# Singer Accompanying Themselves Contest: Farrar, Steber and Ferrier



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I stumbled on this idea which I thought could be a fun change of pace. Pick the performance you like best of a singer accompanying themselves at the piano. They are all rather unusual. I would imagine most of you would not be familiar with these performances.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I was already familiar with the Farrar excerpts because they were the interval feature during the radio broadcast of Ponselle's live Traviata. This was Farrar after she had retired, so somewhat past her best. The other two were new for me.

They are all so different, I can't pick a winner to vote for, it's just fascinating listening to these unusual items.

N.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

I am glad you asked which performance I "enjoyed" the most because the first two performances I do believe were done when they were in the twilight of their years. 
I liked the guts of Steber who, at her age, still sang quite well done high notes.
Farrar, on the other hand, avoided every single high note like the plague, but I could really see what a fine voice she had.
I am unfamiliar with Ferrier but found her fun.
I am sorry that Beverly Sills "_Sillsiana_" was not included. That one was hilarious and very special.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> I am glad you asked which performance I "enjoyed" the most because the first two performances I do believe were done when they were in the twilight of their years.
> I liked the guts of Steber who, at her age, still sang quite well done high notes.
> Farrar, on the other hand, avoided every single high note like the plague, but I could really see what a fine voice she had.
> I am unfamiliar with Ferrier but found her fun.
> I am sorry that Beverly Sills "_Sillsiana_" was not included. That one was hilarious and very special.


OMG! That was brilliant!!!!!! No one else would stand a chance against that one, Nina! Unfortunately nowhere in the text does it say she accompanied herself so it didn't turn up in any search I did. What gave me the idea was I saw a wonderful concert with Debbie Voigt post surgery but before the voice fell apart and she sang "I love a piano" at the piano as her encore and brought the house down. She does it on Youtube but she isn't playing. In these offerings the best piano playing garland likely goes to Ferrier who was a professional pianist till she took up singing late at 24 years of age. In hers I like her personality and she sings in a wider range than she does in her classical singing.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Wonderful idea, if not really a singing contest. The biggest treat for me here is Farrar. This may be post-retirement for her, but it gives an idea of her actual, beautiful vocal quality. You can hear why she was one of the biggest stars of her era, in case that wasn't already obvious from her commercial recordings. An evening at the old Met with her and Caruso would have been an experience we couldn't duplicate now.

Steber is 63 here and her voice is not much diminished from what we hear in her recordings. The Ferrier is just a romp, a glimpse of people having fun. It makes me all the sadder that she died so young.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

I don’t think there should be a “winner.” They are all estimable singers and I’m glad some still retained their high notes.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

MAS said:


> I don't think there should be a "winner." They are all estimable singers and I'm glad some still retained their high notes.


I wasn't really aiming for a winner. I mainly thought you guys would find this fun and I seem to have succeeded.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Do I have to vote? Theyre all fabulous.

I'll vote for Ferrier, though, simply because it's so wonderful to be reminded of her great sense of fun. Apparently she was a riot at parties.


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