Kiri te Kanawa sings "Sola perduta abbandonata"

[dougebraga]

For me, this is simply the worst of Kiri...a real mistake in her career...

[spizzell1]

Are those of you who are criticizing this listening to the same thing I am. I thought it was really good.

[ezayi]

Loved her voice but this role was TOO BIG for her voice. 

[ascooby]

Maybe a bit BIG for her voice.

BUT... you cant hear her over the orchestra.

And her voice..... sounds like the voice a dehydrated woman, in the desert an inch from death!

BRAVA!

[MastersoftheOpera]

The role of Manon Lescaut by Puccini is not suited for Kiri. Her voice is primarily a LYRIC voice. This role calls for a heavy dramatic soprano, which she is not. Her Mozart is glorious, and her role in Strauss' Cappricio. She is like Elisabeth Scwarzkopf, and when she tries singing bigger roles, she just doesn't cut it. She makes up for her lack of big voice through acting and mannerisms.

[lamentofhorde]

@MastersoftheOpera Well, more more spinto, which is still a little much for her, but doable.

[lrmusica]

Terrible, a disaster for a singer of her category

[aiolosgr]

I always loved this performance, Kiri's voice is beautiful and the whole production is great.

[1810fox]

What a disaster, she is very bad in this role. Horrible!

[permea]

yes!i hate this production, kiri's singing it's horrible!

[allislove1]

What was the conductor thinking of?! Too loud and too fast!

[ZsaZsadoll]

She can sing it- I'd like to see you all try to sing and act like her!

[RRydnew]

Being a contralto myself, I love the way she sings. duaname , she NEVER had a great decible range but, despite youre missng it, has the top and the bottom COVERED! I saw her in preformance at the MET and she has it...still but it is like andrewoconnorblue has said. Lyrics and even Bel Canto sopranos (tenors too) are a dime a dozen! Try to find a Dramatic soprano or even a true HeldenTenor...GOOD LUCK and this is way BETTER than getting Fleming to sing Manon. That truly sucks!

[duaname]

she doesn't have any bottom. can't hear her. Top doesn't have enough meat. I am scarred for her singing this. That's never a good sign. Her Mozart and Strauss are absolutely untouchable and gorgeous.

[BEY1004]

SHE'S NICE BUT SCOTTO IS BETTER!

[craigwalters]

This is really nice. Kiri has a beautiful voice! I wouldn't have expected it from her because I have only seen her in Mozart and Strauss. Thanks for posting it!

[cuddlebear51]

waste of time!

[musicyh]

Why are you wasting your time then?

[cuddlebear51]

No, she can't act and she can't convey the role with her voice.

[thedivakiller]

I don't agree with you at all. Tell me which operatic cow can act better???

You really have no taste!

[cuddlebear51]

Caballe is better.

[andrewoconnorblue]

seriously.

no.

if you think that this is bland, unemotive and poorly acting, then fuck knows what you think of anything we see today.

[musicyh]

Omg...she can really act.

[andrewoconnorblue]

no kidding!

[JuillHope17]

a true example of something that got te kanawa through a lot of her career: she could tackle almost any lyric/dramatic role such as manon because her acting made up for the vocal shortcomings. this was not perfect by any means (although the super-fast orchestra didn't help), but the passion and drama she puts up behind it really make it a noteworthy performance. i mean, with opera it's not JUST the voice, even if it's voice first. to quote netrebko "it's not enough to just park and bark."

[nomsdufrere]

It may seem that she indeed compensates for not having the right type of voice for this role ONLY when watched on a video. In theater, such shortcomings cannot be compensated for. If I have to strain my ears to hear her over the orchestra, the drama is gone. Lyrical voices should only sing lyrical roles. In that way, voice coaches will pay more attention to true dramatic voices and will work hard to make them become singers.

[JuillHope17]

you're too along the line, you know? if lyric voices just sang lyric roles, and dramatic voices just sang dramatic roles, and light voices just sang light roles, then opera would be so fucking boring. kiri sang tosca, gheorghiu sings some bellini, and callas did EVERYTHING. really, the main problem with opera fans is that their clouded opinions along with no true understanding of the real true passion and art of singing, makes them not know what they're talking about. not oyu so much, but still.

[nomsdufrere]

What I am trying to accentuate is that voice coaches are having less and less patience for true dramatic voices--i,e, those that may become dramatic voices. They are allowed to do so because in the end, everybody can sing everything. Franco Corelli said in one of his ineterviews (half jokingly) that nowadays he would have sung bass. True boredom that exists in today's opera is that there are very fiew dramatic voices--lyrical voices sing everything. That is boredom.

[andrewoconnorblue]

but that doesn't have an awful lot to do with coaching or a singers preference. dramatic voices ARE rare. thus the shortage. even at events like the beirut festival, you struggle to find working dramatic voices to cover the cast. It boils down to the fact that dramatic voices are rare, and a beast to tame! That is why we have lyric voices covering many dramatic roles!

[nomsdufrere]

I don't think so. I happen to have studied opera singing and out of 10 sopranos that I knew 4 were most positively dramatic sopranos. Dark and HUGE, even while still very youngg. Too bad they will never step on the stage thanks to the inaptness of the coaches who are most probably jealous when they spot a huge vocal talent in somebody else.

[rosarossasenzaspine]

meravigliosa

[macciboma]

Aria incompleta. Te Kanawa insuperabile veramente espressivo canto dal cuore.

Ricordiamo anche il genio di Puccini che a

creato queste toccanti pagine.

Onore a entrambi.

[SeniarYdnew]

watched this video again and again. it seems that the break does add a certain dramatic effect. Yes, she is not known for the decibles but, man has she got the acting talent. Brava!

[andrewoconnorblue]

i cried

beatiful

for all those people who say she can't act, watch this - she's got guts

[paulotomaso]

anyone who says she cant act has never seen her, or is kidding themselves. i consider her to be the best actress among all sopranos of the last 30 years. most sopranos look like a big dumbass in a costume giving a recital, witha distorted posture, but she keeps performing no matter what shes singing

[andrewoconnorblue]

couldn't agree more.

:-)

[CzarDodon]

Who is the dog who is coducting this? doesn't he know singers need to breath

[thedivakiller]

Haha, it's Maestro Giuseppe Sinopolli who didn't like KIRI at all. He meant to push her down!

[thedivakiller]

Haha, it's Maestro Giuseppe Sinopolli who didn't like KIRI at all. He meant to push her down!

[thedivakiller]

Haha, it's Maestro Giuseppe Sinopolli who didn't like KIRI at all. He meant to push her down!

[OperaGhost1990]

Bravissimia

[SeniarYdnew]

wonderful preformance despite her being ill. I have to agree with the rest of you. Although her voice does not have the dramatic quality as others that sang this role, her acting makes up some difference. I wish I could have seen it.

[filiodecallas]

DAme Kiri es una de mis cantantes queridas desde mi niñez. No obstante, esta no es una buena función. Resulta como un ensayo en el que, la orquesta pareciera hacer una prueba de sonido. LA percusión es desagradable al oído. LA música se parte en pedazos, no hay sentido del ritmo. La soprano era muy joven aún para este rol tan difícil. La dirección escénica es pobre y la puesta es tonta.

[cantanteporsiempre]

Kiri was extremely sick in this performance, her own teacher said that she asked her not to sing that night, and if you listen carefuly you will hear the break in her voice, in "non voglio morir" .

[marksman71]

ouch. Yeah I heard it.

[operaluvr]

While I adore Dame Te Kanawa in Richard Strauss, this repertoire is for a dramatico spinto and way beyond her lyric soprano's vocal weight. Vocal placement only goes so far. and in the house, one strained to hear her.

[SieglindeMoos]

I agree. But the drama of the acting is very good. But one should not have to sit on the edge of ones seat for any other reason other than excitement.