J. Sutherland "Era desso" L. Borgia Barcelona 1989

Teatro del Liceu de Barcelona. June 14, 1989

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Opera
• Donizetti
• Lucrezia
• Borgia
• Joan
• Sutherland

[UrsulanChild]

Not too many sopranos out there that can deliver a High-Dflat with that much core in it, much less at age 63! This woman was simply amazing!

[yuroregaskurvesen]

Credete...in those days...she got a cold....so...she was unabel to sing...even though she sang....It was spring...I was there...I payed almost 600 dollars...plus the train from Rome...I am a tenor and musician...both, Kraus and Sutherland were "Superbi"

[ChrisStockslager]

@caltrask51 Placement so the note won't go flat or lose its colour. :)

[caltrask51]

I love Sutherland, but... she always makes the same face when she goes above high C.

[wotan10950]

Well, it certainly isn't prime Sutherland, but it's better than most other sopranos who try these difficult bel canto roles. She is still the envy of many singers, and if she comes up a little short in this clip, she is surpassed only by her younger self. Sutherland will always remain the queen of bel canto.

[raigekimaru]

@baritonebynight

of course she doesn't. successful people never care what critics think =P

[iriisblue]

@baritonebynight Despite what others think? To the contrary, millions agree with you.

[hugothebear]

Of course her voice was "winding down" as she herself put it in her farewell only a year later - but we just loved to see her and there were more than a few reminders of her more youthful days. Joan was an absolute one off and even in her last performances that glorious sumptuous voice was still coaxed into action by sound technique and phenomenal breath control. The transposed versions aren't as thrilling but more than worth it so we could continue to hear the lady sing.

[baritonebynight]

Despite what others think, I'm glad she sang into her mid 60s...giving a whole other generation a chance to see her live. I think she's glad too, because she made a whole heck of a lot of money doing it. Past her prime? So what, Dame Joan past her prime is better than anyone else singing at the time. I don't think she cares what critics think, as few people living know as much about singing than she does.

[Eiswirth1]

She remains the best soprano in the last 60 years. There are so many other sopranos I absolutely love, but there's only one Sutherland! Brava Joan!!

[DazFromOz]

check out coloratorafan's vid of her doing Lucrezia on tv in 1972 (17 years previously) - this clip is a mere shadow of what her Lucrezia was really like. It's unfortunate that she chose to go on doing the transposed versions, they just don't have the excitement of the original keys. Still, you have to admire that she was still standing and singing this repertoire at over 60 years of age!

[ChrisStockslager]

How was her Eflat in 1982, when you saw her?