Ebe Stignani Sings Casta Diva

[AntW11]

Not only did she have a beautiful voice, but she had a phenomenal technique.

[Juliet0307]

In this time,singers knew the Art of the Bel Canto,which has completely disappeared.

Mrs Stignani was capable to sing ''Stride la vampa'' as well as ''Casta Diva''!!! No doubt that she was a mezzo-soprano,so,to sing Casta Diva with such a facility and such a deep interpretation being a mezzo is a tour de force.

[AmhranaiAlainn]

@Juliet0307 Yes, so true. In the same manner Stracciari's singing brought him into the tenor fach. The true lineage is still there but in tiny pockets. Truth never dies though. Some day the truth will return and when it does, the whole world will look on in wonder and dismay at the artistry, but they will innately understand it because it is already inside everyone. We all have Bel Canto inside us already it's just the mind that perceives it differently. Listen also to Ninon Vallin sing this.

[conmaleta]

I also got a recording of Giulietta Simionato attepmting this aria ;)

[marlyharris]

Holy merde, Batman, I had no idea Stignani ever attempted this. How exciting and fabulous. Obviously, she would not have essayed the complete opera but this is a musical treasure.

[Maelona666]

Stunning recording! I have only just begun listening and getting to love Opera and I must say this has the most clarified tones and very controlled!! Love it! As a very amateur Mezzo myself, I shall be studying her!

[baltoman24]

Simply astounding- what gorgeous singing- this takes ones breath away! the control, and artistry - amazing!

[MrSkylark1]

This PROVES that the ART of BEL CANTO is NON-EXISTENT ON THE OPERATIC STAGE TODAY. The voice must have brilliance which provides projection. The impressarios, teachers and coaches are hearing-impaired.

[flicfan416]

Incredible! A mezzo, and she has better high coloratura than most sopranos.

In the 1950's even the mezzos could take on Norma. Now NOBODY can sing it

[narragansettharco]

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[operamark1]

@narragansettharco SPAM

[rix657]

This is great singing.

[primohomme]

I can't, I just can't...DEAD! this is freakin' incredible! OMG! Is this recording commercially available somewhere? It's DIVINE!

[fandetenor]

DIO MIO!!!!! QUANTA BELLEZZA!!!!! E PERFETTA!! non ho altre parole!

[MrIV74]

Stunning. Thank you....

[Ruffiello]

In Lanfranco Rasponi's book 'The Last Prima Donnas' Stignani states that she could sing Norma with ease, with piano accompaniment. However, she realized that this is not the same as singing the role with orchestra in an opera house. So she didn't. How many artists today have such integrity? (I know there are some.) ;-)

[zgopify]

Goodness. My hair stands on end. What voice, you can hardly believe it! What incredible range! If she were singing today, Anna N would be laughed off the stage...

[MrSkylark1]

STIGNANI PROVES that SUPERB SINGING TODAY is NON-EXISTENT

[hashatz]

Stignani was among the truly great mezzo's of the 20th century. I mean great in the best tradition of the term.She may have been better in mezzo roles but, then again, she was a mezzo soprano. Wonderful quality, range, expressiveness etc. So let's not carp about transposition! In his later years, Tito Schipa transposed down many roles.

[vully70]

I have heard much worse renditions of Casta diva by sopranos.

This is beautiful - fabulous coloratura, too.

[jrtrmish]

Stignani had one of the great vibratos of all time. She and the immortal Gina Cigna used to alternate in the Norma./Aldagisa roles in performance, How I'd love to have heard that!!!

[Drelnis]

with modern technology, imagine how recordbreaking it would be to record a studio Norma singing both roles. Some sopranos could do Sophie, Marschallin, and Octavian (imagine final trio!).

[amhenofi]

@jrtrmish Caro amico, devo purtroppo sfatarle una leggenda che circola da anni, Ebe Stignani in Norma non ha mai scambiato il ruolo con Gina Cigna nè con altra cantante, ha sempre cantato solo ed esclusivamente nel ruolo di Adalgisa. Negli Stati Uniti, verso la fine degli anni trenta (mi pare) incise il brano Casta Diva, ma alla richiesta di interpretare l'opera intera nel ruolo di Norma non accettò, nè scambiò mai il ruolo con la grande Gina Cigna o altra soprano.

[amhenofi]

@jrtrmish Caro amico la sua informazione non corrisponde al vero, Ebe Stignani non si è mai alternata a Gina Cigna nell'interpretare Norma, ha solo inciso questo brano verso la fine degli anni trenta. Le fu chiesto di interpretare la parte di Norma ma sempre rifiutò, pur avendone i mezzi vocali. Come mi disse, temeva di rovinare la voce.

[allangoo]

Dont' get carried away with this over-rated old hag.

The cabaletta is transposed down and is effortful, shrill and without musical insights.

Simionato had a true musical sensitivity in the higher mezzo repetoire.

Listen to her Capuletti aria here on You Tube.

[Iareto]

If this is effortful, unmusical singing then the singers of today are screwed.

I thought this was very nice, if not really her thing. As for the Simionato comment, why is it not possible to enjoy them both?

[allangoo]

@Iareto

Dear Lareto

Would you believe I had feelings of remorse after I posted my comment?

I have re-listened to Ebe"s Casta Diva, after your rebuke, and in a more reasonable mood, I hear that  she was not shrill or unmusical and the florid singing is dead accurate, and her Italian vowels are models for all singers.

She was dubbed "the Italian Flagstad" in her day. But in that middle-register there is more than a little of Rosa Ponselle.

[Drelnis]

I have no idea what you're talking about - Ah Bello is sung here in the key of F as intended on scores.

[allangoo]

Sorry.

This means she sings 3 top c's.

I honestly thought they were only B flats.

I am humbled.

[Drelnis]

no problem ^^

[marcellny]

@allangoo man... you can't compare stignani and simionato at all. over all when simionato couldn't sing this aria at all. if you want to compare them, then go and listen to 'oh don fatale' and you will see why stignani is supreme above all singers (not just mezzos and as much as i love simionato myself).

[minnie888444]

Splendid chorus, who were they?

[foropera]

It looks like she was a Falcon. A long time that I have heard about thos recording and it's nice to hear it at least, thank you very much!

[moghedien13]

the greatest!

[65attila]

This is beautiful - Thank you..

She is suitable to whatever she sang- soprano/contralto/mezzo

[FloreoShortia]

Wonderful! Who thaught she could sing this. But she is a high mezzo. Listen to Malena Ehrnman the swedish mezzo she is able to do the same.

[hydra333]

Ammmm nop, Malena have some problems in her "operatic voice"

[marlyharris]

I never dreamed that Stignani sang this aria. How wonderful that you found the recording and are sharing it with us.

[Ruffiello]

Hello,

Stignani studied the opera and could sing it. However, she realized that to sing it with piano is one thing, with an orchestra another. Check out Lanfranco Rasponi's book "The Last Prima Donnas". Great reading! BTW... I have been looking for this recording for years. Where did you find it?

[tanynzh]

btw is it common for mezzosopranos of that time to be able to sing high notes well or hit high C?

[BeauTenor]

It's common for Mezzos of any time to sing high notes or have a reliable high C (and above that in some cases). What makes them mezzos is the inability to SUSTAIN a high tessitura like a soprano could. They're more comfortable down lower. Contraltos too, sometimes have great high notes...good exaples would be Horne and Podles. Norma, in the lower key, could be sung by Mezzos. I don't know Stignani well, but have read she could have sung anything she'd wanted to.

[EmilyGreene1984]

Another great example of contraltos with great high notes is Marian Anderson & Eula Beal.

[syrinx79]

Marian Anderson?? Great high notes? Are you sure about that?

[dolicimani]

Surely what makes a voice a particular fach is not what the singer is able to do. If this was the way you judged what fach someone was, you would have to assume their technique was perfect. What defines a vocal fach is where the vocal breaks are etc. ie. the physical make-up of the voice not the singer's ability.

[BeauTenor]

who ever said that this was the case? if you read what I wrote again, you'll see that i stated that all this depends on where the voice lies and is most comfortable.

[tanynzh]

sublime! She is more than suitable for soprano roles:D

[EmilyGreene1984]

I think it should be this role can be more than suitable for mezzo-sopranos and contraltos as it can for sopranos.

[egymagyar1111111]

it is for singers who has the voice for

[icylakepaxphile]

must be more close to the original than callas's work. so elegant bel canto voice before callas's era.. ^^

of course i adore la divina too.. ^^

[suffisance]

ITAWTC

[carlissima28]

thanks for posting this :)

[leoperarm]

I had only heard her as Adalgis with Callas as Norma, but she was a great Norma!!!

[conmaleta]

well i don't know if she ever did the full opera, but to me it seems she gave a try with the aria and cabaletta only...grettings!

[leoperarm]

WELL, SHE'S GREAT!!!

[houhoug79]

@conmaleta i don't thing she ever sang whole opera. that would have been impossible, since ebe stignani was a mezzo-soprano. great voice but i do not believe she could reach norma's strenght. so far only maria callas, montserrat caballe & joan sutherland managed.

[Lohengrin]

how extremely interesting...