Joan Sutherland singing three baroque arias (c. 1960)

First, a little introduction into my introduction to the wonderful voice of Joan Sutherland:

I first came to know Joan Sutherland through her recording of "Elisir d'amore" with Pavarotti. I remember thinking: what a beautiful, full voice. I listened again and again to the opening cavatina. I was still new to opera, but I already knew that Sutherland would be the epitome of opera for me. I continued to listen to various Sutherland recordings, but, strangely enough, they were all made in 1970s or 1980s, nothing before that. I cherished each and every one of them, and I still do. And yet... When I at last bought the legendary "Art of the Primadonna" album, I was already truly in love with the voice and was a "profesional Sutherland fan" for three years. But something has happened: the voices were not the same one! As I listened to Amina's cavatina, I was speechless: so perfect it was, and, when I compared the rendition with my favorite 1980 Sutherland recording of the opera, I realized that the former was the best (that's just my opinion). I bought other early recordings of Sutherland's voice: her first "La Sonnambula", "Acis and Galatea" etc. etc.. This was an even more beautiful voice, actually surpassing later recordings (at least, that's what happened for me). Since then I have listened to many artists, but not one of them were like Sutherland: her first recordings are so wonderful, so brilliant, so close to perfect, that she managed to overshadow her later work. Yes, the 1970s and 1980s brought us further proof of Sutherland's genius ("Lucrezia Borgia" is a good example), but Sutherland has already set the standart so high, that anything after 1962 just pales in comparison... at least, it does for me :-)...

Now, I have here for you a small sample of the young Joan Sutherland. Three baroque arias, one Italian and two English. The first except is the simple "The traveller benighted" from Arne's "Love in a village", then, as the central piece, comes "Furia di donna ingrata" from "La buona figliuola" by Piccini and finally the joyful "Light as thistledown" from Shield's "Rosina". I hope you enjoy :-)!

P.S. I fully understand that some people love the "mature" Sutherland, and in no way am I trying to offend any of them. It's just... the early recordings seem to me a marriage of good diction, a beautiful voice and, what is more importantly, interpretation :-)! There is something special there :-)...

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Joan
• Sutherland
• coloratura
• baroque
• Arne
• Shield
• Piccini
• classical

[Taskat]

What is the first aria?

[LindoroRossini]

Read "About the video", second paragraph.

[unskathd]

Light as Thistledown is a song I heard recently on radio and immediately fell in love with. Such a beautiful melody.  I notice only two versions of this song on Youtube, unfortunately after listening to both several times I still can't make out all the words. Can anybody here help me out? Joan's voice is magic!

[LindoroRossini]

Light as thistledown moving

Which flows up the hill

Sweet gratitide's debt

To this cottage I bear.

Of autumn's rich store(s) (?)

I bring home my part,

A weight on my head,

But with joy in my heart.

I think that's it, though I'm not 100% sure about the last word in the first strophe of the second part. Still, I think that's it :)! Hope this helps.

[dollartwenty]

the second line is actually "which floats on the air"

[LindoroRossini]

You'r absolutely right :), thanks for the correction.

Light as thistledown moving

Which floats on the air

Sweet gratitide's debt

To this cottage I bear.

Of autumn's rich stores

I bring home my part,

A weight on my head,

But with joy in my heart.

[Bigman240]

Don't you wish you could sing like that????? :-)

[OShaughnessyC]

Proof that there's life before death!

[AnnaBariacchis]

@unskathd The answers you have received here are almost correct. According to the booklets of both "The Age of Bel Canto" and "Acis and Galatea", which both contains recordings of this aria with Sutherland, the correct text is:

Light as thistledown moving

Which floats on the air

Sweet GRATITUDE's debt

To this cottage I bear

Of autumn's rich store

I bring home my part

A weight on my head

But GAY joy in my heart

[luisjo1962]

Dame Joan Sutherland tenía el mejor instrumento del mundo para este tipo de repertorio. Me gustaría escucharla cantando Vivaldi

[raigekimaru]

@OShaughnessyC

proof that there's life after death =)

[thebagoas]

I have played this song many times and the last line is actually with gay joy in my heart - They had no idea that this would be campy in later years !!

[sweltame]

Thank you for the clip, what a wonderful selection yoy have made!. However I would like to note that the second aria is "Furia di donna irata" and not as it stands in "About the video" "Furia di donna ingrata" (just a tiny correction!)

[KarlAmade]

But lets not talk about who is better then who, shall we, I will never intend to reject your knowledge, by all means!

I'm young, but I'm taking my studies really seriously, so of course am I carefully transcribing the copies I've got from all over Europe... Old German is one heck of a dance on thorns.... But I manage. My life has always been devoted to the Early Music. The only thing I want is truth, so it is my mission to investigate as closely as possible - so that I can show you all one day:)

[KarlAmade]

@baritonebynight

I understand your skepticism :)

As you say; there is a lot of conflicting ideas about early voice! I agree, but what we know is that this great sound we have to day - this continuous avalanche-like trembling didn't come until the Romantic Era. Vibrato existed, of course - some used it more than other, but in the modern manner a la Reneé or Cecilia ... no... This is described even by many American musical critics of the 19th century as new and disturbing, also fascinating.

[baritonebynight]

@KarlAmade I'm a professional singer and studied music history and vocal ped in school. Its my experience that there is a lot of conflicting ideas about early voice so I have a problem with being "historically informed:". It depends on what historian you talk to. What makes you right and another historian with equal or more resources than you do wrong?

[KarlAmade]

@baritonebynight

Well, I am historical musician, I have a gigantic "library" with manuscripts of Musicology from Pytagoras to early 20th century. Things as it is today started to evolve from about 1830. Before then they didn't focus on the "sound" we demand today, "great voices" and that stuff... in context to that one needs vibrato to accomplish such greatness... which I find disturbing in any ways. Don't misunderstand, I don't say that I dislike vibrato, only modern continuous vibrato.

[baritonebynight]

@KarlAmade Dame Joan sang a lot of Baroque music. I believe it was after 1957 performance of Alcina that the Italians dubbed her "La Stupenda". I don't agree about the "historically informed" part. We don't have recordings from that time period so scholars have conflicting evidence to support what historically accurate means. There are several vox humana stops on baroque era organs suggesting that vibrato was present. Vibrato occurs naturally in any well trained voice that is well supported.