La Forza del Destino "La vergine" - Leontyne Price

[yamasuki43]

Very good, but Rosa Ponselle and Ezio Pinza are better

[naleningles]

padrisimo padrisimo bravo

a ver cuando nos compartes ese dvd9 y nos mandas el link!!! please!!!!

[arissss1962]

A brilliant and beautiful performance reaching the very depth of the soul.

[billcarr54]

I was fortunate enough to be in the audience one of those nights at the Met. It must have been one of her last appearances there ? Though I also saw her there in the mid 80s doing a special with Marilyn Horne. That was a SPECIAL ! My favorite was the Norma duet -- my god !

[mkaipo1]

When I saw Miss Price perform this role in San Francisco I was transported to another world and fell in love that night with her (more deeply) and with this Verdi masterpiece.

[bhuvadav]

wath is this stupid fight? I love every great singer, everyone different.. Callas, Tebaldi, Freni, Verret, Price, Kraus, Domingo, Pavarotti, Carreras.. but not Vocelli, pardon, Bocelli

[Vanchy58]

Divina ! Cautivadora! Como Leontyne Price no hay otra mejor soprano que ha encarnado a Leonora de La Forza del Destino de G. Verdi. Su voz y presencia escénica es única e irrepetible. Qué momento tan bello y sublime expresó Verdi en esta escena!

[Arnold3135]

@cuoredeinidi Yes. We are in total agreement. For a little additional inspiration, take a listen to Ms. Price's NEA interview, if you haven't already. It's beautiful to hear her speak about the joy of singing,

[XeniaBooster]

beautiful, but huge diction problems, for an european knowing italian, it feels very unarticulated (at least compared to the other bright sopranos). Thanks for posting

[53Vitor]

Very beautiful!

[vcomini1]

l'unica cosa che non mi piace è che non si capiscono le parole che canta la soprano :/

[khaderach19]

she floats right above the choir its remarkable! Her pianissimos are so round and full that it projects so far forward that she doesn't have to push hard at all to give it body and strength. She is a freak of nature with that instrument - truly one of a kind.

[31122051]

BRAVA ! 

[mitovy]

Très beau ! Merci de ce partage.

[Lederius18]

I truly believe that Price is one of the 3 sopranos that knew how to preserve their voice. This would validate their ability to still be able to sing a note today. She knows her voice and it's abilities.

[kenrayez1]

LEONTYNE PRICE SINGS FROM HER HEART AND SOUL! YOU ACTUALLY FEEL WHAT SHE IS SINGING AND THAT IS WHY I THINK SHE IS SUPREME! THE VOICE WAS ALWAYS VERY BEAUTIFUL SOUNDING AND SHE MADE IT LOOK EASY! I FEEL NOTHING WHEN I LISTEN TO TEBALDI SING. I FEEL MORE LISTENING TO PRICE, CABALLE, AND SUTHERLAND!

[maipisimo67]

@bensmith32 Tebaldi voice on top was unbeleivable huge, Tebaldi has very powerful and expansive opening top squillo.

Leontyne Price voice on top was petite, small, Price voice is very lyrical she even recorded Eflat and E natural in "Caro nome" just because she was a light and lyrical voice and the becomes very thin on top, Price had no power

[wyadore]

@maipisimo67

With all due respect, I heard LA PRICE in numerous perf. at the MET (amongst others) and her voice NEVER lacked Power. Her tops were her GLORY. The voice rang out into the House, abetted by an innate vibrato that produced spun piani and powerful declamation. An ardent admirer of Tebaldi's incomparable middle voice, I aver there is simply no comparison to Price's combo of Freedom/Beauty/PITCH on tops. Price's upper voice was & remains sovereign (pace Joan/Caballe/Leonie/Zinka) !!

[Arnold3135]

@maipisimo67 Ms. Price had one of the greatest voices that this country has ever produced. It is factually untrue that her voice was thin on top, for proof listen to any number of arias found here on Youtube. She was a consummate musician and had total control over her instrument. Here with La Vergine you hear a voice scaled back to fit the prayerful requirements of the aria. The dramatic qualities of the voice are left in reserve for later moments in the opera --Pace, Pace for example.

[Gary2837]

@maipisimo67 Her voice was where ever she chose to place it. The ability was there and she used it; if power were needed on any note it was there. You are grossly misinformed. Become educated about music and the voice. She was nearing, at, or retired and you jump to this illogical conclusion? Be fair, make judgements about singers at the height of their careers. How was Tebaldi when she was retiring? And, where were the mikes when she was so "unbelievably huge"?

[JessyeNormanFan]

If I'm not mistaken, this performance was one year before she retired. Many young singers about to make their debut would kill to sound as Miss Price did at the end of her career.

[ajkb1988]

I am going to the same undergraduate college as her

[ezev8logos]

Price is the best for sure!!!

And Verdi is the greatest composer ever!!!

[franco14617]

CHE BELLO,SANTA MADRE DI DIO CI PROTEGGA

[0207251]

Simply Astonishing!

[bladezone1]

This one is a true gem. La vergine shows off her vocal gifts to perfection!

[Chutson353]

What a lovely interpretation -

[volsung777]

Leontyne es la mejor soprano dramática verdiana... Tebaldi o Caballé son pura melodía nada más, pero Leontyne Price tiene el dramatismo que les falta a las demás para que la Leonora que Verdi desea sea la más sublime de todas...

[stesondrio88]

Renata Tebaldi's voice was absolutly better ! Price isn't an angel !

[bcom11]

@stesondrio88 oh please...renata tebaldi? all due respect, i love tebaldi but leontyne is in a whole nothing league. (i don't care about the hype)

[lozkhris]

A voice of an angel. Price REAlly is fantastic here, although it appears to be a bit less emotional than other performances of hers



[Tenorbravo]

FANTASTICA.

[sbellato]

espetacular!!! Uma Deusa do Canto!

[Operafiend22]

I don't even have to listen to the rest. There's no way the other sopranos could compete with this, especially if they were to record it a age 57! Amazing

[eze102]

Price knows how to float the breath.

[MastersoftheOpera]

Leontyne Price sings this the best...she is singing it with purity, heart and soul...with spiritual devotion...it is like an Italianized Gospel....no one sings it better than Price

[liedersanger1]

What no one mentions in all this talk about Tebaldi, Callas, Price etc., early vs. late Price etc., is the beautiful simplicity with which she sings THIS. It seems to spring from a real, almost childlike devotion... This is an aspect of LP's singing at its best (especially in prayers), and one of the things that made her singing special. Comparisons have nothing to do with this point.

[bear46no]

Its divine!!!

[bodiloto]

La Muzio,La Ponselle,La Tebaldi ,La Callas,La Dimitrova .....

[Eppietrap]

Mirusia Louwerse?? with Andre Rieu? is also very beautifull

[genia106]

Exquisite!

[MultiKoek]

Onmiskenbaar een geweldige uitvoering van Leotyne Price ,dit is opera op zijn best.

klasse.klasse.

gegroet .w.koek.

[genia106]

Bedankt MultiKoek. :-)

[petyoprinsen]

HEAVENLY

[federricoilgrande]

Price and Tebaldi of course :)

[Sieglinde84]

For me, Price is simply the best when it coems to the two Leonoras or Aida. Her voice is slender and still very strong, but never forced. As for the Tebaldi fans... I'm a Callas fan.

[BernardProfitendieu]

Tebaldi owns this role

[wotansings]

to bernard: noone owns a role. never.

[khothye]

I am too a Tebaldi's fan. I don't know what happened with her voice at the end, but the recordings of the best moment of her carreer are simply divines. Not only in opera. She also sang italians songs heavenly. Her interpretation of "Le Violette" (Scarlatti) touch me forever. I recommend all of you to listen it :)

[EmilyGreene1984]

You forgot to add Rosa Ponselle to the list.

[kmillard]

Wow.. Great choice!! First Leonora at the Met and handpicked by Caruso. Too bad you got LP here right at the tail end of her career instead of back in prime in 1964.

[Ronizetti]

One of my favorite selections ... in my youth I heard Susan Dunn sing this impeccably at the Lyric Opera Chicago - her notes floated over the audience as if to heaven and beyond, I will never forget that performance, it was THE greatest singing of Verdi I have ever heard, and quite possibly the finest night I have had in all of my opera going days!

[johngotwalt]

oh float it, mamma

[MrCafiero]

Ponselle is the best at this one, even though Tebaldi is also great. Price does a lovely job here.

[Chutson353]

I'm not an opera expert by any means but from what I've heard Ponselle was the best at everything she sang.

[MrCafiero]

Check out Emmy Destinn. She gives her a run for her money in many ways.

[Andante735]

Would you care to expand on your statement about her flawless technique, and her demonstrated voice lesson? I won't even touch what you've said about Tebaldi - it's beyond reproach.

[ifmusicbe]

I am one of Tebaldi's biggest fans, but I have to agree with bensmith on this one. Tebaldi at her best was untouchable, but later in her (short) career suffered from tehnical and pitch problems. She returned briefly with a good Boheme recording but never to the full glory of her early career (early 1950s). She did not have the extraordinarily disciplined technique of Price, but in my humble opinion had a slightly more beautiful natural instrument.

[Andante735]

"Slightly more beautiful natural instrument"... Right.

[kmillard]

I'm not sure if I would term the 32-year career of Renata Tebaldi as "brief."

[ifmusicbe]

It was brief in the sense that she did not sing well for long--maybe 1/3 of her career at most. But in her prime she was, and remains, admittedly incomparable.

[Andante735]

Brilliant.

[DrGarri]

You are absolutely right: few times someone has the chance to hear someone in such great control of her instrument as we do with Price. What a pleasure to hear someone floating her voice like that!

[lacgs]

My favorite recording of this is the one Price did when she was young with Thomas Schippers conducting - it is georgous (and so is the conducting)

[CharlieChaplin12345]

@lacgs Can you provide a link to this? Thanks very much

[swdanielson]

I agree. there are too many comparisons, in general, but Tebaldi and Price; not even in the same league, apart from being two sopranos. To be fair, Tebaldi was a very good soprano; some may even call her great. But any fault that can be found with Price is definitely a MINOR complaint. Whether you like Price or not, just ask yourself: how many of the singers of her generation are confident AND able to perform in PUBLIC TODAY? (if even alive) Price has never been overrated.

[Andante735]

You're right, except for one ignorance on yor part. Tebaldi has never been considered a "very good" soprano, she is considered to be in a class of her own. She completely changed the way generations of listeners heard the Italian Repertoire. The voice is considered to be on the of most beautiful and dignified of any century. It's the same for Callas, who was responsible for the revival of Bel Canto singing. These 2 ladies were the ruling class of singing.

[Andante735]

So if we go according to your thinking "some, may have even called her great,we would have to question the judgement of the following legends who considered her to be one of the greats of all time:

-Toscanini

-Bohm

-Serafin

-De Sabata

-Gavazzeni

-Votto

That's not including other great artists who felt the same.So if what you say is true, that "SOME" would call her great,that would mean you know more about music than the above listed.Your opinion has about the same value as a shoebox.

[FoggyRoad81]

I think you are merely debating a generational difference. Leontyne is the last truly great diva on the Tebaldi scale. Freni had her moments but that was more we had to settle for her at a certain point.

[Andante735]

Let's agree to disagree, because I've spent entirely too much time here engaging in dead end exchanges. First of all, I think you may have misread my comments. Actually, I wasn't talking about Price at all, I was responding someone who wrote "some may call her great" referring to Tebaldi. I think the fact that Freni was the last great Puccini soprano, and represented the last vestige of the Italian tradition, I'll pass on your comment about her having had her moments.

[Andante735]

I will say that in all my years of opera going, spending time with musicians and singers, some of whom are quite successful today, I've never, ever, heard anyone mention that we had to "settle" for Freni. That comment is beyond the pale of sound reasoning. I'd say that any singer who managed to sound the way she did at close to 60 singing Mimi, among other roles, is worthy of more than having had "moments". That's a rare sentiment among serious listeners.

[wedidntknow]

i agree whole heartedly with your statement about freni!

[Andante735]

I'm glad to see that. I'd feel comfortable saying that most, if not all of music listeners would say the same. It's a given.

[VivaRenata]

Dear Andante, this leontyne price version of "vergine degli angeli" was smooth, well orchestrated and in terms of recording technique very nicely balanced ... and so boring! On the Italian tradition coming to an end - not to speak of the Wagnerian tradition - there are reasons why this is happening and Harold Schonberg has written about this in his books on the great conductors and pianists. Do go to Tebaldi's home page to read her interviews on opera in our times. Cordiali saluti!

[stingabe]

You're right about Callas but Tebaldi, study more.

[Andante735]

I'm right about some things, somethings not. I've done my share of studying too; but of course there's always room for more. May I suggest in your case a bit of studying? In the case of the singer in question, you would be in the company of very few. That section of the library would be quite empty, apart from a few imbeciles who are chomping at the bit to prove disprove and in fact attempt blatant mockery- it won't work.

[Zeero14]

I cant believe how clean is her he voice! VOX ANGELICA

[wotansings]

I don't know why the people always must say "X is the best", Leontyne was a great singer, an awsome singer, Tebaldi also in veru different manner and they are absolutely not comparable. And please, listen to Leontyne Leonora on the Schippers recording.

[tenornmd]

The wonderful Schippers recording was completed about twenty years prior, by which time she had already been singing professionally for about ten years, or slightly more, which means this performance was over thirty years after her professional debut. That's one of the things that make this so amazing. All that aside, this is quite beautiful, and unfortunately, every time I hear a Forza performance, I can't help hearing her.

[wotansings]

you are perfectly right!

[VivaTebaldi]

She is not bad, but Tebaldi is better.

It is late Price - but nice interpreation just the same.

[VivaTebaldi]

She is not bad, but Tebaldi is better.

It is late Price - but nice interpreation just the same.

[VivaTebaldi]

She is not bad, but Tebaldi is better.

It is late Price - but nice interpreation just the same.

[drdre333]

The chorus is a bit too boisterous for my taste, but Price really delivers such a beautiful sound. This is great stuff. 5/5

[rawdonqueen]

Wonderful. She is second only to Tebaldi, and this is late in her career. 5/5

[angelus2002]

This is sublime singing from Leontyne.

[Dobrib]

Superb.TY

[osvaldito55]

With this voice, no one doubts that la Vergine degli'angeli la coprirà col suo manto.