebraga]

Nobody surpasses her in this aria! It is really more than a human heart can support in this life!

[motardbear15]

Miss Sills is not only a voice (here) "she" is an "anima" ! She is also an instrument of the orchestra...To me , she has been definetly the ONLY one who undestound all what Callas brought to the operatic world

[kgarmaker123]

I absolutely adore Beverly Sills in this opera, in this role, she is a senstive and sublime singer.. I miss her.

[LohengrinT]

indeed sublime

[motardbear15]

Oh dear..I cannot hear Sills in that aria..She makes me so crying ..It is more that an human heart can support !

[motardbear15]

Dear Beverly...We are always crying your departure from that earth...You miss us all....Nobody will remplace you ....never...