In December 1985, I had the incredible privilege of seeing Miss Norman in this role at the Wiener Staatsoper, where my brother worked as a pianist. Her voice was brilliant; her musicality enchanting, her every gesture was perfection. It was magic.
Overcome with tears...My beloved Goddess! We humans were priviledged to live with you in our planet...I saw Jessye at Metrolitan Opera House in NYC. I almost ended up at a hospital with a heart attack... overwhelmed by that tsunami of beauty, un-human, un-heard...I felt my heart stoppping...God, please take care of our Jessye: I will ALWAYS love you until the day I die!
when she sings "und ging im licht" the power behind it while still remaining clear and round and feminine, is just amazing. you can just hear the incredible longing of a woman abandoned wanting something back so badly - we've all felt that sense of longing. plus the costumes! imagine how many hours were spent embroidering that dress. if one is going to be abandoned on a desert island, one must have a tiara!
she had come to Greece to the Epidaurus theatre to sing, where only Callas has been accepted as an Opera singer to sing there... it is sacred Theatre... she sang... Jazz!! lol... the theatre has phenomenally good acoustics... her voice was so small it was inaudible... she disappointed me immensely... at the end one Lady screamed to her: sing Salome (I would add instead of the shit she "sang")... love Jessye but too overrated singer, too big idea she had for herself and the voice omg TINY!!!! a very small soprano lyric
Jessye Norman is so stunning as Ariadne. Her unique, rich and velvet voice flows like an ocean through the part. As a German i can assure that her diction is perfect, like her legato in this language and the exciting interpretation of this composition. She's my first choice in this part, a dream.
@@LohengrinO , "but many people don't even like her"... yes, i realize this point but it´s a mystery for me. Norman´s voice was a once-in-a-hundred-years-event for sure. I'm sorry but i´m convinced that Norman was as significant for Ariadne as Callas was the same for Medea or Milanov for Leonora. Milanov was in my opinion the most gifted voice in the last century for many reasons but Norman as Ariadne.... unbeatably.
Die Einzige Ariadne! The one and only Ariadne: exquisite German, perfect intonation, and thrilling reading of the libretto. There are few singers alive who can mold words the way Norman has done throughout her career (listen to her recording of Schubert op. 39).
always thought so... but if u say that in opera forums you wont believe the list of the BETTER than Norman Ariadnes u will see :D Even the cat in my neighbourhood has sung a better Ariadne than Norman according to them
German is a very musical language. Don't blame German for having it's own music that doesn't suit Italian melodies. German speakers have been singing since time immemorial and I'm tired of hearing cretins call it an "un-musical language".
Genau! And it’s more universal than German repertoire solely. Just one example: listen to Fritz Wunderlich performing Lensky’s aria from Eugen Onegin (Tsjaikovski) live in Muenchen (Munich) in 1962: ua-cam.com/video/RW8Bmfb1-VY/v-deo.html and stand in awe.
Ι could die with this Music... the Genius of interpretation and Music by Strauss is beyond belief... very rarely any performance reaches this level of perfection
I have been listening to all of the Sutherland Horne Normas I have in order to locate a fabulous C6 splendor in A si fa core abracciami only to realize two things! 1. Sutherland always glides to it, she never attacks it (and it is quite horrible to hear a gliding there) and 2. Horne always skips the C6 :D and they dare say they sang Norma well :/
I can't listen to any Norma other than Callas's... although I do admit there are some lyrical moments in which Caballe excels, but still not on the same level. Sutherlamd's Norma is so meh. She was completely lost when the tessitura altered from high dramatic soprano, and as we know her musicianship and emotional investment to the role was absolutely zilch. I can't believe people used to say Horne was a great young soprano. She could barely sing the classic mezzo repertoire!
jmiller05 1. the fast coloratura parts in A si fa core abriacciami are quite a mess also.. she skips notes in between, 2. She really glides towards the C6.. my God this is a legendary C6... why would she do that?
She was truly from another universe and shockingly beautiful. A shop owner in Vienna told me that when Joan was signing CD's a Norman photo started to fall she said "don't let HER fall". Thanks for the post, as always.
Jesseye is Opera and Opera is Jessey No better lovers than Ms Norman and her Soprano Opera and a mighty combination it was Rest with love Queen you'll never be forgotten
Such perfect example of individualism! Opera actually gives this possibility, I think even obliges, though only exceptional artists can afford it. she looks and sounds fantastic!
I have to thank you so much!! I’m quite young but familiar with classical music since I studied piano at the conservatory but opera music was kind of a mistery for me. Thanks to your channel I started exploring this world. First I started with callas’ essentials and the Italian repertory, then Sutherland and now with some German. The cure and the passion you put in finding so many gems is admirable! You allow people to understand the heights music can reach and what operatic voices are all about. You made me discover singers works from composers that I would have probably never discovered! Thank you so much for the work you do! Love your videos
thank you thank you... Indeed I wish when I was 17 I had a channel like this to have isolated the gems, I was running in stores in Athens trying to find gems in CDs and practically no one I could talk to about this form of art... then I started to go to opera performances everybody there was between ages 70 and 90 ahahahah
Still listening, it's amazing with that huge voice the lightness she brings to this part, like a lyric soprano, in between the dark cavernous bottom, and radiant energy of the dramatic moments.
I also believe that Norman is the perfect Ariadne and whenever I say this endless people come and say not it was this and that and that... and when I listen to all those, they dont even approach Norman's level here...
I actually agree with you here, but would like to suggest you listen to Christa Ludwig in the same role. To me she is on par with Norman for her warmth in the lower register, impeccable breathing technique and powerful high notes. A bit more dramatic than lyric, perhaps, but also one for the ages.
I once owned the entire opera on VHS "back in the day," and seeing this clip makes me realize how much I have missed it since then. Utter beauty beyond words. Thank you for posting.
Wow! This is a vicious piece of music: demanding the soprano to dip so low into her voice, then soar to those exquisite high notes. Strauss was quite the test for the artist! I don't believe I ever saw Miss Norman actually perform, but I do remember her from the house (the Metropolitan Opera); and there I did get to watch her rehearse (Wagner, I think?). She wasn't conventionally "pretty", but instead magnificent and regal in her deportment, and upon entering a room (even at the company cantina!) or the stage, she commanded that space, and those present felt the intangible power and rare force of her aura. Her talent was indeed a glorious gift.
You give an informed review but where you crash is the comment "She wasn't conventionally pretty" I have never heard this said about Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf , Kiri Te Kanawa . Jessye Norman's voice and operatic legacy is one of the greatest we'll ever see. what beauty standards do you go by? "Pretty" denotes a European standard that is fair yet forgettable. Jessye was a beautiful black woman whose talent and sheer force of personality and intellect commanded respect. Her beauty was far more complex and compelling than some notion of "Prettiness." A lot of gay men in the Arts need to change these shallow perceptions. I urge you to read her autobiography . "Pretty" doesn't even come close.
@@axe7064 You misunderstood my comment. She was a stunning woman - quite beautiful and very regal - but not the conventional "pretty" similar to many other singers...in a few ways. Admittedly, it was an unnecessary comment...as is your comment, "gay men in the arts", which I find uncalled for. But then, we all have our opinions.
Que tan bella música ga compuesto R. STRAUS. Exceptional soprano dramático. Y pues cada cual para su lado. Una obra prima. Cantar cualquier ópera de Strauss no es para cualquiera. A saber por ese cuarteto. Mucha seguridad mucha musicalidad. Strauss me encanta.
Agreed, this may have been her greatest role. Simply magnificent. It's interesting that most of the greatest female voices of the last 30 years all came out of America - Norman, Fleming, Battle, Bonney, Hunt-Liebersen (Podles the obvious exception, and the other name I would add to the list). Great male voices emerging in the same period have come from all over though - Kaufmann, Terfel, Hvorostovsky, Finley.
an ingenious opera and a brilliant production only Jessye Norman could pull off. I think this is the production where she plays opposite Kathleen Battle.
I don't speak German and largely consider it an incredibly un-musical language. But, she makes it musical, without sacrificing her diction. It's a feat that only a brilliant artist and interpreter could pull off. Blown away every time!
I definitely think it promotes a more cerebral interaction with the music, versus a more emotional interaction that you would find in Italian - especially in Verdi.
In general german music is more Intellectual but not at all less beautiful and emotional... I am more easily moved to tears by Strauss' Morgen or Ruhee meine Seele than all the pussy-tears of Liu.. in fact, the one and only singer who has moved me to tears as Liu, is Elisabeth Schwarzkopf!!! (ALL the rest sound horribly fake to me,,, all of them)
Agreed 100% that it doesn't make it less beautiful and emotional, but my initial way of processing it is definitely more intellectual. Whereas (for me) Verdi can throw a curveball that I did not see coming and completely shift my emotional state very quickly and Puccini is just wave after wave of intensity. I think Strauss is more like steps that gradually reveal this majestic view. They're all great, just different. And let's not get into some of the nasty queens from Opera-L ... especially that self-appointed "Shade Queen in Chief" J. Jorden. :-D
Indeed!!!!! the "initial processing" is more intellectual... while Verdi can throw you instantly inside the Well... amazing comments... will place them above....
how luxurious to have Boney as one of the Dryads.... just like when Lucia Popp and dame Kiri were Solti's Demonesses in Parsifal ua-cam.com/video/EzQhK5azysA/v-deo.html
Interesting thing you say.. it is true that her appearances in the US is minimal.. however, early in her career, she was employed in an Opera house in Europe and while there for the short time she was there (I believe it was like 5 years), she had undertaken over 40 roles - including singing Manon and Mimi from La Boheme.. also, she did say that going through a nasty divorce did limit her opportunities (her ex was some conductor).
German is a little harsh compared to others languages, but composers and singers learn how to turn it into their advantage. Just listen Jessie Norman in "Vier letzte lieder " , Richard Strauss : ua-cam.com/video/JteREaN0JNQ/v-deo.html
She will always be referential and remembered in this role. She touched the divine with Strauss.
had no idea she was ill... Legendary artist
She will never be replaced.
In December 1985, I had the incredible privilege of seeing Miss Norman in this role at the Wiener Staatsoper, where my brother worked as a pianist. Her voice was brilliant; her musicality enchanting, her every gesture was perfection. It was magic.
I'm glad that you specified that Jessye Norman, not Ariadne, is the Goddess of Earth.
but Norman was a Goddess of the Earth
Overcome with tears...My beloved Goddess! We humans were priviledged to live with you in our planet...I saw Jessye at Metrolitan Opera House in NYC. I almost ended up at a hospital with a heart attack... overwhelmed by that tsunami of beauty, un-human, un-heard...I felt my heart stoppping...God, please take care of our Jessye: I will ALWAYS love you until the day I die!
what was the volume of her voice? because I heard her live once in Greece and she was inaudible...
Glorious singing. And Barbara Bonney and Dawn Upshaw as two of the nymphs... there's luxury casting!
like when Lucia Popp and Kiri Te Kanawa sang the Demonesses ua-cam.com/video/EzQhK5azysA/v-deo.html
Plus Kathleen Battle in the mix: talking of luxury casting 🤩
Plus lumimous Tatyana Troyanos in Act I as Componist!
when she sings "und ging im licht" the power behind it while still remaining clear and round and feminine, is just amazing. you can just hear the incredible longing of a woman abandoned wanting something back so badly - we've all felt that sense of longing. plus the costumes! imagine how many hours were spent embroidering that dress. if one is going to be abandoned on a desert island, one must have a tiara!
Those low notes touch the core of my soul. Simply bone chilling! Brava, Ms. Norman. You will be missed.
I met JESSYE NORMAN many years ago at a cd signing at TOWER RECORDS Piccadilly LONDON
A beautiful lady RIP
she had come to Greece to the Epidaurus theatre to sing, where only Callas has been accepted as an Opera singer to sing there... it is sacred Theatre... she sang... Jazz!! lol... the theatre has phenomenally good acoustics... her voice was so small it was inaudible... she disappointed me immensely... at the end one Lady screamed to her: sing Salome (I would add instead of the shit she "sang")... love Jessye but too overrated singer, too big idea she had for herself and the voice omg TINY!!!! a very small soprano lyric
Jessye Norman is so stunning as Ariadne. Her unique, rich and velvet voice flows like an ocean through the part. As a German i can assure that her diction is perfect, like her legato in this language and the exciting interpretation of this composition. She's my first choice in this part, a dream.
mine as well... but many people don't even like her... for me it is Norman for Voice and Schwarzkopf for depth of interpretation
@@LohengrinO , "but many people don't even like her"... yes, i realize this point but it´s a mystery for me. Norman´s voice was a once-in-a-hundred-years-event for sure. I'm sorry but i´m convinced that Norman was as significant for Ariadne as Callas was the same for Medea or Milanov for Leonora. Milanov was in my opinion the most gifted voice in the last century for many reasons but Norman as Ariadne.... unbeatably.
Die Einzige Ariadne! The one and only Ariadne: exquisite German, perfect intonation, and thrilling reading of the libretto. There are few singers alive who can mold words the way Norman has done throughout her career (listen to her recording of Schubert op. 39).
always thought so... but if u say that in opera forums you wont believe the list of the BETTER than Norman Ariadnes u will see :D Even the cat in my neighbourhood has sung a better Ariadne than Norman according to them
4:10 - 4:25 is 15 seconds of pure gold!
German is a very musical language. Don't blame German for having it's own music that doesn't suit Italian melodies. German speakers have been singing since time immemorial and I'm tired of hearing cretins call it an "un-musical language".
Genau! And it’s more universal than German repertoire solely. Just one example: listen to Fritz Wunderlich performing Lensky’s aria from Eugen Onegin (Tsjaikovski) live in Muenchen (Munich) in 1962: ua-cam.com/video/RW8Bmfb1-VY/v-deo.html and stand in awe.
It's like Strauss wrote Ariadne for Norman... the musicality is beyond belief.
Ι could die with this Music... the Genius of interpretation and Music by Strauss is beyond belief... very rarely any performance reaches this level of perfection
I have been listening to all of the Sutherland Horne Normas I have in order to locate a fabulous C6 splendor in A si fa core abracciami only to realize two things! 1. Sutherland always glides to it, she never attacks it (and it is quite horrible to hear a gliding there) and 2. Horne always skips the C6 :D and they dare say they sang Norma well :/
I can't listen to any Norma other than Callas's... although I do admit there are some lyrical moments in which Caballe excels, but still not on the same level.
Sutherlamd's Norma is so meh. She was completely lost when the tessitura altered from high dramatic soprano, and as we know her musicianship and emotional investment to the role was absolutely zilch.
I can't believe people used to say Horne was a great young soprano. She could barely sing the classic mezzo repertoire!
jmiller05
1. the fast coloratura parts in A si fa core abriacciami are quite a mess also.. she skips notes in between, 2. She really glides towards the C6.. my God this is a legendary C6... why would she do that?
David Perkins I don't care in the slightest what others think about my opinion.
She was truly from another universe and shockingly beautiful. A shop owner in Vienna told me that when Joan was signing CD's a Norman photo started to fall she said "don't let HER fall". Thanks for the post, as always.
the Goddess of Earth
Jesseye is Opera and Opera is Jessey No better lovers than Ms Norman and her Soprano Opera and a mighty combination it was Rest with love Queen you'll never be forgotten
Such perfect example of individualism! Opera actually gives this possibility, I think even obliges, though only exceptional artists can afford it. she looks and sounds fantastic!
I have to thank you so much!! I’m quite young but familiar with classical music since I studied piano at the conservatory but opera music was kind of a mistery for me. Thanks to your channel I started exploring this world. First I started with callas’ essentials and the Italian repertory, then Sutherland and now with some German. The cure and the passion you put in finding so many gems is admirable! You allow people to understand the heights music can reach and what operatic voices are all about. You made me discover singers works from composers that I would have probably never discovered! Thank you so much for the work you do! Love your videos
thank you thank you... Indeed I wish when I was 17 I had a channel like this to have isolated the gems, I was running in stores in Athens trying to find gems in CDs and practically no one I could talk to about this form of art... then I started to go to opera performances everybody there was between ages 70 and 90 ahahahah
This I beleive was recorded on saturday october 17th, 1987. I attended on the 14th. Everything you hear is true. It's called sublimation.
Still listening, it's amazing with that huge voice the lightness she brings to this part, like a lyric soprano, in between the dark cavernous bottom, and radiant energy of the dramatic moments.
I also believe that Norman is the perfect Ariadne and whenever I say this endless people come and say not it was this and that and that... and when I listen to all those, they dont even approach Norman's level here...
I actually agree with you here, but would like to suggest you listen to Christa Ludwig in the same role. To me she is on par with Norman for her warmth in the lower register, impeccable breathing technique and powerful high notes. A bit more dramatic than lyric, perhaps, but also one for the ages.
ua-cam.com/video/zdbyHmMCVYM/v-deo.html, thank God u didnt suggest to me to listen to the famous Ariadne of Dame Tsoutsa Moutsa!
I once owned the entire opera on VHS "back in the day," and seeing this clip makes me realize how much I have missed it since then. Utter beauty beyond words. Thank you for posting.
I could die with this music... both the trio and Ariadne's monolog... genius
Wow! This is a vicious piece of music: demanding the soprano to dip so low into her voice, then soar to those exquisite high notes. Strauss was quite the test for the artist! I don't believe I ever saw Miss Norman actually perform, but I do remember her from the house (the Metropolitan Opera); and there I did get to watch her rehearse (Wagner, I think?). She wasn't conventionally "pretty", but instead magnificent and regal in her deportment, and upon entering a room (even at the company cantina!) or the stage, she commanded that space, and those present felt the intangible power and rare force of her aura. Her talent was indeed a glorious gift.
You give an informed review but where you crash is the comment "She wasn't conventionally pretty" I have never heard this said about Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf , Kiri Te Kanawa . Jessye Norman's voice and operatic legacy is one of the greatest we'll ever see. what beauty standards do you go by? "Pretty" denotes a European standard that is fair yet forgettable. Jessye was a beautiful black woman whose talent and sheer force of personality and intellect commanded respect. Her beauty was far more complex and compelling than some notion of "Prettiness." A lot of gay men in the Arts need to change these shallow perceptions. I urge you to read her autobiography . "Pretty" doesn't even come close.
@@axe7064 You misunderstood my comment. She was a stunning woman - quite beautiful and very regal - but not the conventional "pretty" similar to many other singers...in a few ways. Admittedly, it was an unnecessary comment...as is your comment, "gay men in the arts", which I find uncalled for. But then, we all have our opinions.
One word: “Ultimate.”
Jessye Norman ist eine wundervolle und intelligente Sängerin. Ich verstehe jedes Wort
Que tan bella música ga compuesto R. STRAUS. Exceptional soprano dramático. Y pues cada cual para su lado. Una obra prima. Cantar cualquier ópera de Strauss no es para cualquiera. A saber por ese cuarteto. Mucha seguridad mucha musicalidad. Strauss me encanta.
She is a goddess!
German is a perfect language to be sung.
I appreciate this opera very much.
Agreed, this may have been her greatest role. Simply magnificent. It's interesting that most of the greatest female voices of the last 30 years all came out of America - Norman, Fleming, Battle, Bonney, Hunt-Liebersen (Podles the obvious exception, and the other name I would add to the list). Great male voices emerging in the same period have come from all over though - Kaufmann, Terfel, Hvorostovsky, Finley.
All extremely musical. I think musicality has actually become extinct in modern operatic singing.
Loraine Hunt belongs to this channel as well... but her story brings me so much sadness that I kinda avoid her... she was Divine
@@LohengrinO heartbreaking it is..
Tatina Troyanos here too
Jennifer Larmore for sure
I'd love to see this in a theater. Beautifu,l everything just beautiful.
Superb
6:32-6:50 😍🥰 Que control de su respiración!!! BRAVA!!!
Paying another visit. Unbelievably beautiful.
Incredible!
I think comments are superfluous here.
Thanks, dear friend.
an ingenious opera and a brilliant production only Jessye Norman could pull off.
I think this is the production where she plays opposite Kathleen Battle.
Adore it
I worship it
I don't speak German and largely consider it an incredibly un-musical language. But, she makes it musical, without sacrificing her diction. It's a feat that only a brilliant artist and interpreter could pull off. Blown away every time!
I definitely think it promotes a more cerebral interaction with the music, versus a more emotional interaction that you would find in Italian - especially in Verdi.
In general german music is more Intellectual but not at all less beautiful and emotional... I am more easily moved to tears by Strauss' Morgen or Ruhee meine Seele than all the pussy-tears of Liu.. in fact, the one and only singer who has moved me to tears as Liu, is Elisabeth Schwarzkopf!!! (ALL the rest sound horribly fake to me,,, all of them)
Agreed 100% that it doesn't make it less beautiful and emotional, but my initial way of processing it is definitely more intellectual. Whereas (for me) Verdi can throw a curveball that I did not see coming and completely shift my emotional state very quickly and Puccini is just wave after wave of intensity. I think Strauss is more like steps that gradually reveal this majestic view. They're all great, just different.
And let's not get into some of the nasty queens from Opera-L ... especially that self-appointed "Shade Queen in Chief" J. Jorden. :-D
Indeed!!!!! the "initial processing" is more intellectual... while Verdi can throw you instantly inside the Well... amazing comments... will place them above....
hahahaha, great!
@6:15 holy crap
What act is this scene in during the opera?
Barbara Bonney in opera is a rare thing to see...
how luxurious to have Boney as one of the Dryads.... just like when Lucia Popp and dame Kiri were Solti's Demonesses in Parsifal ua-cam.com/video/EzQhK5azysA/v-deo.html
Interesting thing you say.. it is true that her appearances in the US is minimal.. however, early in her career, she was employed in an Opera house in Europe and while there for the short time she was there (I believe it was like 5 years), she had undertaken over 40 roles - including singing Manon and Mimi from La Boheme.. also, she did say that going through a nasty divorce did limit her opportunities (her ex was some conductor).
German is a little harsh compared to others languages, but composers and singers learn how to turn it into their advantage.
Just listen Jessie Norman in "Vier letzte lieder " , Richard Strauss : ua-cam.com/video/JteREaN0JNQ/v-deo.html
Any language at all can be gentle or harsh depending on who is speaking, how they're speaking, and what they're saying.
Люблю.
И я . Как жаль что ушла
Люблю.