IL PIRATA - Edita GRUBEROVA - Sept 2008

[lukaserik]

She is still one of the best. Very few if any sopranos can sing high notes like this Diva!!!! BRAVA

[Alexmeister25]

Sie hat jetzt 64 jahren alt und die frau bist toll für 64 jahren und hat vielle junge fraun sengarinen bist schlecht aber Edita Gruberova hat junge stimme und ein fantastich tecnika immer.

[ddnnvv11]

ça fait vraiment peur...

[DiegoMartinazzoli]

Fantastica... Sola e unica!! Grandeeeeeeeeeee

[john5748]

Faux pas, I'm afraid!

But knowing she can do MUCH better than this, I forgive her.

[rosaponselle2009]

She  is mad...but seriously...

[levieuxpiano]

Ayant vu Mme Gruberova -sublime- pour la 1ère fois il y a 25 ans, je lui sais gré d'être encore debout, dans ces rôles là, avec même sa voix inappropriée et les limites de l'âge. BRAVA !!

[ferrykalos]

Mio Dio! Davvero inascoltabile! E' tutto sbagliato!

[hugothebear]

I think it is almost a tradition in the Opera world for the greatest singers to be allowed some horrendous mistakes... The lovely Edita sang so much so very beautifully I think we have to accept this as an interesting oddity in her illustrious career... it certainly keeps the listener on the edge of the seat wondering what she will do next as the aria progresses :-)

[gencerito]

it´s IL PIRATA OF RICHARD STRAUSS....JAJAAAJA

[opera75frfr]

On est presque gêné. Quant on sait ce qu'a été Gruberova... Depuis quelques années ses Bellini et ses reines donizetiennes sont...grotesques. Certes la les aigus sont spectaculaires, mais les ornements, les hululements, les portamenti caricaturaux... C'est horrible. Elles est bientôt à Paris: dans un programme de bel canto. je me garderai bien d'aller gâcher mes souvenirs

[GoldenAgeSunshine]

Enfin quelqu'un qui ose dire la vérité. Immense artiste, mais sa vocalité ne convient pas du tout aux Reines qu'elle s'acharne à vouloir défendre! Et trop de faiblesses deviennent gênantes, insupportables. Quel dommage. Il faut savoir s'arrêter et/ou changer de répertoire. Merci à vous.

[BEVER29]

@GoldenAgeSunshine Mais de quelle "vérité" parlez vous à la fin?! "Basta cosi" avec la rengaine de la vocalité ici déplacée de la dame. La "richesse" de cet univers musical (le chant romantique italien) c'est la diversité d'approches qu'il inspire. Gruberova se charge de nous rappeler que cette musique a sa part de vulgarité et d'histrionisme: "La tripaille à l'air"! . En l'occurrence l'idiomatisme gagne du sens dans sa transcendance. Pourquoi renfermer ce répertoire par nature ouvert?

[superbafun]

Es obvio que no tuvo su mejor día...creo que puede hacerlo mucho mejor...pero esto es horrible...

[distefano13069609]

her acting sucks just close your eyes.........

[DonAlfonso63]

I love Edita Gruberova, but I really don't like this interpretation, It doesn't sound good at all, What a pity !

[Elisabetta611]

Good grief!!! I know that Callas may never be matched in this....but Gruberova sounds atrocious here!! A collection of tasteless, shabby tricks. YUCK!

[spartan300buff]

You dumb ugly fuck, Catharina. Callas was washed up by 40.

[Elisabetta611]

Well, at least we both like "300" if nothing else.^^

[gestas60323]

omg, this is ATROCIOUS !

She will end up as the successor to Florence Foster Jenkins !!!!

[1baghi]

Ho avuto la fortuna di ascoltarla dal vivo ed e' ancor piu' spettacolare che da video!!! Nonostante la sua eta' la sua voce e' intatta e di gran lunga migliore di moltissime altre cantanti! E' una vergogna che in Italia non le venga concesso lo spazio che si merita solo perche' politicamente bisogna lasciare il territorio ad una Devia, che sinceramente e' tecnicamente brava, ma priva di sentimento!!!!

[geduld0]

Ok. she is bad here... in fact, as far as i know, she has never been good at this aria. However, today, 22-06-09, i've just listened to her sing some lieder and arias and she has been gorgeous, exceptional. Strauss, Mozart and almost all italian belcanto roles suit her pretty well. Il Pirata is an exception ;) and in this concert in Bratislava her voice was not as good in shape as it has been today.

[matteobs86]

E' tremenda..come si può applaudire sta roba?????????

[PieroXtutti]

un gatto selvatico! però mi piace?! =)

[vandenwer]

She is great, whatever she sings¡¡¡

as simple as that¡¡¡

A lot of sopranos would love to have her voice¡¡¡

Actually , she sings this pirata better even than Callas.

[liebestod11]

Sorry everyone but is she drunken?

[Lohengrin]

omg the legendary Edita Gruberova has gone crazy? this is dreadful... this woman is going to destroy in her last years the legend she created...

[Johnabraytis]

In Ms. Gruerova's DVD performance of "I Puritani," I was overwhelmed by her magnificent performance, but especially by her magnificent acting. She is one of the Immortals.

[jaxonbaby]

One clear answer: Gruberova is born with a very high voice. The voice begins to ring beginning F/G (Fa/Sol).She knows that and has had hard years because of her middle register! Plus she has an emotional defficiancy! She cannot FEEL the music. Her roles at best were Königin, Zerbinetta, Olympia, and the mad-scene of Lucia.She is a Jukebox and an alive machine! One is surprised, but never gets the chills... And this Aria is a BIG mistake...!

[meganailsa]

For a perfect performance watch Montserat Caballe's performance in her Paris concert - now that's something !!

[pearlmuth3]

Yeah--- 1986 and her voice shot up to the balcony like a big bell on those high notes and they sounded bigger to me then Joan S. who I heard in the house in that role also in the Balcony. At the end of the sextet her voice rose also to a clear bell like top with plenty of heft. Shicoff was terrific also.

[pearlmuth3]

She was in her prime WONDERFUL. I heard several Lucia's she did with Shicoff in 1986 and she brought the big Chicago house down with him. For her age here and being a coloratura she is great. She may not have been a great actress or terribly emotional but her voice was fantastic, especially the top and when in the sextet she sent that last note to the balcony as Lucia it was like a big bell and I did not care if she gave it a small scoop up or not cause it was done with taste. BRAVA!

[operadude32]

I was at that performance  also! What a night, my 1st live Gruberova performance! I was in the balcony too!

[Birgitt20]

Edita Gruberova's technique is great. Now that she is 62 yeas old (!!!) she always is amazing for what she can do with her voice, but she have pitch problems and in italian operas many problems with italian style. Listen to her Adele aria from this concert : she is perfect. In Il pirata she is not good, because she doesn't know the right italian style to sing repertoire. And of course Il pirata is a bit too low for her, she's not a dramatic soprano, but a gret coloratura, even nowadays.

[robertleicester]

I also think that Edita Gruberova, who has several Bellini-scores in her mind, singing for more than 40 years and worked with the greatest conductors like Karl Böhm,Carlos Kleiber,Giuseppe Patane,Zubin Mehta,Viotti and many more,knows for sure much more "what Bellini intend" than a "fan" of two other old divas, which are behind their prime.The great critique John B.Steane praised Gruberovas Norma in the magazin GRAMOPHONE: Of course he-critique for 50 years-also know nothing about singing..:-)

[robertleicester]

I don't think that the microphones do her justice in this clip,but I must say her Beatrice in Dresden 2007 was DIVINE, with perfect high e-flats.I also attend the Lucrezia in Barcelona this year:The public in Bracelona is very pretentious, but they gave her a 40(!) min-standing ovation.Of course they don't know anything about the art of singing there (having Kraus,Caballe and Sutherland there in the last decades):-), please "italienoperafan",are you a musician and could you even read notes?

[italianoperafan]

Yes I know the Anderson, Devia etc.. fans are stupid and ignorant and I am part of them! I do not intend to change your mind (why should I?) and you certainly wont change mine. And yes I can read partitions I have been 3 times to Catania to read all Bellinis original scores.Good luck to you and Edita!

[italianoperafan]

At least you go out and move to listen to your "idol"! One good point for you, although you sound quite aggressive. Ive also been travelling all over the world to attend specific opera performances as can be noticed on my channel (no interest to you: no Gruberova there :) ). There is unfortunately a trend to post things or comment without ever having attended a single live performance!

[Orfeus80]

Niel, Niel, Niel. Still struggling to persuade everyone to adore Grubi :-). Shame on you for not still not having commented on the brilliant Adele clip of this concert where Edita sings what she was born to sing. Her Imogene is surprisingly under control compared to Devereux, Beatrice, Norma etc. Is it because it's a tough cabaletta so she can't misbehave? Is it because it's her first time? (or isn' it?). As for Barcelona..they also went mad for Joan's and Montsi's final, awful performances..

[Orfeus80]

My mistake, you're not the Niel I thought you were. Apologies but the rest of the comment still counts.

[operaeater]

Beatrice? Have u heard the 1992 beatrice with gruberova? If u have not, I highly recommend it to you, you'd never say she has no control over this role!

[robertleicester]

Well,the "higher" Lucrezia suits her of course much more, as you can see on the youtube-video.The envy reactions below just confirm her qualities and unsurpassed position:I never meat a Gruberova-fan,who spoke in that way about Anderson or Devia, but I often recognize the contrary, total not objective, behaviour.I think this is just jealousy,because Grubi still sings in such wonderful way.That must some kind of psychological problem, which I can understand,if I listen to June Anderson nowadays

[Elisabetta611]

She should retire. ASAP.

[operaeater]

why retire?? elisabetta, you should go to the doctor! she still sounds wonderful and just because several pieces were not sung well she should retire?

[Elisabetta611]

Why retire? Because she is way past her prime and clips like this one make me sad. Just my opinion.

[boris1281]

This is really not good, I agree, she seems struggling with the phrases and her acting looks as a result ridiculous!

[gestas60323]

shw won´t, because she has now discovered "acting" with the help of euro trash director Ch.Loy.

Now she can scream like a banshee, and german audiences love lher - because theyhave no idea about bel canto!

[belcantoBR]

A collection of tasteless tricks.

[italianoperafan]

100% agreed, typical Gruberova and it is not improving at all: awful, dreadful... especially in Bellini!

[operaeater]

Well try to listen to her beatrice di tenda and capuletti, i puritani and then say something about her bad taste in bellini!!! I think this piece is not right for her voice, but don't be prejudicial.

[italianoperafan]

Capuletti : I attended the Covent Garden performances, just great thanks also to Agnès Baltsa. Great times for Gruberova, really a great singer then! Also attended Lucia, 1994, with Roberto Alagna in Zürich, already some problems (in 1994!) with her, but still great. Beatrice: you probably refer to the 1992 recording, I have it: studios recordings can do a lot but it this remains an awful sweetie and pitiful performance (try to listen to Sutherland, Anderson, Gasdia + others in that part).

[operaeater]

some problems in 1994? well I don't think so. What do u mean?? I don't even agree with ur comments about Beatrice. I've heard Sutherland, Anderson etc but none is close to Gruberova's musicality and virtuosity in this opera, I am sorry.

[italianoperafan]

Edita Gruberova has lost, for years, the notion of Bel Canto. She has forgotten for many, many years what Bellini and Donizetti wrote she is just playing, poorly, around it: the main proof is this clip! I do not understand her game! You are clever, you say it yourself this is not for her voice.. So why for years and years has she been singing parts that are not for her voice? Is that professional???

[operaeater]

I don't know, you can ask her, but as you can see, she still sings to sold-out theatres and people want to hear her. I think this might be the reason.

Lucia, Zerbinetta, Linda, Giulietta, Elvira, Amina, Beatrice X Anna, Maria Stuarda, Elisabetta, Norma...?

[Iareto]

Brava. I love Gruberova. What a VOICE!

[iosonmedea]

You do?

[iosonmedea]

What is this?

[gestas60323]

a vocal horror !

[viafilodrammatici]

A mess.

[coloraturafan]

What can I say, Gruberova is Gruberova, either you love her or you don't. I LOVE her! After all these years she is still in control of her resources, it is amazing. Thank you for posting.

[italianoperafan]

Resources? Which resources?

[coloraturafan]

Well without trying to debate personal taste, Gruberova has always had a lovely voice. She is able, and has always been able to generate thrilling vocal accomplishments. For my ears this performance displays a singer who's voice has aged well, and who can still produce beautiful music. Like I said, either you like her or you don't. There is no reason to trash this wonderful artist. If you don't like her, and you think she is "awful" don't waste your time listening to her.

[operaeater]

coloraturfan we can keen on repeating these sentences to everyone for years to no end ....

[italianoperafan]

What a disappointing answer from you ! No answer at all should I say regarding this awful performance (I certainly would never have posted this clip due to respect to Gruberova even if she is not, since the mid 1900s, my cup of teat!). You and I have certainly no time to waste. I just watch and listen everything that comes out about Bellini. Gruberova or not, that is all!

[italianoperafan]

By the way.. When is the last time you attended a Gruberovas performance live, on stage? When? Where?

[coloraturafan]

I am not sure why it matters if I have seen Gruberova recently live or not. I like what I like. You responded to my statement with a question. I was simply answering that question with my own personal opinion. It doesn't have to agree with your own taste, opera is subjective. I personally don't care for Fleming in belcanto, so I don't waste my time watching her videos (unless I am in need of a laugh). So I don't see why you want to waste your time with a singer you don't care for?

[coryisawake]

DAMN!

[operadude32]

Thank you SO much for posting these clips from the Bratislava concert.

Of course the microphones don't do her justice but it is SO wonderful to hear her. She amazes me!

Grazie, Xie-xie, spasiba, merci, danke, obrigado, gracias, malo, malo - thank you!

[albertogrilo]

Bravíssima...

[belcanto8]

Brava Edita!!!  Great performance.... :)