Risë Stevens - "Che farò senza Euridice?" (in STEREO!)

[AleksandraPlamenac]

She is wonderful! :)

[kasha1932]

Rise Stevens was the first opera singer I had the experience of seeing and hearing in the GREAT Cleveland Severance Hall. YES! I was in the third grade and my class was taken to hear CARMEN sung by this beautiful lady who was then called "The glamor girl of opera". We had wonderful seats right up front so close I felt I could almost touch her.I was "hooked" on opera at that very time, and loved Miss Stevens all my life,even wrote to her, and hope she is well enough at 98 to enjoy her praises..

[kasha1932]

Rise Stevens was the first opera singer I had the experience of seeing and hearing in the GREAT Cleveland Severance Hall. YES! I was in the third grade and my class was taken to hear CARMEN sung by this beautiful lady whose was then called "The glamor girl of opera". We had wonderful seats right up front so close I felt I could almost touch her.I was "hooked" on opera at that very time, and loved Miss Stevens all my life,even wrote to her, and hope she is well enough at 98 to enjoy her praise.

[tomi1927]

Happy Birthday to Rise Stevens at 98 tomorrow 6/11/11 I thank you for the many great matinees & evenings you gave me at the old met, my memory treasures them all and I consider myself very lucky to have seen & heard them.

[Noshirm]

Simply magnificent singing from this great American mezzo! (:-0)

[Matt75003]

The best Carmen ever, no doubt, but here she is out of place. This sounds like something out of Cavalleria Rusticana, gooey rubati and all.

[Elantry]

She's a looker.

[cantorga]

Great voice, always loved her, but couldn't listen to this because of the totallky unjustified and gross liberties the conductor was taking with the tempi. Unacceptable to the serious music student or the professional. Gruesome.

[LizTheSinger]

@cantorga I absolutely agree. That was unforgiveable.

[mayapapaya89]

What a voice! the tempo is a bit fast though but still a beautiful performance

[bodiloto]

sublime .

[90lysander]

WEIRD pacing. Too bad, because I very much like Stevens as a singer.

[trasandina]

Brava!

[dorjenne]

I heard her in person many times, but I had forgotten just how beautiful and rich her voice was. Her diction is so clear. she was really a treasure. I speak of her in the past because of her retirement. Actually, she is still alive!

[mariasarda]

Un air de mezzo extraordinairement chanté. BRAVA !!!!!!!

[lovesGenet]

i've heard tenors sing it and counter tenor sing it.i orefer women always and countertenor it sounds better for their voices.

[stingabe]

The best Carmen ever.

[ShawDAMAN]

Nice, I enjoyed that. Isn't this supposed to be sung by a man though in the opera? Ha ha. ;-)

[ivanofna]

originally intentended for a castrato, second revision for a very high tenor, the castrato version became more popular and is sung by women since the 19th century. In the 17th and 18th century it was popular for women to play male roles in plays.

[ShawDAMAN]

Yes I know, hideous wasn't it. I'm glad I don't live in the 17th or 18th century. :-P

Pavarotti did a fine rendition. I know prefer men to sing man parts. ;-D

[GermanOperaSinger]

I wish I did! I'd give anything to hear Farinelli live!

[ShawDAMAN]

Actually, that WOULD be awesome- but the whole castrato practice was pretty gross you must admit. :P

[Takoon]

It's most commonly done by a mezzo-soprano, but countertenors do it often enough. It was originally for a castrato I think, but we don't have those anymore. ^ ~

[ShawDAMAN]

yeah hehe.

[Oaktownrob]

What a Gloriously Distinctive Sound she has. I've heard her name often during my school days but never really listened to her.After this, I'll be hunting for everything on record. Stunning!!!

[billyguns2]

Dear Maestro Monteux, this is not one of your best efforts; you start the piece at the correct tempo (but with the wrong subdivided feeling); the singer changes the tempo and feeling completely at her entrance, and you follow like a lapdog. Monteux was one of the greatest conductors who ever lived, but not here.

[callasdimitrova]

amazing done...

wow this is a great interpretation!

thanks for adding

[Onegin65]

OMG that voice of Stevens, amazing!!!

[patjan92]

Wonderful.