What Makes a Great Soprano? 1 of 4

BBC Documentary - What Makes a Great Soprano?
Hosted by Kiri Te Kanawa

Joan Southerland
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Layla Claire

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Kiri
• Te
• Kanawa
• Joan
• Southerland
• Elisabeth
• Schwarzkopf
• Layla
• Claire
• Met
• Opera
• Soprano
• BBC

[narayanmimi]

I don't know much about opera, but i am immensely intrigued by it. It's no longer the era where we see vocal artists endeavouring to perfect their vocal technique, which is foundation for any genre singing.

[jewelmarkess]

@Lammermoor27 Agreed, I don't see the point of arguing who is best or better. No singer is perfect, and different people value different strengths and weaknesses differently. A great documentary!

[jewelmarkess]

@MrDarknesslover Watch complete documentary, there is a lot about Callas including her talking in part 2.

[MrDarknesslover]

and Maria Callas?

[Lammermoor27]

Thank you for the wonderful documentary! It is so enlightening to just watch how the greats move and breathe!

[Lammermoor27]

Would you guys please stop? Why can't you just love and appreciate the beauty of the human voice? I personally think you're childish and unenlightened. I think both Callas and Sutherland were wonderful artists who had different strengths and weaknesses. Be grateful to even listen to them, as I'm sure with all your cawing you aren't very good vocalists, because you don't even seem to like the human voice. You will never be as good as either of them.

[SenseAndSpite]

@Ariadne7710 Another case in point: Callas's Norma.

Maria, my little strumpet, you're singing a prayer for peace, why are you GROWLING LIKE A MASTIFF IN HEAT?

And as always, the rampaging sound of PURE UGLINESS you're spewing out (in "a noi volgi" and "spargi in terra" among others) -- a DELUGE OF DIARRHEA assailing the senses of your listener.

I can almost hear Schwarzkopf saying: "WHORE, may I have that a bit lovelier please?" LOL.

[Ariadne7710]

@SenseAndSpite For your information on one occasion Schwartzkopf was sitting in Ghiringhellii's box at La Scala during a performance of Trovatore in1953 with Callas singing Leonora. Ghiringelli heard sobbing from behind him and when he turned round she said to him "that woman is a miracle". So let us stop speculating what opinion Schwartzkopf or anyone else had of Callas. There is enough documentary evidence out there to know exactly what anyone whose opinion matter thought.

[SenseAndSpite]

@Ariadne7710 Case in point: Callas's Violetta in Lisbon.

For the love of God, woman, you're singing about leading a life unencumbered by responsibilities, of fluttering from pleasure to pleasure, not hurling malevolent invectives at your enemies!

And of course, those single notes -- shrill and deadly as shards of glass, and a whole lot of them, I might add -- sticking out everywhere.

I can almost hear Schwarzkopf saying: "WHORE, may I have that a bit lovelier please?" LOL.

[NEBESHIKU]

@Ariadne7710 The only thing is that as hideous as it is, it's spot on for the garish freak show of mutants where she was singing at (except for Lady Di who looked divine).