THE TEN GREATEST SOPRANOS Heard Live 10 Jessye Norman

[cantorandopera]

I also heard Ms Norman early on - as I was pregnant I remember it was the summer of 73. She was not known at that time and she wowed me. A few years later we moved to Boston and I heard her again in Mahler with the Boston Symphony under Ozawa. She had this glorious sound it seemed to come from the bowels of the earth without any undue vibrato - just glorious round tones. It was a HUGE voice but refined in every way.

[Maripudelmonaco]

RENATA TEBALDI !!!!!

[reviewsvoiceontube]

Jessye Norman- she owns a beautiful voice rich in color with a large range and if demanded huge volume a very good precise technique and control and a natural felt joy of singing-a very intelligent singer and artist by all means and so naturally at the same time-I adore her-she is wonderful.

[newhotmailit]

WOW

[AleksandraPlamenac]

I heard her live in Moscow twice and I couldn't sleep normally several days after that

She is soo wonderful that I really don't know how to explain what happend on the stage - it seemed to be something angelic and celestial, I felt like wondering in some other domension... She is just BRILLIANT!!!

[mwdot12]

Love her, love her, love her!! Although, this chorus is INTERESTING....where was this?

[wTrevorh]

Stupendous! Thank you for sharing.

[ezayi]

Thank you for the wonderful tour of your preferred 10 greatest sopranos. Although I like them all and they´re all great singers, I would take some off the list and put others. But in all, I like this great artists.

Thanks for posting and thanks for all your comments. If was as if I was looking back in time through your eyes. Really exciting! :-))

[fossilkid4life]

OMG!! What opera is this!? The ending is noot okay ahh creepy

[aristopus]

Great posts, but how about letting us know what we're listening to.

[jlc10023]

I had heard Norman in many a wonderful recital (especially Schubert) but was blown away with her performance in Troyens. At one performance she did both roles.

[garthastro]

I heard Jessye live every year between 1984-1989, beginning with the most incredible performance of the 4 last songs I ever heard. Sometimes she was in "soprano" voice, sometimes not. The voice was always huge, rich and pulsating with color and the artistry was always of the highest order. She became mannered towards the late '90s and her recital programs got lower and lower, but she remains one of the most inspiring artists I have ever seen.

[dermotafan]

O goshh, HER prime of course.

[dermotafan]

Sorry, it's DARED. She gave a French song as an encore.

[dermotafan]

I remember Jessy in his prime. In the seventies, last century, she toured the central Europe and came to Ljubljana, now capital of Slovenia, then one of the republics of Yugoslavia.

I rememeber this big black girl with a pony tail walking on a stage and asking myself, what next.

She started her recital with Haendel's aria, and finished with Wiesendonck Lieder. She was absolutly stunning, nobody deared to applause after the Wagner.

[amiciopera]

Jessye in her prime in the 70s? I think not. Usually females does not reach their prime before 40-45 years old. a well trained voice reaches maturity at 40 and over.

Callas lost her prime, so when the voice failed before 40 she had very little to resqued her, techniques and her unmatched drama. without voice. yet still, non like callas, Norman has poised, Voice personality, and is highly interllecutal, and speaks many languages, and knows how to behave when in Public. go Georgia girl

[Liwah]

What's the name of this ensemble piece?

[CharlotteinWeimar]

"Tous ne periront pas", the finale to "The Siege of Troy" the first of the two operas which make up "The Trojans"

[Liwah]

She's REMARKABLE.

[CharlotteinWeimar]

If you heard this great singer live, please post a description.

[lewisrozenberg]

I have heard Jessye Norman live on three occasions - once in a concert performance of Erwartung, and twice in recital. The emotional impact of Ms. Norman's singing is nigh to unparalleled in my experience. After the third performance, I was persuaded by a friend to queue to meet her. I found her charismatic and charming, and I was honoured to be able to tell her that she was the reason I was training to be a singer (I now have an international career, and am writing this using a nom de plume).

[CharlotteinWeimar]

Thank you for your fine comment. I am glad you have also made a successful international career and that she inspired you in your work.

[thomastmwc]

@lewisrozenberg I know who you are :)

[lewisrozenberg]

@thomastmwc Excellent detective work.....

[lsauke]

@CharlotteinWeimar - curious to me that you include norman before price. i have always felt like norman's voice was on the verge of 'running wild or off'. she is a great singer and i heard her sing live many times, but for me price was truly bewitching and gorgeous where norman, well, i don't know - just kind of 'thick' and not clear. - differences in taste no doubt.