nellie melba puccini tosca "vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore"
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- Опубліковано 14 лис 2009
- nellie melba puccini tosca "vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore"
orchestra conducted by walter b rogers
1907
picture:
melba-longstaff's portrait
TOSCA
nel massimo dolore
Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore,
non feci mai male ad anima viva!...
Con man furtiva
quante miserie conobbi, aiutai...
Sempre con fe' sincera,
la mia preghiera
ai santi tabernacoli salì.
Sempre con fe' sincera
diedi fiori agli altar.
alzandosi
Nell'ora del dolore
perché, perché Signore,
perché me ne rimuneri così?
Diedi gioielli
della Madonna al manto,
e diedi il canto
agli astri, al ciel, che ne ridean più belli.
Nell'ora del dolore,
perché, perché Signore,
perché me ne rimuneri così?
Personaggi:
FLORIA TOSCA, celebre cantante (Soprano)
MARIO CAVARADOSSI, pittore (Tenore)
IL BARONE SCARPIA, capo della polizia (Baritono)
CESARE ANGELOTTI (Basso)
IL SAGRESTANO (Baritono)
SPOLETTA, agente di polizia (Tenore)
SCIARRONE, gendarme (Basso)
CARCERIERE (Basso)
UN PASTORELLO (Soprano)
CORO
soldati, sbirri, dame, nobili, borghesi, popolo
Luogo
Roma
Epoca
17 e 18 giugno 1800
this class of singing is not a joke and not for everyone to understand, therefore it is normal people dislike, but before disliking, please educate yourself! Even legendary Ponselle whom Pavarotti and Callas were idolizing, was far away from Melba's level of singing! Thanks for those who have ears, appreciation and kindness to share this gem!
Nellie Melba didn’t always perform well, outside of her technique. Even Enrico Caruso criticized her and famously played a joke on her during a live performance.
@@EmilyGloeggler7984 Have you been in any of her performances?😅 She is grandeur and perfect in every ways,except articulation.
Wasn't she just the best? Why not Tosca? She had the perfect voice. No distracting vibrato; just puré tone. I am so grateful for these You Tube clips
WONDERFUL ! Brava NELLIE MELBA !
Fantastic, beautiful voice, beautiful singing.
Good on you, Gehan Cooray, for standing up up for the great Dame Melba!
I agree with your comments, and whilst I admire many sopranos with big voices singing Tosca, I think it a pity that the lighter voices are not appreciated enough!
The sweetest voice of all time.
She makes me proud to be a Melbournian
Helen Mitchell was born in Richmond/ Melbourne. I love you Helen.
It's a crying shame that she never got to play Tosca onstage. Damn Mary Garden for discouraging her.
SUPERB ; actually Melba also very much wanted to sing Butterfly and studied it with Puccini but was uncomfortable with the exotic aspect and just couldn't do it
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I think this is the most *SENSITIVE* recorded version of the aria EVER!!!!!
She elicits *SO MUCH MORE* GENUINE SYMPATHY here than the more modern Toscas who try to howl and bellow.
And that SIGH she takes at the very end of the piece, after the word "rimuneri", showcases Dramatic Acting at its *ABSOLUTE FINEST* to me........while the way she renders the final word "cosi", is probably THE MOST *HEARTBREAKING* phrase I've EVER heard a soprano deliver!!
1:36, diedi i fiori
2:33, nell'ora del dolor
MELBA WAS NEVER A HOUSEMAID! Gracious. :) She only once said that WHATEVER she did in life, she would have been determined to be the BEST at it - even *IF* she were a housemaid......lol.
Da 10 e lode !!!!!!!!!....Mari
This suits her very well indeed!
@Gary2837 I don't tuhink it sounds like she was pushing too hard to reach the top notes at all, and this performance is all the more impressive when you remember that she was around 46 years old at the time (past her prime, to say the least!) . Her upper register sounds surprisingly youthful and bright actually!! Also keep in mind that Melba never actually performed the role of Tosca - even though she made a recording of this famous aria. So Tosca was not on her actual repertoire!!
@Gary2837 And I would love to hear what the ORIGINAL composers of these operas - who loved Melba SO MUCH - would have to say about your beloved "sopranos of the 60s through the present". It's one thing if you ONLY like the modern, newfangled sopranos (many of whom are either shrill or sharp or insufferably obnoxious interpreters of music) - but that doesn't change the fact that Melba will always be remembered for captivating not only her audiences, but also the likes of Verdi, Puccini and Gounod
@Gary2837 Yes, they say she died after complications ensuing from a face lift. But I'm not sure whether this has been confirmed conclusively. I happen to like her VISSI D'ARTE, because I personally think she brought a lot of SENSITIVITY and a SUBLIME type of pathos to this famous aria. I know that this is a very different rendition/interpretation from what people are probably used to, but I still like it. Which aria was it that you found pleasing and nice?
Melba wanted to sing Tosca very much. She told Mary Garden that she was studying the role and asked Garden about how the role should be interpreted. Garden wrote, "She never could sing Tosca and she never did. She just wasn't made for Tosca." Mimi, however, was another story altogether. Melba studied the role with Puccini and she introduced Boheme to Covent Garden and to the Metropolitan. As Mimi, she was unsurpassed. Puccini paid Melba a compliment when he said that he liked the way she sang his music (i.e. "You sing Puccini, not Melba-Puccini").
carl spelvin She was surpassed as Mimi.
Emily Greene who surpassed her ?
Melba truly was a great artiste , much more than a fine voice and wonderful technique. I like this recording very much , but she was right not to tackle Tosca in the theatre. The second act with its dramatic phrases against a full orchestra fortissimo might have ruined the lyrical nature of her voice. She did make one misstep in her career when she sang the Siegfried Brunhilde, but she realised very quickly that she had been wrong to tackle it. She managed to preserve her voice until retirement at the age of 67 with all its youthful purity.
@Gary2837 I can't imagine why you brought MONEY into the equation, because Melba did not become rich *UNTIL* she became a star. She became the chief sensation of her age because of her INNATE TALENT and her HARD WORK!
In fact, her teacher in Paris, Mathilde Marchesi, had to help SUPPORT her financially, while she underwent training, because her father had only given her a limited amount of money when she left Australia.
It WAS her "voice" that MADE her money (not the other way around)!!!!!!!!!
@Gary2837 The date given for this recording is 1907. Money may have got some people into the field, but when you're among the BEST COMPOSERS of ALL TIME - like Verdi, Gounod, Puccini and Leoncavello - you're not going to compromise artistry for money. They had NOTHING to gain by praising Melba the way they did. Their reputations were already *SET IN STONE*, Melba or no Melba. It was *BECAUSE* she performed operas such as THEIRS that Melba became so highly acclaimed.
@Gary2837 I think 46 years old is PAST a Lyric Coloratura Soprano's prime. If you heard her doing this while she was in her 30s, you would have different things to say about her. And like I said, I think she *STILL* sounds very youthful and bright here. Since she never performed the role of Tosca, even while she was in her prime, I find this aria all the more impressive. I realise that not everyone is going to be a fan of Melba's of course, the same way not everyone is a fan of Callas.
I don’t like word-fan,but I am fan of Melba, perhaps,I listen to her recordings every day! Mostly I appreciate her musical taste and quality of tone. At her time, I think, Callas only would be suitable for a choir! When Melba’s tone, artistry and charm captivates well-trained hear , If someone can’t understand it,it’s because ignorance.
@Gary2837 Her teacher, Marchesi, didn't mind supporting Melba initially because she recognised her outstanding potential. And it's ridiculous to say that composers like Gounod, Verdi and Puccini - some of the *TOP* composers of *ALL TIME* - held her in high esteem because of "money", when: (a) Melba was not some sort of aristocrat to begin with like I said, and (b) The composers cared too much about their OWN WORK and their OWN REPUTATIONS to allow second-rate singers to ruin their music!!!!!!!!
@Gary2837 Few sopranos have become as legendary as Melba. And she achieved that status the hard way. When Arthur Sullivan first heard her audition in London, he said to come back in a year after more training, and that maybe they could give her a small role in an operetta like THE MIKADO. So you see, she wasn't some sort of aristocrat who jumpstarted her career with money. She was Australian, and was initially looked down upon in London for coming from "one of the colonies", before she made it.
@Gary2837 No one cares about the 60s through to the present. Melba worked with the leading composers of her day, such as Charles Gounod and Puccini - who had nothing but praise for her. If the composers of FAUST and TOSCA held her in such high esteem, the opinions of modern "musicians" amount to zilch.
Thanks for the compliment. :) How would you describe/define Melba's style?
@Gary2837 If you don't care about what immortal legendary composers like PUCCINI, VERDI, GOUNOD & LEONCAVELLO thought about Melba, you probably don't care about Opera & Classical Music at all, because they are regarded as musical geniuses!! Do you realise that we won't have operas like TOSCA and LA TRAVIATA if it weren't for those composers?? The fact that they had nothing but praise for Melba SAYS IT ALL. Leoncavello for instance said that *NO ONE* played Nedda in I PAGLIACCI better than her!!!
Thanks for agreeing with me. :) :) But did I actually say that Melba surpassed Patti? :P
@Gary2837 I don't think her high notes sound laboured here. As for a 46 year old soprano being able to do it justice - there are different types of sopranos. 46 is rather old for a LYRIC COLORATURA. If she were a DRAMATIC SOPRANO, or a DRAMATIC COLORATURA, or a MEZZO SOPRANO, then 46 years old wouldn't be too old at all. It all depends on the "fach" as the Germans call it. But yes, like you said, different people do have different preferences. I just wanted to clear up misconceptions about Melba
Why suddenly bring Patti into the conversation? lol. Other than the fact that she's your favourite? :P
Callas is good than anyone today, but Callas is far not Melba, sorry, but I could not leave it unanswered. Melba was close to her technique to Sembrich, Tetrazzini, but far not Callas who's 3 registers were all different and passagio was breaking into a chest whereas top notes had wobble. Melba's voice was all equal from bottom to top and there were lots of other things Callas could just dream about. Be careful with comparing old generation, they are the best!
She was no Tosca but youv'e got to admire her for trying. Her accuracy and confidence is amazing- the way she hits or attacks the high notes "head on"
She was no Tosca? Just because she didn't have an overblown voice or a histrionic style of delivery? Tosca is supposed to be a sympathetic character - not a Valkyrie. Melba's interpretation of this aria is so internal, contemplative, heartfelt and heartbreaking - the way she conveys all that so delicately with her voice is a testament to her artistic genius.
No other soprano ever conveyed pathos as tenderly and touchingly as Melba did - and this aria proves that, along with her recordings of 'Porgi amor', Mimi's arias, and Desdemona's 'Willow Song' and 'Ave Maria'.
Even a passable singer today sounds much better than Melba? Was that supposed to be a joke? LOL. You can belittle Melba all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that she was heralded and glorified by ALL the leading opera composers of the late 19th century, and she will be forever remembered as a singing goddess, unlike your "wonderful singers of today". The only other singer who achieved such a supremely iconic and legendary status after Melba was Maria Callas. The rest are mere mortals.
I wasn't saying that Callas was equal to Melba, or comparing the two in THAT sense! I said the only soprano who became "legendary" - not even in terms of singing, but simply as an opera "STAR/DIVA" in the minds of the public - after Melba, was Callas. Even those who don't know about opera, or aren't opera FANS, have heard of Melba & Callas, like Pavarotti - THAT is what I meant. :) That doesn't apply to a lot of opera singers. And I was saying how everyone has admirers and detractors alike!
Rapture1987 Nah that was Ponselle.
After getting used to Maria Callas’s Tosca, this just doesn’t sound right at all.
Yes. This is beautiful singing of its type but, to my ears, pallid and unemotional.
I prefer the Emma Eames version. That said, Melba's 1907 version is better than her later recording..
the area vissi d arte is a lyrical area,like the innegiamo in cava
lleria rusticana,if you taken out of
the opera contex could be sang
by any soprano!!the role of tosca
on the stage is another matter
tosca is too physical and too dra
matic for the essential light lyric
voice of melba. she almost lost
her voice when trying to sing
brunhilde in sigfrid!!.but the area
of tosca is ok for any soprano.
I love the arguments about "Who's best" in the comments. The singers were making their living over 100 years ago. What little recordings they left behind are of no great quality - they too are nearly 100 years old - so cannot be used in any serious way to judge a singers quality. Great things and terrible things are written about all singers. It is silly to try and compare them, it is a greater folly to try and compare two singers we have not heard in person who have long since passed away.
Well, I'm glad we have our wonderful singers of today. If this was the greatest soprano of that era, I can only imagine what her contemporaries sounded like. You can dump on today's opera singers all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that even a passable singer today sounds much better than the greatest back then.
You are tone deaf to say today’s singers are the best
It indicates only your listening problems.😅 You can listen her Clair de lune and I think you will never say that anymore!
Sounds a bit washed out and drowned in this aria.
You'll have that with a 1907 recording
What a shallow sound compared to Rosa Ponselle in 1917. Her high notes are, like Emma Eames, very hooty. I fault their vocal teachers. The breath tones are not supporting.
Melba's career flourished till she was at least 66 years old, whereas Ponselle - despite her magnificent instrument - was beginning to experience vocal problems when she was barely 40 (she had to limit herself to mezzo roles like Carmen, while Melba could sing Gounod's Juliette, Puccini's Mimi and Verdi's Desdemona even at the age of 65). There was nothing faulty about Melba's teacher, Mathilde Marchesi - it's thanks to Marchesi and the healthy, reliable technique that was handed down to her that Melba was able to continue singing in public well into old age. Just because Melba's voice wasn't dark like Ponselle's doesn't mean she didn't have proper breath support - FAR FROM IT (just listen to the length of her trill at the end of the 1907 recording of 'Caro Nome'). Comparing Melba and Ponselle is like comparing a white swan with a black swan.
The deep sensitivity and sublimity that Melba infused such arias as this with are virtually unparalleled. She sounds exquisite here - like she's truly *PRAYING*, as Tosca is supposed to be doing.
Its good to see that there's someone else out there who understands singing (yes, I think I'm the other one (LOL). And also that you're a Melba fan. Many singers over the last part of the last century have stated that they would trade ten years of their career to be able to sing (and emote) like Callas. If Melba had been alive, she (Melba) would naturally have thought that Callas would have wanted to be Melba. Melba wrote the book on divas and she has never been surpassed. Ponselle was terrified of singing at La Scala and never did. She was also terrified of singing under Toscanini (even though he made many requests for her to do so). Melba was afraid of no one (at the Vienna opera, even the mighty Mahler could not prevent her singing the mad scene from "Lucia" AS AN ENCORE TO A COMPLETE PERFORMANCE OF TRAVITIA!!). And Melba had been warned about La Scala (where many vocal ships went aground), but Melba responded like a champion and conquered La Scala.
@@GehanCooray You didn’t mention that Marchesi was a student of Manuel Garcia, whose achievement is grandeur and laryngoscope is his invention,too. The only healthy and correct way of singing is that, what we listen here. And also,I sometimes find Ponselle’s voice very familiar with Melba’s, tone colors are only different. To be honest, the most perfect trills that I have ever heard are their!
@@meinfb If you have solid technique and beautiful tone like Melba, why you should be terrified?! She was splendid in every ways. Daughter of Mathilde Marchesi- Blanche-said that only Melba and Nevada were naturally prepared for stage, when Calve’s voice(who is an eminent artist) was nearly ruined and Eames suffered plenty of vocal problems! Melba was born to sing! I also think that Callas only dreamed about to have tone like her and her versatility, because Callas’s tone mostly is disagreeable for me.