Agnes is my favorite mezzo soprano. She is brilliant, passionate, and has a great voice! I love the way she gets involved with the character she is playing and I deeply enjoyed her performance in Carmen and as Cherubino.
A tutti quelli che la criticano: sapete che esiste altro oltre alla voce in teatro? La presenza scenica, l'interpretazione del personaggio etc.. e qui sento una Eboli in procinto di una crisi di nervi: e' combattuta dal terrore e dall'ansia e nell'ultima parte dalla brama di salvare Carlo. Sentite quel " Gran Dio!!" l'invocazione d'una donna disperata com'è Eboli in quel momento. Vocalmente fa tante cose non sane però è il risultato che conta.
@Sorrentodellesirene LA VOCE e lo strumento che esprime e trasmette la lirica italiana!Senza LA VOCE la lirica è morta.DalLA VOCE si serve ogni artista lirico.
Non c'è nulla di 'sentire',questa è la voce del soprano corto.
Giusto,è il risultato finale che conta...è una interpretazione mediocre.
'Sentire' cosa?!?
VOCE poco adatta à questo repertorio.
A tutti quelli come lei voglio dire:
LA VOCE e uno strumento( Stradivari)e quello che conta in un teatro è LA SUA BELLEZZA ARTISTICA!
@bodiloto Se la lirica fosse solo VOCE che senso avrebbero i teatri?? Che senso avrebbe il recitare?? La presenza scenica,la VOCE, il SAVOIR-FAIRE, il calarsi nel personaggio.sono cio che completa un cantante.Un vocalista che fa da 10 tutto questo sarebbe perfetto, ma non siamo perfetti..bene alcuni cantanti brillano in qualcosa altri in differenti parti della TEATRALITA' e qui si sente il personaggio e la passione, molto SAVOIR-FAIRE (riesce in una parte a lei non congeniale)
@bodiloto ...la voce è quello che è: scende troppo nel petto, grida etc.. non le va bene il ruolo. Ha sbagliato ad accettare la parte. LA vogliamo crocefiggere??Molti cantanti hanno interpreto ruoli che non centravano nulla con la loro vocalità: la Callas innanzi tutto., ma lei per esempio aveva ben altro da dire in scena e non solo con la voce (tecnica divina. Timbro medio-basso). Essere signori nel canto non significa esserlo sul palco.
I love Baltsa. She had a remarkable career as a mezzo. Her Carmen is fabulous. Her bel canto repertoire is fabulous (Queen Elisabeth in Stuarda) her Venus in Tannhauser is fabulous. But here she's past her prime and is not using the purity of vocal technique in the least except the middle part from 1:55-4:00 "o mia regina". But she is screaming & shouting the words, abusing her voce di petto (chest voice). This role doesn't suit her. It's great only on a theatrical level
Ma va là! La Baltsa è sublime. Sa evocare un'aura drammatica eccezionale! Come lei ben poche. Ed è inutile che facciate i soliti criticoni gnuffi della serie: "io-sono-il-massimo-esperto-d'opera-esistente-e-voi-non-capite-un-caxo". Tsk
@Rhisiart85 lA Baltsa è un soprano corto,volgare nell interpretazione piena di urla beduine,vocali aperte abusi di regstro di petto,sfaccettature nel registro grave,medio e acuto sono scollati tra loro-.
You can definitely hear why her voice declined, but she's quite a performer. I think the high C-flat sums it up: Starts out beautiful, gets kind of rough, so she turns it into a dramatic gasp. Thrilling, hell on the voice (as is the PLUNGING into chest voice).
My only problem with this live performance is that it seems that Ms. Baltsa doesn't finish phrases, but rather clips them off. It makes me wonder if she was having a bad night with her breath support. Otherwise the singing met the demands of the music. Brava!
@Arnold3135 "...a bad night with her breath support"....are you serious? LOL!!! who can sing like THAT with "bad" breath support???? this is Agnes Baltsa we're talking about who just ROARED the HELL out of that aria! lol
@Detie002 Perhaps you are correct. Maybe it was I who was having a bad day of observation. Listening to Ms, Baltsa sing this aria again this morning, I don't find anything wrong with her singing. A glorious sound and a professional performance. Brava!
Baltsa is fantastic here. A truly gifted singer and actress. She gives her best to be an opera actress not only a singer. She's a true marvel to listen to and watch. BRAVA
Aside from the relentlessly annoying geriatric tempo (Karajan?), this has ample evidence on why Baltsa did not last. She's abusing her instrument for effect--that makes her a dilettante's dream, but a very unwise singer. It's too bad because she did start out with fine potential.
I do not know if you follow her schedule, but she still is singing and you can listen her performance with Domingo in "Amneris-Radames" duet and God! She is fantastic for a singer who is in her sixties in that video!...
I've been waiting to comment on this performace. I know it's melodramtic and there are times she sounds aged but melodramtic was how Baltsa worked and I really like this performance. Like gdsfan01, this isn't supposed to be pretty and Baltsa realized it. You have anguish and hurt all in here.
Umm...she was in a production that had KARAJAN as conductor. He stood for no rubbish. If Agnes was good enough fo him, she's good enough for me, mate! Eboli is a woman who realises too late what her plotting has done and is full of remorse and self-loathing. It's not going to be pretty-pretty. Who WANTS pretty-pretty?
The colour of her voice is not everyones taste - certainly. It`s so special, exploring the very essence of the character. I`d say her voice is not only wonderfully emotional, it is at the same time a "clever" , "intelligent" voice - so to speak. Revealing a really great personality.
Reading the comments, one can see that Baltsa polarise comsumers. But I couldn't see how someone stupid blame himself saying that she had bad taste. That is ridiculous. Unable to say something expedient, those shall simply say nothing.
Baltsa was one of the greatest singer actresses ever. The colour of her voice is not everyones taste, but none was mor expressive in dramatic roles. So Donnaelvira19 is death not realising qualities in that performance
@bodiloto Grazie per le parole gentili. Lei ha perfettamente ragione: la Baltsa è un soprano (corto, ma soprano) e non ha niente del mezzosoprano. Oltre a questo, è una interprete mediocre e di gusto perfido! Un carissimo saluto. Giorgio
A master class in how not to sing. Absurdly over-acted. I don't believe it for a second and I'm embarrassed for her. She's shouting through the aria because (a) she's WAY past her prime and has none of the finesse she had when she was younger and (b) she should never have been singing a dramatic role like this in the first place. You can practically hear her give herself a node at 1:28! For a clean, subtle, Baltsa that I miss, check out her impeccable early concert performance of Non piu mesta.
Other than having no lower register, she is a good singer. And an undeniably great actress. Seeing her live was a pleasure, hearing her live ambivalent at best.
Unbelievable!!! To sing this aria and have such powerful sound in high register one needs to use chest voice in the lower one(as great Agnes Baltsa does in this aria).
It's so far from the truth that she doesn't have low register!
To reach the audience from the stage despite the large orchestra and the distance, experienced opera singer has to use chest voice!!!
Yes, she does not put her voice under complete control, but guys, Baltsa was always a singing actress. On records I find her annoying, but her intensity on stage has always been a pleasure.
She has a powerful mezzo voice but she seems to be screaming some lines and is mostly acting and not singing. It's a dramatic account, almost like a verisimo opera role. But this is still a Verdi role and the better interpreters are Shirley Verrett & Grace Bumbry.
i totally agree. she seems to use her acting above her vocal technical skills. there are a couple of videos of her where she is relying on pure technique, but most of her videos do have a LOT of scream-sung moments where she seemed to be forgetting that she is a singer first and sctor second.
On the other hand Baltsa apparently is willing to let her voice somewhat go at times.
In my opinion,her interpretation does not do equal justice to the lyric aspects of the character either.
And as Eboli and the music tells us, she is hardly singing of the agony of spending her life in a convent - agony is in her betrayal of her loved ones.
Yet the sudden dramatic ending of her altruistic hope is even more uplifting.
she sings the best ''Oh ciel! E Carlo? a morte domani. . .Gran Dio! a morte andar vedrò!'' the other mezzos do not act at all the y just sing Baltsa feels it very much
she sings the best ''Oh ciel! E Carlo? a morte domani. . .Gran Dio! a morte andar vedrò!'' the other mezzos do not act at all the y just sing Baltsa feels it very much
she sings the best ''Oh ciel! E Carlo? a morte domani. . .Gran Dio! a morte andar vedrò!'' the other mezzos do not act at all the y just sing Baltsa feels it very much
Truly in the moment- think how YOU'D be singing if you were just condemed to a convent! Agony! And that's what comes through- a really unique, slender voice that I just adore- really outrageously good!
I've never seen this aria sung with that passion and such real "fiereza". She is so powerful and her expression, her highs and low register demonstrate a perfect control of her voice and musicality above everything. Balsta is the best Eboli that I've heard in my life ( and I've heard many). !Bravo !
I do not understand most of you here - ARE YOU DEAF OR BLIND ??/!!!This is a live performance, she is ACTING !!! This is the rage and passion of a woman in love !!! For God's sake, how can you speak of "barks"?! Did you hear the reaction of the audience? Or they, also are blind, deaf or simply not italians?
Giandoroma - luigipava ha la ragione !! Scusa, ma non capisci NIENTE !!!!
I totally agree with you. Exciting...yes. Over the top...I wouldn't have it any other way. Vocally perfect...who is? Would I pay to see this...absolutely. I have the dvd and love it (for her). This and Simionato's '63 CAV with Corelli are two of my favorite performances. As you can tell, the audience is listening...
The '78 studio recording / Karajan, Freni, Baltsa,Ghiaurov, Carreras, Cappuccilli, Hendricks, Berliner Philharmoniker / will give you a better idea of what Baltsa can actually do /
But there are other great performances - Verret / '86 Met, enormous !!! / , Elena Nikolai, Obraztsova - the latter gives a stunning '78 O don fatale in La Scala and then remarkable concert performance with Karajan.
Still, I like Callas the most - nobody is better than her and never will be.
Baltsa has a special place in my heart as singing actress... and she has the technique to sing belcanto (her Italiana and Cenerentola can attest to that) BUT she is drama drama drama... She is precious because she is willing to shed her voice into pieces for moments of verita.... which is rare in operatic singing/acting these days..
@floridante2k There is no "verità" here, just scenery chewing. It's a fine line, but Agnes has no idea where it is. Sometimes I love her for it, but here it's just an embarrassment. The last lines of the aria are basically "I'm going to save him, here I go!" Whoever thought it was a good idea to let her tumble to the ground like an oak tree, fists raised to heaven and moaning, obviously didn't have enough respect for the drama to tell her to, I don't know... go save him?
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A vulgar performance. Musical notes that she could not reach were replaced with barks, growls, and unmusical veristic sobs. Agnes Baltsa is one of the greatest lyric mezzo sopranos. As a dramatic mezzo, she is clearly overparted. Eboli is not a role for her.
sguaiata, volgarissima con quelle vocali allucinanti (ma ce le avete le orecchie? usatele!!!), totalmente inadeguata, afona (ci sarebbe un do acuto prima di "ti maledico o mia beltà", non quella "roba" che NON le esce dalla gola...) in una parola INDECENTE -
non è che non è riuscita ad emmetterlo il do,è tutta questione interpretativa anche se secondo me l'avrebbe potuto anche evitare e poi del resto non la trovo sguaiata
does anyone else think that her voice is too light for this role?...i believe that this is a beautifully done don fatale but in my op it's just to light...
I love Baltsa above almost all other singers, but I must agree with those to take exception to the shriek on the first high note. Even if you think that kind of thing has a place in Verdi (it doesn't), Baltsa's voice is too good for her to stoop to low rent tricks. Her fiery, beautifully placed high notes are far more dramatic than a shriek. Save that for crap like Cavalleria.
A magnificent Baltsa. This is a dramatic role and she oozed drama out of every note. I loved the DELIBERATE imperfections - so exciting. A great rich intuitive musical mezzo tigress of a voice! Bravo Miss Baltsa!
urla belluine..... voce spaccata in due.... interpretazione triviale..... se questo lo chiamate temperamento verdiano.... non so come abbia fatto il divino karajan ad accettare tutto questo....
i guess I had not previously realized that this was a verismo aria. I wonder if she is doing some of those unusual effects to hide vocal problems. Interesting approach, but I have reservations.
You are right. With Verdi operas belcanto nearly disappeared, because singer had to prevail against bigger orchestras until later full-size orchestras. Verismo-operas are Andrea Chénier (giordano), Adriana Lecouvreur (Cilea), La Navarraise (Massenet), Tiefland (d'Albert)...
Siempre lo he dicho! Cualquier cantante en manos de Karajan sonaba distinto, mejoraban su canto, pero aquí la pregunta es: ¿se esforzaban mas por tratarse del gran director? ¿o eran las manos de Karajan, su magia para dirigir la opera lo que los hacía sonar así? Por que aquí La Baltsa da todo, impresiona de verdad!!! Por que considero que Eboli no era para su voz, pero en manos de Karajan, convence totalmente!!! Bravissima Baltsa!!!
i am opera singer - mezzo - and i must tell you you have no idea of expressing a role and singing. this is the expression of a desperately loving and ashamed woman. no one is interested in your uncomprehending comments.
Lei è brava ma ciò che rende unica questa esecuzione è la direzione del DIVINO von Karajan! Nell' insieme è il miglior Don Carlo che c'è in circolazione!!!!
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Baltsa gives here an example of a very bad vocal performance along with a overacted old fashioned stage presence.
Her voice is broken in two : a non existing lower register and an upper register reduced to a scary scream. Her "Ti maledico" is absolutely horrible.And this has nothing to do with being "in" the character she is portraying. Baltsa's Eboli is more a scary witch of the fairy tales than a XVII century Spanish princess. What a shame that Karajan accepted all this ...
Baltsa tends to over-act some roles including here and also Carmen that is why her singing is questionable. She was the recepient of Callas scholarship and may be she wants to be like her - a great acting singer , who knows?!
She must know and understand her limitatins in my opinion - not everyone becomes Calls: to be the best in all areas. My 2 Cs.
Agnes Baltsa does not want to be anything but herself. Why do you think that because she was the recipient of the Callas scholarship that she wants to be like her. Not at all. Karajan for instance pushed her and she took risks and that is to be admired. What a woman what a voice.
I have this whole DVD by Karajan and eventhough I like him he is not as good as Jullini in it. But as for Baltsa's prosonalized 'howling' there is no excuse; that is not singing just over-acting as she also does in her Carmen. Heavily personalized performances can be risky and cab backfire,this is a good exmpl; this is Opera not Kabuki play.
Regardless of YOUR opinion she is still giving her all. I like her she is dramatic and this is obvious in this performance. The audience liked her and really that is of importance.
What a rather assinine comment to make that this is not a Kabuki play but opera, one would not have known had you not mentioned this. Thanks for the lessons on the rather ancient Japanese art form.
How NOT to sing Eboli. All the open chest voice way up, all the top notes either go backwards or are screamed and the middle is just weak. Eboli needs a rich solid voice, it's far too much for her, the opening knocks the wind out of her completely and she can't sustain the legato line in the second section. I heard her in this a few years later in Vienna and it was like a drunken drag queen, even worse than this. Karajan has a lot to answer for, he led her astray from her natural fach.
Your comments are a perfectly valid opinion, but can I remind you this is a STAGE PERFORMANCE, not a CONCERT! Not once do you mention her dramatic acting ability, her passion, the character she brings to life, her stage presence, the effect she has on an audience. I've said it before, and will keep saying it, Agnes is a creature of the theatre, just like Callas and Gwyneth Jones - not the best recording voices but all have audiences the world over who love and respect their art!
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Dramatic acting ability? I see a singer in trouble gesturing hysterically as she tries to cope with something that is too heavy for her. When we listen to Baltsa a few years eariler ("naqui all'affanno") we hear her totally in control of her voice and interpretation. My point is that this was TOO MUCH for her resources, she cannot interpret i.e. make the music work in conveying the drama, 'acting' doesn't replace this. Ugly open chest sounds are the expressive exception, not the rule.
Oh my god, what a risky performance, she couldn¨t handle the last high note because of that energy in the begining, i think experiments like these could ruin a voice forever, the sad thing is that you don¨t see your ending right away, but maybe 5 years later, when there¨s nothing to do, but curse yourself
The effects are a bit too verismo-reminiscent for my taste, but she shows absolutely wonderful intensity (there must be something about Greece's water....), and her voice holds up well.
AS we the public expect,even demand so much from such artiste's,it's a wonder any of them stay around as long as they do,and some pay a very heavy price as A.B.I did wonder why such a lovely voice had disappeared some time a go,now i know why.We should really appreciate them while we can.
Normally I like her acting, here I do not. That's too miuch. The first part is much too hysterical. This is a princess don't forget, not Medea! She overpowers a lot and that is how she damaged her voice, because of such conductors as Karajan who pushed her in the dramatic Fach. Here on youtube, there is a Rossini from 1979, listen to that and you will see what a wonderful light voice we have lost with this sort of experimentation.
she's managing the register break pretty well, given she normally doesn't manage it at all. Phenomenal intensity. Wish I had seen her live when she was at the top.
The voice is unruly and wild, but she burns the stage. She's always known to sing with two distinct voices, and I think that really works for Eboli, especially this aria, which is rather bipolar. I think she really nailed the whole scene here better than anyone.
Obviously a controversal performance. I ususally like Baltsa very much. She always perform with fire. Her performance on this was dramtically convincing, however she did produce some ugly sound. May be she did in on purpose to suit the drama?!
You don`t have any idea of what this is! She is totally conscious of her breaking voice, she maybe she does it on purpose! That is real and good interpretation. You`d better judge beyond vocal technique and perfectionism. Opera is not only that. Close your eyes and feel! Do you know what this aria is about?? This woman leaves her soul on stage, and I agree with you,Frauohneschatten.
It may please you that a further music lover agrees, too. She is conscious of it like e.g. Callas as Lady Macbeth or Horne as Anita in La Navarraise have been. To sing this aria "just beautiful" would destroy the drama within.
What do I all read here " power and flexibility" "One of the best renditions of this aria i've ever seen". Baltsa is olne of my favourite mezzi, but she should never have done this.
I disagree...comparing her with many other interpretations, even urmana or borodina. I rather listen to Baltsa. With her interpretation i feel intensity, despair and she touches me. Not the best in the world, but greater than many others...
Baltsa is one of the best in interpreting that is true, I will never blame her for that, but she goes beyond her possibilities here. She breaks off the top note and after that her middle voice sounds damaged, with cracks all over. That is no interpretation that is too much pressure under a voice that is too light for this repertoire.
Very true, i quite agree. But when this pressure is right or wrong? this is still exciting, even musically is beyond her moment, as u say? sometimes is more than notes, right? Even composers loved singers craking notes...
I think I love human voice in general and this woman's voice in particular too much to be able to enjoy a harsh and airy middle register after having blown up the upper....
But it's by going beyond the possibilities that makes live opera so exciting - it's a risk that doesn't always pay off, but when it does...! Don't forget this is a live performance, not a studio recording where she could have another stab at it. She took a risk on the night, and perhaps it didn't come off but it was a theatrical experience - after all, opera is not just about singing!
I don't think we will meet each other on this subject: You call it a theatrical experience, I call it voice abuse. You may be thrilled by what you hear, it aches my throat.
This woman is capable of making a lot of impression without having to push her vocal cords far over the edge as she does here. This is the wrong technique for this aria or the wrong voice type for the role.
In that case why not stay at home and listen to the radio or a recording? Opera IS theatre, not a mausoleum of perfect vocal technique - how dull it would all be if every singer we had a chance to SEE (not just hear) was perfect!
I'd not be bored with that. If I go to see an NFL game, I expect to see the best football players. If I go to a golf tournament, I expect to see the best golfers. If I go to the theater, I expect to see premium acting. And when I go to the opera, I expect to hear sublime singing. Period.
If indeed Baltsa had made a mistake singing this it should have shown in the rest of her career, which now, almost thirty years later goes strong.
That said, she takes so many risks in this aria, apart of the throaty attack on the Cb, that it shocks me to see her so fearless. I talk about the sustained crescendo Bb in the meno mosso part or the last "lo salvero" in one breath... a killer at the end of this aria! to mention a few...
It may not be the most beautifully sung performance, but Baltsa is a creature of the theatre, just like Callas and Gwyneth Jones - their voices do not record particularly well, but nearly anyone who sees them live cannot fail to be moved. I saw Agnes sing this at Covent Garden and it made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck! Eboli is a desparate woman driven to the brink - and it calls for the conviction of Balta's portrayal to bring it to life.
Baltsa is one of the only Ebolis in history with the power and flexibility to pull of both the Veil Song and O Don Fatale. Although she's a little heavy on the histrionics here, her recorded Eboli is simply beyond comparison.
Conviction makes up for a lot!! I love singers who aren't afraid of sounding downright nasty when it fits the character they're singing. Ergo... Love Baltsa (tho she's close to crossing the line here... Like Behren singing Elettra at the Met!).
I first heard Baltsa's Eboli in the 1978 EMI studio recording. I nearly fell off my sofa listening to it. Such passion, despair, regret...this character is truly tormented, and her actions are never going to be subtle.
Sä underbart!!!
callasforalltid 1 month ago
Agnes is my favorite mezzo soprano. She is brilliant, passionate, and has a great voice! I love the way she gets involved with the character she is playing and I deeply enjoyed her performance in Carmen and as Cherubino.
rubenalvaradobarzuna 2 months ago in playlist Favoritos de rubenalvaradobarzuna
..... mi FECCE.. :-/
allanaki 3 months ago
she is pure magnificence !
littlebiglion 4 months ago
A tutti quelli che la criticano: sapete che esiste altro oltre alla voce in teatro? La presenza scenica, l'interpretazione del personaggio etc.. e qui sento una Eboli in procinto di una crisi di nervi: e' combattuta dal terrore e dall'ansia e nell'ultima parte dalla brama di salvare Carlo. Sentite quel " Gran Dio!!" l'invocazione d'una donna disperata com'è Eboli in quel momento. Vocalmente fa tante cose non sane però è il risultato che conta.
Sorrentodellesirene 5 months ago
@Sorrentodellesirene LA VOCE e lo strumento che esprime e trasmette la lirica italiana!Senza LA VOCE la lirica è morta.DalLA VOCE si serve ogni artista lirico.
Non c'è nulla di 'sentire',questa è la voce del soprano corto.
Giusto,è il risultato finale che conta...è una interpretazione mediocre.
'Sentire' cosa?!?
VOCE poco adatta à questo repertorio.
A tutti quelli come lei voglio dire:
LA VOCE e uno strumento( Stradivari)e quello che conta in un teatro è LA SUA BELLEZZA ARTISTICA!
bodiloto 2 months ago
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@bodiloto Se la lirica fosse solo VOCE che senso avrebbero i teatri?? Che senso avrebbe il recitare?? La presenza scenica,la VOCE, il SAVOIR-FAIRE, il calarsi nel personaggio.sono cio che completa un cantante.Un vocalista che fa da 10 tutto questo sarebbe perfetto, ma non siamo perfetti..bene alcuni cantanti brillano in qualcosa altri in differenti parti della TEATRALITA' e qui si sente il personaggio e la passione, molto SAVOIR-FAIRE (riesce in una parte a lei non congeniale)
Sorrentodellesirene 1 month ago
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@bodiloto ...la voce è quello che è: scende troppo nel petto, grida etc.. non le va bene il ruolo. Ha sbagliato ad accettare la parte. LA vogliamo crocefiggere??Molti cantanti hanno interpreto ruoli che non centravano nulla con la loro vocalità: la Callas innanzi tutto., ma lei per esempio aveva ben altro da dire in scena e non solo con la voce (tecnica divina. Timbro medio-basso). Essere signori nel canto non significa esserlo sul palco.
Sorrentodellesirene 1 month ago
I love Baltsa. She had a remarkable career as a mezzo. Her Carmen is fabulous. Her bel canto repertoire is fabulous (Queen Elisabeth in Stuarda) her Venus in Tannhauser is fabulous. But here she's past her prime and is not using the purity of vocal technique in the least except the middle part from 1:55-4:00 "o mia regina". But she is screaming & shouting the words, abusing her voce di petto (chest voice). This role doesn't suit her. It's great only on a theatrical level
OperaMystery80 5 months ago
Superbissime !
mariasarda 6 months ago
So beautiful, so truthful, real opera!!! not just singing in costumes, but real making of art we can see!
Viva Baltsa!
Emilbasso 6 months ago
Ma va là! La Baltsa è sublime. Sa evocare un'aura drammatica eccezionale! Come lei ben poche. Ed è inutile che facciate i soliti criticoni gnuffi della serie: "io-sono-il-massimo-esperto-d'opera-esistente-e-voi-non-capite-un-caxo". Tsk
cris88acquario 7 months ago
@Rhisiart85 lA Baltsa è un soprano corto,volgare nell interpretazione piena di urla beduine,vocali aperte abusi di regstro di petto,sfaccettature nel registro grave,medio e acuto sono scollati tra loro-.
luwaig1 7 months ago
I only hear her voice is thrilling - and she looks thrilling too.
Rospaint 8 months ago
You can definitely hear why her voice declined, but she's quite a performer. I think the high C-flat sums it up: Starts out beautiful, gets kind of rough, so she turns it into a dramatic gasp. Thrilling, hell on the voice (as is the PLUNGING into chest voice).
bmh4d0k3n 8 months ago
My only problem with this live performance is that it seems that Ms. Baltsa doesn't finish phrases, but rather clips them off. It makes me wonder if she was having a bad night with her breath support. Otherwise the singing met the demands of the music. Brava!
Arnold3135 9 months ago
@Arnold3135 "...a bad night with her breath support"....are you serious? LOL!!! who can sing like THAT with "bad" breath support???? this is Agnes Baltsa we're talking about who just ROARED the HELL out of that aria! lol
Detie002 8 months ago
@Detie002 Perhaps you are correct. Maybe it was I who was having a bad day of observation. Listening to Ms, Baltsa sing this aria again this morning, I don't find anything wrong with her singing. A glorious sound and a professional performance. Brava!
Arnold3135 8 months ago
lozkhris is absolutely right. Nothing to add.
Rospaint 9 months ago
power and performance and a VOICE -- makes me think of the Divina Maria
mcmulj00 10 months ago
Her performance is fantastic,,, but she was killing her voice, and we all know it.
ferbrinner 11 months ago
Chills!
mbaggarly 1 year ago
Baltsa is fantastic here. A truly gifted singer and actress. She gives her best to be an opera actress not only a singer. She's a true marvel to listen to and watch. BRAVA
raaadja99 1 year ago
This is a killer of an aria,but Baltsa doesn't let it kill her.Rather she thrives on the challenge that it brings,and triumphs over and with it.
The original Eboli (someone?) must have some voice to cope with this!
MrSwifts31 1 year ago
Right - that`s opera.
Rospaint 1 year ago
That's opera.
ferrykalos 1 year ago 3
Aside from the relentlessly annoying geriatric tempo (Karajan?), this has ample evidence on why Baltsa did not last. She's abusing her instrument for effect--that makes her a dilettante's dream, but a very unwise singer. It's too bad because she did start out with fine potential.
iriisblue 1 year ago
I do not know if you follow her schedule, but she still is singing and you can listen her performance with Domingo in "Amneris-Radames" duet and God! She is fantastic for a singer who is in her sixties in that video!...
Lweoira 1 year ago
@iriisblue
too bad you dont understand live performance -- i'm sure you are a frustrated singer who never had a 'career'
mcmulj00 10 months ago
i love over the top opera! this was wonderful! She does sound soprano to my ears
SiEtIn1 1 year ago
I've been waiting to comment on this performace. I know it's melodramtic and there are times she sounds aged but melodramtic was how Baltsa worked and I really like this performance. Like gdsfan01, this isn't supposed to be pretty and Baltsa realized it. You have anguish and hurt all in here.
MrOpera67 1 year ago
Umm...she was in a production that had KARAJAN as conductor. He stood for no rubbish. If Agnes was good enough fo him, she's good enough for me, mate! Eboli is a woman who realises too late what her plotting has done and is full of remorse and self-loathing. It's not going to be pretty-pretty. Who WANTS pretty-pretty?
gdsfan01 1 year ago
Baltsa è stata sempre bravissima!!
Schollistico 1 year ago
She is a wonderful performer and singer also! She has a long career and gives it all to the audience.
domesongwish 1 year ago
The colour of her voice is not everyones taste - certainly. It`s so special, exploring the very essence of the character. I`d say her voice is not only wonderfully emotional, it is at the same time a "clever" , "intelligent" voice - so to speak. Revealing a really great personality.
Rospaint 1 year ago
Reading the comments, one can see that Baltsa polarise comsumers. But I couldn't see how someone stupid blame himself saying that she had bad taste. That is ridiculous. Unable to say something expedient, those shall simply say nothing.
Baltsa was one of the greatest singer actresses ever. The colour of her voice is not everyones taste, but none was mor expressive in dramatic roles. So Donnaelvira19 is death not realising qualities in that performance
heinzeronald 1 year ago
SHE REDEFINES ABANDON! Thank God.
choralman8009 1 year ago
Agnes Baltsa,Béatrce Uria Monzon,Cecilia Bartoli,Di Donato,Larmor,Garanca = SOPRANI .
bodiloto 1 year ago
Nno so come una cantante così volgare, plateale e poco musicale sia potuta diventare un mezzosoprano di fama internazionale! Misteri...ma la sentite?
leprincebeaumont 1 year ago
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bodiloto 1 year ago
@bodiloto Grazie per le parole gentili. Lei ha perfettamente ragione: la Baltsa è un soprano (corto, ma soprano) e non ha niente del mezzosoprano. Oltre a questo, è una interprete mediocre e di gusto perfido! Un carissimo saluto. Giorgio
leprincebeaumont 1 year ago
@leprincebeaumont I totally agree with you!!! I'll never understand how she gained that fame. She definitely has bad taste.
Donnaelvira19 1 year ago
A master class in how not to sing. Absurdly over-acted. I don't believe it for a second and I'm embarrassed for her. She's shouting through the aria because (a) she's WAY past her prime and has none of the finesse she had when she was younger and (b) she should never have been singing a dramatic role like this in the first place. You can practically hear her give herself a node at 1:28! For a clean, subtle, Baltsa that I miss, check out her impeccable early concert performance of Non piu mesta.
drawkward86 1 year ago
Baltsa always have a special place in my heart as singing actress
floridante2k 1 year ago 2
Few, if any, mezzos today project the degree of catharsis that Ms. Baltsa does in this scene - certainly not the revered, but rather dull Ms. Z!!!
DonPaolissimo 1 year ago 2
Other than having no lower register, she is a good singer. And an undeniably great actress. Seeing her live was a pleasure, hearing her live ambivalent at best.
TommyHaegin 1 year ago
Unbelievable!!! To sing this aria and have such powerful sound in high register one needs to use chest voice in the lower one(as great Agnes Baltsa does in this aria).
It's so far from the truth that she doesn't have low register!
To reach the audience from the stage despite the large orchestra and the distance, experienced opera singer has to use chest voice!!!
lavsmama 1 year ago
Yes, she does not put her voice under complete control, but guys, Baltsa was always a singing actress. On records I find her annoying, but her intensity on stage has always been a pleasure.
Altonahh10 1 year ago 3
She has a powerful mezzo voice but she seems to be screaming some lines and is mostly acting and not singing. It's a dramatic account, almost like a verisimo opera role. But this is still a Verdi role and the better interpreters are Shirley Verrett & Grace Bumbry.
MastersoftheOpera 1 year ago
i totally agree. she seems to use her acting above her vocal technical skills. there are a couple of videos of her where she is relying on pure technique, but most of her videos do have a LOT of scream-sung moments where she seemed to be forgetting that she is a singer first and sctor second.
ElliotMRosen 1 year ago
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MastersoftheOpera 1 year ago
I wish I could hear the orchestra better.
Lavalampoflava 2 years ago
Cant help it; sounds to me she's trying to pull a Callas here. She is otherwise a good singer though
chengducat 2 years ago 2
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just hideous!
orpheusads 2 years ago
Could you please post the veil song from this performance. Thanx
andrea585ny 2 years ago
Dramatically utterly convincing.
On the other hand Baltsa apparently is willing to let her voice somewhat go at times.
In my opinion,her interpretation does not do equal justice to the lyric aspects of the character either.
And as Eboli and the music tells us, she is hardly singing of the agony of spending her life in a convent - agony is in her betrayal of her loved ones.
Yet the sudden dramatic ending of her altruistic hope is even more uplifting.
musicasoave 2 years ago
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she sings the best ''Oh ciel! E Carlo? a morte domani. . .Gran Dio! a morte andar vedrò!'' the other mezzos do not act at all the y just sing Baltsa feels it very much
GreekOperaLover 2 years ago
she sings the best ''Oh ciel! E Carlo? a morte domani. . .Gran Dio! a morte andar vedrò!'' the other mezzos do not act at all the y just sing Baltsa feels it very much
GreekOperaLover 2 years ago
she sings the best ''Oh ciel! E Carlo? a morte domani. . .Gran Dio! a morte andar vedrò!'' the other mezzos do not act at all the y just sing Baltsa feels it very much
GreekOperaLover 2 years ago
come scassarsi la voce... karajan! chi altri?
maxtanz 2 years ago 2
Maravilhosaaaaaaaaaaa!!
Geilsons1 2 years ago
Truly in the moment- think how YOU'D be singing if you were just condemed to a convent! Agony! And that's what comes through- a really unique, slender voice that I just adore- really outrageously good!
garyrobert13 2 years ago
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bodiloto 2 years ago
I've never seen this aria sung with that passion and such real "fiereza". She is so powerful and her expression, her highs and low register demonstrate a perfect control of her voice and musicality above everything. Balsta is the best Eboli that I've heard in my life ( and I've heard many). !Bravo !
Bernardette2323 2 years ago 7
Now I know who Natalia de Andrade studied with.
Bigman240 2 years ago
You must be kidding and Portuguese too!
Natalia de Andrade is the most obscene singer I ever heard!!! Jesus I can only laugh! Are serious? Can´t believe it
TBer50 2 years ago
She is my heroine!!!!!!!
I love you very much Agnes
TU SEI LA PIU BRAVA
I want to be like you in my Singing!!!
operviva 2 years ago
7777doug7777
Speaking for your self i guess.
politispittas 2 years ago 2
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trash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7777doug7777 2 years ago
I do not understand most of you here - ARE YOU DEAF OR BLIND ??/!!!This is a live performance, she is ACTING !!! This is the rage and passion of a woman in love !!! For God's sake, how can you speak of "barks"?! Did you hear the reaction of the audience? Or they, also are blind, deaf or simply not italians?
Giandoroma - luigipava ha la ragione !! Scusa, ma non capisci NIENTE !!!!
lozkhris 2 years ago 36
I totally agree with you. Exciting...yes. Over the top...I wouldn't have it any other way. Vocally perfect...who is? Would I pay to see this...absolutely. I have the dvd and love it (for her). This and Simionato's '63 CAV with Corelli are two of my favorite performances. As you can tell, the audience is listening...
rossinirules 2 years ago 5
The '78 studio recording / Karajan, Freni, Baltsa,Ghiaurov, Carreras, Cappuccilli, Hendricks, Berliner Philharmoniker / will give you a better idea of what Baltsa can actually do /
But there are other great performances - Verret / '86 Met, enormous !!! / , Elena Nikolai, Obraztsova - the latter gives a stunning '78 O don fatale in La Scala and then remarkable concert performance with Karajan.
Still, I like Callas the most - nobody is better than her and never will be.
lozkhris 2 years ago
@lozkhris
Baltsa has a special place in my heart as singing actress... and she has the technique to sing belcanto (her Italiana and Cenerentola can attest to that) BUT she is drama drama drama... She is precious because she is willing to shed her voice into pieces for moments of verita.... which is rare in operatic singing/acting these days..
floridante2k 1 year ago
@floridante2k There is no "verità" here, just scenery chewing. It's a fine line, but Agnes has no idea where it is. Sometimes I love her for it, but here it's just an embarrassment. The last lines of the aria are basically "I'm going to save him, here I go!" Whoever thought it was a good idea to let her tumble to the ground like an oak tree, fists raised to heaven and moaning, obviously didn't have enough respect for the drama to tell her to, I don't know... go save him?
drawkward86 1 year ago 2
@drawkward86
Baltsa is so sad for your coment... jajajajajajajaja
Girellooperaballet 1 year ago
@drawkward86
do you have a clue about LIVE art?
mcmulj00 10 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
A vulgar performance. Musical notes that she could not reach were replaced with barks, growls, and unmusical veristic sobs. Agnes Baltsa is one of the greatest lyric mezzo sopranos. As a dramatic mezzo, she is clearly overparted. Eboli is not a role for her.
altanotte 2 years ago
We should call her Houdini the way she wriggled out of that cracked top c by turning it a dramatic scream! genius!
Gerbilsingsmezzo 2 years ago 4
grand dame bitch right there! i love it! 5:12 to the end made me burst into laughter! LOVE HER!!!!!!!
Babs22h 2 years ago
I am an ardent fan of La Callas. But I worship Ms. Baltsa as well. They share the same ancestry; Ms. Baltsa conveys
her dedication to music like Callas did in her hey day.
Thank you for posting this clip.
Operalover12002 2 years ago
sguaiata, volgarissima con quelle vocali allucinanti (ma ce le avete le orecchie? usatele!!!), totalmente inadeguata, afona (ci sarebbe un do acuto prima di "ti maledico o mia beltà", non quella "roba" che NON le esce dalla gola...) in una parola INDECENTE -
giandoroma 2 years ago
non è che non è riuscita ad emmetterlo il do,è tutta questione interpretativa anche se secondo me l'avrebbe potuto anche evitare e poi del resto non la trovo sguaiata
luigipava 2 years ago
does anyone else think that her voice is too light for this role?...i believe that this is a beautifully done don fatale but in my op it's just to light...
jomoses07 2 years ago
She is a fine Eboli (I should know) but an even better Carmen and an extraordinary Cenerentola
MarquisDePosa53 2 years ago 3
Tu sei la piu brava Agnes......la megliore!!!
operviva 2 years ago
Way over the top and over-acted and wouldn't have had it any other way!
willrobinson1229 2 years ago
i so agree..... i just wish i would have been there to egg her on with bravas after the sung-screamed highnote in the middle!
Babs22h 2 years ago
She was a false mezzo soprano. Even if she had a discrete success in approaching some lighter role, she always was terrible as Eboli.
ashtonky 2 years ago
Too slow, Herbie (I mean, maestro von Karajan), and too heavy, especially for HER voice ! Verdi never was a german composer !
Toscarpia 2 years ago 3
Woo que arriesgado para agnes, al final se queda toda ronca!
cantanteporsiempre 2 years ago
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terribile
immensofta 2 years ago
Baltsa sings this beautifully.
Lawdrahcir 2 years ago 4
I love Baltsa above almost all other singers, but I must agree with those to take exception to the shriek on the first high note. Even if you think that kind of thing has a place in Verdi (it doesn't), Baltsa's voice is too good for her to stoop to low rent tricks. Her fiery, beautifully placed high notes are far more dramatic than a shriek. Save that for crap like Cavalleria.
judycadana 2 years ago
Fascinating. I would have preferred for her to sing some of those high notes instead of screaming them, but no one can deny her total commitment.
nclysander 2 years ago 2
A magnificent Baltsa. This is a dramatic role and she oozed drama out of every note. I loved the DELIBERATE imperfections - so exciting. A great rich intuitive musical mezzo tigress of a voice! Bravo Miss Baltsa!
Misstroble90 2 years ago 13
è più sguaiata di una pescivendola..... questa sarebbe la principessa eboli?!.....
vincik80 2 years ago
sguaiato sarai te con questi commenti
luigipava 2 years ago
urla belluine..... voce spaccata in due.... interpretazione triviale..... se questo lo chiamate temperamento verdiano.... non so come abbia fatto il divino karajan ad accettare tutto questo....
vincik80 2 years ago
che scrivi sempre le stesse cose
luigipava 2 years ago
i guess I had not previously realized that this was a verismo aria. I wonder if she is doing some of those unusual effects to hide vocal problems. Interesting approach, but I have reservations.
RobNYNY1957 2 years ago
This is NOT a verismo aria. Verdi was NOT a verismo composer. The verismo movement came AFTER Verdi.
ariodante76 2 years ago
You are right. With Verdi operas belcanto nearly disappeared, because singer had to prevail against bigger orchestras until later full-size orchestras. Verismo-operas are Andrea Chénier (giordano), Adriana Lecouvreur (Cilea), La Navarraise (Massenet), Tiefland (d'Albert)...
Pyrare1 2 years ago
i am studying this right now, ive never studied this b4
TheSimolitious5656 3 years ago
Siempre lo he dicho! Cualquier cantante en manos de Karajan sonaba distinto, mejoraban su canto, pero aquí la pregunta es: ¿se esforzaban mas por tratarse del gran director? ¿o eran las manos de Karajan, su magia para dirigir la opera lo que los hacía sonar así? Por que aquí La Baltsa da todo, impresiona de verdad!!! Por que considero que Eboli no era para su voz, pero en manos de Karajan, convence totalmente!!! Bravissima Baltsa!!!
Giorgiobaritono 3 years ago
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SaifRiyadh 3 years ago
i am opera singer - mezzo - and i must tell you you have no idea of expressing a role and singing. this is the expression of a desperately loving and ashamed woman. no one is interested in your uncomprehending comments.
renamunich 2 years ago 4
Lei è brava ma ciò che rende unica questa esecuzione è la direzione del DIVINO von Karajan! Nell' insieme è il miglior Don Carlo che c'è in circolazione!!!!
voncarmelo 3 years ago
il tutto condito da un urlo lacerante in luogo del do bemolle della baltsa...
lyside1 3 years ago
A bit overdone, but, loved it, loved it,
LOVED IT!
donatello1 3 years ago 9
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it's NOT a good performance!!
permea 3 years ago
Her chest voice is a BEAST.
CrystalFlames 3 years ago 7
Totally. She falters on the break throughout.
iriisblue 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Baltsa gives here an example of a very bad vocal performance along with a overacted old fashioned stage presence.
Her voice is broken in two : a non existing lower register and an upper register reduced to a scary scream. Her "Ti maledico" is absolutely horrible.And this has nothing to do with being "in" the character she is portraying. Baltsa's Eboli is more a scary witch of the fairy tales than a XVII century Spanish princess. What a shame that Karajan accepted all this ...
candidogabriel 3 years ago
His voice is wonderful
LeonardoEulero 3 years ago 3
BRAVA AGNES, we love you.
wenarto 3 years ago 17
a great acting singer
adamsoul 3 years ago 9
I sort of don't like her lower registrar...
bach16 3 years ago
Baltsa tends to over-act some roles including here and also Carmen that is why her singing is questionable. She was the recepient of Callas scholarship and may be she wants to be like her - a great acting singer , who knows?!
She must know and understand her limitatins in my opinion - not everyone becomes Calls: to be the best in all areas. My 2 Cs.
iValkure 3 years ago
Agnes Baltsa does not want to be anything but herself. Why do you think that because she was the recipient of the Callas scholarship that she wants to be like her. Not at all. Karajan for instance pushed her and she took risks and that is to be admired. What a woman what a voice.
NART65 3 years ago 8
I have this whole DVD by Karajan and eventhough I like him he is not as good as Jullini in it. But as for Baltsa's prosonalized 'howling' there is no excuse; that is not singing just over-acting as she also does in her Carmen. Heavily personalized performances can be risky and cab backfire,this is a good exmpl; this is Opera not Kabuki play.
iValkure 3 years ago
Regardless of YOUR opinion she is still giving her all. I like her she is dramatic and this is obvious in this performance. The audience liked her and really that is of importance.
What a rather assinine comment to make that this is not a Kabuki play but opera, one would not have known had you not mentioned this. Thanks for the lessons on the rather ancient Japanese art form.
NART65 3 years ago 2
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She's pushed all right. Runs out of air, cracks on the first B flat, and falters on the break throughout. Yes, it's very Callas-like in those ways.
iriisblue 3 years ago
How NOT to sing Eboli. All the open chest voice way up, all the top notes either go backwards or are screamed and the middle is just weak. Eboli needs a rich solid voice, it's far too much for her, the opening knocks the wind out of her completely and she can't sustain the legato line in the second section. I heard her in this a few years later in Vienna and it was like a drunken drag queen, even worse than this. Karajan has a lot to answer for, he led her astray from her natural fach.
CzarDodon 3 years ago
You know, I agree.
33blueberries 3 years ago
Your comments are a perfectly valid opinion, but can I remind you this is a STAGE PERFORMANCE, not a CONCERT! Not once do you mention her dramatic acting ability, her passion, the character she brings to life, her stage presence, the effect she has on an audience. I've said it before, and will keep saying it, Agnes is a creature of the theatre, just like Callas and Gwyneth Jones - not the best recording voices but all have audiences the world over who love and respect their art!
frauohneschatten 3 years ago 5
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Dramatic acting ability? I see a singer in trouble gesturing hysterically as she tries to cope with something that is too heavy for her. When we listen to Baltsa a few years eariler ("naqui all'affanno") we hear her totally in control of her voice and interpretation. My point is that this was TOO MUCH for her resources, she cannot interpret i.e. make the music work in conveying the drama, 'acting' doesn't replace this. Ugly open chest sounds are the expressive exception, not the rule.
CzarDodon 3 years ago
brava!
renamunich 2 years ago 5
This was BY FAR the best interpretation of Princess Eboli! BRAVISSIMA!
hwhap13 3 years ago
My god, what incredible intensity!!! Baltsa remains to be one of my favorite performers.
lildiva1988 3 years ago 4
her top notes are extremely bright and powerful
raigekimaru 3 years ago 2
Oh my god, what a risky performance, she couldn¨t handle the last high note because of that energy in the begining, i think experiments like these could ruin a voice forever, the sad thing is that you don¨t see your ending right away, but maybe 5 years later, when there¨s nothing to do, but curse yourself
cantanteporsiempre 3 years ago 3
The effects are a bit too verismo-reminiscent for my taste, but she shows absolutely wonderful intensity (there must be something about Greece's water....), and her voice holds up well.
VivaMariaCallas 3 years ago
AS we the public expect,even demand so much from such artiste's,it's a wonder any of them stay around as long as they do,and some pay a very heavy price as A.B.I did wonder why such a lovely voice had disappeared some time a go,now i know why.We should really appreciate them while we can.
garthleslie 3 years ago
I love love love Agnes Baltsa and this is great. What a voice!!
bobmandl 3 years ago
Normally I like her acting, here I do not. That's too miuch. The first part is much too hysterical. This is a princess don't forget, not Medea! She overpowers a lot and that is how she damaged her voice, because of such conductors as Karajan who pushed her in the dramatic Fach. Here on youtube, there is a Rossini from 1979, listen to that and you will see what a wonderful light voice we have lost with this sort of experimentation.
wotansings 3 years ago
Medea was a princess too as I remember...
MarcionusNovus 3 years ago
right but remind for the Atenians Medea was an uncivilized animal.
wotansings 3 years ago
Not so... as a granddaughter of the God Helios through her father Aeëtes, she would have been first cousin twice removed to Zeus himself.
MarcionusNovus 3 years ago
you should (re) read Aechilos...
wotansings 3 years ago
I guess...
MarcionusNovus 3 years ago
With the slight exception that Medea is a Euripides tragedy, not an Aeschylos one...
parsifalito 3 years ago
Funny, I posted almost the same comment on another Baltsa vid, that Rossini was damn good.
CzarDodon 3 years ago
she's managing the register break pretty well, given she normally doesn't manage it at all. Phenomenal intensity. Wish I had seen her live when she was at the top.
altodivo 3 years ago 2
Breathtaking!Excellent voice and acting!
sotiriaopera 3 years ago
mostro sacro
brava agnes
AGNOSFALTSOS 3 years ago
The voice is unruly and wild, but she burns the stage. She's always known to sing with two distinct voices, and I think that really works for Eboli, especially this aria, which is rather bipolar. I think she really nailed the whole scene here better than anyone.
vitellia 3 years ago 5
if you go to the theater to hear perfect singing I bet you stay home a lot.
rapoportdan 3 years ago 2
Obviously a controversal performance. I ususally like Baltsa very much. She always perform with fire. Her performance on this was dramtically convincing, however she did produce some ugly sound. May be she did in on purpose to suit the drama?!
g420730a 3 years ago
You don`t have any idea of what this is! She is totally conscious of her breaking voice, she maybe she does it on purpose! That is real and good interpretation. You`d better judge beyond vocal technique and perfectionism. Opera is not only that. Close your eyes and feel! Do you know what this aria is about?? This woman leaves her soul on stage, and I agree with you,Frauohneschatten.
NaniJoplin 4 years ago 8
quite agree!! thx for ur feedback!
gtelloz 4 years ago
It may please you that a further music lover agrees, too. She is conscious of it like e.g. Callas as Lady Macbeth or Horne as Anita in La Navarraise have been. To sing this aria "just beautiful" would destroy the drama within.
SwingBernie 4 years ago
Is it usual to make a bow during an opera performance?? It disrupts the whole action!
twizzle99 4 years ago
This aria is and always has been a show-stopper. Curtain calls are common after this part of the opera.
foxxywilma 3 years ago
What do I all read here " power and flexibility" "One of the best renditions of this aria i've ever seen". Baltsa is olne of my favourite mezzi, but she should never have done this.
martello79 4 years ago
I disagree...comparing her with many other interpretations, even urmana or borodina. I rather listen to Baltsa. With her interpretation i feel intensity, despair and she touches me. Not the best in the world, but greater than many others...
gtelloz 4 years ago
Baltsa is one of the best in interpreting that is true, I will never blame her for that, but she goes beyond her possibilities here. She breaks off the top note and after that her middle voice sounds damaged, with cracks all over. That is no interpretation that is too much pressure under a voice that is too light for this repertoire.
martello79 4 years ago
Very true, i quite agree. But when this pressure is right or wrong? this is still exciting, even musically is beyond her moment, as u say? sometimes is more than notes, right? Even composers loved singers craking notes...
gtelloz 4 years ago
I think I love human voice in general and this woman's voice in particular too much to be able to enjoy a harsh and airy middle register after having blown up the upper....
martello79 4 years ago
But it's by going beyond the possibilities that makes live opera so exciting - it's a risk that doesn't always pay off, but when it does...! Don't forget this is a live performance, not a studio recording where she could have another stab at it. She took a risk on the night, and perhaps it didn't come off but it was a theatrical experience - after all, opera is not just about singing!
frauohneschatten 4 years ago 2
I don't think we will meet each other on this subject: You call it a theatrical experience, I call it voice abuse. You may be thrilled by what you hear, it aches my throat.
This woman is capable of making a lot of impression without having to push her vocal cords far over the edge as she does here. This is the wrong technique for this aria or the wrong voice type for the role.
martello79 4 years ago
Agreed, martello79... she's clearly abusing her voice here. I go to the opera to hear perfect singing first and theater second.
urgrad03 4 years ago
In that case why not stay at home and listen to the radio or a recording? Opera IS theatre, not a mausoleum of perfect vocal technique - how dull it would all be if every singer we had a chance to SEE (not just hear) was perfect!
frauohneschatten 3 years ago 2
Apologies, this comment should have been attached to urgrad03's comment lower down the page about going to the opera to hear perfect singing!
frauohneschatten 3 years ago
I'd not be bored with that. If I go to see an NFL game, I expect to see the best football players. If I go to a golf tournament, I expect to see the best golfers. If I go to the theater, I expect to see premium acting. And when I go to the opera, I expect to hear sublime singing. Period.
urgrad03 3 years ago
If indeed Baltsa had made a mistake singing this it should have shown in the rest of her career, which now, almost thirty years later goes strong.
That said, she takes so many risks in this aria, apart of the throaty attack on the Cb, that it shocks me to see her so fearless. I talk about the sustained crescendo Bb in the meno mosso part or the last "lo salvero" in one breath... a killer at the end of this aria! to mention a few...
CONTESTAR 4 years ago
She really loses her edge recovering from the high C and even the C itself is labored. The orchestra is dragging at a turtles pace too.
hillevifan 4 years ago
Ma in che mondo siamo? Urla parla ruggisce. E' di una volgarità e di una rozzezza degna di un politeama di provincia negli anni 20.
Faborizi 4 years ago
It may not be the most beautifully sung performance, but Baltsa is a creature of the theatre, just like Callas and Gwyneth Jones - their voices do not record particularly well, but nearly anyone who sees them live cannot fail to be moved. I saw Agnes sing this at Covent Garden and it made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck! Eboli is a desparate woman driven to the brink - and it calls for the conviction of Balta's portrayal to bring it to life.
frauohneschatten 4 years ago 4
I agree and I just wanted to mention that you named in one breath the three singers that I have probably loved the most!!
If I didn't see your name I woud think I wrote this. Though CG is one of the few great theatres I've never been to.
CONTESTAR 4 years ago
Baltsa is one of the only Ebolis in history with the power and flexibility to pull of both the Veil Song and O Don Fatale. Although she's a little heavy on the histrionics here, her recorded Eboli is simply beyond comparison.
Gigglingatagas 4 years ago
Conviction makes up for a lot!! I love singers who aren't afraid of sounding downright nasty when it fits the character they're singing. Ergo... Love Baltsa (tho she's close to crossing the line here... Like Behren singing Elettra at the Met!).
SDCmorg 4 years ago 2
I first heard Baltsa's Eboli in the 1978 EMI studio recording. I nearly fell off my sofa listening to it. Such passion, despair, regret...this character is truly tormented, and her actions are never going to be subtle.
Go, Agnes!
raffmartino7 4 years ago 3
very weird high c :(
hillevifan 4 years ago
greek fire! brava!!
niklausse 4 years ago
I have to say that it is absurd to judge acting in a theatre by watching someone on TV with the camera stuck under their nose!
What effect Baltsa's performance had on this audience you can hear... I dont need to tell you.
Anyway... opinions are beyond critic. Everybody has one...
CONTESTAR 4 years ago 3