The comments here illustrate that people have no clue what the performing tradition of the era of Bel Canto were. The point was not to show off vocally, but surely, the singer had as much leeway as they could take. In the hands of a great singer and great vocal actress- certainly the case here- the coloratura and interpolated high notes are there to highlight the emotional power of the vocal line. This is what made Callas great.
its a little too show offy... Hello, how many additional high notes do you need to add... a little to desperate to show off the range... we get it... you sing soprano sometimes.
Impressionnant, deux grandes artites que j'aime beaucoup mais je trouve que Bumbry en rajoute dans des aigus qui sont limite hurlement. L'affrontement vire au pugilat. Un peu too much, mais plutôt jouissif!
@allanaki I agree. At some point embellishments are no longer embellishments, but rather a distortion of the music. Large passages of the duet are almost unrecognizable in this performance.
Well, it's quite exciting, ain't it? Not lacking in drama, which is something that at least brings the thing to some sort of life. Bel Canto should be about more than good vocal manners, but great vocal acting- which seems to be in abundance here.
I have to say I've always loved both of them, for different reasons. I love the fearless singing here. It must have been stunning to watch but the interpolated high notes I find wrenching since most don't work. Neither I believe sang their roles on stage. No conductor of any stature (Muti for instance) would have permitted such a thing in a staged performance, but extremely exciting. Thanks for posting- Grazie assai- Ernesto
When compared to Beverly Sills and Shirley Verrett doing this duet scene from Anna Bolena (on the DG recording) it doesnt come off as dramatic and as expressive as this one with Grace Bumbry...two great black divas singing with fire! It's absolutely brilliant...i wish i had been present at such a performance..sadly, Bumbry and Verrett didnt seem to get along as friends offstage and were only professional workers on stage...both have great attributes and neither one is better than the other...
grande duetto grandi voci grandi cantanti....ma secondo me troppo simili per due vocalità diverse come anna e giovanna seymour non dimentichiamoci che sono rispettivamente soprano e mezzosoprano e qui sono interpretate da due (grandi e magnifici) mezzisoprani
Bumbry sings the role with the right accento, she is a Queen and want to sing like a Queen. She is not the best Bolena ever, but she did sing anything as a verismo singer (in bad terms). A bad verismo singer is the shounting Theodossiou not Bumbry!
Not New York! I have the New York concert and it's a mess. That last note got choked up and cut off way sooner. This is DEFINITELY NOT the Opera Orchestra of New York w/ Eve Queler conducting.
I love this They are making it there Own.... Sing Diva,s that is what i love about Opera everyone has there own way of singing and making it there own.... Miss Verrett will always do right by me i just love her.... bravi diva,s
Ok, now I wouldn't say she's singing RINGS around Bumbry. The fierceness of voice from both of them is certainly turned up to 25 here. What I will say is that this material doesn't suit Ms. Bumbry's timbre as well. But she obviously has these NOTES in spades. Listen very carefully dearies-throat OPEN, almost never an onset w/ a closed throat! Lessons for everyone!
Again, I question why this concert hasn't been released on DVD??? Anyway, thanks for the incredible privilege of being able to hear this for the very first time!
Thank you so much for this post ! It's really incredible. I think I have never ear a such thing before, it's terrible, just a fight. Where is Donizetti ? But of course, I love it a lot.
Ah, how lovely to hear this. I've heard the Carnegie Hall concert and thought this an INTERESTING choice for Bumbry. With regard to her timbre-- I don't think her voice was particularly suited to roles like Leonora from Favorita, Bolena, et al because the voice was too bright, and her line isn't as seamless as it should be for this material. Still- well sung
I am sure this several years after Verrett recorded this role and aria with Sills and Caballé respectively and she still has it. That ending phrase where she holds that note changing dynamics is one of the reasons why I love both Verrett and opera. You go girl. Bumbry was fine but not a role for her. Her timbre is light but I am not so sure about the soprano technique at times.
Terribile!
salstiha 5 months ago
torrenziali!!
andreernestgretry 7 months ago
The comments here illustrate that people have no clue what the performing tradition of the era of Bel Canto were. The point was not to show off vocally, but surely, the singer had as much leeway as they could take. In the hands of a great singer and great vocal actress- certainly the case here- the coloratura and interpolated high notes are there to highlight the emotional power of the vocal line. This is what made Callas great.
Cantormatis 10 months ago
its a little too show offy... Hello, how many additional high notes do you need to add... a little to desperate to show off the range... we get it... you sing soprano sometimes.
jmahlon 11 months ago
Grande desempenho!!!
Temo por Netrebko quando ela resolver cantar este papel...
Se como Lucia ela foi consideravelmente fraca, imagine com as Rainhas de Donizetti...
avalokiteshivara 1 year ago
Impressionnant, deux grandes artites que j'aime beaucoup mais je trouve que Bumbry en rajoute dans des aigus qui sont limite hurlement. L'affrontement vire au pugilat. Un peu too much, mais plutôt jouissif!
opera75frfr 1 year ago 2
@opera75frfr Complètement d'accord !! Bumbry en fait des caisses...mais quelle énergie !
tetrazzini 1 year ago 2
TOO MUCH PUNTATURA NOT WRITTEN.. OK SHOWING VOCAL BRAVURA, BUT THIS IS NO MORE DONIZETTI.
allanaki 1 year ago 3
@allanaki I agree. At some point embellishments are no longer embellishments, but rather a distortion of the music. Large passages of the duet are almost unrecognizable in this performance.
assindiastignani 1 year ago
this is the most exciting bolen duet i have ever heard! I'm kinda scared to hear this at the Met with Netrebko
harpguy18 1 year ago
@harpguy18 BE SCARED , terrified is better.
purtigodo 5 months ago
I don´t care about interpolated high notes... This is FABULOUS!
ezayi 1 year ago
Its a 10 minute singing competition between them to see who can sing the most un-written high notes. Bumbry is sharp allot.
jmahlon 1 year ago
Well, it's quite exciting, ain't it? Not lacking in drama, which is something that at least brings the thing to some sort of life. Bel Canto should be about more than good vocal manners, but great vocal acting- which seems to be in abundance here.
Cantormatis 1 year ago
This is just screaming. Listen to Callas and Simionato for the real interpretation.
AuthenticFeirce 2 years ago
I have to say I've always loved both of them, for different reasons. I love the fearless singing here. It must have been stunning to watch but the interpolated high notes I find wrenching since most don't work. Neither I believe sang their roles on stage. No conductor of any stature (Muti for instance) would have permitted such a thing in a staged performance, but extremely exciting. Thanks for posting- Grazie assai- Ernesto
semiramide1945 2 years ago
Verrett sang hers on stage
courtneybaritone01 2 years ago
Uottza America!!
palmirion 2 years ago
La Bumbry e La Verrett DUE DIVINE
HoracioB999 2 years ago
Great! How many interpolated high notes in this duet!!!Wonderful
operapassion 2 years ago
Thank you - a marvellous duo. These ladies are very similar in many ways, so it is no wonder that their voices blend so well.
Is this available on CD/DVD ?
Chayastri 2 years ago
What was that at 6:19?! lol
Chasson0318 2 years ago
@Chasson0318 a high c or attempted high C
harpguy18 1 year ago
When compared to Beverly Sills and Shirley Verrett doing this duet scene from Anna Bolena (on the DG recording) it doesnt come off as dramatic and as expressive as this one with Grace Bumbry...two great black divas singing with fire! It's absolutely brilliant...i wish i had been present at such a performance..sadly, Bumbry and Verrett didnt seem to get along as friends offstage and were only professional workers on stage...both have great attributes and neither one is better than the other...
AmericanEvita 2 years ago 4
Per il mio gusto, e per quanto riguarda lo stile di Donizetti, troppe puntature all'acuto..
allanaki 2 years ago
Justa hollerin'! lol
Chasson0318 3 years ago
This is a fierce duet....sounds like Jane Seymour is about to get a serious beat-down from Anne Boleyn!
UrsulanChild 3 years ago 2
grande duetto grandi voci grandi cantanti....ma secondo me troppo simili per due vocalità diverse come anna e giovanna seymour non dimentichiamoci che sono rispettivamente soprano e mezzosoprano e qui sono interpretate da due (grandi e magnifici) mezzisoprani
sciorgiodark79 3 years ago
The mistake here is from Bumbry, not Verrett, at minute 2:17 aprox, where she get completely lost.
Verrett was clever at minute 2:23 to come in were written.
Anyway this sounds like Mascagni, not Donizetti, especially from Bumbry!
xafnndapp 3 years ago
Bumbry sings the role with the right accento, she is a Queen and want to sing like a Queen. She is not the best Bolena ever, but she did sing anything as a verismo singer (in bad terms). A bad verismo singer is the shounting Theodossiou not Bumbry!
Birgitt20 3 years ago
So touching to see three divas embracing!! Generations apart to present! Long live true divaa!!
Tonacity 3 years ago 2
Not New York! I have the New York concert and it's a mess. That last note got choked up and cut off way sooner. This is DEFINITELY NOT the Opera Orchestra of New York w/ Eve Queler conducting.
courtneybaritone01 3 years ago
There is an excellent recording with Verrett and Caballe singing this duet. This particular performance sounds like a cat fight!
albertthrelkeld 4 years ago
WOW! I am stunned! Did Bumbry just hit that high C??
godivapaw 4 years ago
Wow, after listening to it 10 times in succession I must agree, you are correct on the high C, now to time 11 !! Wow indeed.
mm9913 3 years ago
I love this They are making it there Own.... Sing Diva,s that is what i love about Opera everyone has there own way of singing and making it there own.... Miss Verrett will always do right by me i just love her.... bravi diva,s
waterfordwinstons 4 years ago
Ok, now I wouldn't say she's singing RINGS around Bumbry. The fierceness of voice from both of them is certainly turned up to 25 here. What I will say is that this material doesn't suit Ms. Bumbry's timbre as well. But she obviously has these NOTES in spades. Listen very carefully dearies-throat OPEN, almost never an onset w/ a closed throat! Lessons for everyone!
courtneybaritone01 4 years ago
I gotta agree with you. OOOOOH....how fabulous can you get. These 2 were simply amazing. There's no other word for it.
BeauTenor 4 years ago
foropera,
is this from the covent garden concert? or the carnegie hall one? i assume from CG, no?
StarRaft 4 years ago
Yes, it is Covent Garden.
foropera 4 years ago
Rings around in my opinion is singing better, more refined and artistically so.
benderpm 4 years ago
Ah ok, thanks, I didn't know that.
foropera 4 years ago
Again, I question why this concert hasn't been released on DVD??? Anyway, thanks for the incredible privilege of being able to hear this for the very first time!
ariodante76 4 years ago
Maybe because it is too long: 17 minutes in entire length.
foropera 4 years ago
Thank you so much for this post ! It's really incredible. I think I have never ear a such thing before, it's terrible, just a fight. Where is Donizetti ? But of course, I love it a lot.
falliero 4 years ago
Ah, how lovely to hear this. I've heard the Carnegie Hall concert and thought this an INTERESTING choice for Bumbry. With regard to her timbre-- I don't think her voice was particularly suited to roles like Leonora from Favorita, Bolena, et al because the voice was too bright, and her line isn't as seamless as it should be for this material. Still- well sung
courtneybaritone01 4 years ago
I am sure this several years after Verrett recorded this role and aria with Sills and Caballé respectively and she still has it. That ending phrase where she holds that note changing dynamics is one of the reasons why I love both Verrett and opera. You go girl. Bumbry was fine but not a role for her. Her timbre is light but I am not so sure about the soprano technique at times.
royalbattle 4 years ago