Mado Robin

[SHICOFF1]

she had a great top voice and it carried well all over the opera house live. As far as the comment about Dessay, she was a mezzo so no comparison can be made and Mado diecd in 1960 in her early 40's and her recordings still sell and are available. Jan Peerce and Richard Tucker both sang in Lucia with her in SF. Calif. and I asked Peerce how big her voice was in the house since I never heard her in the opera house. He said it was big enough and carried very well in house This is Live and Solid

[MusicSimone]

Elle était magnifique!

[binxbinxopera87]

una tecnica PERFETTA!!!io rimango a bocca aperta!! 'O'

[gordiam]

this is not only 3:05, it's all the aria, really good vibrato, tecnique, everything is perfect! :))

[bossmuscle]

it's an A natural.

[AIWboojum]

@danball7777777 I'm pretty sure this aria is in the key of E, so yes, it's a G#

[manggerry]

LOVE MADO SO MUCH AND YMA SUMAC TOO. SHEER TALENT UNLIKE THOSE WHISTLING MARIAHS. EVEN GAYS HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES CAN DO WHISTLING. BUT OPERA HIGH NOTES ARE DIFF. THEY ARE STRESS FREE, EFFORTLESS, NOT FORCED. HEAR MARIAHS VOICE NOW ON LIVE SINGING, ITS RUINED BEC. SHE IS FORCING TO MAKE THAT WHISTLING NOTES. IN REALLY PERPLEXED WHY PEOPLE ARE SO AMAZED OF WHISTLING, TIS FAKING A HIGH NOTE.

[Bouzouteify]

Malgré la qualité de l'image et du son due l'ancienneté du document...la beauté et la rareté de la voix cristaline de Mado Robin continue à nous donner des frissons de ravissement...MERCI pour ce document exceptionnel...!!!

[nicolasbrochet92]

Mado Robin restera et demeurera la plus grande soprano colorature de tous les temps. La voix la plus haute du monde ! Une voix rarissime de cristale à l'instar de celle de Pavarotti ! Un don exceptionnel de la nature.

[gierck1]

Robin was an original. Not the most perfect, but a perfect energy to her beautiful range. Such beauty in the vibrato again, we won't hear another Robin again. She has a great vibrato to go along with her vocalization, something quite rare today. Streitch had that quality, the speed of occilation. So beautiful to listen to, and far more interesting that a slow vibrato. Compelling artists? Hmm. Another question. Nice to see we can hear some of the great voices of our time here on Youtube!

[sascha1984dd]

nice!!!

[hotwaiter]

i remember a story where she was singing with the LA symphony and the conductor stopped her aria during a rehearsal and was like "That is not how Tchaikovsky wrote this" and she was like "that is because Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii was not there!!!!" hahaha. I love that.

[jeremiaheliseo]

really did that happen.

[fll7181]

that would've been some shit if it happened right? seriously, i cannot get enough of this woman. i'm addicted :P

[charisaob]

she sounds like a bird, amazing!

i haven't been impressed from a singer in opera since i heard Maria Callas.

Beautiful!

[jeremiaheliseo]

Madeleine Marie Robin, known as Mado Robin (December 29, 1918 - December 10, 1960), was a French coloratura soprano; she had an exceptionally wide vocal range; she hit D4 (D7 in US standards) above C (C7) in a live performance in Vichy.

Here in a live performance of Lucia di Lammermoor, she hits a B flat (Bflat6) above high C in the mad scene. She was always told not to sing the note, but she did it anyway...quite loud too.

[acitipo]

las sopranos francesas de gran coloratura como mado Robin, Lily Pons, y la Dessay han dejado una estela de ser unicas, pero como Mado Robin, no ha habido, quizas Erna Sack en Alemania, se puede comparar a esta extraodinaria voz

[drimcotcher]

She used the so called SUPER HEADTONES. She's a legend!

But the most thing to described her was she lacked in power of her voice though she has a very good and electrifying vibrato.

[ricastarla]

wow superb.... i like her.... she have a powerful voice ever.. i am a 19 yrs.old man ... i am fun of her from Philippines...

[frenchie46360]

Je suis surpris de ne trouver aucun commentaire en français concernant cette merveilleuse artiste. Je l'ai entendue à Paris en 1958, j'en garde un souvenir impérissable. Pour moi, si les anges chantent, ça ne peut être qu'avec cette voix.

[freespiritQC]

Recently I was listening to Jennifer Hudson performance at the grammy and she sounded flat from beginning to end until I went to a better recording and then realise that she was ok. So Imagine a recordint that's 50 years old! Mado Robin was not a singer who had pich problems. Blame it on the recording and go listen to other videos here on youtube before you judge...

[WQ673]

Wunderbare Stimme, jede Note voll Klang, irre Höhe, mühelose Coloratur.

Auf, mit Ihr, in den Olymp der Stimmen.

[omarbriceno1]

sent from heaven!

[dannymaestro]

That´s a g sharp at 3:06, nothing else...

[Jabe88]

I'd love to hear you sing it...

nothing else... how arrogant

[jeremiaheliseo]

i know what she just did takes hard work i mean practice hours of practice right

[andrecueca]

me too i´d love to hear he say "nothing else" after singing it..lol he wouldn´t be able to speak for a month...that if he could hit it...

[schattensand]

the singing ist great but the visual entertaiment lacks most else. good that

there is none who pwans in all aspects.

than the rest off us could commit seppuku.

[muarmuarmuar]

I am very happy that I have heard Mado Robin live. About 45 years ago in Yerevan! I remember the magical effect of her voice.

[cantorakarinasantos]

more than wonderful...

[vipate]

elle fui vraiment fantastique!

[ledormant]

Mado Robin fut une chanteuse exceptionnelle. Bien sûr on chante de manière différente aujourd'hui. Elle était d'une gentillesse extraordinnaire, soignait ses camarades chanteurs en passant plus de temps dans leur loge que dans la sienne.Elle mourut à 40 ans emportée par un cancer. Il nous reste des enregistrements inestimables de cette école de chant qui enthouisasma les années 50 . A marseille d'où je viens on parle encore du Barbier de 1954 avec elle, M.Dens, H. Santana , Dir: R benzi.

[ioSonoCallas]

Oui Mado Robin était exceptionnelle, elle est restée fidèle à elle-même, à sa gentillesse, sa bonté naturelle envers les autres, malgré les triomphes énormes qu'elle a eu dans sa trop courte carrière et qui auraient pu lui tourner la tête!

Elle s'est éteinte le 10 déc 1960, dix neuf jours avant son 42éme anniversaire!

Quel dommage qu'il ne nous reste pas un document sonore de ce Barbier de 1954 avec cette magnifique distibution!

[ledormant]

Sometimes the recording transposes the music slightly up or down.

[mona4300]

je trouve que mado robin a une voix sensationnelle

[SimSutcliff]

Some people who express themselves about Robin, judging only from this video, should shut up and start a serious musical education. Robin was fantastic by mid-twentieth century standards.And good recordings of her are still worthy to be listen to. For exemple, she was a touching Mireille.

[jacobsimon]

Lily Pons did it best

[macciboma]

Delibes ha composto una musica particolare

bella, bel pezzo molto brava la soprano voce

eccezionale. grazie Susana di avermela proposta.

Grandiosa coloratura.Walter.

[gmmix]

Robin arrangements and performances are always a treat. Pitch problem is partly old video tape! Ellen Beach Yaw, who died c. 1948, was her equal in the high-note stratesphere. Young K. Dondalska is NOW doing the same thing. A Google check will lead you to her one and only CD, which is incredible.

[Missbasilicum]

Hey guys, that's unfair!! YOu can't compare this ancient recording that's at least 50 years old with a Dessay recording from maybe 5 years ago! I'm a voice student myself and I know that tehre are better recordings of her I think compared to other singers from her time, Mado is great!! (and today our Song literature-professor at Indiana University talked half of the lesson just about her and played recordings where she sings French songs)

[1bstar]

that is a good point... but personally i still prefer Dessay

[charisaob]

@Missbasilicum Mado Robin is awsome! I agree with you and the only opera singer I trully like is Maria Callas, now it is Mado Robin too. She sounds so natural without doing the fake chicken sound like many opera singers do.

[sagagossard]

this woman isn't a singer is a joke. Bel canto is not about who sings the higher note but about the beauty and the way you communicate emotions. And this woman has neither of those.awful timbre

[murphalicious101]

Wow, amazing control at the end!

[COALLSTATE07]

yikes i really am shocked about this performance i thought she was better than that. Im with 1bstar... my applause go completely to dessay witht his aria. This is flat all over the place and i don't like her tone either. sorry

[Lyaewen]

Yeah, it's amazing that she can hit those notes so effortlessly - yada yada, whatever. The fact is that she IS flat all over the place, and my ears may never recover. She killed it, and I don't mean in the good way. For my taste - no one I've heard equals Dessay with this aria. She understands character, and when she opens her mouth I am not reminded of an ogress weilding a club the way Robin does her voice.

[1bstar]

i totally agree with u my appaluse goes to Dessay...

[Lohengrin]

dont compare N Dessay one of the greatest coloraturas of all times with this freak here! This is truly dreadful singing from every aspect possible!

[11235eureka]

Now now girls, let's be nice. She does very admirably, considering all known repertoire sits an octave below the best part of her voice. And you've gotta remember that expectations and styles change over time. A lot of Toscanini's recordings sound unthinkable now.

[kngiht84]

I would edge towards Sumi Jo though, who managed to constantly keep her firm and steady notes.

[Lyaewen]

While I do love a lot of what Sumi Jo has to offer, in the only recording I've heard of her singing this she has no finesse. She blasts through it, and she's of course very powerful, but she strong arms it way to much, in my opinion.

[andrecueca]

people this is a 50 y.o recording..come on

[raythespian]

It has to be a note in the E chord, and it definitely sounds like G# to me. I see no point to it, as it makes the final E anti-climactic.

[rt3iswhoib]

Sounds like an A to me, also....

Either way, its still incredible that anyone can hit those notes.

[TimAnders44]

Is that note actually an A? I listened to it, and my ear tells me it's a G-sharp, and the key at 3:00 is E major. But old recordings tend to sound a semitone lower though.

[wongrenhao]

Is she out of touch or something? She sounds like she's going flat all over the place. Extremely uncharacteristic...

[YvesLebrec]

génial

[mona4300]

je suis d'acord

[Gigglingatagas]

Definitely one of the most interesting artists of the 20th century, I think. Sometimes, the high notes she chooses are a little out of taste, in my opinion, but in these types of arias, she is incomparable. Plus, let's admit it, it's fun to hear straospherically high notes.

[mdancer01]

amazing

personally i prefer sutherland's timbre

but her long register is completly amazing

[nicevidbro]

this video is a treasure. thank you for posting this =)

[Cramnella]

Hahahaha! The run up to and down from the A sounded just like a Theremin! Still pretty amazing.

[muarmuarmuar]

I must correct now - I saw her at 1958!!!

[muarmuarmuar]

I heard her live in Yerevan sometime between 1960 and 1967!!! She was very thin and the voice was just amasing!

[Greatheil]

she died in 1960 :)

[Jabe88]

that makes u happy? :-S

[dugbin]

Whew, what a high note! She is certainly one of the best interpreters of this aria. Others include Dessay, Callas, and many many more. But, she still needs characterization.

[Tvoce625]

This is true artistry. Some are so ignorant to realize that this was the age when singers could sing anything. Unlike today when longevity in a career is no more and everybody has a "fach"

[TiSofocaIlSangue]

Sorry to say but it was different. Practically it was with Callas that it began to change, in that time if u were a lyric soprano for instance you were expected to sing the high notes flawlessly and didn't put much pressure in the other parts of the register.

[operamusiclover]

sory,it wasn't a Bb 6, it was a Bb5

[operamusiclover]

a great discover!God,this woman's amazing,although her voice in general isn't very beautiful,but we must say that she's a real mith(about high notes).A real bird:DI couldn't believe when I heard her voice yesterday.I thought"This is not definitly a human!".The video I saw had some great sopranos(Netrebko,Sumi Jo,Renata Scotto,Dessay,Callas:D,Sutherl­and,Mado Robin) singing the final mad scene of lucia di lamermoor,and when I heard Mado Robin singing a Bb 6....Amazing!

[jasmineblossom84]

Definitely interesting, that freakish note. But, I don't really think she's that good, in general. It sounds sloppy, a lot of the time. But, interesting, nonetheless.

[ecec333]

She was born on 29 December 1918 so she wasn't exactly a teenager when she did this and still, her voice is AMAZING.

[OperaBoy1986]

Joan Sutherland only "made noises?" Lol. If you say so.

[Nornegest]

Amazing. Not exactly the best singing, but it isn't that bad either. Her cut-glass notes are the high point (excuse the pun) of this piece. Sent several small shivers down my spine, which made me wonder what it would have been like to hear her live.

Thank you for sharing this with us.

[thmasse]

contre contre ré avec DONIZETTI SUR dailymotion

[bollard00]

I agree with Lutearina. Mado Robin was in a league of her own. Erna Sack was tinny. Joan Sutherland does not sing clearly, only makes noises. The nearest to Mado Robin was Rita Streich.

[tklogan11809]

You obviously know sh*t about singing. Just go watch American Idol and leave us alone, retard.

[hobo197]

actually he does know sh*t and sutherland did make noises.sutherlands voice was muffled incoherent and wobbly.

she told a singer in a cardiff singer of the world masterclass to forget about the words as most people wouldnt notice.

no words,no intent, no emotion just noise!(lamperti)

[tklogan11809]

You know as much about singing as a street dog, just another retard writing on YouTube, did your mother drop you on your head when you were a baby? If not, she should've.

[796824]

You are absolutely correct about Sutherland, who had false teeth. She was totally indistinct. Diction is the key to perfect singing.Just listen to Robin's legato, every word is articulated without effort, the sign of great singing.

[nicevidbro]

sutherland made noises? im amazed by your ignorance. sutherland is not my favorite but your ignorance truthfully surpassed every persons beliefs XD

[jackson4socks]

That was amazing!!! She kicks ass.

[OperaBoy1986]

She is good. She has a freakish range, but I'm afraid I must agree that Joan Sutherland is still the queen of coloratura. Joan was more musical, always in tune, and her voice is just frankly more round and beautiful. Opera is more about gorgeous singing then it is about singing ridiculously high notes.

[Airemix]

I knew that comment was you without even reading the name!

[zurriuss]

For me, Mado Robin was a complete discovery. Bravo to her. I think she has much better voice than Dessay. Dessay really tries to spoil her voice. I saw her old recordings, where she was perfect, but now... she isn't so good.

[farquarr]

There are many sopranos who can dream of producing sounds like Mado Robin,but that is all they shall achieve,no sopranos todate can match this wonderful voice,I enjoy Dame Joan Sutherland,but she lacks the clarity , good diction,the vocal range,and freedom of expression Mado Robin enjoys,she has no peers,and is matchless.!

[Lutearina]

Re: Sorry not in the same league as Dame Joan Sutherland!

Obviously; Mado Robin was in a league of her own, untouchable, unreachable (literally) and in the role of Lakme, incomparable.

Thank you for sharing this video and vocal treasure; I've heard all the available recordings of Lakme, and own two of them (Robin & Sutherland). Incontrovertible proof that Mado Robin simply owns the role; no one else comes close :)

[SexiTeddy]

look up Erna Sack

[opera60]

Sorry no in the same league as Dame Joan Sutherland!

[anguimoto]

Fuè una gran cantante .Eso puede comprobarse al oirla, sin comparar, cada una tiene o tenìa su propia voz.

[NHK1111111111]

Fantastic high notes.

[kuhnsbrat]

Such a beautiful voice with power!

[796824]

Far superior to Sutherland who had muffled diction perhaps due to false teeth? Mado Robin sang spontaneously which is the "correct" way to sing free and far more brilliant than Dessay who drags the tempi which occurs when the voice is hooty. Listen to Robin on the complete LAKME collection - this is a lesson in vocal freedom.

[RedbeardNC]

Her voice is a little screechy and a lot flat...but you have to love the fact that she has almost a full octave ABOVE the usual soprano range!

[elom17764]

i cant see the video =(

[ricardofriascarrion]

Lo mas ridiculo que he escuchado

[SexiTeddy]

I think erna sack has a nice voice

[robcat2075]

stunning voice!

[fantasual]

These women with these very high voices are considered the song birds of opera and shouldn't be compared to other singers that's silly. This is a whole differen't level of coloratura.

[pachockijulian]

a great singer in the history of the opera! but... Mrs VAN HOPPER... yes are someone woman with hig notes more than mado robin

[paminaase]

astonishing ! the high notes are so natural like she is effortless. very comforting.

[796824]

Your insight into the Art of Singing is very much appreciated and heartening in a period when the public is presented with third-rate singing. Robin was superior in many respects. Thank you

[bkts]

I dont think anybody is better than anybody but being a person who appericates high pitces it is something i like to hear. All singers aer in in some form of way.

[garconfrancais01]

wow...people who say her voice is better then sutherland are sadly mistaken. She may be able to hit higher notes but the measure on a opera singer is not how high they can go but by how good their technique is and how they use it. Meaning, just because you are a tenor does not mean your any better then a bass. Her voice also is very irritating. She does not have a beautiful voice at all even if she can hit the notes. Sutherland was much better

[remrom2]

its a noise on my ears.

[keno68cl]

VERY GOOD,WHAT'S TIME IS THIS?

[Doooku]

i have say, much better than Joan Sutherland

[radwigs]

Better than Sutherland? Are we listening to the same voice? Robin has those amazing high notes but her voice was far from beautiful. She was a very famous novelty act.

[jetit]

WOW..

[kniikura]

its.. perfect

[MrsVanHopper]

IMO, Mado Robin was the best singer of all times. No other singer can hit high notes like her.

[rrag00]

woo, many thanks

[squallleonheat]

beautiful voice like a Maria Callas

[ioSonoCallas]

???

[xema2005]

I have to agree, the high notes are great but the voice isn´t beautiful at all

[zenboi88]

Her voice has an AMAZING clarity to it.

[xmen4ever8290]

this is amazing

[peejayny]

If only she had lived longer! What I wouldn't give to have heard that voice live. And from all acounts, Mado was as sweet, charming and modest as she was supremely gifted.

[Papageno2192]

The bst Lakmé

[setasan]

crasy... wonderfull

[creidhe]

OMG!!! AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mituofo]

Mado, Mado, we love you!

[jazzykitten]

What's the name of the soprano and the year of the recording?

[MadoRobin]

Mado Robin, french soprano (1918-1960).

This video was recorded in the '50.

[Leanrosso]

Thank you very much for this video.At last I could see her singing her brilliant notes.

[BrideOfLammermoor]

AHHHHHHHHHH!!! Thanks SOOO much for adding this video!!! Mado Robin is the GREATEST!!!

[passionfruittarte]

love her!!!