# Sopranos and Contraltos.



## TerzaDonna (Feb 2, 2016)

Hello everyone! I am really looking for some recommendations of great sopranos and Contraltos. I am only recently interested in expanding my knowledge beyond Sills, Callas, Caballe, Gheorghiu, etc. And I just don't know where exactly to look.

If anyone could recommend some great voices to listen to I would really appreciate it. The vocal weight doesn't matter so much!


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## ma7730 (Jun 8, 2015)

If you're into the repertoire for which she is most acclaimed, the dramatic roles of Wagner, Verdi, Strauss and Puccini, you should really check out Birgit Nilsson. 
This is her "Mild und Leise", from _Tristan und Isolde_





Her singing, "O Patria Mia", from _Aida_.





The final scene from _Elektra_. This is a lot of orchestra, so it may not be the best "showpiece", but it's absolutely fabulous.





As for her Puccini, this is "In Questa Reggia", from _Turdandot_.





Enjoy!


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## TerzaDonna (Feb 2, 2016)

Thank you so much! I love a dramatic and Wagnerian voice!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

TerzaDonna said:


> Hello everyone! I am really looking for some recommendations of great sopranos and Contraltos. I am only recently interested in expanding my knowledge beyond Sills, Callas, Caballe, Gheorghiu, etc. And I just don't know where exactly to look.
> 
> If anyone could recommend some great voices to listen to I would really appreciate it. The vocal weight doesn't matter so much!


I did a quick check on You tube, just by typing one of the names and I would say, eat your heart out :tiphat:


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

I'm going to assume you already know about Sutherland are looking for some more "niche" voices.

we'll start with sopranos

Mary Costa





Ghena Dimitrova





Christine Goerke





Frida Lieder





Edda Moser


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

and contraltos

Ewa Podles





Hilary Summers





Maureen Forrester





Sigrid Onegin





Nathalie Stutzmann


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Aside from today's obvious ones like Radvanovsky/Fleming, you owe it to yourself to become familiar with the voices of Olivero/Freni/Steber/Ponselle/Gruberova


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

ma7730 said:


> If you're into the repertoire for which she is most acclaimed, the dramatic roles of Wagner, Verdi, *Strauss *and Puccini, you should really check out Birgit Nilsson.
> !


You should say Richard Strauss people might get the idea that she was an acclaimed operetta singer.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

My knowledge is woeful when it comes to female singers but my friends tell me that Anja Harteros is good.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Ewa Podles has one of the greatest contralto voices ever:




 3 octave range




 Prokofiev




 Handle coloratura


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Ewa Podles had one of the greatest contralto voices ever:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


you mean _has_ one of the greatest contraltos ever


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

ma7730 said:


> If you're into the repertoire for which she is most acclaimed, the dramatic roles of Wagner, Verdi, Strauss and Puccini, you should really check out Birgit Nilsson.
> 
> The final scene from _Elektra_. This is a lot of orchestra, so it may not be the best "showpiece", but it's absolutely fabulous.
> 
> ...


I can't play that Nilsson/ Strauss video. " This video is unavailable ". Is it just me, or has YT blocked it in the UK?


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Figleaf said:


> I can't play that Nilsson/ Strauss video. " This video is unavailable ". Is it just me, or has YT blocked it in the UK?


I can also not see it.
Here is a full recording of Elektra with her:






The ending of Salome:


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## TerzaDonna (Feb 2, 2016)

Thank you all so very much! I really appreciate it. It is a shame that the contralto voice seems to be something not very looked into in classical. I had been reading something somewhere about the fact that there are few operas written for contraltos and a gargantuan amount of operas written for sopranos. Well, I am excited to see and listen to these things! And yes, I know La Stupenda!


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

A true contralto (such as Ewa Podles) is very, very rare. However, a lot of drammatic mezzos may have been contraltos. These are the mezzos/contraltos I would investigate:

Ernestine Schumann-Heink
Kerstin Thorborg
Ebe Stignani
Giulietta Simionato
Fedora Barbieri
Christa Ludwug
Waltraud Meier

All great voices, all great artists

N.


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## interestedin (Jan 10, 2016)

TerzaDonna said:


> Thank you all so very much! I really appreciate it. It is a shame that the contralto voice seems to be something not very looked into in classical. I had been reading something somewhere about the fact that there are few operas written for contraltos and a gargantuan amount of operas written for sopranos. Well, I am excited to see and listen to these things! And yes, I know La Stupenda!


La Stupenda knew something about one soprano not yet mentioned here:

Being asked "What's the greatest voice you've ever heard?" Joan Sutherland said, "I'd immediately have to say Flagstad, dear, and that's that!


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## Antony (Nov 4, 2013)

TerzaDonna said:


> Hello everyone! I am really looking for some recommendations of great sopranos and Contraltos. I am only recently interested in expanding my knowledge beyond Sills, Callas, Caballe, Gheorghiu, etc. And I just don't know where exactly to look.
> 
> If anyone could recommend some great voices to listen to I would really appreciate it. The vocal weight doesn't matter so much!


Dear TerzaDonna,

Hyperion has a set of 40 cds of Schubert's lieder. There are a lot of great singers sing solo in that set. 
For Contralto, Kathleen Ferrier is ... really great.


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## ma7730 (Jun 8, 2015)

Figleaf said:


> I can't play that Nilsson/ Strauss video. " This video is unavailable ". Is it just me, or has YT blocked it in the UK?


Oh, I don't know. I'm in the US, and it works fine for me. It might be blocked in the UK, I'm not sure.


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

ma7730 said:


> Oh, I don't know. I'm in the US, and it works fine for me. It might be blocked in the UK, I'm not sure.


Thank you, that's interesting information. I'll have to talk to the kids about using a proxy (I'm too old and stupid to know what this is and it's past their bed time now.)

OK, sopranos and mezzos/contraltos. I don't know much about female singers but I've racked my brains and come up with a few names and some links to records that aren't too crackly and ancient:

Germaine Lubin:





Florence Easton:





Helene Bouvier:





Janine Micheau:


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

TerzaDonna said:


> Hello everyone! I am really looking for some recommendations of great sopranos and Contraltos. I am only recently interested in expanding my knowledge beyond Sills, Callas, Caballe, Gheorghiu, etc. And I just don't know where exactly to look.
> 
> If anyone could recommend some great voices to listen to I would really appreciate it. The vocal weight doesn't matter so much!


This scene from a DVD really hooked me on contraltos. This is Ewa Podles in La Fille du Regiment and I have never heard this part sung this beautifully.


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## sabrina (Apr 26, 2011)

I really love Ruxandra Donose. She is a mezzo with a beautiful darker tone...






This an aria from Cenerentola. I have the DVD and this is how I discovered Ruxandra


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

interestedin said:


> La Stupenda knew something about one soprano not yet mentioned here:
> 
> Being asked "What's the greatest voice you've ever heard?" Joan Sutherland said, "I'd immediately have to say Flagstad, dear, and that's that!


Dame Joan was always polite to her fellow collages, never one bad word about anyone :tiphat:


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

What,No mention of the wonderfull Contralto Kathleen Ferrier ? Naughty naughty!


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