Ruth Ann Swenson - Jerry Hadley - Lucia di Lammermoor duet

[pedrofribeiro]

Is there a recording of her singing the Mad Scene, or the complete opera? I'd love to have it.

[MrRumpwrestler]

Mr. Hadley is sharp much of the time.

[tenorschofield]

They both were wonderful!!!! She is very attractive and has a round and beautiful voice!!! He does a so well focus of his voice, that you understand what means placed "in the mask" ; that makes me resemble a rounder Kraus!!!!! Very nice duet, thank you for posting and sharing this jewel of singing. Bravoooo!!!!

[MrCafiero]

@tenorschofield He was not taught "in the mask". It was the opposite.

[Lovelytenor1]

I just read that he was losing his voice at the end which was part of the depression he suffered. His was a lovely instrument & will be missed, especially in his broadway/pop interpretations. Here he needlessly forces the voice in what should be a lyrical duet. Why? He certainly had the voice for it- listen to his Mozart recordings. Perhaps this over-pushing/needless darkening the voice is what killed it. RAS is divine.

[wattever333]

Why is he relentlessly sharp? It's unbearable. She's perfectly on pitch.

[jmahlon]

@wattever333 He pushes his voice a little too forward imo

[wattever333]

@jmahlon I'm not sure I know what that means. I think I would understand with a comparison. Can you give me a tenor with similar voice that does not push too forward, just enough, and one that does not push enough? With those 3 cases, I think I would finally understand that concept of pushing forward or simply the concept of vocal forwardness. Thank you.

[wattever333]

continued... or even videos of the same tenor in which his "forwardness" is different. thank you.

[yrhythmic]

How fine this is! Swenson is one of the greate charming soprano.

[Englishtenor2]

Yes, what a tregedy to lose Jerry Hadley like that. Has she retired by now?

[CONTESTAR]

She is still in glorious form but at odds with some managers of big stages(...)

[seektheforce]

@CONTESTAR why is/was she at odds with the managers?

[jmahlon]

@seektheforce The new management would rather put Fleming, Dessay, or Netrebko in all the rep Swenson would sing.

[LibbySingsMezzo]

I heard Ms. Swenson sing Adalgisa in Norma at Baltimore Opera in November 2008 (their last production). She was fabulous!!! A favorite of mine for some time, it was the first I saw her live and was well worth the trip. The lovely, creamy tone was intact. She is singing actively, trying some new roles.  Beautiful voice, beautiful woman. I hope she can continue for many more years.

I miss Jerry Hadley. What a tragedy.

[tenorlovesasoprano]

Swenson has such an agile voice, with amazing power. Truly beautiful. And Hadley's tenor has one of the most beautiful timbre's i have heard in a long time. His tone and colouring sounds so natural and effortlessly delivered. Bravissimo to them both.

[Azzenstudent]

Really a top-notch pairing. Swenson has it all, a lovely lyrical voice with deceptively great power. Hadley was simply amazing. How sad that these two singers aren't heard more on recordings.

[nickbigd]

I don't know where this performance occurred, but I saw them the next year at the Met in The Rake's Progress. They were both at the top of their games and were a well-matched pair.  (I don't know how I missed this posting before - thanks coloraturafan!)

[nickbigd]

I misspoke - it was at the Lyric in Chicago that I saw them together in Rake's Progress.

[mwalsh2008]

Nickbigd--

I believe this was a Richard Tucker Gala (early 90s?) at Avery Fisher in NYC.

[nickbigd]

Thanks mwalsh. I'm listening again, marvelling at the wonderfully creamy quality to Swenson's voice as she begins "verrano a te" at 2:24 - 2:40. Love it!

[mwalsh2008]

Nickbigd--

I like to view many opera and classical music performances on YouTube but come back to this one often. You're right, the phrase at 2:24 is beautiful (but then, so is the part between 0:00 and 6:21!). What an opportunity was lost when the record companies didn't capture these voices in more opera recordings.

BTW, does anyone know how Swenson is doing? I know she had cancer but was planning to resume singing. I wish her the best.

[nickbigd]

mwalsh - Yes she has resumed singing, in 2007-2008 at the the Met and San Francisco Opera. I saw her in December 2007 with the Dallas Opera in The Merry Widow.

[yooteach]

she beat cancer and is at the be at the met as musetta ok bUT SHE SHOULd BE MIMI lets see if the will the big wigs bring her back for us brava brava

[oggieguy]

Jerry Hadley was tremendous. What a loss to the opera world.

[guy1938]

Hadley et Swenson sont merveilleux merci pour ce vidéo

[vbigelow]

Thank you so much for posting this beautiful duet. I agree with mwalsh2008, Jerry Hadley was greatly underrated and will be missed terribly. Yes, what a voice...what a shame.

[Teibenbacher]

I liked Jerry Hadley`s voice and stage abilities a lot. His far to early passing is a real tragedy. Yes, his voice wasn`t in the best state in the last years. But what fine singer for "Lieder" by Schubert or Richard Strauss he might have been.

mwalsh2008 made it clear:

What a voice...what a shame!

Thank you, Jerry for all those fine performances through the years.

You will never be forgotten.

[MrCafiero]

Unfortunately depression lead him in the wrong direction. He changed teachers and technique around 1995 and it was all downhill after that. Sad.

[MrCafiero]

This is after 15 years with Tom LoMonaco.

[mwalsh2008]

Jerry's passing, like the death of anyone, was tragic (all the more so given his young age and the circumstances surrounding his death).

However, another tragedy, musically speaking, was how UNDERRATTED this man was during the (all too brief) prime of his career (mid 1980s to about 2000). He was a victim of the Three Tenor Machine (you remember--the thing that was 99% hype and 1% talent?). What a voice . . . what a shame.

Thank you, c-fan, for this wonderful, thrilling post!

[tommieboy1657]

@mwalsh2008 I don't think he was underrated. He has made a lot of recordings and done a lot of performances. If he was underrated, Bernstein would never have worked with him, nor would Abbado and al those other big conductors...

[1019q]

Swenson and Hadley toured together for Lucia.

I have the recordings from that and I've been enjoying immenseley ever since.

I really appreciate this posting.

[MrCafiero]

I would love to hear them.

[BeauTenor]

Fabulous. Like everything Swenson sings, this is gorgeous. Hadley is...a little shouty but still I have always loved that voice.