Lyric Sutherland: Verismo

I'm uploading videos showing the lyric side of Sutherland's career, which, unfortunately, is sometimes underestimated. Even if Joan Sutherland was indeed a legendary coloratura phenomenon, she was also a supreme singer in lyric roles and lyric arias in other roles, always demonstrating a very subtle, elegant and expressive phrasing and her lush and rounded middle register.

In this video the "Koloraturwunder" shows off her heartbreaking, seductive or thrilling expressivity in the Verismo repertory, which unfortunately she didn't explore much. Her few interpretations of Verismo operas (especially Suor Angelica) were regared as tremendously dramatic and vocally powerful, and though she wasn't a typical Verismo diva, she demonstrated an amazing ability in the required phrasing and dramatic commitment.
I selected the following excerpts from her Verismo recordings (sorry for the sometimes abrupt cuts between the excerpts, since we must obey the short 10min duration of the video):

1) "Stridono lassù", Nedda's ballad, from Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci [1962, studio]
2) "Mattinata", song by Leoncavallo [1962, studio]
3) "Del primo pianto" (music by Alfano) and "In questa reggia", from Puccini's Turandot [1972, studio]
4) Two extracts from "Ferito... L'hanno ferito", from Franco Leoni's L'Oracolo [1977, studio]
5) The trio "Ecco la barca", from Ponchielli's La Gioconda [1979, live]
6) "Voi lo sapete, o Mamma", from Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana [1949, broadcast, in English]
7) "Vissi d'arte", from Puccini's Tosca [1978, studio]
8) "Tutto ho offerto alla Vergine", from the duet scene of Puccini's Suor Angelica [1977, live]

Category:

Music

Tags:

• joan
• sutherland
• opera
• lyric
• puccini
• leoncavallo
• mascagni
• ponchielli
• leoni

[65attila]

@primohomme

Why not listen to some of Suhterland's live performances form London in Wagner and Weber pre - Lucia and then talk about her weak ? low register,

[Homoclassicus]

I respect your opinion, which is a very valid one, but I must say I'm a little puzzled with it because according to you some of her best roles are exactly some of those that rely more on the lower middle and low register. Alcina, apart from her (actually, Morgana's) "Tornami a vagheggiar", centers in the middle voice. Ditto for Esclarmonde, Giulietta and Antonia in Hoffmann. Btw, I think no singer could make real impression in a Lucia, Norma or Semiramide without an excellent lower register.

[noneisbetter]

Joan Sutherland was superb singing anything!!! She was great even forgetting the words. Thank you very much for posting these indeed rare but great recordings.

[bellini7verdi]

sobrenatural.ponga donde la pongas.........este a gusto o no lo este......siempre queda .....la realidad ...de una belleza sobrenatural...esa locura de voz....que lo llena todo......los corazones...las neuronas....y lo mas intimo de nuestras entrañas...de simple smortales........entra en nuestro microcosmo de ideales perdidos....de bellezas deseadas..de sueños insuperables........hermosura a topeeeeeeeeeeee....esmuy fuerte esta mujer para cualquier mortal de a pie corriente..y deseable......loco

[raigekimaru]

joan sutherland's singing is too perfect for verismo. she sounds like a godess in a genre that is supposed to convey true human emotions.

[primohomme]

@65attila

I have. She never had a strong low register. Only in a couple of recordings she has projected decently in the low register, such as in "Ocean, thou mighty monster" and "Santo di Patria".

[kgarmaker123]

Some were too busy trying to make some money, others were just too weak themselves.. I just can;t believe that a healthy 53 yr old woman, who was still beautiful and talented had to die. Such a waste. Joan yes, had Richard.. that was indeed good for both of them.

[primohomme]

Well the people around her didn't know how to be friends, she was left alone in her last years, her dogs died, her voice lost shape after more than a year without practice, etc...It's sad, a huge tragedy. Joan at least was lucky that she had someone by her side who was at least a best friend.

[kgarmaker123]

Agreed> Callas, somewhere lost her way with support, because the wobble was directly related to that, and to pushing with throat muscles when it should have been supported with a column of air. I think Maria, could have retrieved her voice. She needed a different suppport system than she had. Her friends enabled some self destructive behaviors, rather than helped her move away from them. It was a tragedy for sure.

[primohomme]

Well I think Sutherland excelled in high soprano roles. Maria Callas' voice did not fail, she NEVER lost her upper range, what she lost was her breathe support and her bravado..that's why the wobble appeared, but as she said it herself, she has a high E till the end.

[kgarmaker123]

The voice is based on the middle. Sopranos frequently do not have bottoms, and they are taught by vocal teachers not to sing into the low notes, as a way of preserving the top notes. Sutherland was a follower of that approach. On the other hand, Callas who had a low and middle voice, and really had three octaves of range, where most are lucky to have two, did not last, and I think some of that belting she did in the lower register was partly at least to blame.