Stride la vampa - IL TROVATORE- Zajick - Met Opera

[Danielasoprano]

hermoosoo!!! 

[cogitoergoboh]

non capisco la frase di leprincebeau... che non è un mostro di intelligenza ......emmmm mentre cantava doveva risolvere delle equazioni ? dei teoremi? scoprire la fusione freddo ?? boh di certo chi ha scritto non è un mostro ......di cortesia

[fabrizietto1980]

@cogitoergoboh ma soprattutto vorrei vedere questi che criticano cosa farebbero di così intelligente per fare bene Azucena. già non l'hanno resa proprio carina... io la trovo davvero brava, mi trasmette proprio l'idea di una donna che racconta una cosa atroce, mezza confusa, con un velo di follia nell'espressione. magari per essere intelligente si aspettava che facesse un passo di sivigliana visto che è gitana?? di flamenco? un gazpacho mentre cantava l'avrebbe resa più realistica? bah

[OperaMystery80]

This was a great production and Dolora sang Azucena marvelously. I love her costume and I love her singing. I believe this was a Met production from sometime in the 90's, and it was great....opera productions of our current times are getting worse, weirder more minimalist. I hate it. At least this looks more or less like Trovatore should.

[jmuslvr]

She sings wonderfully. But the makeup and wig make her look like a character from "Planet of the Apes". And what's with the staircase? It's supposed to be a Gypsy camp, for goodness sakes!

[codonauta]

@jmuslvr Planet of the Apes? hahahaha.

[Level7Gentlemen]

Boogie! boogie! boogie!

~Grouch Marx on this piece.

[gizmo039]

boooooooooooooo

[marthouli89]

I don't like Zajick at all. I don't understand why other people do. My opinion of course.

[nerdyharry]

quintessential epic right here.

[VanoGamkrelidze]

My favorite rendition.

[musikenergy]

That's the most spooky looking Azucena make-up and wig I've ever seen. I love Dolora, but without her name posted and really listening to her voice, I wouldn't have recognized her. Great acting too. I always thought the character Azucena pretends to be nutty, but really she knows exactly what she's doing.

[flicfan416]

I love her voice, i just don't whats up with the completely off-pitch grace notes. tell me i'm not the only one who noticed it

[nerdyharry]

@flicfan416 their just not being picked up. she hit them, but because of the vibrato the precise moment she did wasn't quite picked up by the mics.

[flicfan416]

@nerdyharry We're talking about two different things. I know she hit the grace notes, but I think they sound very sharp, almost a halftone above what they should be in the score. I don't think it has anything to do with 'mics,' this is Opera, there AREN'T ANY MICS.

[nerdyharry]

@flicfan416 this is youtube genius. unless you're saying you were present at this performance and it disappointed you your logic is gravely flawed. i can hear how sharp her gruppetto's are. its just a style of delivery for that kind of ornament in some Mediterranean folk music. it lends a sort of tragic unhingedness however they are difficult to not over-do and sound hilarious instead. this woman does it right.

[flicfan416]

@nerdyharry Well now you're branching into opinion territory. Whether or not her excessively sharp grace notes are part of some exotic 'Mediterranean folk music,' I still maintain that her erratic ornamentation is distracting from the line, and FOR ME, it is not appropriate. Right/wrong, that's a bit too absolute for my ears.

[nerdyharry]

@flicfan416 exotic? i'm just saying i've heard traditional singers from around southern europe ham it up with over-sharp grace notes before. all in all its not really worth criticizing. i mean, its not like she couldn't have sung it straight. she's gotta act her role too you know. somebody else commented about that before i think.

[tinjiano]

@flicfan416 Just a note--if you mean her frequent trills, they're actually in the score.

[flicfan416]

@tinjiano Did I say anything about trills? I'm fully aware there are trills in the score. If you read my comment (which I don't think you did), I said the grace notes were sharp. Now just in case you didn't catch that, I said the GRACE NOTES were sharp.

[dfush]

quite strong voice, but strange modulations (vibrato?) make her sound odd. I like Horne & Obrazvova much more

[ezev8logos]

Su Vibrato y sus notas bajas te dejan sin aliento. Esta aria es una de mis favoritas en especial esta version

[pourmoinyc]

CATALINADM56 said it :stunning ,radiant,sheer perfection and ever such beautiful voice.Add to all that great acting and her usual awesome magnetism.BRAVA!!!

[raigekimaru]

technique: solid

voice: wonderful, a true verdian mezzo

trills:...no

[mrskinoti]

Dolora is stunning! Did you guys see her performing Aida? I was speechless at her performance!

[Rougedacanto]

ke asco

[MaryERyanSings]

This is a wonderful video. I hope to be that good someday!

@veressemoke it isn't ugly vibrato, there are a ton of vocal trills in this piece.

[veressemoke1990]

ugly vibrato

[raigekimaru]

@veressemoke1990

dolora is portraying a vengeful, old gyspy. it's not exactly supposed to sound beautiful

[CatalinaDM56]

Oh, and James Levine....perfect tempo. He is wonderful as well!

[CatalinaDM56]

Absolutely stunning genius...radiant throughout ALL registers.

[leprincebeaumont]

Vocalmente è grandiosa! Fa persino i trilli. Certo il timbro è un poco ordinario e l'interprete non è un mostro di intelligenza, ma resta l'ammirazione per la grande e musicale vocalista! Bravissima!

[permea]

però...è proprio brutta!XD

[munkustrap79]

@permea ahahahahaha

[paipaipai99]

il vibrato fa schivo

[carrla30]

Absolutly fantastic..........

[LibbySingsMezzo]

I've been listening to several versions of this aria, and so far Ms. Zajick is the only one who is executing the trills as written. Most of the other singers are substituting a turn or skipping the trills altogether.

This character is not exactly stable, so perhaps Verdi meant for her music to reflect that. I think she sounds great.

[singspiel35]

what an awful warble... she isn't even singing the right pitches!!!!  so disappointing. and that trill is atrocious!

[TheWisemonkey8]

can you hit one single note with this power? nevermind sing a whole opera? Idiot.

[singspiel35]

wisemonkey says it all... not necessary to name call, I am just expressing my opinion. by the way, are you agreeing with me, that she isn't even singing the right pitches? i mean, power isn't everything. I am a singer, not a screamer.

[TheWisemonkey8]

Yes I have to agree it think the problem is one to do with intonation resulting in a strangeness and problems with pitch. It is noticeable when she moves from middle ro head registers. However, Nilsson did say that she was the only mezzo of the time who could do any sort of justice to Verdi. I apologise for my terse and immature comment. Kind and apologetic regards my friend in music.

[irregularverb37]

You try singing with a voice that heavy. She's awesome.

[singspiel35]

I have, as most true mezzos do, a big, dark voice, and I used to sing heavy like Zajick. I have since discovered that weighted singing is not necessary to sound dramatic, and it certainly is no excuse for lousy intonation!

[PapagenoHannover]

Singspiel35

Das Gepiepse von Dir möchet ich mir mal anhören. Dolora hier zu misakreditieern ist lächerlich. Was für eien schöne Stimme, was für ein Timbre, Musikalität, Vitalität. Wenn Du im Leben eine einzieg Phrase so hinbekämsest würdest du auf Knieen Gott danken für dei Gnade. Das ist doch die Warheit...HAHAHA

[singspiel35]

as for timbre, musicality, and vitality... the color is too dark, the musicality is there, but hidden by the heft, and the vitality is in the acting alone. I much prefer a singer who possesses all three. Disagree with me all you like, because I suspect that with the poor examples of singers today, many have come to have lowered expectations fed by the lowered expectations of their uneducated listeners. So be it.

[frankie17984]

sono assolutamente d'accordo

[PapagenoHannover]

I really would like to hear singing all the ladies and men critizising Miss Zajick. Probably it would drive me nuts, how inaccurate and poor that singing would be. I have learned that the most severe critical people very often are incredible poor and inaccurate in their own performance. That sure as the Amen in church. To have a fine analytical ear not often improves the awareness related to the owb performance. Pieps. pieps....

[frankie17984]

let's ear arkhipova, cossotto or giulietta simionato, best of all, and you'll understand critics...

[PapagenoHannover]

Dear Singspiel, please let us hear here your "Stride la vampa" - we all are very curious.

[CatalinaDM56]

She is frightening. Woah.

[TheWisemonkey8]

How evocative if one was a weak minded person it might make one swoon with fearlol.

Kind regards,

[mauronastagi]

two classics in one! Il Trovatore and The Exorcist

[liEder89]

@mauronastagi sei un genio!!ahahahah

[chepurociel620]

Callas said once that Azucena is great part for that singers who sing, not yell. Unfortunately Zajick belongs to this second group. In spite of it she's got very interesting voice. Maybe I just don't like her interpretation.

[musedirec]

great natural voice, lousy wobbles, no vowels. she needs help. listen to giada amparan to hear a young great one on the way up. zajick will not be able to continue into the future singing on nature alone. we will lose this precious resource. the way we lost tebaldi after gioconda

[PapagenoHannover]

Dear muse, I really would like to hear your performance of Azucena. And then we will discuss.

[ChuckNYC71]

BRAVA! got to see her singing this twice... you have to be there to understand the intensity of this woman's voice.. and by the way.. it's a big voice.

[gypsycafe]

She is quite young in this clip isn't she? I wish I could hear her in this role now (she is singing in the new McVicar production at the Met).

[charlie8943]

will be seeing her in Trovatore in March i can hardly wait

[operaf209]

Very hard to understand the Italian.. and too wobbly!

[geegeedolls]

yes!

[klmnumbers]

Her Italian needs a bit of work as she tends to drop a few vowels, but the clarity of voice is quite nice.

I'm not a fan of her short trills as they seem to sit weirdly high, but her extended trills on "ciel" are quite good, I just wish her open "e" was more open.

When she opens up though, the tone is lovely.

[Azucena1510]

italian is not so easy

[klmnumbers]

I never said it was. =)

[jesper2610]

:-) Missing Harpo Marx in the scene.

[mm9913]

my goodness very funny remarks, viva Zajick!

[operaclassicc]

sorry but i dont like

[oneradical]

I couldn`t agree with you more,,,I don't know much about Opera, I just know what I like (which can be a dangerous thing hehehe), but for me, the best Azucena so far is Viorica Cortez

[viverito]

I saw her as Adalgisa in Norma at the Met a few months back and she was the best thing in the opera simply amazing. She sounds better than ever. She really managed to thin the voice out and do all the agilities I was amazed. I really didn't think she could sing Adalgisa but she did. WOW

[141407078989]

I don't understand when she trills and when is vibratto what she does, it seems to be both all the freaking time

[cek1111]

Because she sings like an old woman

[foropera]

Constant wobble on a strong voice is a bit a pity. I know she is the best, but how are the others nowadays?

[tacos30]

have you ever seen the actual sheet music for this aria??? That is not a constant wobble, those are trills...Do you even know what a trill is?

[foropera]

lol! I don't speak about the "written " trills, I have other singers in mind who can make a difference between vibrato and trills.

[jetsetjordan]

It's really not a great example of her singing. I think the wobble is caused by the poor recording quality mostly. I heard her Amneris just a months ago and it was amazing.

[AmatureComposer]

I heard her Amneris a couple of weeks ago. She is unsurpassed in that role. In the aspects of range, dynamics and drama which, Amneris demands, she is great. However, Azucena requires also Bel-Canto sufficiency - focused tone which enables the singer to perform runs and trills etc. The same goes for Obraztsova, although I still prefer Zajick to her - She has a prettier sound and more ease on top. Cossotto was the only mezzo who possessed (at least until the late 70's) all these abilities.

[cenodus]

ABSOLUTELY!

[operawiz]

I saw her in this role in San Francisco!! She stole the show!~

[JessBisme]

wow ... all the gypsies match and are sitting still. that's so realistic.

[Caskader]

and they sing instead of talking, oh dear...

[joanabanyeres]

Superbe as usual Dolora.I have heard many times in the Lyceo in Barcelona. Your Amneris is memorable.

[AmatureComposer]

This is certainly not Zajick's best rendition.

The voice is strong as always, but the trills are awful.