Marina Poplavskaya sings "Sempre Libera" from Traviata - 2011

[55werther]

PUEDE QUE ESTUBIERA ENFERMA. PERO LO CIERTO, QUE A TODOS LOS CANTAN-

TES LES PUEDE PASAR, TAMBIEN, PUEDE SER QUE TUBO UNA FUNCION IRRE-

GULAR. PERO DE SEGURO QUE ESTAMOS HABLANDO DE UNA DE LAS MEJORES,

Y DE LAS DE EN SERIO, CANTANTES DE LA ACTUALIDAD.

[operassassin]

HAHA

[ViardotVSGrisi]

For those familiar with the Jeanette Pilou broadcast from the 70s, those performances were reviewed in a polite manner, but all the newspapers admitted that she was not up to par and that her instrument was very limited. They were polite, but they told you the truth. What is scary now is that the reviewers straight up lie to you! Its a complete disgrace.

[sachmetixchel]

quee?!! quizá estaba enferma.. es comprensible.. pero si no,..!! que falta de respeto, hay muchísimas mejores cantantes que merecen estar en su lugar.

[Feisenbach]

Absolutely the best recording of this aria ever! Only surpassed by...well...almost any other recording!

[ViardotVSGrisi]

"it demands to be seen"...errr yeah, by the people that are presenting it? This is a complete disgrace and this video is BRILLIANTLY exposing what is going on in New York. Thank you so much!

[flicfan416]

When I saw all the 'octave down' comments I was confused. Then I heard it. Oh dear

[pnfigueira]

shameful performance

[gautama2009]

Really terrible, she does not sings all notes. And NEY York times journalists are all bribe if they can write - ''the finest Violetta of our time''. How shamed, Poplavskaya is not able to sing this role, give this to others. Shamed to MET opera!!!!!! Brrrr....

[coryisawake]

This is a sad sign of how standards have lowered. Not only does Polavskaya not sing with any semblance of evenness, she attempt singing the music as it was written, marking and lowering notes to try to get through the music. On top of that, she's sung off beat throughout the run of Traviata. This is simply pathetic singing from someone that seemed to have potential and what a dismal way to begin the new year at the MET.

[spizzell1]

OK, trying to be nice but I have heard college performances WAY better than this!! 0:56-2:07 is the worst I have ever heard on all of Youtube. Sutherland, Callas, and the rest are rolling over in their graves.

[solistedubedat]

mais enfin , de qui se moquet'on??? C 'est horrible !!! de 2 choses l'une : ou cette fille est incapable de chanter ça , ou ce soir là , elle etait souffrante (ce qui expliquerait la phrase chantée à l'octave) et ce n'est pas honorer cette artiste de publier un tel enregistrement ......

.

[solistedubedat]

mais enfin , de qui se moquet'on??? C 'est horrible !!! de 2 choses l'une : ou cette fille est incapable de chanter ça , ou ce soir là , elle etait souffrante (ce qui expliquerait la phrase chantée à l'octave) et ce n'est pas honorer cette artiste de publier un tel enregistrement .......

[BoisDuBlanche]

ok, i know the met audience doesn't boo, but if this had been la scala, she wouldn't have made it alive.

[harpguy18]

ok if you have to sing one of the phrases an octave down, then no need singing this aria!

[spizzell1]

She doesn't even sing all the notes correctly!!! Terrible, really terrible!!

[mark23v]

I applaud this woman! Because she knows she is a bad singer BUT she is making her money while she can! She is laughing at everyone from Gelb and Decker to us here on youtube because she is saying "The jokes on you!" and laughing all the way to the bank! The Met will continue to give us this until Gelb is out!

[MinnieFalconer]

Loved her in Don Carlo and I was looking forward to hearing her Traviata. The act 1 "Sempre libera" is the test for Violetta. She didn't pass it. She sounded scared, sometimes out of breath. Then came the octave down passage. Aaagh!  I suffered through this. This is by far the worst rendition of this aria I have ever heard. Was she sick? A minimalist production and no Violetta. Was she sick? or is this the best she can do. The New York Post's reviewer must be deaf. The MET's in trouble!

[fanniandwads]

I listened to UK Radio 3 broadcast last night and really enjoyed the whole 3 hours of Traviata but I am glad I didn't go to the Met to see the minimalist production with the chorus dressed in black suits(women too). The best production IMHO has been the Solti /Angela Georghoiu which was spectacular. George Solti cried during the death scene.

[91babeth]

de 1'10 à 1'18, le passage est extrèmement difficile ..

[unclescroogefan]

Octave down... hum... eurgh ! That alone would disqualify it from being the "best recording ever"...

[jacanterbury]

@unclescroogefan - is it ~1:14 into this clip that she goes an octave down? I like opera but I'm no expert (at all) however that part just sounds wrong. I'm a little anxious because I've just bought tickets to see her sing this in London in October.

[jacanterbury]

@jacanterbury ... or is it 1:17 - youtube's timing seems to vary a little

[unclescroogefan]

@jacanterbury

Yes, something like 1'16...

But I find it painful all the way...

Sorry if you bought tickets to hear her in this role... I heard the rest of the evening and it was a real disaster. But maybe this recording is from a "day-off" and you know, "live" is often/always better than a recording, and with the magic of a staged performance, I hope you'll enjoy it anyway.