Appendix - Anna Bolena Contest - Joan Sutherland

[mmbriggs]

i was at this bolena at avery fisher hall, and it was not 1989 it was c1985. the cabaletta is taken down a half tone, to provide a singable unwritten high climax ending here, whereas sills on record attempts an awkward added high f  sticking to the original key. callas ended down, without adding a high note, as did sills in her city opera bolenas. by the way , the second box theater left that night at was occupied by a very enthusiastic applauder of sutherland's effort--beverly sills!

[OLIVCHEN77]

BRAVA! I think Bolena was little late in her carreer- BUT shes amazing, the trills, the scales....Brava! I dont know a soprano half her age which can sing like she did! Brava

[njdriver]

I only wish she could have gone on forever. Her confidence, her skill, her devotion shows all in this performance. No one younger could have done it better, no one older could deny her youthful spirit. Bravo Joan Bravo.

[bm1729]

One of her many great displays in a stunning pefrormance. Where do I press for 5 stars?

[RossiniSoprano]

Go Joanie! Who else could sing like this so close to age 60? She kicks all their booties!! Oh, and I love Joan in green, and this is by far the best of her green recital dresses. :-)

[GoldenAgeSunshine]

The most incredible and perfectly-controlled trill, EVER ... and at this age! What a commanding presence, most certainly one of the best Bolenas ever, a real drammatico-coloratura!

[63Attila]

I think this the 1985 NYC performance I just saw on another site

[hisimperialmajesty]

This is both beautiful and amazing. Just a year before her retirement, and well into her 60's, and yet she still sings this with both power and beauty un-matched. Brava La Stupenda!

[riccardo699]

Magnificent yes, but this was not a year before her retirement.  She retired in 1991 and this was performed either in 1983 or 1984. Still some great years ahead..............

[hisimperialmajesty]

If you'll notice the details on the video provided by coloraturafan, you see that this was from 1989. Furthermore, Dame Joan sang her last note on New Year's Eve, 1990 at Covent Garden with Pavarotti.

[riccardo699]

Sorry, but you're both wrong. I was at this performance at Avery Fisher Hall, with Jerry Hadley, and it was NOT 1989.

[hisimperialmajesty]

I cannot speak as to the validity of coloraturafan's date. But my point on the date of her retirement stands.

[riccardo699]

You're right on with that one. I didn't mean to be argumentative, but since I was at that performance (which followed run of that Opera in San Francisco in 1983 in which I was in the chorus), I am SURE of that one.

[stefanventsislav]

Of course it is recording of there, the year is 1985, not 1989

[WilhelmMeister01]

The one and only! Viva Dame Joan!

[motardbear15]

It is just was I guess !!! Anyway ( with the transposition!!!) she is great and incredible !!!!! She was the real "stupenda!!!"

[Ronizetti]

This was the opera which I saw Joan live... It was a 'little' late, but well sung. Richard conducted at absurdly slow tempos. Callas's Bolena was amazing, but I can't agree that Joan's came next. Beverly Sill's BOLENA was a revelation! To answer hotazzoperastud, I would LOVE TO HEAR ANNICK MASSIS take this on, even if just in recording. Get the petition going: ANNA -Massis, GIOVANNA -Genaux, PERCY - Juan Diego, ENRICO - Kwiecien or Relyea

[riccardogrande699]

Juan Diego would be better singing Smeton or one of the female roles.................. Percy needs balls, and he certainly doesn't have any...................

[motardbear15]

She is fare better than on the staged parformance !!! Probably the best lived (after Callas) , just I wonder if it is in the original key or transposed??? I just know that at the end of her very long career they were some tranpositions !!!

[Jabe88]

it was transposed a half a tone...

[saverioorlando]

Post scriptum:i confirm my opinion (i dislike all transposition) but marks=3 stars.-2 red is automatic,no mine.

[andreasscholl]

Stop moaning these nagitives!!!

This is verry difficult music even being young or older.

Sutherland does a verry FINE job at it!

This is REAL belacnto.

Call me 1 soprano now a days, that sings these parts?

None!!!

With the same intension?

NONE!!!

Hail La Stupenda!!!!!!!

[hotazzoperastud]

You want names of sopranos that can sing the hell out of this music:

Devia (one of the best of this age or any)!

Mosuc

Gruberova

Theodossiou

Need I go on...

[andreasscholl]

Realy......?

I mean the REAL Prima Donna's!

Don't kill La Stupenda.

She does realy DIE hear!!!

[hotazzoperastud]

Real Prima Donnas? Are you serious?

I guess in your opinion we should all just listen to Sutherland recordings, and not go to the opera house anymore. So this should be a dead art? Mariella Devia may not be a prima donna, but she is a wonderful singer that provides joy and entertainment to many. The same could be said of the others as well.

[Shabran87]

Please!!!

Devia does not have the voice of Joan Sutherland! I was in Verona and she was very light.

Mosuc? Pleaseeeee. Another light soprano, but she does not have the technique of Devia...no need to compare with Sutherland.

Gruberova? Good singer like Devia, but too light for Anna Bolena.

Theodossiou?? Anna Bolena does not need to be shouted and screamed!

[hotazzoperastud]

I am not saying that any of the sopranos I listed are replacments for Sutherland, of course she was one of a kind. But that doesn't mean that other sopranos can't sing this music as good or better. No Devia doesn't have the voice of Sutherland, DEVIA STILL HAS HIGH NOTES! Devia can still sing an Eb at the end, and yes Devia is now just as old as Sutherland was. And the others are better than you give than the credit you give them. I forgot to mention June Anderson, her Anna was excellent also.

[Shabran87]

I am sorry but Anna Bolena can't be sung just with high notes. The range of the role need a very strong middle register, Devia was a miracle because she is 59 and she sang Bolena without cuts, but she was not Anna Bolena at all, because the voice was too light. Joan Sutherland had still the middle register of a soprano used to sing Norma. Anna Bolena, Beatrice di Tenda, Imogene and other roles like these are not suited for light voices.

[Shabran87]

You can't make a dramatic role just with high Ebs. They need first of all the Voice and the technique, Devia of course have the technique, but not the right voice nor the dramatic sense of the charachter - like Sills had for example. A soprano like Elena Mosuc indeed has not the voice, not the technique, not the dramatic sense of the charachter, that's why her Bolena seemed "Adele visits Donizetti" (if she had sang Mein Herr Marquis instead of Al dolce guidami no one would have noticed it).

[hotazzoperastud]

Oh yeah right! I will agree that Sutherland did have a strong middle register, and yes this role does need that. BUT Devia has a wonderful middle voice. Anna Bolena does not need to be sung like Norma. No not at all. In fact I perfer Sills in this role to Sutherland or Caballe. My point was, and is, that there are many singers that can sing this role as good if not better than Sutherland.

[timsuffolk]

Hehehe, they can hardly sing the hell out of this music unless you are sitting at the front listening to them. Sutherland's voice filled the auditorium and her high notes pinned you in your seat. These other singers, whilst good enough for what they do, just don't have that capability. That's why she was La Stupenda.

[andreasscholl]

And AGAIN thank you!!!!!

Viva La Stupenda.

[hotazzoperastud]

I am intersted to know if there are any sopranos singing today that you would want to go and see in this role? This is a living art, is it not? I mean, I would have loved to have seen Callas in this role, but what the hell, I know I'm not going to. So instead of living in past performances, I choose to look forward.

[marioegorga]

I could not agree more Dame Joan's voice was huge and indeed the top notes did pinned you to your seat,I never missed a single one of her performances as they were an experience.I still miss Joan on stage there has not been any one even close to her Art.

[mxwhisper]

Bravo, well said.

I too followed and saw Joan Sutherland right up to her retirement in 1990 in Sydney. There are those who I heard say oh she should have retired years ago. There is no singer that I know who managed to maintain such a beautiful voice for so long. Even here in this clip, one year before she retired, no-one even comes close. As good as her recordings are, you had to be there to experience the diva " in full voice".

[Nhlvrnfla]

not even close.

[midlochblidloch]

I've been to one gruberova performance and had the same feeling you're describing.

[coloraturafan]

I agree with hotazzoperastud, why do we need to limit the singers we listen to? The great thing about the art of opera is the variety of the performers and their individual style. Everyone has their favorites, and that is great, but that shouldn't limit our pleasure of new singers.

[saverioorlando]

Non basta un re all'ultimo per una prestazione pasticciata nel tono .Donizetti non è un circo.

[tklogan11809]

this is 85, not 89, thanks.

[sediziosevoci]

Is this a joke? Transposed by a tone (what is the point?). Horrible pronunciation. 1/1

[tklogan11809]

Do you know anything about opera, moron? You must be a Maria Callus fan, they usually prefer her screaming over real singing.

[BeauTenor]

And there's nothing wrong with being a Callas fan. I like them both, and for entirely different reasons, in completely different repertoire. There's room for more than one soprano at the table.

[belcantoBR]

Shut your mouth! She is obviously very tired here, who wouldn't be? 3/5

[coloraturafan]

If she is tired (and this is a long difficult opera) then she doesn't really sound it to me. To be honest, I feel she is really fresh here! And who really cares about trasposistion? Did anyone care when Corelli and Bergonzi transposed Di quelle pira to prevent singing the high C?

[lastupidissimo]

yes, but 1 out of 1 is still 100%

[BeauTenor]

What's the point? Can you not hear that voice thundering out of her mouth? She was amazing, right up until the end. So what if she transposed the Eb down a step? There aren't too many sopranos that sing D flats like that when they're almost 60, and certainly none singing currently that can do it with this size voice. She was TRULY one of a kind.

[andreasscholl]

Thank you, honey!

At least someone who understands me...

La Stupenda is STILL the best.

She was, and still is one of the Belcanto soprano's fromthe last century!

So have respect for the Queen.

(Or is this to much..ha ha?)

Hail La Stupenda!!!!

[tklogan11809]

5/5 no one should ever sing this role again.

[meltzerboy]

Whether Sutherland was 62 or 58, her singing is still splendid. If the real Anne Boleyn could sing like this, she might have gotten a reprieve instead of being led to the executioner's block!

[operajk]

Dame Joan is absolutly superb.

5/4.5

[sutherlandfan]

Thank you so much for this video.She was great as always!!! 5/5

[timsuffolk]

I love the tone of her voice as get older, what she lost in vocal fireworks she gained in the beauty of the tone

[alexandru747]

Dame Joan's last Bolena was at Covent Garden, in 1988, with the following cast: Anna Bolena : Joan Sutherland Giovanna Seymour : Suzanne Mentzer Enrico VIII : Dimitri Kavrakos Riccardo Percy : John Aler Rochefort : Peter Rose Hervey : Kim Begley Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Richard Bonynge London, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 6 March 1988. Hope this helps. Hope this helps.

[alexandru747]

Actually, this superb performance is indeed from 1985, New York, with the following cast:

Donizetti: Anna Bolena

New York - 1985 - Richard Bonynge (c)

Anna Joan Sutherland

Enrico VIII Gregory Yurisich

Giovanna Judith Forst

Percy Jerry Hadley

Rochefort Jan Opalach

Hervey Gran Wilson

Smeton Cynthia Clarey

[ck8289]

5/5

[rawdonqueen]

I was still troubled by the 1989 date for this beautiful performance and so I doublechecked with the list of Sutherland performances published on the internet by the National Library of Australia. There was no concert version of Anna Bolena in 1989, but Dame Joan did give a concert performance in Avery Fisher Hall, New York, on Nov. 25, 1985. I'll bet on that one

[Macrob1969]

Thank you! Great performance - I adore Joan. 5/5

[Hako2004]

How could anyone not give a high score for this performance....from a soprano of this age? Her colleages knew how great she was, how remarkable her singing was, even late in the career. Pavarotti, Horne, Te Kanewa, Caballe etc. Dessay described her as a "phenomenon".

She eclipsed many other sopranos, and sadly some are bitter. Hence the unfair ratings she receives occasionally here on Youtube. Brava.

[coloraturafan]

I am not sure agree with your statements. Of course I love Sutherland, but I don't think that people or singers are bitter about Sutherland. I just think that everyone has differnt tastes, espcially when it comes to music. It is hard to read some of the comments posted sometimes, and I know that. But we all have to respect others point of view, because in the long run we want others to respect the views that we express.

[meltzerboy]

My score 5/5 even by Sutherland's own high standards.

[meltzerboy]

At 62 or 63, Sutherland obviously still had the technical skills (including her incomparable trill) and wide but seamless vocal range to negotiate the demands of this dramatic coloratura music. She was indeed at her best in several Donizetti operas.

[andreasscholl]

Hail La Stupenda!!!!!!

My God, what a Prima Donna's here...ha ha.

Stop pissing at each other.

The public loves Dame Joan, the last note is ravishing.

See her face, a nobele Queen that goes to die.

Such drama!!!!

Brava La Stupenda.

[Jabe88]

I utterly loved this...

[tklogan11809]

A superior Bolena to Callas', no question, even at her age, BRAVA LA STUPENDA. I also noticed the late Jerry Hadley sitting behind her, his Percy was excellent.

[Hako2004]

Fantastic final high D flat....very focused and penetrating. A great role for Dame Joan at this stage of the career. The audience obviously loved it. Sadly, I notice Jerry Hadley sitting behind her. I admired his voice, and was shocked to hear he killed himself this year.

[zacharybr]

Yes, posting this late is better than not having posted at all. Finally something truly worth a 5/5!

[andreasscholl]

Live better then on disk thats ONE thing to say...THEN...is there any soprano at this age that does such a GREAT job!!??

NO!!!!

Sutherland was stage singer allso, you SEE and HEAR Anna Bolena, and she still made magic, and history re-live.

See her expresion???

Wooooooooow!!!!

Viva La Stupenda!!!!

[sevoflurane]

Sorry guys I do not like this at all. The low notes are not focused and there is hardly any modulation. Could Bonynge not think of any other cadenzas for his wife? 3/1 for the ascending trills sung with legato.

[zacharybr]

I feel sorry for you.

[sevoflurane]

Same request, zacharybr. If you do not agree with my point of view, that's fine. But please stop wasting my time by replying to my comments. From now onwards I shall simply not bother to check your replies. Take care.

[zacharybr]

Whatever. You're wasting your own time, sevo. Mostly, I just come here to enjoy the clips. I don't like being a pest. I'll just leave that to the experts.

[timsuffolk]

He watches every Sutherland performance posted on here just to criticise it, ignore him. Just enjoy here singing like I do. No-one can hold a candle to her anyway, anyone with any taste knows it too

[Hako2004]

Your comments are becoming increasingly obtuse and irrelevant. You're looking for modulation......in the dramatic climax? There was plenty of modulation earlier in this performance. Dame Joan is at the end of a long evening of singing.....the voice is tired by now.  Do you have any idea how difficult it is to sing this music.....at any age? It's beyond almost any soprano past the age of fifty-five. Stop nit-picking.

[sevoflurane]

Get a life Hako2004! If my comments are irrelevant, disregard them then! Please stop wasting my time replying to them!

[Hako2004]

Please stop wasting our time with your ridiculous statements. Its obvious you not capable of fair commentary. It's perfectly obvious you're not a singer, certainly not a real one, and have no idea what you're talking about. Stop following every new Sutherland video post with the intention of making idiotic or snide remarks. If you do, I'll be right here waiting for you.

[sevoflurane]

I do not tolerate rudness and insults. That's what you are only cabale of, are you not? When you have no arguments you will insult people. Try and accept others, Hako2004.

[sevoflurane]

Ooooooooooooh! I am shaking with fear lol!

[rawdonqueen]

I have read about this concert and have been curious and a little fearful to watch some of it. But she sounds better here than in many of her performances from the late 1980s. 5/5

[coloraturafan]

I am glad that you have heard of this telecast, my source listed this as 1989? That can't be correct. If anyone knows the correct date please let me know. I am guessing maybe 86 or 87? And yes, I agree, she sounds great throughout the performance.

[BeauTenor]

I'm not sure, but I don't see any reason why it couldn't be 1989. She didn't retire until 1990.

[coloraturafan]

This is true, I guess I thought the voice was in much richer form than what I am used to for 89 Sutherland.

[operadude32]

A true CLASS ACT!

[operadm]

a bit past her prime, but still has that wonderful true trill and powerful thrilling high notes