Shirley Verrett as Orfeo "Che faro senza Euridice"

[GA4N]

Sorry , but this women is too happy to sing .... like many of the black singers . In this music , you have to be incredibly sad and frustrated to give the right sense .

[GA4N]

This is very nice and deep, but Ferrier belongs just to an another world .....

[eamb98Assomada]

perfection

[erizabeta]

just wonderful

[OLIVCHEN77]

She sounds so wonderful...a great artist...one of the best....

[NatashaBekkerMusic]

She does this aria so beautifully =D

[susannahmcdnld]

I haven't heard her glorious voice for years - used to have a recording of this with Anna Moffo. Superb singing.

[mariasarda]

Hommage à la grande Verrett récemment disparue.

[revbores]

I adore Kathleen Ferrier and love her performance this piece ( the first version I ever heard) but that does not prevent me appreciating the sheer beauty of this performance. Rather than compare, I am in awe of life, that it provides us with so much beauty to enjoy

[helgeevju]

As close to an ideal performance as one can expect to get, so great in its fundamental simplicity!

[johncliffe39]

It restores your faith in humanity to listen to this classic piece of opera.

[sblackmun]

This performance is perfect!

[juanmlleras]

@sblackmun Yes. She is beautiful, elegant, precise and with the most wonderful voice you could ever listen. This is indeed perfect.

[LondonLite02]

Gorgeous, deeply emotional- and I love that costume! Resta in pace, Shirley.

[michael72401]

Countertenors are crap and infeminate. Castrati are not natural. Why must someone cut their balls off in order to sing? The result was the power of a man but with a womens voice , minus the emotion and warmth

[michael72401]

Countertenors are crap and infeminate. Castrati are not natural. Why must someone cut their balls off in order to sing? The result was the power of a man but with a womens voice

[michael72401]

Countertenors are crap and infeminate

[juanmlleras]

@michael72401 I don't know why you persist on your comment in a performance by Shirley Verrett. Yes, a woman of great class and superb voice.. Please stop bothering us with your obsession.

[michael72401]

@juanmlleras My wife, who is a proff' opera singer and myself will be performing this piece in a large concert in a few months time,,,, i will think of you when we perform it

ta ta

[mayapapaya89]

All you folks who think that only countertenors should sing pants roles are fooling yourselves. Castrato voices did not have the same quality as countertenor voices. Its anyone's guess as to whether mezzos or countertenors sound more like castrati.

Besides, often at an opera house you are not sitting close enough to see the feminine features of a face.

[profesorsergio]

So amazing!. Thank you. Favourite. Cheers!, Sergio.

[721664836]

great!!! BRAVO!!!

[random331]

Technically superb, a fine "performance" but not really heart wrenching.

[Nhgube]

@random331 

[rossignol628]

Absolutely beautiful performance. Her acting is superb - she is crying through the singing. I have listened to them all, and I like this the best. I saw her in Carmen many years ago at Covent Garden. I had forgotten how good she was.

[merlinfan1006]

q pvoz para mas bellaaaaaaaaaa

[f1a6b3]

A high quality performance, as it is always the rule with Verret (with exception of her small time misadjustment with the orchestra at 2:02). One of the most underrated sopranos(and mezzos) of the last 50 years. Her Lady Macbeth, one of the best of all times, is in some places put at the same level with that of Nilsson, that is a sh...

[fajamaqui]

@f1a6b3 The song of Verrett is an authentic wonder. Verrett underrated? I think yes, because she lacked marketing; history will do justice to her. One of most important, intelligent and innovating singers of XX the century

[giorgioot]

ho una grande stima per la sig.ra Verrett......ma ad onor del vero sta cantando tutto un quarto di tono sotto!!!!!!:-((((

[gullyna]

@giorgioot Io non sento nessun quarto di tono sotto.

[tachuman]

absolutely magnificent!!

[OlDoinyo]

Excellent singing--some nice subtle touches such as the soft note at 0:40, though the tempo at the end is a bit slow for my taste.

I had the privilege of meeting her once--a very nice lady.

[mariasarda]

Cantatrice à la voix superlative.

[preruminator]

Her singing is full of life and stamina, full of empathy and understanding. What an artist!

Thanks for posting.

[karronheitmann]

Amazing! Thanks for posting this!

[31122051]

Grandissima cantante.

[lovesGenet]

Iprefer thi saria with women.Countertenors too does sound write with male tenor voice -tp me.I like the dotted eight notes she sings for variety in beginning more singers should do this!

[willthebest1]

I love this-and I cannot stop watching it--subtlety speaking --I really appreciate the Moors of Spain and their outstanding contribution to music--BEAUTIFUL --INDEED

[willthebest1]

beautiful

[willthebest1]

absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!!!!

[AlfredoKraus]

Sin ser la voz más apropiada ni poseer el estilo adecuado según criterios filológicos, su intención y, sobre todo, el color tan redondo de la voz, consiguen que esta interpretación sea muy disfrutable.

[handsomechuck1]

Having listened to this sung by tenors and baritones (look up Pavarotti and Hvorostovsky), I have to say this way is best.

[fernandobicudo]

PERFECT!!!!!!!

[elisabete523]

Excellent voice, excellent singer!

[carveido]

good rendition but i prefer it in french.

[PSYQUE23]

Bellísimo, casi lloro. Los gestos de su cara denotan que está metida en el personaje... Ella lo está viviendo. Ella es Orfeo que acaba de perder a Euridice quien vuelve al averno junto a Hades.

[Nullifidian]

It's amazing that even in a tinny, monophonic BBC broadcast her voice can shine so brilliantly. It must have been the experience of a lifetime to have heard her in person.

[VMagirusL]

The best Orfeo, I'v ever heard!

[NoteValue667]

bellissima!!!!!

[DivaDeb1234]

Beautiful

[mstuartg]

The voice that launched a thousand tears. Magnificent.

[00ceroalaizquierda00]

Precioso ^^

thanks!!

[johncliffe39]

you can't fault this performance can you, so emotional, it restores your faith in the human race to listen to this recording.

[juanmlleras]

This is a master class in style and impecable singing. Mrs. Verrett is and will be for ever a shining opera superstar.

[mradaChris]

This is one of the best versions I have heard here on YT.

[phirze]

quelle merveilleuse artiste !

[jububu33]

me gusta mucho el sentimiento con que la canta y su voz la encuentro bellísima

[caroconte]

This is PRECISELY what Gluck wanted in the performance of hi music: Italian Passion, French steadiness and refinement, and German precision, which is ultimately his compositional ideal. This is one of the most marvelous interpretations I've ever heard. Those who criticize this performance are wrong, plain wrong.

[serenaluce]

@caroconte Her singing itself is beautiful and of very high quality. But it can't be PRECISELY what Gluck wanted in this opera! He composed it for a CASTRATO VOICE which is a MAN, not a woman! Don't you think that this weird fashion has lingered too long! Castrati roles nowadays should be left to COUNTERTENORS who are MEN! Come on, especially this very role can't be sung by a WOMAN! Remeber the myth. NO woman how amazing vocally and acting she could be just CAN'T show what ORFEO,MALE SINGING is!

[OlDoinyo]

@serenaluce I'm not taking sides in the alto-vs-contralto debate here; but if you enjoy countertenor renditions, you might enjoy Erik Kurmangaliev's version; and I wonder if Russell Oberlin ever sang this. That could be extraordinary, though I have no evidence it ever happened.

[serenaluce]

@OlDoinyo OK, you don't take any sides, but I'm taking the countertenors side as my position is like that: women should only sing women's parts, and men - men's. There should be logic in opera too. In movies women don't play men even if some of them in disguise can look approximately LIKE men but will never be... Why still in opera this weird comedy when there enough CTs for men's roles?Thank you. I enjoy Kurmangaliev's version! The best one so far is Kowalski's. But Spanos is the best Orfeo!!!

[amneris78]

Thank you,thank you! It`s just a miracle!

[Arashi110]

Gorgeous singing but the choreography... That's the case where I prefer more lively modern stagings.

[scatterbrainedfloozy]

this is fantastic, thank you.

i never realized how queer this practice is: women who are very unconvincingly dressed up as men singing beautiful lovesongs to women.

love it.

[josenomelocreo]

back in those days castrati sang Orfeo´s and other masculine roles. Since castrating guys is now out of fashion women have taken over. Verret is excellent, I rather go for Ms Kathleen Ferrier though. And I agree with simmo303. Most moving ever. Tears included. (I am heterosexual, just in case)

[tamarahisk]

I absolutely agree with you - Kathleen Feerier is pure perfection: her voise is without a flaw. And the depth of her performance is amazing - not a single empty note! Even her pauses are loaded with meaning.

And I'm glad Castrates is out of fashion nowdays! For their sakes and for ours!

[juanmlleras]

@tamarahisk This is not Kathleen Ferrier. She is Shirley Verrett. And yes she is pure perfection.

[tamarahisk]

@juanmlleras

Yes, I know who she is - Sherely Verrett. She is a very good singer and I love her performance but if you hear Kathleen Ferrier you would understand the difference.

[queenslanddiva]

@scatterbrainedfloozy LOL at your comments, the opera world is very strange, but oh - the music!!

[nessie96]

Lovely pacing and phrasing...love Shirley Verrett.

[lahlahdivina]

Thanks, This is beautiful!

[cantanteporsiempre]

mezzo yes!! beautiful redention.

[mm9913]

Orfeo is actually a contralto role sung today by mezzos, Verrett of course is one of the few capable of the triple crown. In any vocal role she is exquisite.

[simmo303]

This is good, very good indeed but for the definitive rendition, listen to Kathleen Ferrier and weep.

[sjld8405]

I agree, Janet is more expressive, but I love Shirley's voice! Rich, full, and not hooty!

[baishufei]

her timing is peculiar... I prefer Janet Baker's.

[Tonacity]

wow.. thank you so much for posting this!!!

[mgraulau]

the majestic beauty i'm certain gluck had in mind. thank you.

[aranjuez1]

Just Excellent!