Cheryl Studer sings Isolde "Mild und leise wie er lächelt" - Liebestod

[NazTb0y]

A little overdone by my estimation. Waltraud Meier is more restrained.

[jmccracken1963]

So the story goes, Sir Georg Solti always wanted to record TRISTAN UND ISOLDE with Domingo as Tristan. Had he lived a little longer, he WOULD have done so, and Studer was to have sung Isolde. I think that she could have done well with this role IN THE RECORDING STUDIO and with Solti conducting; but she certainly does not have the stamina to sing the role over a long and taxing evening in the opera house. She is a good singer, but NOT for Isolde; neither was Margaret Price for Kleiber.

[shaun20483]

Apprently she was involved with a well-known German baritone whi encouraged her to sing bigger and the result was not so good- pity-she's a great talent!

[shaun20483]

Isn't this role too heavy for her? I never heard her in the flesh but the voice sounds as if it's overfed with breath> At 2001 she would have been 49-far too early to retire unless the voice sang the wrong fach.[Older, preserved voices are far more interesting: musically, vocally and intellectually-] _Just listen to the unhealthy,uncomfortable vibrato on the big climax @ 4:28. LOvely timbre though and intelligent singer-pity

[urgrad03]

I'm going to very respectfully disagree with you just a bit, Shaun... this WAS her fach. If she were more conservative with the voice, her problems would have been somewhat mediated. The vibrato is her's. It's what she brought to the table. Many a fabulous singer has a faster vibrato. BUT, I completely agree that she was a damn fine singer when it came to musicality. She was very well trained, but did rush to the stage. That's what I believe may have caused some issues. But who knows?

[martello79]

I agree with you this was not her Fach. Het voice was more suited for jugendlich-dramatisches repertoire, not hochdramatisch. She made a fabulous Chrysothemis, Elsa and Elisabeth!

In 2001 she already had suffered from quite some vocal problems but I doubt if those had anything to do with singing too dramatic roles. She did a lot of lyrical roles, like Traviata and Gilda which I believe was never really suited for her voice... Who knows what went wrong...

[VivaRenata]

An initial impression - someone who should not have tried to sing Isolde to begin with, perhaps a viable Elisabeth or Elsa. Yes, the role is too heavy for her! And you have rightly pointed out how very tired the voice is at 4.28

[vocede]

Cheryl Studer hätte nie dramatisch singen sollen, weil sie keine natürliche dramatische Stimmveranlagung hat und ihr die Atemleistung dafür auch fehlt. Ihre Stimme kann sich gegen ein so dick instrumentiertes Orchester, wie man deutlich hört, nicht durchsetzen. Sie könnte ihre Stimmqualität noch haben, wenn sie lyrischere Partien gesungen hätte. Als lyrische Sängerin war sie umwerfend gut. Z. B. Nina Stemme ist als Isolde eine ganz andere Dimension.

[NazTb0y]

@vocede Wie findest du Waltraud Meier? Sie ist meine lieblings, aber ich kenne was anders be Nina Stemma, und sie gefällt mir auch...

[vocede]

@NazTb0y Waltraud Meier finde ich sehr ausdrucksstark. Manche Vokale unterscheiden sich resonatorisch zu stark von anderen, was ich nicht so ideal finde, aber sie gehört ohne Zweifel an die Spitze.

[NazTb0y]

@vocede Ich habe eine Aufführung der Nina gehört. Sie spricht jedes Wort genau richtig aus, aber ihr fehlt der Waltraud Meier bezeichnende, dramatische Funke. Wenigstens nach meiner Meinung. Ehrlich gesagt, find ich, dass M nicht so gut jetzt als vorher ist. Kennst du ihre jüngere Aufführung in München? Man findet diesen Liebestod einfach in Youtube! Es ist mit Abstand besser als die späteren bei Bayreuth und La Scala. Aber was denkst du?

[urgrad03]

This doesn't sound like a dramatic soprano who's running low on career time. She sounds fabulous here! And mind you this is after some marathon singing.

[dolcefico]

As desperate as we were for a major bel canto soprano in the post Caballe/Sutherland period, hearing this I wish that Studer had stuck with her original fach and conserved the voice. This is quite strong, effective, and beautiful. Nice range and colouring--for what you can hear. Her Salome was amazing, too. She was pretty good at those Wagner/Strauss roles, and was perhaps the best Queen of the night of her time--but therein was the temptation to do Semiramide and Lucia....

[mrlammermoor]

@dolcefico she never sang Queen of the Night except in the studio.

[Scalatti]

@mrlammermoor Sorry, not true. Studer sang the QoN arias in concert back in the early to mid 80s but could've been in the late 80s. It was either in Dortmund or Bonn, can't remember exactly.

[dougbalt]

@dolcefico I think "desperate" is the wrong word. There have been many successors since Sutherland and Caballe, maybe just not to your taste or knowledge. To name a few: Edita Gruberova, June Anderson, Ruth Ann Swenson. June Anderson and Gruberova particularly sang the Queen of the Night very well and specifically have much more facility with coloratura and the high F's. Studer's diction in German is stronger, but her high F's are pinched, and her tempo is slow.

[Chrysothemis]

This is way better than I would have expected her to sound as late as 2001. Her early retirement is a tragedy indeed.

[melodiespecht]

What a horrible sound, is that a handy redording?

[rabengeraun]

Mein lieber Feund, "handy" heisst Mobile" auf englisch

[melodiespecht]

Danke für den Hinweis. Das macht den Ton nicht besser. Cheryl hat Besseres verdient.

[rabengeraun]

One of my favourite sopranos in the German repertoire; a voice that really pins one to one's seat with it's power and beauty. Her Salome on CD with Sinopoli is fantastic.

[nycolas1712]

Hi, Scalatti......Excellent.

[Michelcamby]

dieu s'quelle chante bien

[htshoward]

I never enjoyed Cherly so much back in her top days, but she sounds phenomenal here! Brava, Cheryl!