Joan Sutherland - Met 1974 - A tribute
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- Опубліковано 11 жов 2010
- In February 1974 the Met planned the first color TV live broadcast for the Tales of Hoffmann production conducted by Richard Bonynge starring Dame Joan Sutherland in all soprano roles with Placido Domingo as Hoffmann and Hugette Tourangeau as Nicklausse. This performance was never aired due to lighting and sound problems. Here is the famous Olympia aria as video taped on that occasion. You shall be missed dear Joan!
Joan later used to call herself in this role, jokingly, "The Biggest Doll in the Business." There was nothing she couldn't do. The most wonderful singer of our lifetimes.
Wow! Thanks for this rarity. It's an excellent reminding for all of us of Sutherland's irresistible combination of voice, technique, charisma and, yes, dramatic commitment. I'm pretty sure that, after her passing, people will more and more recognize that Sutherland wasn't only a great singer, but a musician of the highest quality, with an almost unsurpassed ability to convey nuances and sheer ecstasy to her singing and, in most occasions, an excellent interpretation on stage.
The very first time I heard her live was in this role at the Met. She was already my favorite soprano of all time from recordings, but I was blessed to hear her numerous times in the following years. When she and Marilyn Horne sang Norma at San Francisco Opera in 1982, I bought tickets to all seven performances. There hasn't been anything like her since she retired, and there wasn't anything like her before, either. Her voice was a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.
Joan showed everybody how to do this role and is still an inspiration to the many singers that have followed. The speed at which she is able to deal with the difficult descending triplets is amazing. It must also not be forgotten that she not only sung the Olympia role in this opera but all three main "heroines" requiring a different character and tessitura for each role. She was definately "La Stupenda" and probably the greatest coloratura of the twentieth century. My all time heroine.
She's the only singer who doesn't start slowly and pick up speed in those triplets.
The acrobatics and all was spot on! I actually think she’s been best in these roles.
I heard her live twice. Once in an concert of Mad Scenes in Washington, D.C and once in a recital in Munich. She was 59 and 60 years old. It was the most amazing voice I have ever heard. A nearly perfect technique and a rich, sumptuous voice and gigantic high notes that you don't really get in recordings. I have never heard anything like it.
Unquestionably one of the most impactful voices I ever heard live. In her prime, Dame Joan's voice was not only huge, but gorgeous. Her trill was perfection and it never failed to glow in a theater the size of the Met. She produced floods of tone as Lucia, as Elvira, as Leonora, as Marie, Esclarmonde, the three heroines of The Tales of Hoffman. The velocity of her coloratura was miraculously fast. Only Sills had something of the same speed. Splendor--that was what Dame Joan produced.
How wonderful to see live footage of Dame Joan and understand both her musical intellect and her stagecraft as an actress. This is a gem of her unparallelled art.
Can you believe coloratura and staccato like that and a Norma like she did?!
No wonder she was called La Stupenda! I saw her quite a few times in the theater - her voice was big, lush, and beautiful. And her technical resources are almost without parallel. The idea of a Verdi-sized voice singing Olympia up in the stratosphere. She makes it look so easy.
Dame J could do it alll~. Her speed an regularity on this area never ceased. Even in the gala concert with Marilyn Horne in the 80's she still killed it~! Brava~!
This aria with her color voice was fantastique! The perfect mix, dramatic timbre with agility!!!
Joan lover
POR SUPUESTO...........
You'd think, given the miracles that are now possible in audio and digital engineering, that a tape like this - which has got plenty going for it as it is - could be re-mastered and released commercially, especially while there is still substantial interest in Sutherland and Domingo.
La Stupenda magnificant as always
Amazing. I know I am not alone when I say "thank you so much" for this treasure.
Joan Sutherland was a genius...we are so lucky, those of us who heard her live, to have lived in a time to hear "La Stupenda"....and she was a dear person...still a Diva but never forgot where she came from. Larger than life, a voice to end all voices....
I'll never forget, (and I can say that now with confidence as it is 42 or 43 years after the fact) my reaction to Sutherland's astonishing high Eflat (at about 7:44 )as her voice seemed to soar like a laser beam from her mouth to my ear. I thought, " so, a human being can actually make such an incredible sound...". It seemed otherworldly. And yes, it was at the Met in '74, possibly this very performance and her Olympia the doll was all together, -acting and singing-, a spectacular accomplishment.
The most wonderful time I had seeing a live operatic performance was when I saw Dame Joan sing as Rosalinda in "Die Fledermaus" in San Diego in 1980. I will never forget her astonishing vocal attributes! Her high D naturals over the orchestra were so large and so clear, and she was obviously having a great time.....and everyone in the audience had one too! I have heard that there are a lot of pirated recordings of these performances, but I have never been able to find any. If anyone has copies, please put them on U-Tube!
Randy Sills ... was that the performance were Beverly Sills was the Adele? I know that they did it together in San Diego at some point. In fact, half way through the run, the two were to switch roles ... but Dame Joan had some difficulties with the role of Adele and it was, therefore, decided to keep the roles as they were ...
Thom Carlson That's actually untrue. Sills was already the director of the NYC Opera. The orchestra was going on strike, and Sills was regularly flying back and forth between the coasts. She said she was too tired to even rehearse, let alone switch roles. Sutherland was relieved to avoid performing yet another role, and she and her husband said they greatly admired Sills's resilience under exhausting circumstances.
Randy Sills ... thank you SO much for the clarification ...
absolutely correct
@@thomcarlson491 wrong, the reason why they didn't switch was because Sills was traveling back to NYC constantly dealing with problems at the met.
Sutherland had a great sense of humor about herself [in interviews she often joked about whether her sobriquet "La Stupenda" was about her voice or her size: 6foot 2 inches] and also talked about how difficult it was for her to feel comfortable moving on stage. I imagine here she is fully enjoying satirizing those critics of her while at the same time bringing absolute perfection to this scene.
Lol.... she was 5'9".... the 6'2" has been disproven. I think Richard her husband was 6'2" though....zeffereli did make her a big as possible though....
What a jewel to remember an outstanding artist - thank you for posting
Stunning ! And the costume, make up too!
To the last two posters: One says sharp, one says flat.
For this challenging aria, she is near perfect. Do you know the extremely high tessatura she is singing in the E flat key?
Are you kidding? Is this kind of singing possible?
La Stupenda. And she is almost 50 yo here. She trills on a high C spinning around. There are FIVE high E flats above high C's here. Four of them in staccato.
She is almost 50 HERE!
Of course the Met went crazy and gave her an ovation to shake the Met forever.
Wow!
diana ventura she singing in A flat that's the aria's key
Thank you.
diana ventura Just to be a pain in the butt, Offenbach’s original intention was to sing the aria in G, not Ab, because he wanted one singer for all the roles. Michael Kaye wrote a whole book about the opera’s origins. Carol Vaness sang the aria in G at the Met in the 1980s. Obviously, all those Ds are no joke either, but only a Sutherland or Sills could encompass such a wide range.
As close to perfection as it will ever get. Sublime and gorgeous - thanks for posting.
simply the best. A most outstanding singer. And a lovely personality to top it.
Dame Joan is so magnificent and the terrific ‘70s I had forgotten how great this performance was!
I’m not a huge Sutherland fanatic but this is amazing! And whe she started spinning on her trills.. I lost it! Brava La Stupenda! ❤️
True staccato notes!
So amazing! Dame Joan was the greatest coloratura soprano of the 20th century. She was a dramatic coloratura because of the almost Wagnerian size of her voice. In the theater, where I heard her many times, it almost sounded as if she had a microphone and a speaker system on her body; the projection of the sound was so properly placed and gorgeous notes way above the staff just rolled out of her. She always seemed to be a nice diva; one never heard of any fuss or tantrums. She was the greatest of the great ladies of the operatic stage. A couple of very fun recorded performances, for those who are interested, would be "Die Fledermaus" and "The Daughter of The Regiment", both done later in her career, but she is still in outstanding voice and showing off her great comedic skills.
Agree!
I saw them all from 1972 onwards. Never realized a voice could do what she did. Well not many could.
Wonderfull and great La Sutherland!!!!Bonynge's version is for me the best. Read about it and all will understand what he have done. he was a great conductor and researcher. A Pity that the MET didn't release it. Domingo of course fantastic and Tourangeau also.
sutherland Fan Further discoveries have shown that Bonynge's version was pretty far off from Offenbach's various manuscripts. Nonetheless, I think his edition is by far the most satisfying and theatrical, far better than the old Choudens publication, and not a snooze fest like Oeser and Kaye.
I love you Joan❤️
Unbelievably amazing voice. Definitely no one like her. Superb singing talent.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I saw my first operas when the Met went on tour in Spring, 1974, and this was my second opera (same time frame, same production). I was bowled over by Joan's singing (and her acting- the audience laughed more in the heartland!) then, and even more so, now, that I know more about singing. And those arm movements I remembered to this day! Amazing to think I later sang with her in the SDO Chorus on a number of occasions. She was a marvelous human being, and a voice given by God.
I grew up going to, and absolutely LOVING opera, annually seeing the Met Opera tours in Atlanta. My first opera was the previous year (1973), Tosca, at age 5. As soon as I read this, I remembered that the Met brought this the following year, in 1974 (opening night *I think*!). Unfortunately I did not see this one. (We saw Don Giovanni, and Turandot, that year.)
I LOVE how she pushes the tempo, very slightly and the orchestra and entire ensemble flow right as long with her! These indeed were very special days at the opera. 💛
PLEASE MET OPERA... PLEASE RELEASE THIS ON DVD. WE DON'T CARE IF THE LIGHTING IS LESS THAN PERFECT!
Bravo...
What can we all say but thank you for this, another bit of history that Pray remains here and is not erased. Would it not be amazing if the Met released this as a tribute. Please for us all do so!
Top class Dame Joan and very witty.
I don't know how this film ever saw the light of day, but I'm sure glad it did. What a treasurable document this is!
Congress should do something useful and make the Met RELEASE THIS!!!!!!!
lastupendaboy Well, it probably won't happen now. Trump wants no National Endowment for the Performing Arts among other ridiculous things...
Extraordinaire Stupenda !
Unbelievable !
Great video!!! Thanks. Can we have some more clips from this performance? God Bless you Great Joan! Rest in peace. I feel myself as if i lost someone from my family.
Impressionnante la Stupenda !
Magnifica !
Oh I love this so much.
It is very unfortunate that this was never aired as I saw this incredible performance. The trio of extraordinary singers were impressive...!
Simplement extraordinaire. Une telle puissance alliée à une telle vélocité vocale et une telle précision, est tout simplement phénoménal. Oui, sans aucun doute une des plus grandes cantatrice de l'histoire de l'art lyrique.
I heard her debut in the production 4 years earlier, in Seattle, when she first essayed all 4 roles in the same evening, in Bonynge's performing edition. She's actually in even BETTER voice here. To the poster that comments that her attack on the final E flat is a bit under pitch initially and without the ample vibrato of her earlier years, I would agree. However the aria is the first thing she sings all evening and it's almost cruel to be asked to be totally warmed up for it, knowing the sheer length of the music one has to essay throughout the evening ahead! I can testify to the HUGE sound she hurled into the auditorium. Indeed the final quartet, in Bonynge's version, was almost Wagnerian in its impact and the crowning E-flat almost took paint off the ceiling! Sutherland and Nilsson were the two voices of historical impact that I was lucky enough to hear "live" in the theater. And by historical, I mean on a par with Caruso, Ponselle, Ruffo and Flagstad in terms of the instrument with which they were blessed. They were all driving Rolls Royces, whereas most singers make do with Corvettes. . . . .
Michael Delos: Yes, they were Rolls Royces but most singers today are not Corvettes but go-karts: small, trying to go the distance with poor fuel and burning out, going in circles not finishing the course!🤮
In fact, LA STUPENDA should be the name of a car!!! A unique one with sleek lines that has an engine capable of a purr or full throttle. And of course we’ll built and tuned so regular maintenance keeps it out of the repair shop!!!😂
I was at one of those Hoffmann performances with Sutherland and Domingo, and I certainly never expected to see it again on UA-cam or anywhere else. It was taped, but never released or televised. Having seen Joan in the theater quite a few times, the marvel was that she had a nearly Wagner-size voice that she was able to do the wildest things with!
Dave Glo You were so fortunate to have really heard her and to remember her sound.
I saw her twice , but was really too young to remember much....
george prentice I consider myself the luck of a fool. I didn’t know much about opera, and was just learning. Yet I saw the greatest artists - Sutherland, Sills, Nilsson, Price, Caballe, Domingo, Pav, Vickers, Gedda - and I really didn’t understand that these were the voices of a generation.
In considering same Joan's voice, I don't think its any coincidence that her favourite singers when she was young were Flagstad and Galli-Curci.
Dave Glo me too. How lucky we were.
Great.. clear high voices and she played it funny.
DAME JOAN was simply the greatest...... the most important soprano of the 2nd half of the 20th century.
Is it any wonder the MILANESI (la Scala) attributed the title of LA STPENDA upon her!!!!!!! God Bless you Joan
and R.I.P.+ dearest lady! (September 22, 2021)
La mejor de las mejores ejecuciones que halla visto en actuacion y técnica 🤩🤩🤩🥰🥰🥰😍😍😍
Thank you so much for posting this brilliant video. I have this on CD, but how wonderful if this would be made available on DVD. Marvellous performance by a unique talent. And how lovely to see Domingo so young.
MARAVILLOSAAAAAAAAAA
I seem to remember that the only flaw in her performance that night was the rather straight Eb here (nerves probably--remember this was VERY early in the days of live telecasts or taping). But she made up for that note with an Antonia trio of blinding brilliance and emotion, as well as the final Quartet (usually sung as the Septet in the Giulietta Act). And the rest of the Doll is a miracle, half again as fast as the slow dolls today and more accurate!
La Stupenda!
She's amazing.I love how she bows in character ! lol Thank you for uploading this!
Joan sings for the Lord
A LOS 44 AÑOS....................ERA EL MOMENTO MAS MARAVILLOSO PARA SEGUIR SIENDO LA MEJOR ......20 AÑOS DESPUES............SEGUIA SIENDO LA MEJOR..............A LOS 63...O 64........ERA UNA RETIRADA......CON UNA VOZ IMPONENTE.LLENA DE HISTORIA Y DE GLAMOUR LEGENDARIO.....................LLENO DE AMOR................................CON SUS OSCURIDADES VOCALES..............CON SUS AGUDOS IMPETUOSOS.............A LOS 63 AÑOS CONMOVIA TODO UN TEATRO.Y A MILLONES DE SEGUIDORES EN EL MUNDO DEL CANTO ....UN CANTO FUERA DE STE MUNDO...............EL CANTO GRANDIOSO DE JOAN SUTHERLAND.................
What a voice!
Wow what a great clip~! Thank you ^_^. Brava La Stupenda, we'll miss you
Thanks a MILLION for posting this! It's simply incredible!!!
Brava Joan
Magnífica Joan, que bella voz y que gran técnica tenía, realmente grande entre las grandes, su Lucía para mi es inigualable
grandiosa!!!!!!!!
Absolute perfection.
ELLA ERA UNA CANTANTE DE OPERA.......EN TOD REGLA..............Y SIN PARANGON.....................INDISCUTIBLEMENTE UNICA VOZ EN EL PLANETA...................
Bravissima!
This is stunning 🙏🏻🙏🏻❤❤🇦🇺🇦🇺
SIEMPRE HA SIDO ASI DE FABULOSA...........IMCOMPARABLE....INAUDITA......DE OTRO MUNDO........Y YA NO CORRIA EL AÑO 1960..SINO EL 1974...PERO ELLA ERA LA VOZ POR SIEMPRE.......SUPERPODEROSA Y PREFESIONAL.....PERO DE OTRO MUNDO....ELLA ESTABA ECHA DE OTRA PASTA.....ES UN CASO UNICO EN LA OPERA...........NACIO PARA HACER FELIZ CON SU VOZ ENORME..........NO LE HACIA FALTA HACERLA TENER LA VOZ.......SIMPLEMENTE LA TENIA......SOLO ERA SUBIR AL ESCENARIO Y HACER DE EL SU CASA.......TODOS LOS ESCENARIOS
RARE!
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this treasure
Thank you so much for posting this! Had no idea it existed. Great tribute.
si diverte come una pazza...e mette a frutto la sua altezza come gioco delle parti....molto figlia qui della Figlia del Reggimento che le ho visto interpretare in maniera sublime... secondo me è il vertice della musicista e Studiosa......se penso ai ruoli interpretati mi vien mal di testa....In camerino era di una dolcezza infinita e a Venezia dopo un recital Trionfale... mi fece vedere ...una moneta da cinque lire ;che il maestro Tullio Serafin le diede dopo le prime prove di Lucia che lui volle a Londra dopo la Callas, dandola le disse; ma Signora merita un premio...avendola sentita in Italia nel 1960 interpretare a Venezia l'Alcina...la portava al collo dorata,come porta...Fortuna, ci abbracciammo commossi Grazie ..e Chapeau.Ho il suo autografo...di quella sera che Dio la abbia in gloria.
Bellissima storia. Beato te che l'hai conosciuta
bravoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
What a great tribute and performance.
What a pity this plan was never realized. As a singer she could sing a much wider repetoire than she did because of the size and range of her voice. As an actress - Comedy was her forte. She moves with ease - is not in the least self-conscious and spins like a top while trilling on a high C.
DANKE....wirklich wunderbar!
La Gran Soprano Koan Sutherland
Maravillosa como siempre!!!
esta aria la hizo en años anteriores...en una grabacion de estudio......y con la voz mas fresca....todabia que por aquel entonces.......y era una pasada de poder absoluto...de belleza extrema...y ...mejor no la escuchen...porque deja sin aliento...y puede ser malo para la salud.....tanta belleza extrema.....
The amazing thing was that she did the three parts. Sutherland was doubtlessly a blessed voice. She deserves her title as La Stupenda.and she was an extraordinary technician as Pavarotti put it. I personally could never warm up to her husked pronounciation but was always in awe of her coloratura skills, the runs, the staccati...well you know the fireworks which in se is great art. But her Esclarmonde sounds like Olympia amd Olympia sounds like Lucia. Not that I mind but she was never the person she was supposed to impersonate. But one of the greatest of all times and a valorous heiress to Luisa Tetrazzini and Adelina Patti.
+123pailin Pavarotti said "she is one of the greatest bel canto singer of all the time ... probably THE best." He never said she was "an extraordinary technician," and certainly not in the backhanded attempt to stupidly defame the singer for being legendary because she was brilliant.
Macho Voce I have read somewhere that Pavarotti said that Joan Sutherland was an extraordinary technician and that Maria Callas was an extraordinary musician. I am sure of that. Of course the bel canto repertoire was the major asset of Joan Sutherland who maybe made the mistake to exculively work with her husband and it became a sort of routine. I think she did her first Lucia with Tullio Serafin and she was fabulous in it. Anyway Joan is a legend in her own right and there is noone around to match her skills nowadays.....
+123pailin If only she had worked with other great conductors .... l think she could have become the greatest belcanto ARTIST of all time with the gift she had
yesterday l was listening to her 1959 live Lucia ...again! :D
my god, one never has enough of that one
Dadacomero Yes...if only. She made her first Lucia with Tullio de Serafin, the Callas mentor and Joan was breathtaking. Even Calas admiited to that saying:"Don t ask me ever to sing Lucia at Covent Garden anymore. You have your own great british Lucia now". But alas she followed the path down with her mediocre husband whose "career" depended totally on the slendid vocal gifts of his wife.
123pailin Sutherland herself was asked this question many times. And her response was, I thought I accomplished quite a bit between my husband and I.
Amazing.
I heard from a reliable source that Richard Bonynge has an original copy of this tape in his collection, but it has never been released. I don't know if that's because of copyright or union reasons, but it exists. My guess is that someday, if we live long enough, we'll see a good copy of this performance.
INCREDIBLE performance, as usual, but one thing I couldn't help but notice: Sutherland's massive biceps! Look at those guns!
Chris Stockslager: When you exercise the vocal cords the rest of the body follows.
@@johnpickford4222 I don’t think vocal training builds biceps, John. 🤣
QUE PASADA POR DIOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
I think as an answer to these comments La Stupenda would say: 'Well, you can't please everyone!'
Andero Anto Idiota, idiots, INDEED
At some point, darling Fi, think about the condition of the car and note that she is driving it carefully enough to be able to let it go onto 'automatic' - to a degree - that her phenomenal technique would get her through the rather complex and disciplined requirements of a fiendishly complicated piece of singing. And no pressure - a hugely EXPENSIVE new Met production to be beamed around the world ...
Spalanzani needs to send a few Olympias like this to today's opera houses.
True
I wonder what’s the reason 10 idiots voted down this video. I have NEVER heard a better rendition of this aria by ANYBODY else.
alexgomez2: Only ONE idiot but with TEN personalities!
@@johnpickford4222a least tose former 10 are no longer there. Probably they repented and removed their thumbs down.
Bellini Verdi. COMPARTO TUS COMENTARIOS! ! !
GRACIAS....................POR TU BUEN GUSTO POR LO GRANDE......A LO GRANDE........................Y GRACIAS POR DEDICAR UN HALAGO.............A MI COMENTARIO.....................QUE NO ES MAS QUE LO QUE SIENTE MI CORAZON.....MI CEREBRO Y TODA MI PIEL..........CUANDO ESCUCHO ESTA VOZ.................QUE PARA MI ES DE UN SER ESPECIAL............PARA MI POR LO MENOS.......TAMPOCO PRETENDO QUE LO SEA PARA LOS DEMAS.........PERO.....YO DESDE LUEGO.........................VIBRO....................DE EMOCION CON ESTATE SONIDO VOCAL E INTERPRETATIVO...................
There never has been nor will there ever be a voice as beautiful as Dame Joan's.
and after that dessay has the courage to say that she was not an actress!!!!
👏👏👏👏🌹
She actually attacks it slightly flat, but quickly fixes it. It just sounds slightly strained and without much vibrato, its different from the fuller Ebs she had when she was younger. However, she was 48 here, so Im not knocking her. She did this production again 10 years later with this scene lowered a semitone, but its still great.
Lighting and sound problems? !!!!!!!!!!!
Do you think that Joan was having fun showing all of her critics that being dramatic is in the voice and the body. Here she seems to be exaggerating many of the types of body movements [atiffness, jerky movements. neutral face,] which people often accused her of while still producing probably the finest vocal performance of this very difficult aria as though it is just a folk song. The perfect Olympia.
aww i love joan, but seriously, she looks like the witch from hansel and gretel in that outfit.
Disculpen la Opera es los cuentos de Hofman?
Si claro
No one comes close
YA HUVIERAN QUERIDO PARA SI LOS CASTRATIS......NI TAN SIQUIERA DE CERCA...........................
and 11 years later she was still singing it in Australia - slight transposition down, but still amazing ua-cam.com/video/QYHA3bloPog/v-deo.html.
IROS.............AL UNIVERSO..........PARA PERDEROS.............QUE TENEIS ESPACIO PARA ELLO............PERDEROS............ES ALGO COMO DECIR........COMPRAROS UN BOSQUE Y PERDEROS EN EL.................
Her name is SUTHERLAND
Who is the comprimario tenor?
Richard Vergara I don't know who that tenor was, but notice Placid Domingo was in the cast and has a nice solo line before Dame Joan starts singing!
Richard Vergara *Placido is what I typed. I DESPISE auto correct of words on computer programs. REALLY!!!
Oh that's too bad...thank you for the reply :-) I love Placid Domingo ;-) He's awesome.
Quite possibly the same tenor that is on the London/Decca Recording. Hugues Cuénod (Tenor),