Sara Mingardo - But Who May Abide

Italian contralto Sara Mingardo singing the aria But Who May Abide from George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah (HWV 56). Christmas Day performance (25.12.2008.) at the Barbican in London with the London Symphony Orchestra conduced by Sir Colin Davis. Mingardo is, along with Ewa Podleś, Nathalie Stutzmann and Marijana Mijanović, one of the very few true contraltos on today's classical music scene.

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• sara
• mingardo
• contralto
• alto
• mezzo
• soprano
• baroque
• da
• capo
• sacred

[Habrolissimo]

Absolutely beautiful singing with that spectacular lower register. This is why you need contraltos, rather than countertenors, who usually have weak lower registers.

[lalagonegaga]

I would have to politely disagree. We need both as both voice types bring something of their own to the table. I think it is rather odd to completely dismiss one for the other. Besides, not all countertenors have weak lower registers. Do check some clips of Jeffrey Gall, Derek Lee Ragin or Marco Lazzara, you would be positively surprised.

[hillevifan]

where did you find this??? any way of posting the "Rejoice Greatly"?

[lalagonegaga]

Hehe, I have my ways. :) Ever heard of the Yahoo! Group called OperaShare?

[puritymccall]

Absolutely - it's not just the richness of live sound you miss when not there. It always amazes me that some people get so uncomfortable about the physicality of the act (when it's a woman singing, of course, it doesn't seem to bother them about male singers). The criticisms of movements and grimaces and so on. what do they think the human body is doing when creating those incredible sounds???

[JRZGRL55]

Also in response to the comment about whether Sara is a mezzo or a contralto, I think Sara would be uncomfortable singing a sustained mezzo tessitura & that is why she generally sings in a lower range than the average mezzo. She has amazing high notes but I believe that she is a genuine contralto.

[JRZGRL55]

Astonishing control, flexibility, richness and diction. Sara has it all!! Beautiful!!

[oliban78]

EXCELLENT!!!!!

[courageousindeed]

Wonderful voice indeed ... Alucius you left out Nathalie Stutzmann

[Alucius10]

I do agree a wonderful voice and a lovely person. As a reaction to alipitogen there is one of the best contralto's or mezzo's you left out and that is Ks. Brigitte Fassbaender. She has ended her singing career some years ago but she was one of the greatest mezzo's of the last century. You should listen to her and perhaps you will agree with me. She can be found here on youtube.

[alipitogen]

I'm just thankful that the musical world is still producing singers like this. She is outstanding and we , some of us , may not have to gloat upon the past so much when we hear quality and absolute artistry from a singer of today, who in years to come will be put alongside the ilk of Baker, Ludwig, Ferrier, Anderson for a task of comparison which will be musical joy to all who partake .

[OlDoinyo]

@Habrolissimo For countertenors with strong low range, you should check out those of the hybrid type, who shade into the modal voice at the bottom. Erik Kurmangaliev was one outstanding example, as was Yoshikazu Mera. The ones with weaker low range are the baritone-falsettists (whose modal voice is too low to use for their singing) or the modal countertenors, who possess no lower voice at all.

[Heartlessiceboy]

Countertenors just like any other tessitura are different not all the countertenors sing the exact same range just like not all sopranos sing the exact same range either. A countertenor who is a real alto(Altist) will have a lower register as big and strong as any contralto or probably more if he is trained to mix with tenor.There a countertenor who sing soprano(sopranist) but most countertenors sing the mezzo range.By the way Sara Mingardo is a mezzo not a contralto.

[starbreez3]

@Habrolissimo That's wrong, some countertenors have even stronger lower registers than contraltos, for countertenors its actually easier to have stronger lower register.

[owenhsmith]

she is in her mouth/throat.