# So you're in charge of casting "Three Sopranos"...



## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

ala the Three Tenors. You need to find a good lineup that will encompass a large part of the soprano repertoire, be appealing to both opera fans and the general public, and represent the beauty of the soprano voice. Who do you choose, and why?

I think I'd go with:
- *Natalie Dessay* in a close choice over Diana Damrau. DD has the superior voice at this point in time, but in a concert style format Ms. Dessay would be just fine, and she has a magnetism, even when just standing still and singing, that few singers have ... its impossible to take your eyes off of her.
- Very tough choice for a lyric voice between Anna Netrebko and Renee Fleming. Netrebko is the more attractive, especially in 2011, but Ms. Fleming is certainly no eyesore. Renee might bring a bit more interest in the US market, being American. But at the end of the day I'll go with *Anna Netrebko*.
- Couldn't think of a dramatic soprano I'd be entirely happy with, so I'll move up to a spinto and select *Sondra Radvanovsky*. Gorgeous voice, and despite a bit of rep overlap with Ms. Netrebko, there's no current singer I'd rather hear sing Vissi d'Arte.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

I think yours is a solid choice, given the requirements.

Personally, I will prefer a lineup with Mariella Devia, Renée Fleming and Karita Mattila.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Hm... hard question, and interesting thread.

First of all, thinking of the commercial success of such enterprise, my selection would have to include people who are big-time stars, not just people who have great voices (there are sopranos out there who are very good but just wouldn't appeal to the masses the same way the Three Tenors did).

I think I'd get Diana Damrau, Anna Netrebko, and Nina Stemme.

Of course the biggest regret would be the fact that I wouldn't be including Renée Fleming... But you guys know that I simply cannot refrain from picking Anna. Besides, while Anna's voice is great at this point in time and still improving, in my opinion Renée's is very, very slowly starting to show some signs of wear and tear, for the very first time in her long and well-managed career. So given what you're proposing - a Three Sopranos series of world tours - I'd want all three in great vocal form, and I believe that these three artists that I've picked are hot at this moment, although I haven't been following Nina's career very closely and I'm basing it more on a couple of DVDs I have with her which aren't that recent - so I hope she remains just as good as in those DVDs. 

My problem with picking Fleming now would be even more pronounced in the case of Dessay which is why I wouldn't include the latter. She is definitely in a descending vocal curve. One of the problems with the Three Tenors was that only Plácido was in perfect vocal shape. Pavarotti wasn't the same any longer, and definitely Carreras after his illness wasn't his old self, either. So I'd try and pick sopranos who wouldn't reproduce the same mistake, and would rather go for singers who are peaking now or are in an ascending curve or are on a high-level plateau. Karita Mattila in my opinion is another great soprano who unfortunately is in a descending curve. We'd like this enterprise to thrive and last, in terms of commercial success; this is why I'd go for DD, AN, and NS.

If we were to include a mezzo, I'd go for Joyce DiDonato, thanks to her charm, stage presence, and voice. Cecilia Bartoli in my opinion is such a recitalist that she's becoming over-exposed; I'm kind of tired of Bartoli's concerts and recitals everywhere. Elina Garanca, I'd definitely not pick. I don't like her in concerts. She tends do be shy, awkward, nervous, and she under-performs in concerts. In operatic roles she does a lot better, maybe by getting into the character and forgetting her bit of social phobia (tiny bit, otherwise she wouldn't be a performing artist, but she does seem a little frightened of the public when she is performing as herself in a recital or concert setting, not as a character in a fully staged opera). She is of course the better-looking one of the three, which goes to show that I don't really go for looks every time.


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Fleming, Netrebko and Gheorghiu. They are the biggest names, look great, are good and charismatic and are thus the most logical choices to "sell" opera to a mass audience.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

jhar26 said:


> Fleming, Netrebko and Gheorghiu. They are the biggest names, look great, are good and charismatic and are thus the most logical choices to "sell" opera to a mass audience.


 Sure, but the original poster did ask for a range of repertoire; this is why I picked a coloratura, a full lyric, and a dramatic. But yes, maybe the masses wouldn't even notice the difference, so if we were to pick the three that would get the most tickets sold, your choice would be hot. On the other hand, Gheorghiu would cancel a lot.


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Almaviva said:


> I wouldn't be including Renée Fleming...


GGGGRRRRRRR


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

jhar26 said:


> GGGGRRRRRRR


 I did try to explain why not... given the "repertoire representation" clause, and given that Anna and Renée do overlap, I'd go for Anna... on the other hand, while they overlap in voice fach, Renée does get her own niches like the R. Strauss repertoire... so, OK, you got a point.


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## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

Almaviva said:


> Hm... hard question, and interesting thread.
> 
> First of all, thinking of the commercial success of such enterprise, my selection would have to include people who are big-time stars, not just people who have great voices (there are sopranos out there who are very good but just wouldn't appeal to the masses the same way the Three Tenors did).
> 
> ...


Very good and well thought out post, and the part bolded I had considered as well. But on the other hand, I would happily wager any amount of money that the Three Tenors video, despite a lack of vocal perfection, has easily outsold any other opera singer recital or full opera production on video, and by a huge margin. The audience for a Three Tenors (or Three Sopranos or Three X) is, by its very nature (big stadiums with amplified vocals) aimed at the mainstream market, people with a casual interest in classical music and opera, rather than those who can easily tell a wobble from a healthy vibrato. That's why I think Ms. Dessay, even in the later stages of her career, would be a fine choice; her musicality and investment into the meaning behind simply the singing would be compelling to even the casual audience. Ms. Damrau of course would be a wonderful choice as well (and was a close second for me), but there's just something about Natalie...


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## Yashin (Jul 22, 2011)

I would go with some 'underdogs' rather than 3 overbloated singers.

Anne schwanewilms - just for sheer class. She can sing the strauss and Wagner

Patrizia Ciofi - just love her singing and acting and i prefer her over Dessay. She can do the Donizetti, Verdi 

Christine Opolais - my darling right now.

I guess i like larger voices with good acting skills. If i could have a reserve i would pick Irene Theorin to do the heavy stuff.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Yashin said:


> I would go with some 'underdogs' rather than 3 overbloated singers.
> 
> Anne schwanewilms - just for sheer class. She can sing the strauss and Wagner
> 
> ...


I thought of Opolais. She's such a good singer and actress, and she is so hot! I'm completely in love with her as well.
But I didn't pick her just because she doesn't have the mass appeal of the others... unfairly so, since she does deserve it.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

rgz said:


> Very good and well thought out post, and the part bolded I had considered as well. But on the other hand, I would happily wager any amount of money that the Three Tenors video, despite a lack of vocal perfection, has easily outsold any other opera singer recital or full opera production on video, and by a huge margin. The audience for a Three Tenors (or Three Sopranos or Three X) is, by its very nature (big stadiums with amplified vocals) aimed at the mainstream market, people with a casual interest in classical music and opera, rather than those who can easily tell a wobble from a healthy vibrato. That's why I think Ms. Dessay, even in the later stages of her career, would be a fine choice; her musicality and investment into the meaning behind simply the singing would be compelling to even the casual audience. Ms. Damrau of course would be a wonderful choice as well (and was a close second for me), but there's just something about Natalie...


I'm seriously worried about Natalie. I think she needs to quit while she's ahead, lest she'll sink her legacy.

And not only lay people or mainstream people attend these concerts. For one thing, I did personally attend one of the Three Tenors concerts. So, in the spirit of your OP rules, if I was given the opportunity to do the casting for a hypothetical Three Sopranos enterprise, I'd want top notch singing.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

^ What's with these Miley Cyrus singers?

Jane Eaglen, Iréne Theorin, and Lisa Gasteen.

God, that would be awesome.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Green monster, get out of here! We're talking opera, among adults!
:lol:


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## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

Almaviva said:


> I'm seriously worried about Natalie. I think she needs to quit while she's ahead, lest she'll sink her legacy.
> 
> And not only lay people or mainstream people attend these concerts. For one thing, I did personally attend one of the Three Tenors concerts. So, in the spirit of your OP rules, if I was given the opportunity to do the casting for a hypothetical Three Sopranos enterprise, I'd want top notch singing.


Not to turn this into a Natalie Dessay thread, but I was listening to a YT clip of her from the early 2000s that reminded me of a line I read in both Birgit Nilsson and Renee Fleming's biographies, about "Never singing on your capital" (as I understand it, it means sing things that your voice is trained to sing, as they will be easy. One certainly *can* sing other roles, and well, but it requires stressing your cords more -- using your raw talent instead of your training to sing), as that will shorten your career. Tell me if it's just me or if this strikes you as Dessay singing too hard, for lack of a better term:





Coincidentally, or perhaps not, she started having trouble with cysts on her vocal cords shortly thereafter. And there are also the rumors (that I've never been able to confirm) about her smoking. I tend to dismiss those but ... who knows


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Almaviva said:


> Of course the biggest regret would be the fact that I wouldn't be including Renée Fleming... But you guys know that I simply cannot refrain from picking Anna. Besides, while Anna's voice is great at this point in time and still improving, in my opinion Renée's is very, very slowly starting to show some signs of wear and tear, for the very first time in her long and well-managed career. So given what you're proposing - a Three Sopranos series of world tours - I'd want all three in great vocal form, and I believe that these three artists that I've picked are hot at this moment, although I haven't been following Nina's career very closely and I'm basing it more on a couple of DVDs I have with her which aren't that recent - so I hope she remains just as good as in those DVDs.
> 
> My problem with picking Fleming now would be even more pronounced in the case of Dessay which is why I wouldn't include the latter. She is definitely in a descending vocal curve. One of the problems with the Three Tenors was that only Plácido was in perfect vocal shape. Pavarotti wasn't the same any longer, and definitely Carreras after his illness wasn't his old self, either. So I'd try and pick sopranos who wouldn't reproduce the same mistake, and would rather go for singers who are peaking now or are in an ascending curve or are on a high-level plateau. Karita Mattila in my opinion is another great soprano who unfortunately is in a descending curve. We'd like this enterprise to thrive and last, in terms of commercial success; this is why I'd go for DD, AN, and NS.


Nina Stemme and Karita Mattila are only 3 years apart, I've listened to both of them recently in the theater, and are still in good command of her voices. As is Ms. Fleming (one year younger than Ms. Mattila).

Having said that, of course the three of them are now of an age when we can expect clear signs of vocal decline (as opposed to minor things) to appear sooner than later... But one never knows for sure. Ms. Devia, for instance, is now 63 and, given the right role and sufficient rest, can still sing in a close vocal form to her thirties and forties, and with greater insight.


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## Yashin (Jul 22, 2011)

Forgive me but is Jane Eaglen still singing? I mean, i enjoy her Turandot and Tosca on the Chandos cd label buts that about it.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Don't think she will sing Opera again.


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## Yashin (Jul 22, 2011)

If you want a trio of Wagnarians here are 3:

Catherine Foster (Weimar Ring cycle)
Rebecca Teem (Lubeck Ring cycle)
Deborah Polaski (Kupfer Ring)

I have enjoyed the Brunnhilde of all three of these ladies


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

Kristine Opolais
Anja Harteros
Anna Netrebko


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

I'd definitely go with Anna Netrebko. I think she's finding roles that really suit her voice now, and there's no question that she knows how to appeal to an audience. I'd probably also go with Diana Damrau; she specializes in the coloratura roles and is successful in both the German and Italian repertoire -- and, again, I think she has the personality that will appeal to an audience.
The third choice is tougher. For a dramatic (or jugendlich dramatische) soprano, I really like Camilla Nylund -- but she's not as well known as the other two ladies, and I don't know how she would come across with an audience. Her countrywoman, Mattila, may be a better choice. The two share many of the same roles, and Mattila is quite the showgirl.
Gheorghiu certainly has popular appeal -- but would this woman ever consent to sharing the spotlight with other sopranos?


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

Like the promoters of the original Three Tenors concert, I want to make lots and lots of money.

So I'll go with Anna Netrebko, Renee Fleming, and Natalie Dessay. 

Yes, there are issues of vocal decline, particularly in Natalie's case. Yes, there is some fach overlap, but there's also enough repertoire for each of them to carve out their own niche for the evening. 

I'm not even sure that the three of them would be a good fit together onstage. But they've each amassed enough of a devoted following, it would be a huge commercial success and a great boost for opera. I know *I'd* pay to see those three together!

I suppose if I wanted to be even more commercial (and less varied vocally), I would substitute Angela Gheorgiu for Dessay. But there finally comes a point where my heart has to rule over my pocketbook!


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## GoneBaroque (Jun 16, 2011)

I would forget the whole bloody idea!


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

GoneBaroque said:


> I would forget the whole bloody idea!


 Maybe I'd just invite these ladies to come sing just for me at home, preferably in my bedroom.
Oh well, one can always dream...


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## ooopera (Jul 27, 2011)

Almaviva said:


> Maybe I'd just invite these ladies to come sing just for me at home, preferably in my bedroom.
> Oh well, one can always dream...


Does your bedroom has a good acoustics?


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

ooopera said:


> Does your bedroom has a good acoustics?


Even since he put that mirror up on the ceiling, the resonance has been much more lively.


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## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

ooopera said:


> Does your bedroom has a good acoustics?


No one knows. I'd imagine with Anna there, there'd scarcely be time for her to warm up before the performance was abruptly over.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

rgz said:


> No one knows. I'd imagine with Anna there, there'd scarcely be time for her to warm up before the performance was abruptly over.


 This only happens to young fans.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

ooopera said:


> Does your bedroom has a good acoustics?


Definitely. Anna should feel free to hit a high E at that special moment for her.


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

jhar26 said:


> Fleming, Netrebko and Gheorghiu.


I might have said this a few years back... but I think that booking Gheorghiu has to be placed in the "unnecessary risk" file...

So I'll two-thirds agree and say Fleming, Netrebko and Stemme.


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