# CASTA DIVA CONTEST (By Request): Callas vs Ponselle



## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Maria Callas, Greece/USA, 1923-1977






Rosa Ponselle, USA, 1897-1981






Who's singing did you prefer and why?


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Callas IS *Norma *, while Ponselle is singing an aria with _cabaletta_. Callas is more fluid in the difficult passages in _"A bello a me ritorna_. Ponselle sounds like yapping negotiating the intricate repeated triplets (can I call them triplets?) while Callas finds a more elegant solution.

While Ponselle has a very beautiful, even voice, and stunning pianissimo that Callas can't match, I find Ponselle's approach to certain high notes makes her sound flat to my ears. But Ponselle is variable in some if the coloratura. Callas is NOT perfect, but the combination of fluidity in the fast and intricate passages, and the sense of relaxation in the _"Casta diva_" and sheer authority and command of the role (this is, after all a _complete _ performance from 1952) give Callas the edge.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Here we have two of the penultimate sopranos of the last 100 years in one of their finest performances! Callas is both young and at the height of her vocal powers. Callas wrote the book on how to do a recitative! Lordy! Then we have the way she very subtly shrinks and expands the voice at the lower octave beginning of the musical phrases in Casta Diva is simply amazing. The power and glory of her voice are thrilling when turned loose. The perfect combination of emotion and musicality in one of the most beautiful arias of all time. How can you compete with that?
But then there is Ponselle. Possibly one of the two or three most gloriously beautiful voices of all time unleashed with complete mastery of the ability to paint emotion with the sound of her voice. I don't know if there has been a more stirring recitative than she delivers. Even competing against the recording limitations of the day you can tell she shook the walls of the opera house. That peerless low note towards the end and then concluding the recitative with one of the most unearthly notes in the history of operatic recordings: the way she starts out softly then goes even softer but amps up the resonance! Wow. Magic! Then on to the main aria: yes Maria is perfection in her oscillating volumes at the beginning but with her own style Ponselle matches it with the color she brings to her voice. Double cream with a touch of chocolate! The reverential palate she paints here! Then on to the sheer beauty of her ascent to the high passages is unmatched in color and amplitude. What cinches the deal for me is the coloratura. Callas (and Sutherland/ earlier) are perfection here but Ponselle betters them. She delivers the string of pearls with a preciseness and rapidity that simply boggles the mind. How can you consciously follow the rapidity with which she executes Bellini's score here!!!! I will interject that both Callas and Sutherland equal this precision in coloratura in other instances, but here Ponselle goes the extra mile. I wish the prelude to the cabaletta was included here as it has some of my favorite bits , but the cabaletta is delivered gloriously. Callas has an edge here as I think she delivers the last high note with more finesse . I think Callas might have a slight edge on the cabaletta overall, but I give the crown to Ponselle because of the highlighted things I mention.
These are the two greatest interpreters of this very demanding role. I am not blown away with everything Ponselle recorded, but this and the arias from La Vestale along with The Nightingale and the Rose just simply floor me and never cease to fill me with wonder. I must throw in that if you listen on to the Miro Norma, which is not part of this competition, that Ponselle's entrance to the duet after Adalgisa sings her first phrase is among the most perfect moments in the entire history of opera with the combination of Ponselle's matchless vocal beauty and the way she shades it. But I do go on... In conclusion, I am with Callas on this when she said of Ponselle that "she was the greatest of us all"


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## Dimace (Oct 19, 2018)

Callas for the eternity! No comparison to anyone in this specific role. (I didn't listen the video! Listening means that after 46 years near to the opera I must start from the beginning, because I don't know the best Medea or the best Norma in the history of music.) Rosa is super. But, as I have written in another game, she is performing only with the score. Every role is for her an exhibition of his vocal dexterity & fluidity. Like someone is playing perfect Czerny or Tausig and the same way Die Etüden von Chopin. (OK, this is an exaggeration) But in this level you MUST have everything. You must give everything. And with Norma the Callas is the one who made it in the superlative, non human, degree on the stage and with her other performances/ recordings. Thanks again for the VERY good games.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

The Callas version sounds better but the Ponselle recording is worse so I don´t think I can give a fair opinion of who is best but I really think that Norma is an opera were the highlight is the whole opera.

Ok I voted Callas but I feel a bit sorry for Ponselle when I see the results.

Norma is overall a great opera and one of my favourite operas.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I wish we had a complete *Norma* with Ponselle so we could truly compare these two great artists, but we don't and this, along with the duet _Mira o Norma_ is all we have of Ponselle's Norma.

On these two performances alone then, I have to give the palm to Callas, who is in fabulous voice. She is authoratative in the recitative and absolutely mesmerising in the cavatina, binding the phrases together into one seamless whole. When it comes to the cabaletta, I doubt anyone has ever sung the words _Ah! riedi ancora qual eri allora, quando, ah quando il cor ti diedi_ with such eloquence. She also manages with more grace than Ponselle the semi-quaver flourishes towards the end. Callas's final note rings out with much more assurance as well. My mother had a friend who was at this performance. He said it was the most thrilling night of his opera going life, and he saw a lot of opera. Apparently Callas was disconcerted that she there was no applause at the end of the cabaletta, but someone had to explain to her that this was not the practice of the somewhat reserved English audience, who, in those days anyway, would not applaud whilst the music was still playing. She should not have worried, by the end of the opera she had the audience in the palm of her hand.

I would love to be able to hear Ponselle in the complete role, but this is all we have of her, whereas there is ample documentation of Callas in the role, including her two complete studio recordings. Callas herself revered Ponselle like no other singer, but, though Ponselle would no doubt win if the role were Aida, in the role of Norma I think Callas may well have bettered her.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

The voices are similar in a lot of ways but Callas has this down to a "T" and (with the exception of Radvanovsky) really owns this aria.
(and you are kind MAS in not referring to Ponselle's particular passage as a chicken laying an egg)


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Here we have two of the penultimate sopranos of the last 100 years in one of their finest performances! Callas is both young and at the height of her vocal powers. Callas wrote the book on how to do a recitative! Lordy! Then we have the way she very subtly shrinks and expands the voice at the lower octave beginning of the musical phrases in Casta Diva is simply amazing. The power and glory of her voice are thrilling when turned loose. The perfect combination of emotion and musicality in one of the most beautiful arias of all time. How can you compete with that?
> But then there is Ponselle. Possibly one of the two or three most gloriously beautiful voices of all time unleashed with complete mastery of the ability to paint emotion with the sound of her voice. I don't know if there has been a more stirring recitative than she delivers. Even competing against the recording limitations of the day you can tell she shook the walls of the opera house. That peerless low note towards the end and then concluding the recitative with one of the most unearthly notes in the history of operatic recordings: the way she starts out softly then goes even softer but amps up the resonance! Wow. Magic! Then on to the main aria: yes Maria is perfection in her oscillating volumes at the beginning but with her own style Ponselle matches it with the color she brings to her voice. Double cream with a touch of chocolate! The reverential palate she paints here! Then on to the sheer beauty of her ascent to the high passages is unmatched in color and amplitude. What cinches the deal for me is the coloratura. Callas (and Sutherland/ earlier) are perfection here but Ponselle betters them. She delivers the string of pearls with a preciseness and rapidity that simply boggles the mind. How can you consciously follow the rapidity with which she executes Bellini's score here!!!! I will interject that both Callas and Sutherland equal this precision in coloratura in other instances, but here Ponselle goes the extra mile. I wish the prelude to the cabaletta was included here as it has some of my favorite bits , but the cabaletta is delivered gloriously. Callas has an edge here as I think she delivers the last high note with more finesse . I think Callas might have a slight edge on the cabaletta overall, but I give the crown to Ponselle because of the highlighted things I mention.
> These are the two greatest interpreters of this very demanding role. I am not blown away with everything Ponselle recorded, but this and the arias from La Vestale along with The Nightingale and the Rose just simply floor me and never cease to fill me with wonder. I must throw in that if you listen on to the Miro Norma, which is not part of this competition, that Ponselle's entrance to the duet after Adalgisa sings her first phrase is among the most perfect moments in the entire history of opera with the combination of Ponselle's matchless vocal beauty and the way she shades it. But I do go on... In conclusion, I am with Callas on this when she said of Ponselle that "she was the greatest of us all"


It seems you have a liking for her voice :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Tietjens Stolz (Jun 2, 2015)

nina foresti said:


> (and you are kind MAS in not referring to Ponselle's particular passage as a chicken laying an egg)


Whoever (Romano Romani?) taught Ponselle to sing staccato for the passage in the cabaletta around the word 'diedi' (6:17-20) did her absolutely no favours. She sounds embarrassingly like a pecking hen here. The effect is exacerbated by the 'awwwww' sound afflicting her vowel, which by the mid 1920s had become virtually a fixture in her vocal make-up (perhaps such feature was 'magnified' by the closed-up microphoning within the boxy acoustic of the early electric recordings, whereas in a large opera house such as the Met this probably wouldn't be as bothersome as heard on commercial recordings).

On the other hand, Callas resolves the same tricky passage neatly and elegantly with her always noteworthy legato (14:25-14:29).


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Tietjens Stolz said:


> Whoever (Romano Romani?) taught Ponselle to sing staccato for the passage in the cabaletta around the word 'diedi' (6:17-20) did her absolutely no favours. She sounds embarrassingly like a pecking hen here. The effect is exacerbated by the 'awwwww' sound afflicting her vowel, which by the mid 1920s had become virtually a fixture in her vocal make-up (perhaps such feature was 'magnified' by the closed-up microphoning within the boxy acoustic of the early electric recording, ....


I often find myself judging singers with perfect voices more harshly than the less fortunate ones, Ponselle being a case in point. The handling of the passage work as above, or the attack on high notes, though "attack" is a misnomer here. She uses no propulsion so the notes are just barely there, so they are slightly flat to my ears. Many singers of her era do the same, so it must be a pedagogical thing. The note is carried "on the breath," so it arrives lightly on the proposed note, except it is rather weak that it sounds like it hasn't hit dead center.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Dear Friends, you know I love Ponselle but I asked for this contest as a favor to my Callas fanatic friends. The last contest here was stacked too heavily in Ponselle's favor as most think she owns the La Vestale arias. Here they are on more even footing. Callas will always have the upper hand where strong characterization is involved, but Ponselle is no slouch in this territory and brings tremendous vocal skill and artistry to bear on this material. I think it is close to being evenly balanced, depending on what you look for. I think there is a strong tempation with Maria to view this selection through her towering embodiment of the whole role, which we have and lack for Ponselle. I hope you enjoy your gift. I certainly am a huge fan of Callas here so I agree with all your points in her favor.


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## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

Wait, isn't it Callas who's flat on her final C? It sounds like she starts flat and then her vibrato changes slightly and she goes on pitch. Ponselle is dead on as far as I can tell. I also don't understand how Ponselle's high notes are "barely there". Do you consider 3:02 to be barely audible? Or 4:14? I'm very confused. Those notes sound very strong to me.

Anyway, Callas has a very beautiful line in Casta diva, and I slightly prefer her there to Ponselle, though Ponselle didn't get the repeat and that kind of throws me off. Ponselle's recitative was better though. In the cabaletta, I thought Ponselle phrasing was more interesting and that she made much better use of rubato and dynamics. Callas' runs were excellent though. Ponselle has a better voice.

Close, but I will go with Ponselle.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Dear Friends, you know I love Ponselle but I asked for this contest as a favor to my Callas fanatic friends. The last contest here was stacked too heavily in Ponselle's favor as most think she owns the La Vestale arias. Here they are on more even footing. Callas will always have the upper hand where strong characterization is involved, but Ponselle is no slouch in this territory and brings tremendous vocal skill and artistry to bear on this material. I think it is close to being evenly balanced, depending on what you look for. I think there is a strong tempation with Maria to view this selection through her towering embodiment of the whole role, which we have and lack for Ponselle. I hope you enjoy your gift. I certainly am a huge fan of Callas here so I agree with all your points in her favor.


I, for one, thank you for your kind regard for us Callas widowers. Some of us like Ponselle better than I do (perhaps in defense). As Zeffirelli said, or filmed, "Callas Forever" however much others dislike that!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

There's no mistaking the fact that Callas knew these Ponselle recordings well, and knew a good thing when she heard it. She would never equal Ponselle in vocal perfection, but I'm with those who feel that in her "Casta Diva" she excels her model in raptness of expression. Since the heart of this opera, and of Bellini, is in the cavatinas, I'll give this match to Callas by a slight margin. In live performance, and at a slightly slower tempo such as Callas enjoys, Ponselle might have tipped the balance the other way.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

As most have said, Callas IS Norma! Ponselle offers brilliant technical ability, Callas offers magic.


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## niknik (Oct 4, 2014)

The result of the vote confirms my reservation about the choice of Vestale as a comparison aria in the sopranos competition between Callas and Ponsele


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

niknik said:


> The result of the vote confirms my reservation about the choice of Vestale as a comparison aria in the sopranos competition between Callas and Ponsele


I don't think many sang that Vestale aria except them. Ponselle is up against Callas at her peak here.


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## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

niknik said:


> The result of the vote confirms my reservation about the choice of Vestale as a comparison aria in the sopranos competition between Callas and Ponsele


No it confirms my view that this competition is unfair because if we had compared an aria from La Vestale Ponselle would have won.


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## niknik (Oct 4, 2014)

Τhen the competition should be whο sings the particular aria best and in fact be common to all participants.
With this process I can imagine many arias that Ponsele did not even dare to face because neither the vocal range nor the diversity of the roles had in relation to Callas nor the musical genius.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

In 2008 YouTube had its own competition, but with Callas, Ponselle, Sutherland (in alphabetical order). The comments are as instructive as they are here. Thirteen years later, the same **** is going on! Cutting off the music, though, is barbarous.

We all love our divas, and want them to "win." They are as diverse as are their voices, interpretations, strengths, and weaknesses, and there are no winners or losers - they all had their time, their careers and their fanatic following. The costume Sutherland wears at around 5:34 though, is impressive.

Enjoy!


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## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

An interesting discussion of the individual qualities of the singers and a comparison of their techniques and styles is far more important to me than who wins. My point is simply that I don't think it makes any sense to say the other Callas/Ponselle tournament was unfair but this one is fair -- because Callas won? Or is there some other reason. We have _one_ recording of Ponselle as Norma. We have no idea if it is representative of her interpretation of the role or not. If we're going to talk about fair, then of course it isn't fair to take one Ponselle recording made in a studio with a crappy mic and put it against a Callas recording selected from out of fifty on stage in her prime. But fair isn't what's important here because it's impossible and doesn't make much sense. There is no greatest singer ever and no "winning" opera. Again, what's important is what makes an interesting and engaging comparison. I think the _Vestale_ aria was a very interesting comparison, and I think this one was too, which is why I don't object to either.


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## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

vivalagentenuova said:


> An interesting discussion of the individual qualities of the singers and a comparison of their techniques and styles is far more important to me than who wins. My point is simply that I don't think it makes any sense to say the other Callas/Ponselle tournament was unfair but this one is fair -- because Callas won? Or is there some other reason. We have _one_ recording of Ponselle as Norma. We have no idea if it is representative of her interpretation of the role or not. If we're going to talk about fair, then of course it isn't fair to take one Ponselle recording made in a studio with a crappy mic and put it against a Callas recording selected from out of fifty on stage in her prime. But fair isn't what's important here because it's impossible and doesn't make much sense. *There is no greatest singer ever and no "winning" opera. Again, what's important is what makes an interesting and engaging comparison. *I think the _Vestale_ aria was a very interesting comparison, and I think this one was too, which is why I don't object to either.


Yes. I love to learn to appreciate opera and classical music through good comparisons. I used to have a prejudice against historical snobs until a friend of mine played side by side Claudia Muzio's _Addio del passato_ against ... Netrebko's for me (looking back, I couldn't believe that I bought into the hype from DG that she is the next Callas). That was probably the epiphany for me about what great singing sounds and feels like.

Or I used to dismissed Artur Schnabel as a pianist of historical interests only since a conservatory-trained pianist friend of mine told me so (_"Schnabel? Who listens to him? We only heard of him as an editor for Beethoven's sonatas"_). One day I clicked on a random Youtube playlist that broadcasted Schnabel's grotesquely beautiful Andantino from Schubert D.959 against the cleanly played but sterile Askhenzy's. It was another ear-opening experience.


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## Revitalized Classics (Oct 31, 2018)

niknik said:


> Τhen the competition should be whο sings the particular aria best and in fact be common to all participants.
> With this process I can imagine many arias that Ponsele did not even dare to face because neither the vocal range nor the diversity of the roles had in relation to Callas nor the musical genius.


I think this is a weaker argument than comparing the arias recorded by both Callas and Ponselle which do exist. In the studio or in concert, recordings come down to us from:

_Forza del Destino_, _Trovatore_, _Tosca_, _Alceste_, _I Vespri Siciliani_, _Guillaume Tell_, _Cavalleria Rusticana_, _Madama Butterfly_, _Aida_, _Gioconda_, _Ernani_, _Otello_, _Vestale_, _Norma_, _Manon Lescaut_, _Boheme_, _Pagliacci_, _Carmen_, _Traviata_, _Manon_, _Tristan und Isolde_, _Adriana Lecouvreur_, _Samson et Dalila_, _Gianni Schicchi_.

I'm probably even missing some.

I don't think, given that Callas has so far won 1 poll out of 2, that it is a forgone conclusion that she would win all or even a majority of these aria comparisons...


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

I've come to have a disliking for Callas and it's all TC's fault!


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## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

Bonetan said:


> I've come to have a disliking for Callas and it's all TC's fault!


I appreciate Tsaraslondon and Woodduck's comments on Callas which have been helpful and interesting, even, or perhaps especially, when I don't agree. Some of her fans do her few favors though. On YT there's a channel that constantly bashes Tebaldi for being flat and shrill (which, yes, sometimes she could be), while praising Callas to the skies and making no mention of her wobble, or frequently shrill top, or short prime, or development of a squeezed sound later on. I totally agree with silentio that comparisons are good and essential, and I have no problem with making value judgments based on them either, but I don't like what I call Callas Supremacy, which dismisses other great artists, often without evidence or based on double standards.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

vivalagentenuova said:


> I appreciate Tsaraslondon and Woodduck's comments on Callas which have been helpful and interesting, even, or perhaps especially, when I don't agree. Some of her fans do her few favors though. On YT there's a channel that constantly bashes Tebaldi for being flat and shrill (which, yes, sometimes she could be), while praising Callas to the skies and making no mention of her wobble, or frequently shrill top, or short prime, or development of a squeezed sound later on. I totally agree with silentio that comparisons are good and essential, and I have no problem with making value judgments based on them either, but I don't like what I call Callas Supremacy, which dismisses other great artists, often without evidence or based on double standards.


BRAVO. I LOVE chocolate but I don't want to give up steak or cinnamon rolls or caramel or Brussel sprouts with dark mustard... you get the idea. In some ways picking the perfect singer is more like trying to pick the greatest wine in the world when there are so many complexities that go into that equation. Good luck with that.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

vivalagentenuova said:


> I appreciate Tsaraslondon and Woodduck's comments on Callas which have been helpful and interesting, even, or perhaps especially, when I don't agree. Some of her fans do her few favors though. On YT there's a channel that constantly bashes Tebaldi for being flat and shrill (which, yes, sometimes she could be), while praising Callas to the skies and making no mention of her wobble, or frequently shrill top, or short prime, or development of a squeezed sound later on. I totally agree with silentio that comparisons are good and essential, and I have no problem with making value judgments based on them either, but I don't like what I call Callas Supremacy, which dismisses other great artists, often without evidence or based on double standards.


I am probably the biggest Callas fan here, but I too dislike this "Callas Supremacy". I do think she was something of a _musical_ and theatrical genius, but I accept that the voice itself started to let her down quite early on. Whether this was down to the weight loss or other factors, or a combnation of several factors we will never know, but her years of glory were relatively short. That I can listen to the recordings she made in the 1960s at all, is down to her superior musicianship, but even I have a wobble tolerance which varies from day to day. Some days I just can't take it. Others her musical insights and sense of style make me forget the vocal problems, but I realise that won't be the case for everyone.

On the other hand I do abhor these people who, having only heard some of her later recordings, dismiss her whole body of work. I've seen statements on here, such as "She had no voice," and "Callas couldn't sing," along with others that claim she was just a good actress. Well, if that were the case, why do her records still sell? Why did they ever?

I also should mention that to really "get" Callas, you have to hear her in a complete role, not just in isolated arias, because quite often the musical revelations will come in a line of recitative, even just a word. One example is the way she sings the single word _Dorme?_ in Act III of *La Bohème*, a role she never sang on stage and learned only for the compete recording under Votto. That one word, with its gentle upward portamento, says more about the character of Mimi than pages of singing by most other sopranos. It brings a lump to my throat every time I hear it.

So, I'm really sorry that Bonetan has come to have a disliking for her and I hope that perhaps after a cooling off period he might return and rediscover her superb artistry.


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## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

^^^^^^^^^ Well said


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

The following is the recollection of a commenter on a Youtube opera aria of Ponselle. Take if for what it is worth but I find it very interesting:Edwin McArthur, Flagstad's accompanist and later conductor, was present during the impromptu backstage singing of Ponselle and Flagstad-and having interviewed him at length, and also having Ponselle's recollections as her biographer, this is what occurred according to both sources: Flagstad was vocalizing in preparation for a rehearsal when Ponselle arrived with Edith Prilik, her secretary, to retrieve some items from the dressing room Ponselle used. Ponselle said to Flagstad, "What a gorgeous voice you have!" Flagstad was flattered and returned the compliment, adding that Ponselle's voice was so large that she could sing the heldensoprano roles if she chose to. Ponselle then asked Flagstad to sing an arpeggio in her "stage voice," after which Ponselle sang the same arpeggio, and then both sang it together. Ponselle told me that Flagstad's voice seemed slightly larger, but McArthur (who played the arpeggio) said that Ponselle's sounded larger than Flagstad's. Both were ardent fans of each other, and Alexander Kipnis (who knew their voices well) explained to me an important facet of Flagstad's voice. "Flagstad had the timbre of a lirico-spinto soprano," he said. "Sometimes her timbre almost gave the impression of a lyric soprano on recordings-but not in the [opera] house. She had a very bright voice-not a warm voice but a bright voice. Her perfect technique and especially her breath control enabled her to project her voice over the largest orchestras. Ponselle's timbre was dark, and her tones were round and warm rather than bright. Flagstad's recordings do not sound like she did on the stage. Ponselle's, especially her 'Vestale' recordings, sound more like she did in the theater but without the overtones that her real voice had." Kipnis added that Ponselle's timbre and style were as unsuited to Wagner as Flagstad's were to Spontini and Bellini. The author was Jim Drake


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Cecilia Bartoli! :lol:

No, seriously, I can't say who sang it better, only who of those two I prefer the vocals of, which is not the question asked, so I refrain from voting.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Regarding my previous post, Callas who successfully sang both Wagner and Italian opera seemed to me to have qualities of both: darkness, especially in the middle and bottom, and tons of squillo thoughout for projection. It would have been interesting to hear Nilsson sing Verdi and Puccini live as the voice live was both penetrating and dark, but I don't think she was nearly as successful as Callas in the Italian genre by any stretch, though all the technical ability was of top order.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Regarding my previous post, Callas who successfully sang both Wagner and Italian opera seemed to me to have qualities of both: darkness, especially in the middle and bottom, and tons of squillo thoughout for projection. It would have been interesting to hear Nilsson sing Verdi and Puccini live as the voice live was both penetrating and dark, but I don't think she was nearly as successful as Callas in the Italian genre by any stretch, though all the technical ability was of top order.


Nilsson's voice was never what I would call dark (though different people have different ideas of what that metaphor means). Continuing in a metaphoric vein, I would say that in the opera house its diamond brilliance had undertones of sapphire blue. I was very interested to read what Alexander Kipnis said about Flagstad's voice, that it sounded different in the house from what we hear on recordings, while Ponselle's sounded much the same. It was lovely to read that the possessors of possibly the most majestic soprano voices of the 20th century admired each other. It may have helped that they weren't rivals for the same roles; Flagstad was smart enough to turn down Norma when it was offered, or suggested, to her. (Nilsson turned it down too, saying "too many little notes.") It's an interesting fact, though, that in her earlier years in Norway Flagstad sang a lot of Italian opera. She and Melchior were thoroughly type cast at the Met, and had to use recitals as their opportunity to sing things other than Wagner. His recordings of Canio's arias and excerpts from Otello are tremendous, and she had a pretty varied repertoire of songs.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> Nilsson's voice was never what I would call dark (though different people have different ideas of what that metaphor means). Continuing in a metaphoric vein, I would say that in the opera house its diamond brilliance had undertones of sapphire blue. I was very interested to read what Alexander Kipnis said about Flagstad's voice, that it sounded different in the house from what we hear on recordings, while Ponselle's sounded much the same. It was lovely to read that the possessors of possibly the most majestic soprano voices of the 20th century admired each other. It may have helped that they weren't rivals for the same roles; Flagstad was smart enough to turn down Norma when it was offered, or suggested, to her. (Nilsson turned it down too, saying "too many little notes.") It's an interesting fact, though, that in her earlier years in Norway Flagstad sang a lot of Italian opera. She and Melchior were thoroughly type cast at the Met, and had to use recitals as their opportunity to sing things other than Wagner. His recordings of Canio's arias and excerpts from Otello are tremendous, and she had a pretty varied repertoire of songs.


It sounded dark-er and warm-er in some live recordings, but I never heard Nilsson live, which I am thinking you did. It was still mainly focused and bright. I tried to desperately  when she came to New Orleans, but I was 15 and Daddy wouldn't let me go alone, and he was likely wise for it. I was sooooo mad! I forgive him now under the circumstances.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

^^^Twice at the Met in 1972, in _Tristan_ and _Gotterdammerung._

What did Daddy think would happen to you? Or was he afraid you'd get into mischief?


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