Joan Sutherland - Vien, diletto - I Puritani - 1984

[MadonnaImperia]

If this is from the AUstralian Opera, it's from 1985.

[distefano13069609]

is this in tune?

[MariaCallasLegend]

@distefano13069609 ofcourse not but who cares?Listen to her trills to her magical singing and techinc!And also do not forget that she is 58!

[MrLupo23]

If you are not able to sing a role with the proper tessitura, you should switch to other roles. That's my opinion.

[mmbriggs]

@MrLupo23

its not that easy! lucia is not usually sung in the original key anyway, as that would place it too high for the added eflat. also modern pitch is higher than 2 centuries ago, so our eflat is not the lower eflat of donizetti's day. so one would be correct in saying that sutherland has never sung lucia in the correct key and hardly anyone else either--callas, did in performance and caballe did on recording. and tradition is long in the matter of great singers transposing later on!

[Badlands71]

RIP Dame Joan! :(

[bellini7verdi]

no hay nada como estar seguro de lo que se hace.y ella lo estaba.por algo sera.

[leprincebeaumont]

Splendida come sempre! Grazie!

[chicchimio]

I hate Bonynge, and I love madame Sutherland; why this?

[liedersanger1]

WHERE WAS THIS GIVEN?

[Hako2004]

There are a few obvious differences between Elvira and Lucia. Most of Elvira's singing is centered lower,  which makes the notes above the C, when they come, more difficult. Richard used to say that Puritani was centered as low as any of the Verdi. Vien, diletto is certainly centered lower than Lucia's Mad scene. Also, I believe Puritani is the longer of the two, although I've never actually timed them.

[AAGMR]

ma è la versione Malibran?!?!?! talmente è abbassata la tessitura ;-)

[Hako2004]

Thank you C-fed, really interesting to hear her sing this in the lower key. A little odd too, since she was still finishing Lucia's Mad Scene with the Eb at this age, so she clearly still had it.

[ChrisStockslager]

@Hako2004 Yeah, I'll never figure out why Sutherland transposed EVERYTHING down to D-flat, after 1980, when she still sang Lucia in E-flat up until 1986.

[Rsutherland8]

@ChrisStockslager - Actually, at that point, she did transpose a big chunk of the Lucia mad scene down to D-flat, just not the finale. Also, probably overall tessitura was different not to mention the fact that singing Lucia (in her own words) became like 'wearing a pair of comfortable old shoes'. Lol.

What is most entertaining to me about her transpositions is to read how many viewers get their knickers up in a wad about it (not implying you).

[Rsutherland8]

@ChrisStockslager - I sometimes wonder if the players in the orchestra didn't wish these transpositions just went down to D instead of D flat...much easier to play in tune, esp for the string players.

[Sissi89go]

Is this a lower version?

[giasone85]

@Sissi89go I think is a lower version.

[magicmonkichi]

Another great clip of Sutherland. The top notes still clear as bells. ^_^