Added: 4 years ago
From: Onegin65
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  • great

  • She is Violetta ! 

  • Beautifully sung by Freni except for the brief little trill at 4:34 to 4:35. Looks like she missed that one or was tired by then. I know i've heard that trill sung better. Freni's not a coloratura soprano which I prefer for Violetta. Her voice is quite big but very lyric. Her Violetta was very beautifully sung and she was a beautiful woman as well. Her Verdi and Puccini were always excellent. Brava Freni.

  • Amazing, I cant belive that this voice really exist.

  • wonderful voice great sound but boring acting. she should have done better lip sync and better analysis of Violetta's feelings

  • Wonderful!!!

  • Most beautiful lyric soprano voice that i ever heard

  • She went to the same lip-synch school as Caballe! :-) Wonderful singing, never heard Freni sound better.

  • Who is the tenor singing Alfredo? Mirella is wonderful.

  • I saw this extrordinary singer in recital, which is really the best way to hear a singer, but I would have dearly loved to hear her in this role. She has always been among my favorites and I believe , among the greats. Beautiful voice, huge voice, technically great. Incrdibly clean attack. Thanks so much .

  • ammazza tanto brava e tanto brutta

  • Simply marvelous...Her voice portrays all the powerful

    and subtle emotions that Violetta is experiencing.

  • I think to expect Freni to take the high Eb at the end was just TOO MUCH to ask. It blows my mind to see someone's singing as connected and aligned and perfect as her singing.. ah! :-D

  • O dear, I forgot to mention the famous Virginia Zeani, who was also excellent and I do believe holds the record for most Violettas on stage.

    And Sutherland? Some beautiful singing, a solid Sempre Libera with Melba's 12 high Cs and a huge high E-flat, then sorry, zero stage presence and diction for the rest of the opera.

  • In the 60s and 70s we had Sills, Cotrubas, Freni, and Moffo as Violetta (some reservations about Scotto). Caballe was a special vocal case and not credible physically. Did Freni have an E-flat? In her famous BUTTERFLY recording with Karajan she does a magnificent piano D-flat in the Entrance Scene. However, not one singer has ever come close to Callas as Violetta in 1955 at La Scala.

  • @philipc67 Yep, that's why you mentioned Sills and Moffo. I've to say that they're the more credible. Freni is another example of vocal beauty as Moffo and Sutherland. Callas is the example of acting great.

  • I might this more than the Sills...Freni is great!!!

  • siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii­iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii­iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

  • ma che estensione aveva mirella ?

  • @SERVILS  Re5 in gioventù

  • solo? ammazza mi aspettavo quantomeno un mi5 infatti anche qui la variazione nn la faceva...strano perche aveva un'ottima tecnica e anche le agilità per essere un soprano lirico spinto erano veramente belle ......bah...però sempre libera senza variazione finale perde molto secondo me....

  • @Onegin65 sveglia, onegin! estensione, chiede, non la nota piu` alta che poteva cantare! sveglia la mattina!

  • @sediziosevoci Ma, che vuoi dire? Naturalmente, estensione è di l'alto verso il basso, ma la questione di SERVILS è ovvia, parlando di Folie! quale estensione verso l'alto. . E chiudo que non voglio parlare con una persona così poco garbata cómo voi. Sveglia tu, sedicioevoci, que Dios confunda

  • @sediziosevoci I admire your exquisite politeness...

  • Mirella.. una delle più grandi!

  • =') <3 such passion in her voice!

    anyone know where I can buy the dvd version of this?

  • Thank you for movie

  • grande mirella freni!!!

  • This is such a gem! Freni is amazing, as always, and her voice is truly smooth as cold beer, and her high c's are truly showers of diamonds as Hailstormand and and yes4albert said. That voice is exquisite beyond words, and wow, I love the playfulness and fun that she puts into this performance.

    Brava Signora Freni, again and again! There is no one else like you!

  • Mierlla Freni...Che voce!!!

  • Smooth like cold beer. This is among the best.

  • mmmmm yes! harp perhaps? lol

  • Tan grande como Pavarotti, siendo además de la misma ciudad de origen.

  • Wow - thanks for sharing. No one and I mean NO ONE today comes close.

  • Although if you haven't heard Ailyn Perez sing you should.

  • STUNNING!!!

    Thank you for sharing.

  • this lady - this woman - she is just amazing

  • jesus christ!!! this woman was a dream on this role! Such youth (vocally) and agility (which of course is needed at the beginning of the opera)...ive seen her singing heavier roles so she must have been wonderful in the last act too...

    WONDERFULLLLLLLLL!!!!!! thanks for this..

  • never listened Mirella ? Yes, she was fantastic !!

  • yes, but not in traviata... in madama butterfly adriana lecouvreur etc... much more dramatic singing...

    but she is extraordinary here too... unbelievable... possible the best violeta?

  • Yes, it's possible. Someone say that she was (she still sing) a little cold, but I don't agree, I adore her !!

  • Who said that she was cold? I don't agree either! She has an amazing voice which is not cold at all! I love Mirella too. Does anyone have any stories to tell about hearing her on stage? I'm much too young to know (I'm only 18). Oh, I wish that I could hear her live!

  • Mirella was a fine Verdi singer and being Italian herself the reperotire was easy...she's got a lyric and dramatic voice...her Violetta is a work of art...I love it...

  • Brava Diva! Inspite of no optional high Eflat and a rather poor recording, I think she's great.

    I always say she sounded better in person than on recordings . What a great artist!

  • wiw who is the tenor? i;ve never heard a version like this before

  • My money is on Franco Bonisolli.

  • ohhh bravoooooooo!!

  • a me' piace

  • Non si sente la mancanza del mib grazie ad un canto sorprendentemente interesasnte (di solito non gradisco la Freni)... peccato che oggi il Mib sia obbligatorio per le giovani cantanti: la trovo una prassi becera!

  • wow! non sapevo che avesse cantato anche Traviata! :)

  • Brava! Dear Mirella - such a reliable and beautiful singer. She always sings with such taste and integrity.

    This Violetta is one of my favourites, the whole recoding available now on CD. Her singing of the second and last act is a model of style, interpretation and musicianship.

  • Una Violetta poco conosciuta, ma nondimeno eccellente

  • I want this...

  • Me too! I don't know where to get the DVD or video of this. Does anyone know where to get this?

  • bonjour, je suis à la recherche de la vidéo de cette version de la traviata pour l'offrir à mon beau papa pour ses 80 ans( fan de Mirella depuis toujours). Toutes mes recherches ont été vaines; Merci si vous êtes en possession de ce trésor de me le faire savoir. A bientôt. VIOLETTE.

  • Je veux ce DVD, et je ne peux pas trouver le DVD aussi!

  • Freni sings gorgeously. That voice rings. Her high C's are like a shower of sparkling diamonds. She's also a very smart singer in her choices. Brava!

  • Me quedo con su Mimi.

  • Having heard her live I feel that, though Freni is a lovely singer, she is uncomfortable in La Traviata.

    For a truly great Violetta, who lived & sang the role a record 648 times, Virginia Zeani is unmissable. Wickedly neglected by recording companies, she is posted in live broadcasts on CharlottteinWeimar's Channel.

    She has much of Callas' intensity but with an intrinsically more beautiful voice. Vocally unimpaired she sang for 40 years. If you have never heard her hurry up and listen now!

  • This was marvelous! I knew Mirella Freni sang Violetta but had not heard/saw her till now...very dramatic and sung with a strong lyric voice. I also enjoyed the set and her costume is just as I picture Violetta ought to look (the other costume I like is the one Valerie Masterson wore and Teresa Stratas)

  • No sé qué hablaran, mejor sólo hay que disfrutar de la fascinación de oirla cantar.

  • Esa estridencia en el minuto 1:00 es típica de su "técnica justa" que ella imparte.

  • CUAL ESTRIDENCIA PRETENCIOSO IDIOTA

  • Como siempre la Freni me decepciona con su ejecución barata. Lo lamento pero no me convence....

  • I don't think so...

  • Mib, Mib, Mib... ma io non sono riuscito a concentrarmi... non riesco a vedere altro se non le sopracciglia e il trucco anni '70 davvero osceno.... sembra Mina-Traviata...

    no! no! no! Non si possono fare ste cose! Per registi e truccatori... un po di storia del costume no??

  • what happened to that amazing high note at the end?!

  • Mirella Freni was a "false" soprano leggero.Her voice was extended until D/E bemol, but was too heavy to hit those notes "ex abrupto". So when high not is not necessary (because not written in partitura) she avoid to sing it.

  • People come up with the stupidest shit on YouTube. "fale" soprano leggero? Why don't you just say she was a lyric soprano and be done with it instead of trying to act like you know more than you do. There's no such thing as a "false" leggero, and more than there is a "false" lyric. And as for hitting high notes "ex abrupto", there's never been a singer, EVER, who sang them "without preparation". Stop making shit up and enjoy a great singer.

  • Well, every fan of Mirella Freni knows she was a "false" soprano leggero. I'm a fan of her, and never meant to say shit about her. I'm just explaining her choise. She was not completely a lyric, and not completely a lyric-leggero. That's the point. So, please try to understand what someone is trying to explain in a foreign language, and THAN if you want you can say that's a shit.

  • But that's my point. She wasn't a leggero soprano. She was a full lyric with a VERY big voice (especially the top). That's what allowed her to sing things like Aida and Tosca. As she aged, her voice darkened a little and moved more toward lirico-spinto, but she was ALWAYS essentially lyric, even shen she was young and sang soubrette roles. You can't choose what your voice type is.

  • I agree. I would never put her as a leggero, her voice was much too ample and allowed her very decent interpretations even of spinto roles (Aida, DonCarlo-Elisabetta, Maria/Amelia in "Simnone..")

  • amen!

  • @BeauTenor totally agree...whoever says Freni is a light soprano must be crazy. Bigger voices had a brighter sound back then. Bigger voices today overdarken.

  • who is that awful tenor?!

  • sounds like Pavarotti. Or Kraus.

  • Neither. It's Bonisolli.

  • Sounds like it was a tough day for Bonisolli. His top was normally much better than what we hear in this clip.

  • BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!PERFECT!!!!!Eve­rybody should sing like her!!!!!!

  • this recording is sharp. it has something to do with the way whoever posted its recording equipment. it is about a half tone sharp, and it is annoying.

  • I'm not sure what you are referring to when you comment on her lack of agility. Her coloratura runs are effortless and flawlessly executed. It is a wonderful interpretation, not maybe the iconic or even the best, but I find it ridiculous to criticize a woman who had a 50 year long career at La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, and Covent Garden with over a hundred all-star recordings to her name with the finest artists and conductors of the 20th century. Beat that Callas!

  • io ho detto che è stato un peccato non aver fatto quella nota, ma altrimenti io l'ammiro come cantante (non mi riferivo certo all'agilità!).

  • bravissima! peccati che nn abbia fatto il mi bemolle finale!

  • non lo cantava mai per fortuna....conosceva i suoi limiti

  • e poi per la cronaca..verdi nn lo ha mai scitto in partitura..è stata sempre una scela della cantanti inserirlo o no..molte nn lo cantano..e quaesto nulla toglie alla bellezza dell'aria o alla loro bravura..la difficoltà della cabaletta è altra!!cmq effettivamente il mi bemolle sovracuto ha il suo fascino!!

  • si, ma se conosci le partiture, ci sono dei punti in cui il compositore lascia appositamente la libera scelta della/del cantante per fare una certa nota (che solitamente è 1 ottava più alta); la Freni ha semplicemente cantato un si bemolle.

  • In partiture ch'è scritto un Do, tutte que no hanno el Mib, fanno el Sib; ma Verdi no lascia scelta in Traviata, ma si fa così

  • c'è un Do, e quello si fa sempre, però dopo solitamente c'è un salto dal Sol naturale al Mib (che funziona come se fosse una corona), ma in partitura c'è un Mib (non quello sovracuto) che va ad un La, che solitamente, per i soprani lirici, sale di un'ottava al La acuto.

  • Spiace leggere tali commenti sul Mibemolle. Spiace che si cosi` spesso si attenda la puntatura finale non scritta e si ignori completamente quanto viene prima (testo, coloratura, attacchi. Sono d'accordo con lei, la difficolta` della cabaletta e` ben altra!

  • Happy birthday,great Mirella! Thanks for these wonderful videos, Onegin65!

    (27 february)

  • FANTASTICA!!!! UN MITO!!!!!

  • Brava. I agree her voice type isn't suitable for the role, her voice it a little heavy but she did well considering. I admit high C's and D were are simply amazing. I was hoping she was going to go for Eflat, what a let down. But an overall good performance.

  • I really wish they'd release a DVD of this. Mirella Freni really is one of my favorite Violettas.

  • Me too! I want to get this on DVD so badly!

  • screw Callas... Freni is absolutely perfect here... as she always is... she can do it all :)

  • Jmooreluv, people with knowledge of the art of opera performance will never even dare to say things like "screw Callas", she was opera's example. Noone with no matter how pretty of a voice ever surpassed her abbility to communicate the character and the emotions. To put it another way to you: You don't go to a play to admire someone's speaking voice. Hope I got through.

  • I just don't care for Callas. I never undermined her ability to communicate a role, but personally, I believe the most important element regarding opera is bel canto, and in my own opinion, Freni embodies the highest standard in vocal excellence. Not to mention, that she does a lovely interpretation of Violetta. But, I respect your regard for Callas and I would never deny her the heroic attention that she deserves as an artist.

  • Es buena pero la verdad la siento un tanto esforzada, es mejor verla como Mimí en La Boheme. Particular punto de vista.

  • preferisco la callas in questo ruolo e la freni nel ruolo di mimi

  • certamente!!

  • la Callas canta con emocion, pero desafinado.

  • jajajajajajaj!

  • No nesesariamente. Es verdad que tubo una voz extraña y aveces fea, pero en sus grabaciones y presentaciones de este papel, nunca cantaba desafinado. Escucha sus grabaciones y te daras cuenta de lo excellente fue tu technica. Creeme, porque yo tambien pense lo mismo antes de ponerme a escucharlo bien.

  • magnificent. I didn't notice that agility was the issue, perhaps the voice type might not "perfectly" suit the role. In any case what an excellent performance(!), even though the lighting and make-up occasionally made her look like a zombie.

  • She´s awesome as Violetta !!!!

  • Performance (at studio?) forced.Agility is lacking.When she sang Violetta at LA SCALA,with Von Karajan,the public said NO.

  • We all kown how the public at Scala is.She sang it after Callas,they will not accept another Violetta without thinking whether she did well or not.

  • They accepted many Violettas after Callas. Freni soon dropped the role from her rep and all was well in paradise.

  • That's the equivalent of banning the opera XD I've always disliked La Scala, the way it's staged, the reputation, the soft clapping, if I was a singer I'd stick ta either the Met or Covent Garden and live a happy life among applauds louder than Wagner.

  • Alla Scala furono i Callasiani a "dire no"...comunque Mirella Freni è stata una delle più grandi cantanti del nostro secolo e credo che Violetta sia un ruolo perfetto per lei!

  • I agree.Mirella had the perfect voice for Violetta, it was a major mistake Mirella did, to drop this role from her repertoire

  • It actually was a very smart idea, one that kept her voice healthy and beautiful for a very, very long career. At least the recordings are still there of her great interpretation of this role.

  • Right! she had her voice always perfect for all her carrier.

  • Si ruolo perfetto per lei.Perfetissima Violeta.

    La Violetta della Callas non è bella per niente

  • adesso non esageriamo per favore!! addirittura non è bella per niente? ma dove la mettiamo la carica interpretativa..lo scavo psiclogico del personaggio che la callas ha portato per la prima volta davvero sul palco?!! la callas non si tocca..anche se la freni è adorabile

  • When it comes to La Scala, everybody and their mother has to get booed there at least once, all the way from Beverly Sills to Renee Fleming.

  • Dio mio! Ma questa è la prova che dio esiste!!! Come fanno quei grandissimi "espertoni" a dire che Traviata non è il ruolo della Freni???

  • Freni was never known for her agility. Otherwise she'd have sung more Bellini and Donizetti, Her best roles were the femmes fragiles by Puccini, esp. Mimi.

  • When she is young,she sang some lyric-colorature roles suitbale for her,which I think are wonderful.but other roles like Lucia and Norma need a dramatic voice,so she never did.

  • I could never imagine that she could sing this role so well.

  • Incredible!She has even a film. Thank you so much!

  • I LOVE Mirella but this wasn't a good role for her.

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