Aida Contest - O Patria Mia - Birgit Nilsson

[baritonebynight]

For me Leontyne Price IS Aida.

[AudioforumLE]

Fantastica

[tatters1232006]

one of the truly great voices of the 20th century (Wagner R Strauss) but in this opera give me Leontyne Price anyday

[SymphonyBrahms]

I love her Aida just as much as I do her Brunnhilde and her Isolde.

[ArchiducDeBelgrade]

She is The Titan of Opera. Amazing.

Thank You.

[80Mrmirko]

Ogni artista esegue ed interpreta in modo diverso ognuna completa l'altra e ognuno da un'emozione diversa. Perchè dovere scegliere e non godersele tutte? Possiamo fare tutti i paragoni del mondo ma quando un'artista ha il sacro foco emoziona anche quando sta zitta.

Brava la Nilsson, brava la Tebaldi, brava la Callas, brava la Price.

[nedingen]

Birgit's High C 's and ending pianissimo makes every dramatic soprano jealous.Sorry Callas,Tebaldi,Price..........­.

[TheVerdiBaritone]

The more I hear Nilsson in Italian repertoire the more I prefer her to other sopranos.

[tobobba]

woow. Amazing

[sorobji]

I swear, I heard "Ach, se tu vieni a recarmi..." at 0.57. Loved that!

Apart from that, (though I am Birgit Nilsson's no. 1 fan!), she sort of pales in this aria.

[sirenadellopera]

Brilliant in every single way.

[AmericanEvita]

I love Birgit Nilsson and she was an immensely talented soprano but I just don't like her as Aida because it just seems to me it's not suited to her, just as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni was not suited to her. Her Aida is far too heroic sounding. Her Turandot is terrific because that is like a "goddess" role. I like Leontyne Price's prayerful sounding Aida, the role calls for a melancholy quality that Nilsson lacks. Nilsson doesn't make me cry as Aida but Leontyne will always make you cry.

[Joeleole]

What an ending!!!

[belcunto]

mai pooooooo!

[ketillflatnefur]

wow - there's a backstage recording of her in Aida when she was even younger and learning her way around the stage - it's stupendous - available only from the Swedish Opera gift shop, as far as i know, but a must for all fans.

[Operaddict]

What's the difference? Nilsson, Tebaldi, Gencer, Callas, Milanov, or many of the other sopranos who could sing this repertoire..the point is that there were MANY fabulous sopranos in those days...all capable of singing a great Aida...different from each other, of course...that is what made it interesting and exciting

And today? No one can pull it off with ANY of the voice and style of those women  back in '50's and '60's and 70's.

What the HELL has happened? Poor teaching, and worse casting.

[RVP57]

@Operaddict AMEN to that. The best we can up with today for Aida is maybe Urmana or Voight...not much of a choice. And casting today is awful. 20 years ago we'd not have had to endure a Natalie Dessay, a Netrebko, or worse, a Renee Fleming, and now those tired bitches are everywhere you turn...

[BeauTenor]

@RVP57 LOL...I've been saying that forever. I can't even imagine what a voice like Nilsson's being around today might do for the opera world. She'd probably be overlooked in favor of a "star" like Fleming....hootiness, scooping and all. The recording of Aida that Nilsson made with Corelli and Bumbry is one of my favorites...SUCH big voices just booming out like cannons. It's SO over the top.

[rlee1976]

@RVP57

Go on and tell the truth!

Gotta admit, RF had promise to begin with, but the endless scooping and her loss of power over the years and just plain disregard for knowing the limits of her instrument has taken its toll...

But, the mindless public will still buy the albums and support...

On another note, someone with a light lyric voice like Laura Claycomb I believe is much better than all these "ina" singers over here... but the Met doesn't want anyone with any kind of artistry.

[RVP57]

@rlee1976 I was in the chorus at San Francisco Opera when Laura Claycomb was going through the Merola and Adler programs (young artist training). I knew she had a 'spark' and it is heartening to see her so sucessful, especially here in Europe. But even she gets too overlooked by the really major houses. As for Fleming: retire, cash in your options, girl, buy your farm, raise some hens and DON'T MAKE ANY MORE CROSSOVER ALBUMS...

[EltaLBunner]

Such an example of singing with beautiful head voice. This video is great for students of singing. The throat is so relaxed and free of tension, and it is always apparent in her beautiful tone.

[anacoreta68]

yo la conocía cantando Wagner y lo hacía de 10

[horowitz109]

Everything taken into account, this is perhaps the best rendition I ever heard of this extremely difficult piece. I confess I'm crazy about Ponselle, Price and Caballé versions, but Nilsson's vocal instrument made me shiver with emotion: amazing evennes and seamless flow of sound from middle to top register. She also sings with a dignity very befitting a king's daughter.

[senilangakali]

@horowitz109 Now that is what singing is all about...no frills but pure perfection and sheer beauty!

[garyrobert13]

Huge Nilsson fan...but this is not her best...middle is like molasses- a bit syrupy.- too thick for my taste.....but the top- oh my! She is untouchable in other rep, though...

[bigjoetube]

Birgit was great in so many roles, but Aida belongs to Leontyne.

[wotanman]

@bigjoetube wurd! Sorry if people don't like to hear it. I even like Nilsson in Aida, but Price OWNS that role. This is the more lyrical aria from Aida anyways, so defintiely not Nilsson's strongest. That high C is stupendous, however.

[yodavidnavarro]

A magnificent vocal instrument!

[birgitnilsson]

Nilsson´s voice and singing always sends the chills over one´s spine,cause it is gorgeous.

[LittlePasserotto]

drammatica e cristallina assieme... il grande pregio della nilsson

[romalisan]

je n'ai pas du courage de lui donner moins que 5/5 ; elle est trop noble et il faut la respecter. Brava..

[Zva26]

Nilsson sang Aida quite a bit, and the Nordic quality she brought to it was refreshing. She was a REAL dramatic soprano and had an Amazonian sized voice that could blow down the house. Tebaldi's version of this aria was always spoiled by her top C at the end, which she never really got right. Nilsson had high C's to burn and burn and burn, which she did in Turandot, The Ring, Salome, Elektra, Isolde, and everything else.

Nilsson WAS the grand empress of dramatic sopranos.

No doubt about it.

[SPTN58]

What a singer and musician!  Brava, Birgit!

[mozzrt]

3:40-3:55. Must have rattled the windows in Anchorage...

[marioj34]

which lesson of song and which technique. For me, it throne proudly in my cdthèque (with corelli and bumbry), at the sides of Caballé, Callas, Millo, Tebaldi and of course Price! 5/5 dear Birgit!

[yodavidnavarro]

I agree on any of your favs!

[yodavidnavarro]

Leontyne all the way!

[toscadonna]

Choppy? Have you ever looked at the Aida score? There are staccato markings on quite a few of the notes in this aria. They serve to keep one from carry too much weight in the voice in the upper register.

[guappaione]

lesson in technique!

[guappaione]

not a Verdi voice but beautifully sung by the Great Birgit!

[bigdigger87]

I disagree. I believe she is definately a Verdi voice. She has the Verdi cutting power and color but her voice is different in the fact that it is not dark like other Dramatic Sopranos. Match that with her impeccalbe tachnique and she is unbeatable.

[dolcefico]

Perhaps: I think Tebaldi does pretty well until the high C pianissimo, though this is not her best role. Frankly, I like Caballe best for this aira and Price better for "Ritorna vincitor" but to each his own. It is wonderful to have Nilsson singing this though. Have you heard her doing "O don fatale"?

[SVENSKSOPRAN]

What chopping? What phrasing and legato not suited to Verdi? Did you ever read the score! She follows it strictly, as always! Telling she can't sing legato is hegemony! She could have sung everything and created a school for others to learn! The "beautiful" resonant voices are TUNED instruments, that is, the voices of singers who intuitively and by effort could master the subtle laws of achoustics and resonance...there can be no ugly voice with ultimate technique and phrasing!

[ceccopisa]

Che grande tecnica e grande sensibilità, per lei che pur avendo una grande voce riesce a dosarla. Great!!! 5/5

[Ostasio]

Nevertheless she is one of the few wagnerian sopranos able to master such a high and pianissimo tessitura.

[Greatfan]

I add something. Many years ago when Nilsson was still singing she heard the audition or contest of a Swedish soprano who had sung a Verdi aria . Her comment : " She will be the new Leontyne Price " So you see that great artists know their limitations and their glories.This rendition of O Patria mia can be choppy or a bit lacking in legato, but it is still a great rendition. In a lower level than Price or Milanov, but they did not sing Elektra or Turandot. This is no battle. All were GREAT.

[Greatfan]

There was not greatest self criticism than Nilsson. She knew she was better in Isolde, Turandot or Elektra and she admired Leontyne very much as Verdian, but if you heard THIS sound in the opera house as Aïda it is surely much better than most sopranos today. In fact she was in this role less than Milanov, Tebaldi, or Price, but was still a great singer doing some wonderful phrases. Over criticism to singers is sick and damaging.

[Andante735]

Why in God's name would you include Leona Mitchell?

[Arnold3135]

As much as I love Ms. Nilsson voice (especially in Wagner and the other late German Romantic roles), clearly she is all wrong for this role If you didn't know anything about opera and listened to this rendition, you'd never know it was Italian. Phrases are choppy and rushed and it is without that soaring Italianate legato line. This was actually painful to listen to, but necessary given the Aida contest underway. Thanks but on this one, no thanks.

[Andante735]

I'll have to agree for the most part. Nilsson had one of the most magnficent instruments ever heard, but again the phrasing and the legato aren't really suited for Verdi. Having said that, in comparison to what we have today, which is basically nothing at all, and in honor of her great artistry, I'm giving her 5/5. Brava Birgiit.

[Liwah]

5/4

[123mortimer]

Superlative singing. Her technique is simply transcendental. Still, the contest is not entirely fair because Nilsson is not going up against two of the strongest contenders for top honors with this aria: Montserrat Caballe and Zinka Milanov.

[stome3139]

hahaha you are very amusing 123mortimer.May I ask you anything ? Is that a top honor for the most horrible "O patria mia" ? I guess you meant that after listening Milanov of her Jonel Perlea recording where she sounds like 80 years old grandmother and her ridiculous phrasing and singing !

[Mortimer123]

stome3139: Thank you for this enlightening contribution.

[wotansings]

Great singing, glorious voice, a firestone...

[janejones11]

Nilsson is always in complete control of her instrument and her technique is impeccable. She also makes the brutal high C appear effortless.

5/4.5

[ioSonoCallas]

Famous! 5/3.5

[mariaperrucha]

4.5/4.5

Excellent.Birgit sang Aida mostly in early '60s, she recorded in 1965 and she did not sing Aida anymore.She is the best Aida, along with Tebaldi Karajan and Erede sets

[wotansings]

She stopped singing Aida, because she heard Leontyne...lol

[senilangakali]

No, she was simply being paid more at the met to sing what other sopranos couldn't tackle mainly Wagner...

[BeauTenor]

Very true. I think she said once that Wagner made her rich, but Turandot made her famous.

[birgitnilsson]

What she once said was that Isolde made her famous, but Turandot made her rich.

[mezzo404]

5/5 The best Aida: Birgit Nilsson.

[osvaldito55]

The great Birgit! What a joy! 5/5

[ygorcs88]

Her limpid and youthful tone combined to incredible power are a great advantage. It is very amazing that such a large voice could hit the sweetest pianissimi. Her phrasing evokes Aida's nostalgia perfectly. I love this aria, my favourite in Aida (and perhaps in all of Verdi's mature work).

5/4

[cantorandopera]

Another great contest put together by coloraturafan - THANK YOU! Knowing most of these clips before, this was the wonder of them - Nilsson acted so convincingly with her voice. I understood every word. She embodied royalty, confidence and heartbreaking tenderness. Also - great orchestra and conducting didn't hurt. I thought she looked fabulous too. Brava! 5/5

[tHEnOOSEsWINGS]

Birgit Nilsson 5/5.

[espacecardin]

singing 4,5

characterization: 4,5

Since 1960 to today she is the best Aìda

[hotazzoperastud]

Always nice when Brünnhilde stops by to sing Aida! but when the voice is this solid who cares (talk about peeling the paint from the walls) 5/5