MB is matvelous here and another favorite of mine is by Antonina Nezhdanova who also could fly with eas but I wish she wouldn't slide up to notes as much. The special glory of AN is the warmth of her tone. trill and wistful feeling. I am glad I own both + Amelitta . Luisa., Mady Mesple , Sutherland To me they are different gems on a glorious piece of jewerly
She does NOT 'vocalize' up to the final E, she sings intervening notes INCLUDING a sustained D sharp which continues to the E WITHOUT a breath: ABOUT A HUNDRED TIMES MORE DIFFICULT than the simple skip to the E, and the ANTITHESIS of 'cheating'. I laughed for five minutes at that asinine comment.
Her singing of the slow opening Légende is so beautiful, not all white or breathy. I wish she had been given a whole side for it. The abreviated Clochettes are sweet, but she naughtily vocalises up to the final high note: cheating! Still, despite the cuts to fit it into on single side, this is one of the best versions of this exceptionally difficult piece.
A Parisian favourite, her French is excellent, except when she has to say "nuit" or "puis". Lovely singer.
The French is very good, but the cuts are annoying and the whole piece seems too rushed. Though not one of Galli-Curci's best recordings, I prefer her version as well as the several that Tetrazzini recorded. But my favorites are the 1930 and live 1940 Pons performances. Not your favorites, I'm sure. Clara Clairbert is also excellent in this air, and I vaguely recall Selma Kurz does a fine job too.
I meant too abridged, not too rushed. The opening is quite beautiful, before "La-bas dans la foret plus sombre...." The word "charmeurs" doesn't sound quite right either. But lovely singing.
Pons' several versions are among her best records. I just don't care for her little whistle voice, that's all. I know the Clairbert and Ben-Sédira singles. And though you don't care for Mado Robin, she sang this rather well. Frankly, no one can hold a candle to Maria Callas in this scene. She sings so very well in her 1956 performance with Tullio Serafin, and actually makes sense of the words, puts some drama into the Bell Song! That's a first!
I like Callas' singing of the Bell Song, and she does put drama into the scene (so does Tetrazzini, to a lesser extent, in the aria). But what chutzpah on Callas' part to sing this aria in the first place! A little like Melba's singing Brunnhilde.
One just wonders what De Hidalgo thought of the big fat girl with the huge black voice, and whatever possessed her to teach her to sing things like the Bell and Shadow songs!!! (Which, by the way, she sings in "fixed position" style, just like a Latin Koloratur from the 1920s!)
Only, Callas sings such things better than most Latin coloraturas, surely better than De Hidalgo. Her "Shadow Song" is wonderful, particularly the scales representing the shadow. Second only to Galli-Curci's acoustic recording, and perhaps Tetrazzini's two versions.
MB is matvelous here and another favorite of mine is by Antonina Nezhdanova who also could fly with eas but I wish she wouldn't slide up to notes as much. The special glory of AN is the warmth of her tone. trill and wistful feeling. I am glad I own both + Amelitta . Luisa., Mady Mesple , Sutherland To me they are different gems on a glorious piece of jewerly
65attila 1 year ago
Superb! TY.
paulostroff99 1 year ago
She does NOT 'vocalize' up to the final E, she sings intervening notes INCLUDING a sustained D sharp which continues to the E WITHOUT a breath: ABOUT A HUNDRED TIMES MORE DIFFICULT than the simple skip to the E, and the ANTITHESIS of 'cheating'. I laughed for five minutes at that asinine comment.
tightlygagged 2 years ago
Her singing of the slow opening Légende is so beautiful, not all white or breathy. I wish she had been given a whole side for it. The abreviated Clochettes are sweet, but she naughtily vocalises up to the final high note: cheating! Still, despite the cuts to fit it into on single side, this is one of the best versions of this exceptionally difficult piece.
A Parisian favourite, her French is excellent, except when she has to say "nuit" or "puis". Lovely singer.
AulicExclusiva 2 years ago
The French is very good, but the cuts are annoying and the whole piece seems too rushed. Though not one of Galli-Curci's best recordings, I prefer her version as well as the several that Tetrazzini recorded. But my favorites are the 1930 and live 1940 Pons performances. Not your favorites, I'm sure. Clara Clairbert is also excellent in this air, and I vaguely recall Selma Kurz does a fine job too.
meltzerboy 2 years ago
I meant too abridged, not too rushed. The opening is quite beautiful, before "La-bas dans la foret plus sombre...." The word "charmeurs" doesn't sound quite right either. But lovely singing.
meltzerboy 2 years ago
I agree about the cuts, but still find it hard to resist the warm voice.
AulicExclusiva 2 years ago
Pons' several versions are among her best records. I just don't care for her little whistle voice, that's all. I know the Clairbert and Ben-Sédira singles. And though you don't care for Mado Robin, she sang this rather well. Frankly, no one can hold a candle to Maria Callas in this scene. She sings so very well in her 1956 performance with Tullio Serafin, and actually makes sense of the words, puts some drama into the Bell Song! That's a first!
AulicExclusiva 2 years ago
I like Callas' singing of the Bell Song, and she does put drama into the scene (so does Tetrazzini, to a lesser extent, in the aria). But what chutzpah on Callas' part to sing this aria in the first place! A little like Melba's singing Brunnhilde.
meltzerboy 2 years ago
One just wonders what De Hidalgo thought of the big fat girl with the huge black voice, and whatever possessed her to teach her to sing things like the Bell and Shadow songs!!! (Which, by the way, she sings in "fixed position" style, just like a Latin Koloratur from the 1920s!)
AulicExclusiva 2 years ago
Only, Callas sings such things better than most Latin coloraturas, surely better than De Hidalgo. Her "Shadow Song" is wonderful, particularly the scales representing the shadow. Second only to Galli-Curci's acoustic recording, and perhaps Tetrazzini's two versions.
meltzerboy 2 years ago
Notice how I already got a black (red) mark for transgressing on the subject of the Only Soprano In History, She Who May Not Be Criticised.
There is nothing I loathe more than the Stupid Diva Fanatic.
AulicExclusiva 2 years ago
Comment removed
sjpflute 2 years ago
Excellent agility! And not from the "hah hah hah" school of singing...yay!
aaronsande 2 years ago