Marilyn Horne - Dove Sei, amato bene? "Rodelinda"

[roolion100]

Everybodys right. Can't bear prissie opera luvvies. Of course MM is formidable, however, this is by no means her best performance and she is not at the top of the arch in her voice, trust me I heard it many times live. She might of considered singing repotoire at this point which consisted of less chest notes and lessening the tightness in her mask sounds. She's still a cracker.

[tkgsingsct]

@roolion100 I like this comment, because everyone *is* right. All music and its appreciation is subjective experience. Personally, I prefer countertenor interpretations of this role/aria, but being a countertenor myself, I'm probably biased. :)

[tkgsingsct]

As a countertenor learning this aria, I decided to listen to the incomparable Ms. Horne's interpretation. The tempo does seem a tad slow, but the timbre is probably very similar to Senesino's (castrato), the original singer. Horne's critics have often remarked about the "beefiness" of her sound and its practically masculine quality. I imagine this could be very similar to the castrato timbre. Today's countertenor singing is an approximation, but I tend to prefer it, except for Ms. Horne's.

[tkgsingsct]

@tkgsingsct - and really, her baroque ornamentation is excellent, actually probably somewhat conservative in regard to historic accuracy. I dislike both Spanos' and Jarousskyi's interpretations, too...effeminate for me; Bertarido is a powerful, masculine role. I much prefer David Daniels and Andreas Scholl (two very different interpretations) for this role.

[baritonebynight]

@tkgsingsct She sings it very slowly because she CAN.

[tkgsingsct]

@baritonebynight hmmm...I'm not sure that's admirable, if true. I prefer to believe that the tempo reflects her (and the conductor's) interpretation and expression. I'd prefer not to assign the tempo choice to the status of a stunt or pedagogic demonstration. If a singer is just creating sound effects, I couldn't be less interested. If s/he is singing with artistic expression in order to communicate meaning and emotion, I'm there. I think that's what Ms. Horne's intention is with this recording.

[baritonebynight]

@tkgsingsct I should have been more clear. The score that I have is marked largo. Most singers do not sing it largo because they have trouble completing the long phrases at the slow tempo. Ms Horne wishes are to respect the text and the composer, not to simply show off. Not her style at all, she's one of the most intelligent singers/teachers in the biz, IMHO.

[tkgsingsct]

@baritonebynight Good point. When you consider that the aria was written originally for the castrato Senesino, it's not surprising that modern singers have difficulty following Handel's instructions precisely. Castrati tended to have large thoracic cavities because their bones (ribs) never got the signal from puberty to stop growing. By all contemporary accounts, the finest among them (like Senesino) were capable of remarkably extended phrasing, among other remarkable vocal calisthenics.

[tkgsingsct]

@baritonebynight Castrati (the most accomplished, anyway) also spent years, sometimes decades, from very young ages, in extensive training barely comprehensible by today's standards.

[baritonebynight]

@tkgsingsct Yes I know, although I'm glad we have discontined the practice!

[Tenortalker]

A very great Handelian singer indeed. Some of the Handel singers who have excessively restricted their vibrato have actually damaged their voices through constricted muscles and tension! Not to mention reducing the palette of vocal colours. Yet we read that 18th century voices were free from constriction. Vibrato- less became an obsession of some during the Baroque revival of the 60's and 70's - it is actually an old fashioned approach now and we are returning to a balanced healthier approach.

[KeptUnderLockAndKey]

Nobody can sing Carmen like Marilyn

[alflig1]

semplicemente sublime! un piacere assoluto e contemporaneamente una lezione di grande Belicanto. non lo sapremo mai con certezza, ma è forse proprio così che cantavano i grandi cantanti dell'epoca, in particola modo i castrati. ci sono ancora in giro cantanti capaci di queste Messe di Voce? temo di no...

la Horne è impagabile!

[tamerlano236]

Nice. Great aria. The best version on YT is Nicholas Spanos's.

[tamerlano]

@tamerlano236 Your NIcholas Spano worship is really getting annoying. Give it a rest.

[Sandraud]

@tamerlano At least someone who agrees with me. I think it's his mother or himself... :)

[emilytransex]

DOVE...RESPIRO...SEI CON TRILLO...KE ATTACCO ORRIBILE!!!!!!!!

[tamerlano]

@emilytransex Well, Madame Tranny, perhaps you should post your singing of this aria. Who cares if she takes a breath? I fail to see how it hurts the music all that much.

[djhooten]

She is a great artist, but could she take this any SLOWER??? aaargh!

[Darrigrande]

La mejor intérprete de "castrati" del siglo XX!!

[ALEXISVASSILIEV]

Bravissima! Dio mio, she is the better castrat of our time! AV

[flaze3]

She looks old here. No surprise her voice sounds different.

[lorchis1]

I will never understand why marilyn horne has so many admirers. she sing always with that hollow voice, "nella gola", which is so characteristic of some american singers -especially men-, that devoids anything of emotion and beauty. scholl does much better, in spite of being a man

[mrrk]

Scholl better than Horne? I don't think so.

[matimomi]

heartbreaking.

[lmspr]

I love this aria. It is always wonderful to hear Marilyn Horne singing Handel . Her most gorgeous version of Dove sei is a 1967 recording under conductor Henry Lewis. Her tone and her trills in that recording are to die for. Unfortunately, that version is not posted in YouTube. But thanks a lot for posting this one.

[mua06dt]

i have 'got my ass up there and sung it'. And yes but this was premiered when Sensino was with Handel in 1725. Of course no-one can say that there was nobody singing like that, but the fact still remains that i like it was it was originally written and intended to be performed, and that's that

[Operaman41]

I really do like Mr. Scholl and he does a really great job!

But you can NOT compair a man to a woman @ different things also Ms. Horne does some things I like and Mr. Scholl does some things that I like.

NOw for those that does not like Marilyn, Get YOUR ass up there and sing it! Otherwise Shut UP!!

[benjaminvox]

Absolutely brilliant and inspiring, as always. Hearing Ms. Horne's rendition of this aria was what inspired me to record it in the first place. Bravissima.

[lojundolo]

Ok, in 1990 Mrs.Horne was near 60 aged; at 40-45 most of castratos ended their career and retired from scenes. Mr Scholl is a good singer, and he is the son of a more modern way of conceive baroque music; but in XVIII century male sopranos were not falsetto singers, but true emasculated since their childness. They sang like a woman on higher register, and like a child in lower notes.(hear Moreschi's recording)

[Heraopera]

.... I hate persons who think that this bullshit singing voix blanches singers have the real idea about baroque music... this is not true!

Think that Scholl dont sing: he only mark the headphonenotes for people who do nothing know about physical training of every singer for every music & the need for this!

Castrati have been sporty/ handsome voiceusers! You have to read books about history of church & music & then you will understand what LAHORNE did & what this music do need!

[13orthanc13]

i hate to say this,,she is like an old parlor organ whit the vibrato stop stuck...listen to ANDREAS SCHOLL sing this..THAT is a master...this is not a bel canto aria..this is BAROQUE...

[mua06dt]

i agree, this is not a patch on andreas scholl, besides it's written for a male voice anyway without some of the unnecessary warbling, 4.45-4.55 is a prime example for me

[baritonebynight]

The "Unnecessary warbling" or "parlor organ" comments tell me that these posters are uninformed. The vibrato is idiomatic and is produced when a well trained voice is well supported. Few singers are as well respected or accomplished as Ms Horne. In her prime there was nothing that she could not sing, and she still has plenty of voice left at 74. Not appreciating her timbre is one thing, not respecting her technique is ignorance. Baroque singing IS Bel Canto. Same technique is required.

[philomelodia]

Hate to tell you this but Baroque singing is a form of Bel Canto singing. Bel Canto means "beautiful singing". What Rosini and his contemporaries were doing was writing and singing in a long-standing tradition that went back to the 17th century, through the entire 18th century (this includes Handel's music) and then ended in the late 19th century with the advent of verismo operas such as the works of Verdi and Puccini. Horne is actually known for her Handelian singing.

[mua06dt]

well without wanted to get slated for my opinion, it is written for a male voice (sensino originally) and i enjoy the purity of that sound much more than this version which I consider to have a fair amount of unnecessary vibrato and overelaborate decoration

[philomelodia]

I'd like to hear it by a male but a full voiced one n this range. I don't htink Oberlin or Nascimento recorded it. I'm not as fond of alto-ranged falsetists as I am of sopranos like Christofelis or Raunig. I don't object to her vibrato. She never claimed to be a period performer, just an outstanding belcanto singer and vibrato such as she uses came into fashio in the late 18th century during the last years of Mozart if memory serves.

[mua06dt]

yeah she is an outstanding singer. But as you say this technique started to be widely used in the late 18th century. This opera was written more than half a century earlier

[philomelodia]

I'll bet that several techniques were in use during Handel's time. For instance, there was the Naples school, the Roman School, the Venice School, ETC. Who can say that someone wasn't singing like that at all in the 1720's or 1730's. this period had to be something of a transitionary period because, in the 1740's, after Senesino left Handel and returned to Italy, his singing was dubbed old-fashioned.

[baritonebynight]

Nobody known what a true Handelian singer sounded like. The "period singing" without vibrato has become fashionable but is also controversial as there are some vox humana stops on very old organs made in this time period that add vibrato to the sound..so its truly open for debate as to what the actual sound was. I am from the school of thought that one should sing with good technique...which produces a vibrato that is idiomatic.

[TheRealAngelHeart]

I agree totally with your comments. When I sing "naturally", in the mask, I produce vibrato, have a bigger range and a far better control of dynamics and embellishments, not to mention more expression and warmth. I know how to suppress vibrato, but I do not see the benefits!

[AlejandraDark]

brava! 5/5

[agnellodei]

AMAZING, she is just extraordinary.

[marchesano]

Beautiful line, and note that she is 56 in this performance.

[Fadoboy]

AMAZING!!!I Love Marilyn Horne!!!Her voice and inrtpretation is wonderfull!!!Johnny Popiel

[Cledezma]

Amazing! Love Marilyn Horne!!! :) Thanks for the video!