Beverly Sills - Anna Bolena, Finale (Score Animation)

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One of the most powerfully dramatic scenes written by Donizetti, demanding a full heroic tone as well as great agility...requiring a diva capable agility in the upper register like the easiest high coloratura soprano, and also declamate on the low register like a dramatic mezzo/contralto!

Anna Bolena is about to be executed, and her desperation can be felt with her heroic use of the passagio. She realizes it is the point of no return, and the melody dips down to a low B-flat which must be sung strongly with chest voice like a true mezzo would. Then the heroic fioratura of "Coppia Iniqua" with it's many up and downs in register, its low phrases which also must be delivered with force and high fioraturas which require great ease in the upper register.

Written for the great Giuditta Pasta, a diva with the rare gift of singing both high soprano as well as contralto, and her greatest roles such as Norma and Anna Bolena were written to showcase that.

Beverly Sills did not have a voice type like Giuditta Pasta (a soprano sfogato) but she fully commits to the music and delivers chest voice as strongly as her instrument can do it, and she gives tremendous agility in the upper register. Probably the greatest testament of Bubbles' great art.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• beverly
• sills
• soprano
• sfogato
• assoluta
• giuditta
• pasta
• maria
• malibran
• callas
• Donizetti
• Anna
• Bolena
• bel
• canto
• opera
• american
• diva

[CaptFitzbattleaxe]

Wonderful recording. Everything is where it should be.

What program do you use, primohomme, to create these delightful Score Animations?

[primohomme]

@CaptFitzbattleaxe

Just standard windows movie maker, I just cut the score into measures as images and then synch it to the music.

[dt195k2]

After hearing/seeing this again today, I can re-appreciate why you colored that low B flat in red.

[primohomme]

Yes! Often Donizetti would highlight what he called "the point of no return" in roles like Anna Bolena, Gemma di Vergy and Elisabetta (Roberto Devereux) when they were to dip to the lowest note, often a low B-flat that must be delivered with force like a dramatic mezzo!

[asdfopera]

Great animation. Bolena is one of Sills best studio recordings. You can hear the commitment to the character in her singing. Moving. Thank you.

[primohomme]

Certainly, Anna Bolena is a voice wrecker if sung right...it requires big power in the low register if sung as written and also dramatic use of the passagio and fully heroic coloratura, very very difficult. Norma has same difficulties throughout the role, with Anna Bolena they all show up at once in the mad scene!

[flicfan416]

I don't think anyone has ever recorded Anna Bolena perfectly (Callas included). So your best bet is to look for all the positive aspects in the few Anna Bolena recordings, and weigh them against each other. In terms of Sills, the coloratura is superb, the low notes are more than audible, the high register soars, and her trills are better than any other Anna I have heard. I'd say this is about as good as it's gonna get

[spizzell1]

Ok. I know everyone has their favorite singers and all, but this is fantastic!!! Take it for what it is!!

[babydrane]

Everyone should go out and get Sill's three queens and fall in love. I love this clip because of how conservatively she sings it - unlike many of her other bel canto forays where she is adding a million embellishments. Very good vocal acting this time around. Thanks primohomme for the score animation.

[KathrynARyder]

Oh I listen with joy to Beverly Sills sing Anna Bolena!!!! If you follow Netrebko sing this same aria with the score you see that it is 50/50 if she catches the written note ... and no, she does not even try to embellish!!!

[kake1959]

oh Ariadne, I see you are a fool as well. For someone who you say speaks 2 or more languages, I would think grammar is important. Your blabbering is so stupid, even you can't convince yourself it's true! If you don't like Sills, then crawl back into your cave and listen the screaming Netrebko, the singing pig!!!!!

[kake1959]

oh Ariadne, I see you are a fool as well. For someone who you say speaks 2 or more languages, I would think grammar is important. Your blabbering is so stupid, even you can't convince yourself it's true! If you don't like Sills, then crawl back into your cave and listen the screaming Netrebko, the singing pig!!!!!

[Ariadne7710]

Maybe spqrmor lacks proficiency in the use of commas but at least he can communicate very well in at least two languages (and possibly more) which is probably more than you can!! If you can't defend the ridiculous Sills over the top excessive embellishments she uses to show off and to cover up the fact that she has no middle or lower range, picking on someone's grammar is rather pathetic. Sills couldn't sing Bolena. She didn't have a 3 octave range No amount of tricks can hide that.