Erie Mills, Scott Bergeson: You Are Sorely Missed!

[SHOLOMEY]

Perfect!

[OperaMystery80]

Absolutely fantastic. Chenoweth is the little girl version of this lol This is opera and Broadway married into theater of the best kind. I've never seen Erie Mills perform but she's sensational. But I also really love Natalie Dessay singing this, especially her 1997 Glyndebourne concert version. One question about this: did Erie forget the line "here I am in Paris France?" she sings "here am I by sordid chance". Or were those the original words ?

[SHOLOMEY]

@OperaMystery80 There are 2 variations of text "here am I by sordid chance" and "here I am in Paris France"

[zgordin]

Erie, we LOVE you!!!

[ichigo0000000000000]

i can't utter a WORD the first time i heard this rendition.SIMPLY THE BEST!

[raunchy9305]

You should have heard her in Schweigsame Frau in Santa Fe, one of the most difficult coloratura roles in the repertoire. How she ever sang all those notes running all around that stage was a wonder. So...we went back and so every other performance she did of that role in Santa Fe.

[dbrel]

Love this.. I was lucky enough to sing for Ms Mills in a master class about a year ago. She is just as kind and gracious off stage as she appears to be on.. She sang a tiny bit for us, and still has this amazing voice!

[skeeeeelz]

Barbera Cook Vs. Erie Mills!

[mropera]

It's hard to be clear headed when writing of Erie Mills. She is a dynamic person both on and off the stage. She was one of my major teachers and hold a wealth of knowledge. This performance, as far as I am concerned is THE definitive performance of Glitter and Be Gay. What she does with the text, character,etc. matched with the singing is untouchable...in my MOST humble of opinions...

[PEACEx3333]

Erie Mills taught a diction class at my camp today! she is a great techer and a fabulous comedian! Along, of course, with her voice.

[ilbacioditosca]

Total Diva! Grande Maestra!!!

Greetings from Argentina!!

[mightythos77]

After listening to at least sixty versions, I believe this is EASILY the best rendition of this aria. Absolutely unapproachable!

[duchessurbino]

You should hear Halley Gilbert do it!!!!

[mightythos77]

I have. Gilbert has a big smooth voice, very pleasant to listen to and hopefully her interpretations will only continue to develop and get better, but this is on another level.

[duchessurbino]

Yes, but Gilbert can pianissimo to crescendo on high E and F. I mean tiny pianissimo to Wagnerian size sound. Technically she is a cut above this. Interpretively, she is funnier. This isn't funny and Lenny wrote it funny. One has to have some degree of worldliness to understand the jokes in Glitter and definitely to pull them off. Decadence isn't an interpretation. It is too generalized and generalized text isn't funny.

[mightythos77]

I think you aren't being objective. "A cut above this"? No. Not even close, but I don't want to be a critic of Ms. Gilbert , may her time come soon.

[maestrohughes]

I concur that Erie is just magnificent. Her technical skill on this song is unsurpassed as far as I am concerned. As far as the comment someone made about her acting not being funny enough, sometimes that is the fault of the director. An actor on stage can only go within the parameters a directors gives, after all. There seemed to be a lot of extra elements in this scene (the keyboardist playing, the removing jewelry from said keyboardist, etc) that got in the way.

[maestrohughes]

Regarding Halley Gilbert's rendition, I just listened to it on her MySpace page. No comparison. Technically she just doesn't match. Her tempo is much slower in the fast section that it should (I have conducted the show a few times, so am well aware of metronomic markings).

For the best renditions of this song from a "wit" standpoint, Dawn Upshaw and Barbara Cook (for whom it was written) get the prize. But Erie still wins for the best singing on this aria.

[tervonlis1955]

Erie Mills is such a faboulous singer, such energy and coloratura precision. Does anyone have anything else from her that can be posted?

[operasopranogirl]

Wow, That was absolutely delightful! BRAVA

[LaynaMezzo]

Without a doubt, the very best rendition of this aria...absolutely stunning and goosebump inducing!

[2ManyHighCs]

How lucky I was to be a part of NYCO when Ms. Mills sang this role. It was MINDBLOWING. Never to be matched. What great memories I have of her singing many roles. BRAVA Diva !