Part III: Rare and unknown voices - BIDU SAYAO

Part III: Rare and unknown voices. Please open the bar to read more!

Bidu Sayão, Soprano (1902-1999)

Francisco Ernani Braga -- A casinha pequenina
Brazilian Folksong
(Recorded 1934)

My personal opinion: Please don´t blame me too much for putting Bidu Sayão in a list with rare and unknown voices, but I experienced that many operalovers indeed never heard about her! It was Rosa Ponselle, who said that "Bidu Sayão was the greatest of all lyrical sopranos" and Giacomo Lauri-Volpi (1892-1979) attested her "wonderful intelligence, poetical sentiment and a proof knowledge of singing". "The fragility of her instrument, crystal clear, which cut like a diamond across a large orchestra; the exquisite delicacy of her phrasing; her innate sense of the stage, which created a thousand and one nuances; and a feminine pertness... All that was totally irresistible", wrote Lanfranco Rasponi. And even Irving Kolodin in his Met-chronicles recognized, that Sayão presented her audience finely polished portraits with singing "which wasn´t aimed on sound-masses, but on cleanness and projection."
Bidú Sayão was born in Brazil. She wanted to be an actress, but, she once related, "in Rio de Janeiro at that time going on the stage was absolutely out of question for a girl born in a respectable family," so she began vocal study instead. She studied with Elena Teodorini, following the Rumanian soprano when she returned to Europe. Sayão made a few concert appearances in Rumania, then went to study with 74 years old Jean de Reszke, who helped her refine her technique and taught her to sing the text: "Don´t concentrate yourself an concert-singing, you must become an opera-singer!" was his advice. Sayão: "De Reszke had an extraordinary ability to evaluate the text, integrating it to the music until they became one. This was to be of enormous help to me when I took on many of the Debussy scores." After de Reszke's death Sayão proceeded to Rome and auditioned for Emma Carelli, who was running the Teatro Costanzi, and who had a knack for discovering voices. Carelli sent her to Luigi Ricci to learn repertoire. She made her debut as Rosina in IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA opposite Galeffi, Ederle and de Angelis in Rome, which remained her base for several years. Critic Alfredo Vandini wrote: "Though her voice is only very small, it is a voice of amazingly beauty!" Carelli casted the young brazilian soprano as Gilda and as Carolina in Cimarosas fine but almost forgotten opera IL MATRIMONIO SEGRETO. She appeared in Genoa, San Remo, the Colón, and Rio's Municipal. She sang her first LAKMÉ at the Opéra Comique and her first Juliette at the Opéra with Georges Thill. She also performed with him in Brazil's national opera, IL GUARANY, in Rio and São Paulo. Sayão remarked that Thill "was the last of the great French tenors." Sayão's American career began in 1937 with a tremendous success as Massenet's MANON on her debut at the Metropolitan, where she interpreted 12 roles in 13 seasons, including Violetta, Rosina, Gilda and Mimi (A recording with Bjoerling survived). According to own words she would have given 10 years of her life to be able to sing Butterfly on the stage, but her beautiful voice was much too fragile. She left the Met in 1952 (Mimi alongside di Stefano) and retired from stage in 1958. I really love her feminine, charming voice with the pure and silvery tone. It was an exotic voice with remarkable timbré and strong accent, tailor-made for passionate girlish roles (especially both Manons), but in my opinion best with brazilian music, and so I chose this fine folksong from her homeland.

THE COMPLETE OVERVIEW: GO TO ALL SINGERS IN THIS LIST
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBsScnQWVlU

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Bidu
• Sayao

[soundfond]

Hi Mike, thank you much for sharing these gems with us. As a brazilian-born naturalized american, I disagree with a couple of points in your comment. Bidu Sayao's name is well-known in both North and South Americas. Her girlish voice was highly focused and her secure technique made it well heard above Verdi orchestras, which we can verify in the live recordings of her duet with Warren. Best fit for brazilian folksong? Not quite. Her old school singing was thankfully a tad too operatic for that:)

[100Singers]

@soundfond Hi. I know, Bidu is well known among operalovers, but 100 Singers is also a project for an unexperienced audience - and for these music lovers she is still a jewel to discover. To put her into the Part III list means to make her more popular for more people. She deserves it! Mike

[Comsaudades]

What a beautiful voice! The clarity and uniqueness of Bidu's voice are remarkable. It is not a reproduction of other highly educated voices. Eventhou this recording was done when she was very young, she kept the same traces of her voice,clarity and uniqueness, throughout her career. I can identify her voice because of these traces of her voice. Her interpretation of Casinha Pequenina is just unique. Thank you for posting this rare recording.

[NEMORINO1976]

I dont like the terms "rare" and "unknown". I thing they should say "other voices" or something like that.

[janejones11]

I love your channel! It is fantastic to see so many videos dedicated to great historical singers. I personally would not consider her unknown though. She was a great star at the met from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. In any case, her tone is at it's most lovely and youthful here. She has true artistic elegance .

[TheCTConservative]

Bidu Sayao is not known well enough by music lovers. With time, the voices of greats like Sayao sadly fade from the broader public consciousness. But she was a gem among singers with a delicacy and unmistakable timbre that can melt your heart. Her Juliet with Jussi Björling (1947) is one of my all time favorite live opera recordings. They were perfectly marched. Both had unique vocal qualities that could move an audience deeply.

[toddydelahov]

Que voz maravilhosa...

[rosaloreto]

 Quanta saudadesssss!!!Lindoooooo!!!

[MultiCathy1]

Amazing !!!! I can't believe I hear it on YouToube... Wow !!!!

So many thanks for sharing this ! You are cool ! :")

[espiritolivre63]

@MarcusAurelianus - I DO AGREE with you dear friend only that i never knew this song .....so for me its quite new - thank you for sending this pearl like you said - hugs from LOndon

[hugothebear]

Sayao gives a direct link to the legendary era of Bel Canto having studied with Jean de Reske, not nearly as well known as I think she should be, almost everything she recorded is exquisitly judged, quite a lot on youtube and quite a few recordings available so go listen and enjoy.... perhaps her name will be spread to a much wider number of music lovers now we have the internet to help :-)

[Guilherme7530]

There was a better version here in Youtube, which was just piano and voice... but this is still, simply great.

As a Brazilian boy who wants to someday be a lyrical singer, Bidú Sayão is my biggest muse and inspiration. Thankyou very much for uploading this!