Gwyneth Jones - Il Trovatore - act IV aria - 1964

[RVP57]

Gorgeous singing from a gorgeous lady. I had the pleasure of singing with her in that Macbeth mentioned by my good friend metropolitan 1966 when I was a chorister at San Francisco. I remember her awesome Elektra and Brunhilde there also. She was a lovely and gracious woman both onstage and offstage, a true Dame Commander of the British Empire. Brava!

[metropolitan1966]

Fantastic! Simply, divine is the rendition of the aria and on par with Leontyne and Callas. Dame Gwyneth is one of my all time favorites. Here she is fresh voiced and in fine estate. Even when I heard her in San Francisco as Lady Macbeth in the mid nineties, she was still awesome wobble and all. The largest voice I have ever heard!

[shaun20483]

Wonderfrul!

[Arwen328]

Does anyone pay attention on the part between 4.08-4.22? Those thirteen seconds are so typical "verdicaly", and they are point of whole aria.

[minirausch]

i love dame gwyneth dearly, early and late -- i can certainly get past the wobble and the scooping for such an exciting performer -- but this is evidence she really could have been one of the best verdi singers of her generation. i think she was, actually, even if she's not generally acknowledged as such...

[CharlotteinWeimar]

She was only 27 in this new Covent Garden production & her singing seemed faultless. It wasn't long after Sutherland's Lucia so the belcanto - trills and all - had to be first rate. But too soon they cast her as Senta & the wobble crept in. She was still a terrific singer but I wish she had put off singing Wagner for ten years!

[viverito]

one of the most fabulous soprano instruments ever

[kgarmaker123]

She is very good early in her career, before making a big sound became more important than making a good sound.. This was lovely. The only thing I object to in her later singing is the scooping. The tone is gorgeous

[TommyHaegin]

Yes, here she sounds really, really great. If you wouldn't know you would go like: Waoo!! Who is she?? Quite stunning! Thanks for sharing this video.

[kgarmaker123]

Who is the tenor.? He is good.

[corellithebest]

The tenor is Bruno Prevedi, an Italian tenor (1928-1988). He is in fact little known, and, in my opinion, quite underestimated. His only commrecial recordings are 1965 Nabucco (with Gobbi and Souliotis - I have that one), I think Macbeth with Nilsson, and Medea with Gwyneth Jones - this soprano on the clip). But he sang a lot in live performances - this Manrico, then Riccardo in Ballo with Price, then Cavaradossi, then Radames, then Pinkerton and Alfredo with Virginia Zeani (Romanian soprano)

[corellithebest]

(comment continued)

There are other clips from this performance here where you can hear Prevedi's singing even more.

And I forgot, there is a recorded live performance on CD of his Pollione with Leyla Gencer and Fiorenza Cossotto. I heard excerpts of ths here on youtube and both he and Gencer are excellent in the In mia man duet.

[CraigFrancisSoto]

Che bella voce.Another fine voice in a long line of wonderful singers from Wales.I'd forgotten just how good she was.Later in her career she developed quite a wobble.But this rendition is just superb.Mille grazie for posting it.

[rrgallo]

Fantastic singing...so nuanced. Great Leonora...Maybe she should have sung more verdi and less wagner/strauss. An the production is so wonderfully classical/conventional.....

[corellithebest]

I couldn't agree more with you. It's a pity that she turned to sing so much Wagner. She is actually AWESOME here as Leonora, both singing and acting. This is a performance with highly artistic singing and acting from a wonderful cast (Jones, Prevedi, Simionato, Glossop) and nice conventional and convincing production, costumes and scenery.

[moghedien13]

Stunning and so well acted!! Even in later years when her voice is like a banshee at times she never ceases to move me.

[Shiral14]

Wow! Good work, Gwyneth! Who knew a great Elektra could also be a great Leonora? Beautifully, and movingly sung.

[drdre333]

It's very interesting to hear her so young and freshly voiced... She sings with tears in the voice here - very movingly done, all the way through the "Miserere." And listen to those great trills! I didn't know she had it in her!

A very impressive account of this aria. Many thanks coloraturafan!

[63Attila]

I remember Jones when she first started. A positive impact like here. Became so inconsistent what a pity.

[olgamarga]

My favorite aria from Trovatore,and beautiful

perform,thanks coloratura.

[rawdonqueen]

Incredible| I am listening to the greatest dramatic soprano since Flagstad singing this part in her 20s and I am shaking.

[BeauTenor]

Oh WOW. I don't know where you got this, but it's AMAZING. My favorite singer of all time at the very height of her powers, when her voice was still fresh. Such an UNBELIEVABLE voice. Thank You for this.