Added: 5 years ago
From: Onegin65
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  • Amazing!

  • That's delightful! A much bouncier tempo for "Si, fine all'ore" than I've heard, but I really loved it. Such elegant artists.

  • Lovely......

  • I just realized how much Ms. Verrett resembles Barbara Hendricks(in her later years). Totally different styles, though. Less a comment, more of an observation, I guess.

  • That these two embraced one another and did not feud is a credit to their character and artistry. Stupendously gifted both of them. Women of confidence and assurance in a world of insecure egoist.

  • Hermoso

  • Wonderful, wonderful despite the bad record. taf289

  • Hmm I looked page after page for new superlatives to describe this piece, but nothing did it justice. So I will return to the basic (as in what Mother's teach their children returning in the afternoons from kindergarten. Ohh Sweetheart, that picture you drew for me is soooo PRETTY. lol lol. Onegin65, this is PRETTY, and thank you for sharing.  Isk & Tsk Youyousova

  • splendid! r.i.p dear shirley verrett... Grace Bumbry's posture is a month of tutorials in itself: barely moving, solid column of support

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  • price and horne perfecion but good

  • Beautiful! and also bravissimo to maestro Bellini!!

  • two vonderful singers perfect harmony too bad that Shirley Verrett died she was so beautiful she will be missed deeply among opera's fans!!!

    JMB

  • Shivers.............

  • These two can put a lot of singers in their pockets. 

  • Sono due mezzosoprani ma sono eccellenti... ormai ci propinano soprani e mezzo (che sono soprani corti) solo perché sembrano delle pin-up.

  • Very beautiful duet

  • How could anyone not love this? Don't you this is a precious jewel to grand mezzos/soprano? Both of these divas could not be define by vocal labels.

  • @LoL4mechild Ditto!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • bpicaud1 they actually did just that at a live recital at Carnegie Hall. It was pretty amazing. I think as i recall it was a concert in honor of Marion Anderson.

  • What is very funny is to think that they could easily have interchanged their two parts without any problem...

  • @bpicaud1 i heard they did. ... they were called out for an encore and they switched parts.

  • This is the best of all the pairs available. Better than DiDonato and Gruberova, than Horne and Sunderland, and than Verrett and Caballe.

  • @saagua1953 i agree. it is even better than Horne and Price!! completely different energy!!

  • @couturesixfour I agree with you and saagua1953 both. This is my favorite version. They are so connected! All the emotion comes through the vocal line, as it should, and so often doesn't. Instead we get antics, and off the voice singing to portray emotion. Bravi Divas!

  • Bumbry is flat on a few notes, i prefer Stignani!

  • @vivegedda You're FLAT on a few notes! Shut up! I hate to hear you so-called critics. What the hell do you know! Your comments are purely subjective. You prefer Stignani-just say that. Ms. Bumbry is flawless.

  • @vivegedda Oh, shut up! I can't stand to hear you so-called critics! What the hell do you know! Ms. Bumbry is flawless. You comment is purely subjective. Just say you prefer Stignani. That is perfectly understandable. We all have preferences. But don't criticize that which you know nothing of.

  • @vivegedda

    Does it mean that you sing better than her??? You're certainly an asshole!

  • Wow...they were born to sing Norma...WONDERFUL INTERPRETATION...THANKS FOR SHARING IT.

  • Grace, slow down!

  • The competition between this two diva's is almost like between naomi and tyra except that tyra doesn't want to do anything with competing with naomi.

  • There's no controversy at all about them these days. That's just what you perceive it to be, but to each their own. I always felt that Grace had more anger towards Shirley, rather than the other way around. I love both of them, but I still feel that Shirley's best work was as a soprano and Grace's as a mezzo.

  • @JumpStreet1983 I so agree with you on the part about Grace's best work was when she was a mezzo! but I love her anyway!

  • SHIRLEY WAS BY FAR THE GREATEST!!!!

  • Grace should have stuck to her lane with mezzo roles. She is arguably one of the best mezzos of this generation, hands down. Another reason why Grace was jealous is because Shirley was a higher-fee artist in the 70's and 80's, and has said so in interviews and her book. It's just common knowledge that sopranos get more work than a mezzo on the opera stage, unless you're an established star on the level of Renee Fleming or Cecilia Bartoli.

  • Just because Verrett said it in her book doesn't mean it's true. First of all, NO dispute Grace was in higher demand as a soprano. Their fee was top tier BOTH of them. Grace was the STAR of all her casts. She didn't need to sing with other "big names". She was the big name. Further, Grace from 1960-1970 had already recorded the bulk of her recorded legacy. She had already sung in ALL the large houses by 1965. Shirley V had to catch up! After a period of time

  • everyone's career INCLUDING hers experiences some deceleration. Get outa here! They were both GREAT GREAT artists and it just amazes me that in 2010 after they've both long retired, there is still this controversy around them. It's interesting!

  • It doesn't surprise me that Grace & Shirley were not friends in real life: they were at the top of their profession, and both were trying to be the top diva of their day. However, I feel that Grace was always jealous of Shirley and not the other way around. Shirley was a natural soprano, while Grace was a natural mezzo. Her decision to switch to soprano roles later in her career was stupid because she cheated both her fans and herself of her natural voice qualities.

  • It always saddened me that Grace & Shirley were always pitted against each other. Let's face it: in opera, two rival sopranos or mezzos are *ALWAYS* defensive about the other. But when they happen to be Black, somehow the fire gets a little hotter and the stakes are raised. The only Black soprano that escaped this fate was Leontyne, and that's because she was the reigning Queen and nobody could touch her. She was on a cloud far removed from any other Black female opera singer.

  • MAGNIFICENT!!!!!!!!!

  • This IS FANTASTIC. THANK YOU. I SURE ENJOY IT VERY VERY MUCH.

  • It's clear that this is under-rehearsed and that they probably didn't wanna sing together to begin with. We all know these two great dames weren't exactly "girlfriends." Don't get me wrong, I love them both to death. (More of a Verrett worshipper.)

  • @vitellia Verrett had a more pleasant tone to her voice in my opinion. She was velvet!!! Grace was wonderful as well. I also love them both dearly!!!

  • Just gorgeous!

  • o son imaginaciones mias o la imagen no va al unisono con la voz

  • @58wotan es correcto, la grabacion de la voz la han puesto un segundo despues de el video, aveces eso les pasa a los que graban, pero es las voces de ellas.

  • @ acitipo, amigo/a, nunca he dudado que fueran sus voces, eso se llama " dubbing ", y tengo una grabación del Don Giovanni con cesare siepi y Lisa della Casa que sucede esto

  • Sutherland + Horne's rendition is the best match. This...messed up, they just wanna make it fast, faster, faster, the fastest!!! They just don work 2gt!!!

    Honestly, listen carefully and think carefully, esp. 5:01 - 5:03. While this duet can be done flawlessly, this rendition, with (a) flaw(s), shouldn't b the best one.

    Don crucify me, please, and thanks.

  • @thomastmwc this was rushed, but i don't agree that horne's and sutherland's was the best. they were deathly boring in the first few minutes of the performance. i love all of these gals though!

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  • this is honestly one of the best renditions i've heard in my life

  • i think they did a rather great job there are just parts when bumbry is rushing a bit and obviously out of breath and breathing in between phrases... verett lost her place at parts trying to keeping up with the rushed tempi of bumbry..though given the difficulty of the piece I am not surprised... its not like I could sing it!

  • Sutherland and Horne all the way... no comparison

  • Leontyne and Horne....no comparison. LOL

  • do Caballe and Troyanos instead.

  • y on earth does the stupid conductor TRANSPOSE the aria

  • Is it lower? I didn't check ...but if it is it may not be the conductor..it may be at the request of the singers..!! It's common to sing this opera a step lower...the orignial key is treacherous for both singers. Anyway...thought I'd respond..if that isn't the right answer...please just let it go.

  • bravo! they sound really good together

  • I really didn't expect that much of them in this duet, but they really give a very beatiful rendition of it here! Beautiful voices, beautiful expression, beautiful phrasing. They sound perfectly singing together, I think.

  • Actually, I'm pretty sure it's Bumbry who's sharp, because she sounds sharp even singing solo. This may have to do with the fact that their voices don't mesh, because they're both mezzos, and Bumbry consequently has to push too hard to sing the soprano part. So she can't really sing pianissimo when she needs to and just overpowers the whole duet. I wonder if she can even hear the orchestra. Still, it makes one miss the days when there were so many great African-American female singers around.

  • Ms. Bumbry's voice was quite sizeable. Ms. Verrett's was as well, but not in comparison to Ms. Bumbry's. People forget that Ms. Bumbry sang wagnerian roles as well. People tend to get an idea of what pianissimo is in their head and forget that vocal dynamics is relative to the size of the voice you're listening to and as for Ms. Bumbry, she had a very nice pianissimo sound. You won't find many singers with a voice the size of Ms. Bumbry's that can handle that type of agility as well.

  • No disrespect intended to Bumbry, she's a great singer, saw her long, long ago in Macbeth. Was just questioning her switch to soprano repertoire.

  • I didn't sense any disrespect at all. There are very few that were able to accomplish what these two women did, and that is have worldwide success as a Mezzo and as a Soprano. Both great artists and individuals in their own right.

  • @LimmieP GOOD point! I have a big voice too and my pianissimo is still forte compared to other singers I have to work extra hard plus I am still young and my voice is still growing doing whatever it wants! lol

  • @LimmieP I concur!!

  • she had natural tendecy to sing sharp... is has nothing to with her pushing to sing a soprano part.... Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli did so as well.....

  • great singing. i love both singers, but it was not of the caliber of horne and sutherland who's voices blended so well and who were so in sync with one another that it almost seemed as if it were one voice. it seemed to me as if verrett and bumbry were not always quite together, sometimes a fraction of a second apart.

  • You really do not know anything about Music, to compare these two with Horn and Sutherland, shows you are a green horn to vocal music, style, and period, young man this is Bellini, not Verdi, Wagner or Puccini. these 4 singers have compleatly voices world away. this is belcanto at its hights. even the great price did not have this time of voice

  • Hi. you are certainly entitled to your opinion. i don't claim to be a musical expert, merely expressing a preference for another duo singing this particular aria. as i said verrett and bumbry are great singers in their own right. i don't know what puccini, wagner and verdi have to do with anything. sutherland did sing some music by these composers but is known primarily for her bel canto - such as bellini, rossini et al.

  • Hello, I am sure we are now haveing a constructive conversation, My point was in Musical terms,"VOCALLY" one should not compare Horn-Sutherland to these two.

    I made reference to the other composers that all 4 artists have sang their works. and the 2 in question are better , simply because they have that voice quality.

    As opera lovers sometime we must do some research before we make statement, as younger lovers will learn from us.

    I hope i made myself clear

    Grazie

    Ciao

  • Amiciopera, you're not making sense.

    Stop being such a musical snob.

  • If you say so, I am Very much interested and is VERY WELL LEARNED IN MUSIC. Anyhow I cannot, and will not fight with green horns.

    A snob?????, I am too modest to be a snob.

  • Well, Verrett and Bumbry are great singers but this performance is heavy and clumsy and shrill compared to the one I just listened to with Sutherland and Horne.

  • It is a bit clumsy to be honest, my point was, these two artist are singing out of their Fach.

    No question Bumbry and Verritt are world class singers and excellent musicians.

  • You are foolish. They are great. Opera is not a religion!

  • Well, I don't think a difference of opinion on art would qualify me as a fool. And I'm not sure what religion has to do with either your comment or mine ... but I do think we're all entitled to our preferences when it comes to musical taste. You apparently enjoyed this performance. I did not. That is all.

  • I ment I can imagine many different Normas and Adalgisas. They show another type that usually associated with theese roles. I never accept if someone declares, that one voice is not good for a certain role. Good artist can built his/her special, personal figure and singing.

  • It may not be a religion but I worship it haha lol :) opera u gotta love it

  • Verrett is flat

  • Whatever the opinion that was great singing...

  • amazing ! f-ing lovely performance I found Verrets enthusiam so enlightening she was just so into it. It made me feel excited... Bumbry was obviously out of breath by the end and was speeding of the pace at moments... but they were excellent performances!!! that ending was icky... their vibrattos were too disimilar

  • Ok everyone Please dont Bite my Head off, I am still new to the world of Opera, But i must say That i Just Love miss Verrett i can realy feel her when she sings. Bravi to both and Brava diva Verrett

  • No one would dare... She has one of the great voices in opera.

  • What a revelation

    I know they both sang the role of Norma before, but what a surprise to see them together in this concert, since they were both big rivals in the 70s (read Verrett's autobiography "i never walked alone" for more on this. I didnt know about this concert and i'm very glad that they were able to realize it at a time where their voices were still in pretty good shape. Bravi Bella donne!

  • fabulous! I wish they had recorded the whole opera in studio

  • I agree. Does anyone know if a video of this program is available?

  • It isn't available. This is videotaped from BBC telecast

  • Lucky you :)

  • It is! Email me and I'll tell you where you can get it.

  • It is! Email me and I'll tell you where you can get it.

  • @niklausse R u crazy? they would have spent 90% of the time fighting over who should do Norma! jk jk it would have been spectacular. a massive work like this needs diva quality women to really make it shine.

  • ¡ Simplemente bellísima perfomance!Gracias.

  • Good for lovely Covent Garden to showcase these two African American artists

  • Everybody sang Norma in the lower key except Sutherland. Don't you know that?

  • It is in the lower key. If you listen to this and Sutherland's at the same time, you'll figure out the difference. What are you, deaf?

  • very Very good

  • Great! Singing at a lower key and why not!Just lovely!

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