Deanna Durbin Jan Peerce - Miserere - Trovatore

[GoldenAmethyst]

Beautiful voice! She is the only other singer I've heard sing this duet that can achieve a true lightness of sound & still reach the lower notes smoothly. Many other singers have too heavy a voice & it doesn't quite fit the role of the character - that's not to say the singers don't have beautiful voices just they don't suit this song. Kitty Carlisle in the Marx Brothers "A Night at the Opera" is the other (& I have to say, it's a shame Deanna didn't choose to do the high Dflat like Kitty does!)

[masteroftheeouse]

This is one of my favorite pieces from Miss Durbin's movies as this duet enhanced my love of Verdi's great music! Miss Deanna Durbin and Mr. Jan Peerce certainly sang this piece beautifully. Oh by the way, as my Italian is poor, I loved the English lyrics. So Brava Deanna Durbin and Bravo Jan Peerce!

[JRobbySh]

Peerce was great. Little guy, though. So was Bob Merrill, the best I think.

[sfyc]

She totally holds her own! I had never taken her seriously until seeing this!

[MrSammyscroll]

I know it for a fact, listeningtoit, that Mario Lanza never needed a microphone, even if he used one, never needed it with his great, powerful voice....get your facts straight, my friend...

[krmmr]

I love the voices, but WHY English. I sang in opera, knew Peerce, was totally enchanted by his voice and wonderful personality, and will go back to hearing his voice in the languages for which the music was written.

[poshmum]

Deanna Durbin lost to a generation who may well ask Deanna WHO... She was a brave woman and did the right thing for her self I respect that. Thanks for this...

[hswatnik]

a treasure great find- thnx

[Bivolari]

I thought Jan Peerce was great. I figured that someone ought to mention that he is here too.

[rouman7]

, butit goes to prove, you donot have to have played the met to be good. she is one of the best, if not the best female voices ever. like lanza she done movies both have voices others wished they had..

[crazedgeek101]

Deanna Durbin released a picture in the eighties just to show she wasn't fat.

I still love her, but yes I wish she would at least answer a select few questions!!!

[georl1]

If only Deanna Durbin would consent to a television interview. So many questions would be answered. There are many different rumors as to why she left Hollywood. Only she knows why. She won't even consent to an auto biography. As for the rumors of her getting heavy, this movie was made in 1947 and her last film, For The Love Of Mary was made in 1948 and in neither film do you see her overweight. Shortly after her last film, she married and moved to Paris, France where she still lives today.

[ClassicMovieClub]

I have seen a more recent photo and she looks still gorgeous and lovely. As for an interview i would personally love to interview her in a really personal interview but i know that wount b possible - i dream of doin it however as i think it b amazin to c

[ddurbinfan]

Her autobiography will be published after her death.

[grobanite19]

@ddurbinfan Is this true?

[vagcbeato34]

Foi mais que excepcional . Foi soberbo!

Porque ela lhe ripou a chave

[babylovinmamabear]

Wow, I've never heard this in English before! What movie is this from?

[ClassicMovieClub]

Its from a wonderful movie called something in the wind

[antfreire]

I read once that she got very heavy. When Mario Lanza became famous they wanted to par them, but she was looking like a real opera singer by then.

[LadyShesu]

Does anyone know why Ms. Durbin turned her back on the world. I enjoyed her movies as a youngster, horrifying family and neighbors trying to sing opera like her. (I could hit those high notes but they sounded like I was in pain). Like so many I greatly admired her. Why did she leave so soon?

[ClassicMovieClub]

well basically she had enough she was soo famous that it was just 2 much 4 her. and u c why if u look at other people who stayed on like Lucille Ball and Judy Garland - who suffered so much in their lives and Deanna just didnt want hat 2 happen to her and she saw that it was starting to take t2 much of her life away from her.

So i think that was thecore reason. It was a very brave thing to do just up + leave at 27 - it simply wasnt done - good on her 4 doin the right thing for herself

[RVP57]

This is wonderful, and they're clearly having a grand time. Peerce looks like he's about to crack up! What a joy. Fine singing from both.

[markhh]

Kudos to Durbin for not taking the Kitty Carlisle optional high note on the repeat  "di te scordarmi". Sounds like a very fine lyric soprano. Wonder how she sounded off mike.

[listeningtoit]

I think Durbin is placed in between two categories - the true trained opera singers, like Flagstad, , Kanawa, Bjoerling, Jan Peerce himself, ecc - and hollywood "microfone" singers that never stepped an opera stage - Lanza, Kathryn Grayson, Joseph Schmidt, ecc. Anyway the exquisite beauty of her voice is something to admire!

[SugarTomAppleRoger]

listening. All of the people you mentioned here are greats. Te Kanawa did copy Durbin's style. She was trained to do this by her music teacher, who truly admired Durbin's great singing. Although trained, it is unlikely Te Kanawa would have had the same singing style, if Durbin had never sung.

[meltzerboy]

What you say applies not only to Flagstad but also, though to a lesser extent, to Lotte Lehmann and Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, both of whom began as light and agile sopranos. In regard to Durbin, I never followed her singing career in films but might give it a whirl after reading so many of the positive comments. The recordings and films of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy I'm quite familiar with, and admire both artists. Talented as they are, however, I never considered them truly great singers.

[bellasong75]

beautiful!!

[isfeidirlinn]

my apologies violinthief and I wish thee a tremendous week and keep smiling. I love Jeanette and have been watching her since I was a wee chap growing up in Ireland... to me she was the best but I do like Deanna too as she is unique and wonderful.

Anyway keep posting Deanna's art and I shall continue listening and enjoying your contributions.

[repronpaul]

pwnage!!

[paulostroff99]

Glorious! Bravo! Brava!

[pearlmuth3]

She sounds more lyric then spinto.

[Fleur192]

I wish all opera singers sang like this, so simply and beautiful.

[wlbaz]

Main reason why I watched this movie was because of Donald O'Connor, and up until then, I'd never heard of Deanna Durbin. Now I'm glad I have and this scene is definitely one of my favorites.

[acla9000]

I wonder what reason she could have for not to have accepted invitation to sing at the Met...

[timsuffolk]

Some singers who can sing well with microphones don't always have the power in their voices to project it in the opera house with just an orchestra and no amplification. I have no idea about her though, it was just a thought

[JuillHope17]

my grandmother, who teaches voice, heard her live because she did a concert of arias at cargenie hall in the late 40's, around this time, without mic and said she was a lirico-spinto/full lyric without mic. she would have had a huge opera career.

[DdotArt]

If your grandmother is alive and willing I'd be very interested in hearing her educated and honest first person account of a live Durbin performance. There is very little of this kind of information readily available.

[eze102]

Love this. I used to love to sing along with Deanna Durbin when i was a kid I grew up to be an opera singer but still love Durbin.

[repronpaul]

I love how she sings alot of the arias etc. in English. So absolutely wonderful. I wish she hadn't gone into seclusion.

[ipmoic]

i just learned that Durbin was still alive and went to Wikipedia to learn more details. If anyone would care to see the photograph of a gloriously beautiful, 24 year old Ms. Durbin in a "Little Black Dress", go to Wikipedia.

The shame of it is, if she were singing today, they would have her appearing like a slutty little whore at age 14.

[pasfresh123]

I love love love this! bravo DD and JP! But what a strange staging.

[crazedgeek101]

well, it's kind of ironic because Durbin's character gets put into jail, and in the aria it's the opposite way around - Leonora is singing to her lover from outside.

Jan Peerce is a cop and has to rehearse for a ball (I think) and Durbin knows the part, so there's the setting. :)

[pearlmuth3]

I mean I saw and heard them both on stage live, Peerce and Tucker, Peerce about 12 times and Tucker almost that much, heard rehearsals and concerts and live opera even in Chicago (peoria IL.) when Peerce was 71 years old.

[VinylToVideo]

I think it was "Traviata" that Durbin and Peerce were going to sing at Hollywood Bowl. It would have happened had she not went into seclusion. Peerce did perform both "Traviata" and "Boheme" at the Hollywood Bowl in 1948. Both were Metropolitan Opera productions and were performed with Bidú Sayao and Dorothy Kirsten.

[crazedgeek101]

I love, love this movie/aria.

In my history class, for the school's bicentennial, we are transcribing diaries from 1908. One girl, Leonora Lord, saw Il Trovatore in 1908 and later reenacted with her friend Elsie. I found it awesome her name was Leonora and Durbin's singing character was Leonora :) Thank you for posting!! I wonder if Leonora ever saw this on the big screen.

[2katie]

Such a talented and beautiful lady. Pity she never sang with Mario Lanza, what a duo they would have made.

[OperaBuff1935]

Hi, 2katie,

I believe Lanza would have overpowered her voice, mainly because he was not a trained opera singer, as were Pearce and Tucker. I would like to believe a music or stage director would have worked to reign them in, but I just don't see them as a good fit. Of course, that's only my opinion and we'll never know. Have fun.

operabuff1935

[ShawDAMAN]

He was an operatically trained tenor. (same teacher as Gigli) He lacked the stage experience, yes, but not the style or technique, especially in his early days.

He probably did have a much larger voice than Durbin but had they been in a movie together they probably could have leveled it all out in the studio.

[796824]

Durbin had a wonderful teacher in Andres de Segurola. The vocal placement is perfect as it was in the Golden Age of Singing which, Alas, is no longer evident.

[jimbolucey]

My parents were of the same generation as Durbin, in those daus the arias were sung in English so that people could learn the lirycs.

I remember house parties in Cork City in Ireland when I was a young boy, my Mother would sing many of these favourites and many of her generation did likewise. I heard some wonderful tenors and sopranos who never graced a stage or microphone.

[pearlmuth3]

So she was going to sing in Chicago in 1945, this was before it was called lyric opera, lyric came in 1954. Perhaps one of the other companies. She could have easily sang at the Bowl with Peerce. BY THE WAY PEERCE WAS FIVE FIVE AND TUCKER FIVE SEVEN BUT TUCKER WAS A TRUE SPINTO, TENOR, PEERCE WAS LYRIC, NOT FAIR TO COMPARE, PEERCE HAD A GOOD SIZE VOICE BUT TUCKER HAD A VERY BIG SOUND ON STAGE, HEARD THEM BOTH, FIRST HEARD PEERCE IN 58 THE YEAR I HEARD BJORLING AS THE DUKE IN CHICAGO.

[oldpangloss]

Do you mean you saw them or heard them.

[pearlmuth3]

Very nice post, Peerce lasted and was a great artist.

[pearlmuth3]

I don't know if she ever sang in opera on stage? Then she would not be able to use a microphone but I know Mac Donald did but had a small voice so the reviews where not good for her but Nelson Eddy did opera very well and had a voice of some power. Grayson as far as I know did no opera on stage but I may be wrong on that she may have ??.

[violinthief]

Durbin never sang opera on stage. The Met scouted her from age 13, formally invited her to audition at 15, and stayed in constant contact with her from that point on. She was supposed to sing with the Chicago Lyric Opera in 1945 while filming "Lady on a Train", but the schedules conflicted. In 1947, she and Peerce were supposed to sing La Boheme at the Hollywood Bowl, but it never happened, either.

[boswell38]

According to the December 1944 article I saw, the Chicago Lyric Opera requested Deanna for a "guest concert," which I assumed meant a recital rather than a performance in a staged opera. Following her departure from Universal, she was also sought after for concert tours/performances with conductor Sir Thomas Beecham and one of the projects Joe Pasternak hoped to coax her back for was a film version of LA BOHEME with Deanna as "Mimi"

[pearlmuth3]

Let me correct you , Peerce was Tucker's brother in law . Sara Tucker, Maiden name was Sara Perelmuth Jans younger sister born in 1914 and she married Richard Tucker in 1934

[billagurl14]

i love deanna durbin!

i was wondering if anyone had the lyrics to this?

thanks!

[Milordvega]

Very very interesting rendition. In the real opera IL TROVATORE, aside from being sun in Italian, the roles are reversed. The tenor is the one in jail and the soprano is mourning the loss of her lover.

Such a pity that Deanna Durbin didn't continue singing after the 40's. IMHO, she was a better and more attractive singer than Judy Garland.

[ShawDAMAN]

@Milordvega something of a fundamentally different *type* of singer thank Garland, but principally I agree.

[madisonelectronic]

Peerce was Robert Merrills' brother in law.

[violinthief]

Not quite - his brother-in-law was Richard Tucker.

[madisonelectronic]

Thanks Buddy from New Zealand.

[madisonelectronic]

@madisonelectronic Jeez, how could I have been so stupid?

[Ettoredipugnar]

@madisonelectronic Richard Tuckers

[Fegen]

Jan Peerce one of the finest tenors of all

time.

[onlyg]

Absolutely, and a voice JUST as big as Tuckers with a much smaller frame.

[erzbet07]

Heavens, this was delightful! I've never seen SOMETHING IN THE WIND (c'mon TCM..show more DD movies!!!). What a voice she had..but isn't it nice to know that for once a Hollywood star chose her own path and enjoyed her life sans Hollywood. Good for you, Mme. Deanna Durbin David. You gave us grand memories and glorious music! Merci!

[julessdj]

This a really a curious video. I can understand why the famous tenor wanted her in opera. Probably she would have led a life better suited to her talent there than in some second rate movies

[sford564]

"This a really a curious video."

Lol. She was falsely put in prison and needed to call to her boyfriend so that he could get her out... The guard says that he can't let her make the phone call and that he has to practice singing for the upcoming police ball. Seeing the keys, she agrees to sing with him... She finally gets them from him at the end of the song.

[boswell38]

Reportedly, after performing this duet with her, Jan Peerce wanted Deanna to appear with him in opera, but she declined to do so.

[nosnjo]

This must be the only way to hear the tenor part. He's always miles away. Bravissimo

[paulostroff99]

Gorgeous, and oh so talented!Godess Deanna!

[PaoloK2]

Oh GOD, why in English!

[violinthief]

It's in English because it is a scene from a movie. This was a way to introduce people not familiar to opera to great music in a language and setting they could understand. If that offends you, that's your problem.

[sford564]

Why English? Lol. I was wondering why other people don't do it in English. :P

[osvaldito55]

Well, why not Spanish? This opera is based on the Spanish play El trovador, by García Gutiérrez. In any case... Deanna Durbin in any language is a treat. A great artist, a true treasure of American film.

[796824]

Deanna Durbin studied with Andres de Segurola None of the sopranos today can compare to the clarity and beauty of the voice because the teachers do not know how to teach the Art of Singing

[julianna625]

I LOVE this song... Deanna has such a beautiful voice!!

[jkircher314]

What a surprise! She did really well against a titan tenor. He's my favorite Florestan.

[henrykkingdom]

great!!!!one of the greatest tenor!!!

[dodiforgione]

I absolutely love Deanna Durbin. I have tried to watch as many of her movies as I can get my hands on. She is such a joy to watch. It is a shame that she left the business, but probably better for her and her family.

[Danielreds]

Is very bad in Inglish language

In Italian language is all another thing

[texasoperastar]

Great singing from both, but Deanna is so much better looking!

[wenuial]

What a waste of good talent. She never should have gone in seclusion..

[freespiritQC]

Why? Because you enjoyed her singing? She made a choice for herself. She made 21 movies in a bit more than 10 years. Don't you think she needed to live an ordinary life after this?

[viverito]

She is great

[rlulich]

This is actually my favorite of her songs from her films. Nice to see her in a duet for a change, opposite an opera star, sounding and acting more like a professional opera singer herself. Wonderful piece they chose, too. And it's such a nice recording, I can understand every word of the English lyrics. I love this one.

[duettists]

Deanna Durbin,her voice sounding more mature than the usual recordings one hears of her, proved an equal match to the great tenor, Jan Peerce.