Carmen Seguidilla: Rinat Shaham mezzo-soprano

[satBASS]

Her low notes are like honey!

[laughingpantera]

her voice is amazing! so underrated!

[AceofGallifrey]

The role of Carmen always sounds SO much better when actually sung by a proper mezzo or contralto- too often I have seen a casting of a soprano in the role, and it loses so much with the lighter voice!

Ms. Shaham is quite decidedly the best I've ever heard!

[npaujbais]

wow. love her voice.

[lizdamyz]

Haha well whatever you say ;-) contraltos are so rare no one says that so its not really the "right" word Mezzo is the widely accepted term

[AgnesRegina]

@lizdamyz Right. There is a difference between mezzo and contralto. If I have it right, mezzos tend to have a higher range; a contralto has a very low voice but not so much range up top, while some mezzos can go pretty high (witness Cecilia Bartoli!). Apparently there are no "real contraltos" now, or very few.... I can't think of a singer I'd classify as a true contralto....?

[ymsena99]

Maria Callus, I have just arrived home from Teatro de São Carlos, Lisboa, where a surprising Carmen has been mounted and where Rinat gave a splendid rendition.

You are not going to believe, but she was unknown to me - lack of culture, for sure - and now it seems as if she always had been on my life!

Thank you for posting the video.

cheers

[martijn033]

I must say, I find this one better than the 2009 version. Better orchestra too.

[mariacallus]

@martijn033 In the 2009 the mic sounds like it was way back in the hall with the camera... 2 very different production of video/ recording.

[MrSkylark1]

Listen to CONCHITA SUPERVIA and RISE STEVENS

[DCdabest]

mmmm.......music........

[blichilde]

Brava. Bel timbro, grande espressione, presenza scenica notevole. Una Carmen seducente.

[paulostroff99]

Awesome!  TY.

[lovelysmile1]

WOW. Rini is fantastic!!!!! I'm quite inspired by this as a mezzo myself. I hope one day to be this good haha :)

[Baobabtree88]

I think Seguidilla is my favorite Carmen song. Rinat Shaham does a wonderful job!

[lizdamyz]

if you know what F5 is you shouldnt be using the word "alto" haha that's for high school

[TrpleThreat22]

F5 is the F on the top of the staff . . .if you can't go any higher than that - you would most likely sing alto.

[lizdamyz]

Any lower-voiced female singer will tell you thats it's very unprofessional to say "alto", it's "mezzo soprano" Alto is usually used for undeveloped lower-voiced females, that's all but I'll have my degree in May so all this C4 F6 crap is old hat thank goodness, and Ive heard a really nice F6 G6 fyi to whoever it was that thought that person was mistaken

[rickigr40]

@lizdamyz the right world is contralto

[candacecromson]

What a voice !

[VeronicaSantander]

un color espectacular, como anillo al dedo para esta aria, super seductor

[Csanfer14]

this voice resembles me the voice of Agnes Baltsa, Lovely!!

[Iareto]

I think it's more refined, but there are occasional color similarities.

[drcaptainblaubaer]

amazing voice and presence... too bad her french isn't better

[MaliaMarie]

I agree

amazing

[singerR64]

ella tiene una bella voz muy singular

[Anibaal]

Esta mujer está muy bien en esta aria, el color es ideal, como el peso, la escuché a Waltraud Meier y la verdad me pareció muy aburrida pero esta cantante es genial en el aria.

[knightofhair]

the voice is amazing, but quality :-/ If picture was better it would be charming..

I love Carmen!

[NarsCosmetics]

think it's a pirate..

[Portiarocksyoursocks]

shes amazing I love her and I love this song. Carmen is my favourite opera :) xxxx

[gugaceara]

Great voice. Listen carefully to 0:35 Lilas Pastia.......

[khykhy]

sumptuous ... I love a mezzo that has a baritone timbre

[themusicdr]

what a magnificent sonorous voice

[xwskikixoxo]

what language is this?

[chocoholicchic92]

french

[DonCupu21]

....FANTASTICA...BEST CARMEN I´VE SEEN..Thank you for sharing it...love it....

[mariacallus]

We Love the Shaham!

[beteltree]

Carmen is an opera (and a role) I can take or leave but this is fantastic!

[radioarmenia]

I SAW HER AS CERUBINO IN LE NOCE DE FIGARO

and she is really GREAT actress.

[piffffpaffff]

She's the best Carmen ever!

[huggy2bear]

I am bewitched by Israeli women

[Marmalade000000]

I'm a mezzo soprano, but my actual range is between Alto and mezzo. My lowest note is E below middle C, and my highest note is F, 2 octaves above middle C....

[TrpleThreat22]

if your highest note is an F5, you're an Alto ;-)

[OhNoesItsSydney]

stupid don jose, didnt he say a couple scenes ago that he loved Micaëla? pshhh men.

really great performance

[andrewhei0804]

Sparkling.

it'll be perfect if the video has higher quality

[rlee1976]

My only criticism is her pronunciation of the word "amoreux," which is way off...but otherwise...love love love Rinat!

[Songstermom]

I'd like to drizzle this voice on my pancakes. Nice, rich, not too sweet, just yummy actually....

Thank you for posting!

M.

[OperaApasionada]

excellent actress and truly believable as carmen. her voice and her look is perfect for this role. i saw her twice the last month and she is enchanting when she sings this aria...

[NewYorkHarpTrio]

Yay Rini

[andsusul]

she has such a rich..velvety voice

Its amazing

[KatMays379]

I don't know how to say this, but she truly outshines him.

[Devalmont2]

wow!  gorgeous!

[narutosweet]

esta es la aria que mas me gusta de la opera de carmen

wuaw

me encanta

[highnote32]

Not a Mezzo if she can hit a B5! Awesome voice, though. Good job!!!!1

[DivaDeb1234]

Actually many mezzos can hit High C....It's not just hitting the note that counts. It's where you love to "live". The timbre in her voice is very mezzo.

I really loved this scene. She is an awesome Carmen.

[highnote32]

Yeah, I know. Mezzo-Soprano is thicker and deeper than a normal Soprano. A teacher that I had said that Mezzos can only hit F5 and Sopranos hit between A5 and C6.

[DivaDeb1234]

Yes, the timbre is deeper in mezzo voice and the middle voice is comfortable for mezzo. But mezzo repetoire has lots of high B flats or B naturals and even high C's. It's just that the tessura is lower and the high notes are mainly reserved for dramatic spikes!

I am a mezzo myself and I can sing to B natural...I don't have a high C. My middle and low voice are very strong.

[dungaboyd1]

are there any soprano roles that requires a singer to go above B5

[LaFeeVerte1209]

... most of them.

[dungaboyd1]

sorry, i meant mezzo

[LaFeeVerte1209]

Ah right, well I'm not entirely sure, but I doubt the role would require the singer to 'live' in that register. More likely it would be a coloratura extension, but generally speaking, mezzo range tends to stop at around B5. Hold it! Doesn't Rosina (Barber of Seville) go higher than that? I think so... But yet again, that's in a cadenza at the end of an aria. Hope that sort of answered your question!

[hyperchik929]

B5 is the B directly above middle C, so most mezzo arias go higher. I am a mezzo, and almost all of the arias and art songs I have learned go to at least F6 or G6.

[cateamaz]

@hyperchik929 You're mistaken. Octaves start and end on the C's in scientific pitch notation. Since middle C is C4, the B above middle C is actually B4, and what you're calling G6 is really G5. B5 is the note two notes above that, just below high C.

[hyperchik929]

actually middle C is C5, so you are the mistaken one.

[cateamaz]

Well, since I am often mistaken, I decided to take your comment at face value and go fact check myself. Which I did. And guess what? It turns out I'm not mistaken. Middle C = 261.63 hz = C4. You can easily look it up if you don't believe me, or do the math if you're so inclined.

OR you could continue to take my simple comment personally and insist your statements are correct without bothering to fact check them. Whatever floats your boat.

[jean1938]

You are right cateamaz.

Nowhere can we see the middle C as C5!

Middle C:

Helmholtz notation: C1

Franco-Belge: C3

Scientific pitch notation: C4

In no books have I seen

middle C as C5.

@ hyperchik929

I am ready to learn, can you give your references ?

[redkid89]

Middle C is C4, not C5.

[crmt00]

Fantastica, me sobrecoge el alma...

[iceorgmusic]

fantastic

[andreasaracarroll]

absolutely stunning!

[ClaudiaDenise]

wow

[Arashi110]

Gorgeous Carmen. Excellent rendition, very well acted and sung.

[ifeelharassed]

i saw her live in new zealand in carmen last year. she actually ACTS as well, instead of standing on stage making stupid expressions with her face! i love her!

[solensegunda]

Este papel es para una verdadera mezzo como Rinat, no sé por que a veces hay sopranos que encaran este personaje. Muy buena performance.

[LaFeeVerte1209]

She'a amaazing.

[toshinator]

second only to maria callas

[qklq42]

Yes !!!! This is a real Carmen.

Hans NL

[Gerardeus]

Me derrito con esa Carmen!!!

una de las más seductoras interpretaciones de Carmen que jamás había visto.

Mis más fuertes aplausos a Rinat Shaham,

hace excelente su papel.

[asianfury88]

wow, this is the best rendition i have ever heard. she's perfect for carmen!

[operadonna]

one of the most seductive vocal lines ever written... this is very well sung.

[DevaChanSalon]

She is amazing

[s410014]

Bravo!

[beetlecuije]

you are wonderful! i want to be like you in the future .. this is the best seguidilla i have ever listened.

[fairryyyyyy]

realllyy good

[orientalkismet]

Perfect looks and voice for this part.I have never heard it sung better !!

[ShesBroadwayBound]

That was perfection.

Sheer perfection.

[polveredipalco]

sexy carmen così si fa!

brava!

[alameerLover]

seduction

[Magamaguitam]

Qué bárbara, genial!

[jinji15]

kol ha kavod rinat. as an aspiring opera singer I am proud to hear such a sublime voice!

[jetsetter99]

Shaham is sexy, sultry and seductive. Brava!

[iuska]

Wonderful!

[youtiube]

Best Carmen I've ever heard

[LaFeeVerte1209]

Agreed.

[Sfortzando23]

Wooooow....That was so...awesome!

[Singerguy24]

I'm a big fan of this Don Jose also! He's great!

[elizabu]

Wow!!! she is fantastic!

[meerkat38]

Sexiest song ever in the history of the world. That is true seduction.

[SingingAngel567]

one of my favorite mezzos on this song

my absolute favorite being leontyne price

but still

gorgeous tone, gorgeous language, expression, everything

[viv3147]

cant dney that she sounds fantastic and sounds incredibly french

[geok53]

this was good

[Senuf]

Love it. She is great. Almost makes me feel I can hear Carmen again besides Callas/Gedda version of 1964 (if I recall correctly the year). BTW, the tenor is OK, but somehow falls short when compared to Nicolai Gedda, who was astounding (I just compared this Seguidilla to the 1964 one).

[Njamh]

Great!!!!!! Wonderful voice.... finally a real mezzo and a pretty good Carmen! Thanks for posting it!

[titanfan5]

she is beautiful! her voice is beautiful! this song is beautiful! she has such a dark sound to her lower register, i love it! she's gonna play dorabella from cosi fan tutte in miami, i can't wait to see it!

[Patricio7777777]

I love the song

[aohrecks]

I love this girl

[Singerguy24]

She's gorgeous and sings this aria beautifully!

[andreandrethegreates]

excellent interpretation

[scj16]

I love this opera. but i just have to say this. She is absolutely gorgeous.

[x4812k]

She sings beautifully! I went to see Carmen at the NYC opera, and was confronted with a barely mediocre understudy. C'est la vie.

[rizziDoc]

Marvellous singing! The tenor is great, but the mezzo is really amazing. She has such a fabulous quality to her voice. What a talent and she is gorgeous.

[foropera]

Hum, Verdiano, I love this singer whom I know, but video is one thing, but I don't think that she has such a powerfull voice like Bumbry or Verrett had, so don't expect a Dalila.Cherubino is not Dalila. Ok for the Carmen, she 's gorgeous and extremely sensuous, feminine, etc. Must listen her on stage. Maybe it's Ok.

[VerdianoBR]

I agree with you all! This mezzo is the Carmen of everyone's dreams. I wonder how she'd sound and look as Dalilah, as well! She has such a firm and sexy voice and moves very well through the stage. I'm sure we're gonna hear much of her in the next years. ;-)

[Mikeshoosha]

Amazing singing again, watched the Cherubino and the card aria b4 this. Gr8 gr8 gr8.

[cicipio]

Wow God this is just too perfect

[geomusic]

Wow! A great voice AND presentation! Thanks.

[operaticxingenue]

Im in LOVE with this girl! she is just awesome! she has GOT to he the most risque Carmen in the history of this opera! PERFECT for the role! i honestly dont compliment ppl like this seriously! i see a lot in this woman!the way she portrays this role is just phenomenal! plus i think she has the most gorgeous eyes! she just gained another fan~ lol! keep it up Rini! i hope they release a CD of her in this role!Denyce Graves and Grace Bumbry and now Rinat Shaham are on my short list of favorites

[mariacallus]

check out www.rinatshaham.com. Shaham's next Carmen is going to be in October, at the New York City Opera, Lincoln Center,NYC. Nobody should miss that!

[operaticxingenue]

fabulous! just fabulous!wow! does she officially play Carmen? if so, where?

[schicchi1160]

absolutely gorgeous!