# Round Two: The Bell Song Lakme. Callas vs Sutherland



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Comments below




Lakmé (2002 Remastered Version) : Dov' è l'indiana bruna? (Bell Song) (Act 2) · Maria Callas · Orchestra della Radiotelevisione Italiana, Roma · Oliviero de Fabritiis 




Lakmé · Léo Delibes · Joan Sutherland, Orchestra Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Some of you are more discerning than me, but these both deliver 10 out of 10 in this aria in my judgement. It is not very emotive so Callas' edge there is pretty mum. Based on vocal beauty and artistry both are very different but both get equal airplay from me. I don't always like the way Callas sounds but she sounds incredibly beautiful in her singing throughout her range here. I hope you enjoy. I voted a tie vote.
We forget that within a decade in the 50's and 60's we had two superlative dramatic coloratura sopranos, one of the rarest voice types. Try to name anyone since these left the scene who could sing this the way they do.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

It was both beautiful. 
I am not used to dark elements in this song, like Callas adds them here. I was determined to vote for her, but afterwards Sutherland broke me. She is more like what I expect this song to be, less surprising, but that ease is incomparable. I'll vote for her.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Seattleoperafan said:


> It is not very emotive so Callas' edge there is pretty mum.


From wikipedia:
At a busy bazaar, Nilakantha (father) forces Lakmé to sing (the Bell Song) in order to lure the trespasser into identifying himself. When Gérald steps forward, Lakmé faints, thus giving him away. Nilakantha stabs Gérald, wounding him.

I think it is a very unpleasant, nerve wrecking situation for Lakme, and the sweetness of the song is only on the surface. However, it is almost always sung as sweet. With Callas, I hear for the first time that it is nerve wrecking.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> From wikipedia:
> At a busy bazaar, Nilakantha (father) forces Lakmé to sing (the Bell Song) in order to lure the trespasser into identifying himself. When Gérald steps forward, Lakmé faints, thus giving him away. Nilakantha stabs Gérald, wounding him.
> 
> I think it is a very unpleasant, nerve wrecking situation for Lakme, and the sweetness of the song is only on the surface. However, it is almost always sung as sweet. With Callas, I hear for the first time that it is nerve wrecking.


I always thought she was singing about tinkling bells. I like my version better. I prefer to think of it as an uplifting aria as it always lifts my spirits. I'm at the back of the room again.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

*English Translation of 'The Bell Song'*
Where will the young Indian girl,
daughter of the paraiahs,
go when the moon dances
In the large mimosas trees?
She runs on the moss
And does not remember
That she is pushed around
The child of outcasts;
Along the oleanders,
Dreaming of sweet things, Ah!
She goes without noise
And laughs a night.
There in the dark forest
Who is the lost traveler?
Around him
Eyes shining in the darkness,
He wonders randomly, aimless and lost!
The wild beasts roar of joy,
They will pounce on their prey,
The girl runs to him
And braves their fury
She has in her hand the baton
with tinkle bell charms!
The stranger looks at her,
and remains dazzled.
She is more beautiful than the Rajahs!
He will blush if he knows he must owe
his life to the daughter of the pariahs.
But they fall asleep and drift into a dream,
Up in the sky, they are transported,
The traveler tells her: 'your place is here!'
It was Vishnu, son of Brahma!
From that day on, in the depths of the dark forest,
a traveler may sometimes hear
the slight noise of the baton
with the tinkle bell charms!


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Fabulously accomplished singing from both ladies, both recorded when they were at their vocal peak. However, it is Callas who makes music out of an aria that is normally just a piece of empty display. I also get much more sense of the story Lakmé is spinning from her than I do from Sutherland.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Since the aria in the original French is _Air des clochettes _it’s no wonder we all just think of the bells! Normally, too, in a _coloratura _aria, it’s difficult to make out the words and a soprano’s prowess in the decorations matter more. In this, Sutherland makes the most out of her ability to do all sorts of things with her astonishing voice and facility up high. Her diction is better in this period, and I understand some of the words here and there.

Callas, as always, sings off the words and in the year 1952 she had superb control of all of her voice, bar a little unsteadiness in sustained _acuti. _She, of course, sings the aria in Italian, as was expected in a concert at the Radio Italiana in Rome. She can also do astonishing things with her voice and it’s plain that she’s telling a story.


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## Dogville (Dec 28, 2021)

I find this aria so incredibly boring to listen to I almost always just listen to the coloratura at the beginning and skip to the end. This piece does almost nothing for me beyond serving as a vocal exercise, and considering Callas sings this with The Voice 1952 (and coming off of Abigaille, Lady Macbeth, and Lucia no less!), she gets my vote. Callas' tremendously dark, heavy voice is perhaps not what most people consider the most apt for Lakme, but to me, it is precisely the color and scale of her voice that makes these otherwise nondescript high coloratura roles interesting. It's mind-boggling that a heroic instrument such as hers has such flexibility with the ornaments and fioriture. Oddly enough, I prefer the 1954 version she did for the coloratura album over this live performance, and she still sounded like her old (fat) self at the time of the recording. Still, she makes more out of this music than anyone else. 

Although I find Sutherland somewhat unfeeling, there's no denying the sheer greatness of her instrument. The trills, coloratura, and silvery upper register are all perfectly placed here. Lakme is a role tailor-made for Sutherland's instrument and dramatic sensibility, and she, like Callas, sings it with a voice far more substantial than we are accustomed to hearing. She would have easily won this if she as up against anyone but Callas.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Dogville said:


> I find this aria so incredibly boring to listen to I almost always just listen to the coloratura at the beginning and skip to the end. This piece does almost nothing for me beyond serving as a vocal exercise, and considering Callas sings this with The Voice 1952 (and coming off of Abigaille, Lady Macbeth, and Lucia no less!), she gets my vote. Callas' tremendously dark, heavy voice is perhaps not what most people consider the most apt for Lakme, but to me, it is precisely the color and scale of her voice that makes these otherwise nondescript high coloratura roles interesting. It's mind-boggling that a heroic instrument such as hers has such flexibility with the ornaments and fioriture. Oddly enough, I prefer the 1954 version she did for the coloratura album over this live performance, and she still sounded like her old (fat) self at the time of the recording. Still, she makes more out of this music than anyone else.
> 
> Although I find Sutherland somewhat unfeeling, there's no denying the sheer greatness of her instrument. The trills, coloratura, and silvery upper register are all perfectly placed here. Lakme is a role tailor-made for Sutherland's instrument and dramatic sensibility, and she, like Callas, sings it with a voice far more substantial than we are accustomed to hearing. She would have easily won this if she as up against anyone but Callas.


So many here find this type of music boring and I live for it. Go figure. To me it is like watching Nureyev dancing an incredible solo dance of great virtuosity. I don't get bored with that.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> *English Translation of 'The Bell Song'*
> Where will the young Indian girl,
> daughter of the paraiahs,
> go when the moon dances
> ...


In other words: Sutherlands bright, silvery voice fits the theme. Callas's dark, rough hued voice does not. Imo, this comparison is almost unfair from the get go, but if I had to pick one, Sutherland is the obvious choice from this alone.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

This is another level, to find out, that the song is an actual story. I wish, someone knowledgeable would tell me, if it could have existed. The pariahs are the lowest caste, rejected by everybody else as unclean. They are destined to do the most unnclean work. Cleaning of the toilettes, for instance. Thus far, my superficial knowledge goes. You have a reincarnation and have to walk up the leather through multiple lives, no ? Why does Lakme, whom I expect to be from some kind of high caste, sing about the pariah girl ? Why did Vishnu himself decide to visit her and made such a shortcut for her, lifting her to the paradise ? Or did she just make love with a stranger, and had a dream, he was vishnu ? And why would Lakme choose such a topic, with her terrible father next to her ?

Edit: @Woodduck do you have an opinion on this ? We wrote at the same time.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

My sole hearing of _Lakme_ dates back decades now, and I posted a translation of the text above mainly in order to discover what this aria is about. It tells a childlike myth, a magically poetic tale, and I enjoyed the piece more by following the English while listening. This also helped me decipher Sutherland's French, some of which is somewhat audible, some of the time.

Lingual obfuscation aside, Sutherland does a rather spectacular job; all her best qualities are called for, and her sparkling timbre and almost supernatural fleetness evoke the starlit magic of the story. I can't say the same for Callas, who applies all her musicianship and technical fluency to rescuing a fairy tale from the dark, tragic and earthy vocal timbre that weighs it down. I don't think her mission succeeds; I felt no joy in her performance, while Sutherland often brought a smile. I have no difficulty giving La Stupenda first place.

BTW, I think this aria is more than the coloratura display piece it's sometimes thought to be, perhaps even by some who sing it. It's an original, sensitive and charming setting of the text. Delibes was no hack.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

BBSVK said:


> This is another level, to find out, that the song is an actual story. I wish, someone knowledgeable would tell me, if it could have existed. The pariahs are the lowest caste, rejected by everybody else as unclean. They are destined to do the most unnclean work. Cleaning of the toilettes, for instance. Thus far, my superficial knowledge goes. You have a reincarnation and have to walk up the leather through multiple lives, no ? Why does Lakme, whom I expect to be from some kind of high caste, sing about the pariah girl ? Why did Vishnu himself decide to visit her and made such a shortcut for her, lifting her to the paradise ? Or did she just make love with a stranger, and had a dream, he was vishnu ? And why would Lakme choose such a topic, with her terrible father next to her ?
> 
> Edit: @Woodduck do you have an opinion on this ? We wrote at the same time.


I'm afraid Hindu mythology is out of my bailiwick. Figuring out Wagner is all I can do in this life. But if the Hindus are right, there's always a next time, at least until I've perfected myself.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> My sole hearing of _Lakme_ dates back decades now, and I posted a translation of the text above mainly in order to discover what this aria is about. It tells a childlike myth, a magically poetic tale, and I enjoyed the piece more by following the English while listening. This also helped me decipher Sutherland's French, some of which is somewhat audible, some of the time.
> 
> Lingual obfuscation aside, Sutherland does a rather spectacular job; all her best qualities are called for, and her sparkling timbre and almost supernatural fleetness evoke the starlit magic of the story. I can't say the same for Callas, who applies all her musicianship and technical fluency to rescuing a fairy tale from the dark, tragic and earthy vocal timbre that weighs it down. I don't think her mission succeeds; I felt no joy in her performance, while Sutherland often brought a smile. I have no difficulty giving La Stupenda first place.
> 
> BTW, I think this aria is more than the coloratura display piece it's sometimes thought to be, perhaps even by some who sing it. It's an original, sensitive and charming setting of the text. Delibes was no hack.


     This post made my day. Funny, a quick zeroing in on the important points, a strong personal viewpoint expressed without condescension to other viewpoints, and very insightful. I also copied it and sent a copy to my sister.


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

Lakme and her father belong to the highest caste of Hindu priests (the opera begins with a prayer). After Lakme occasionally, but in her manor, meets Gerald, her father Nilacantha tries to discover who is he and revenge. He misinterprets Lakme's pensiveness, thinking that she is suffering from offence (he believes himself offended and his range profaned by aliens). In the market scene they are disguised as beggars, and Lakme is forced to sing this fairytale about a pariah girl with a bell, which is not a playful coloratura piece as one could think. As I remember it in the theater, the scene is tense enough.


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## ewilkros (8 mo ago)

BBSVK said:


> Why does Lakme, whom I expect to be from some kind of high caste, sing about the pariah girl ? ... And why would Lakme choose such a topic, with her terrible father next to her ?


Old Dad sets her up to it. He is a "Brahmin Priest" and ferocious anti-Engilsh-Colonialists type. The Tenor of the piece, a callow young English officer, has carelessly profaned a temple by trespassing there to sketch some local color, and at the same time Lakmé and Tenor have encountered each other, with instant attraction, so of course Dad is out for blood, literally (think: Mme Butterfly, if the Bonze were consumed with murderous intent towards Pinkerton). But Dad hasn't actually seen all this tenor-soprano action and so doesn't know _which_ English officer it is, so he disquises himslf as a beggar and sets Lakmé, disguised as a street singer, to perform in the market square to attract Tenor's attention, thus revealing himself and making himself evident in the crowd. So we have the sequence: Dad sings an aria (a lovely one) to Lakmé about how much he loves her and is concerned about her and knows everything will be swell again, as soon as Tenor is "sacrificed". Lakmé protests, but is finally bullied into gathering the crowd's attention with Bell Song, done with perfect aplomb. Crowd delighted, but no Tenor. Furious Dad bullies her into an encore, which she begins, but is so miserable that she can't continue and is on the point of collapsing, and _that_ draws Tenor's attention. Try Ezio Pinza and Lily Pons at the Met in 1940 (start in at 1:06:40, please; I don't know how to cue) -


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## ewilkros (8 mo ago)

Both counter-intuitive by the size and color of their voices: the part of Lakmé is a quintessentially 19th-Century _jeune-fille_ Innocent one. At least neither singer does China-doll ventriloquistic squeaks to put it over. But Callas is just too vocally large-formatted for the part to suit. The performance was part of a 1952 Martini & Rossi Concert on the radio -









Callas - Filacuridi - De Fabritiis - Concerti Martini & Rossi - Callas Filacuridi De Fabritiis


Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Concerti Martini & Rossi - Callas Filacuridi De Fabritiis by Callas - Filacuridi - De Fabritiis. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.




www.discogs.com





- with Callas doing Lady Macbeth, Abigaille, the Lucia Mad Scene--and _this_ -- virtually throwing down the I-can-do-_anything_ gauntlet, unmistakably "arriving", while her poor "co-star", Nicola Filacuridi, will be forgotten the next morning. She probably would have thrown in the Immolation Scene too if there had been airtime. Impressive, Lord knows, but poor Lakmé it ain't.

Sutherland isn't quite what Duck said of the piece itself--"original, sensitive and charming "-- but she's very able, and timbrally comes closer to the "bells" that keep recurring in it. So Sutherland it is.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

The Sutherland aria is from the Art of the prima Donna. I was introduced to it at 15 when I was in Germany for the summer in my sister's garret apartment while she was working on learning Marten Aller Arten. She would play it as a help in learning it. I would sit in while she was working with her accompanist learning that marvelous piece. When she was out I would listen to the rest of The Art of the Prima Donna. She said it was the most technically perfect and vocally dazzling recorded performance she had ever heard. I asked her about our current The Bell Song and she wrote:
*Dear John, 
The "Bell Song" is just about as hard to sing as it can get. With this kind of singing, you don't think about the text, you just try to survive!!*


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

It will be interesting to read what others wrote after I place my vote because they are both top of the line, making it more difficult to choose clearly between them. But being that I am uncomfortable at the thought of voting for both, I'd rather vote for one or none.
In this case I saw a ray of light shining through with La Stupenda whereas I did not with La Divina. I think what is missing from my normal enthusiasm of Callas is her wonderment of executing magnificent chest tones of which there were none in this aria, thereby cheating me of a complete Callas offering. I think this aria is more suited to Sutherland.
So there you have it.
I realize that this particular website is definitely Callas prone and I imagine she will fly with it but for me? Not this time.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> It will be interesting to read what others wrote after I place my vote because they are both top of the line, making it more difficult to choose clearly between them. But being that I am uncomfortable at the thought of voting for both, I'd rather vote for one or none.
> In this case I saw a ray of light shining through with La Stupenda whereas I did not with La Divina. I think what is missing from my normal enthusiasm of Callas is her wonderment of executing magnificent chest tones of which there were none in this aria, thereby cheating me of a complete Callas offering. I think this aria is more suited to Sutherland.
> So there you have it.
> I realize that this particular website is definitely Callas prone and I imagine she will fly with it but for me? Not this time.


Sutherland fared very well, Sunshine.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> BTW, I think this aria is more than the coloratura display piece it's sometimes thought to be, perhaps even by some who sing it. It's an original, sensitive and charming setting of the text. Delibes was no hack.


I tend to prefer the more heroic coloratura of, say, Abigaille, Elettra or Armida. I understand the appeal of light, girly coloratura pieces to some people, but they have never done much for my personally (perhaps if my predilections ran in another direction, I might have a different appreciation for them).

What I like most about this piece is the supernatural quality. My favorite bit is from 3:34 to 3:57 (on Sutherland's recording), and Callas's acting just can't compensate for that vocal quality.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Here we have the scene of the bell song, nicely coloured and subtitled, with Joan Sutherland:




One has to wait quite long for the stabbing, it happens cca 30 minutes after the Bell song starts. After the bell song, Gerard makes himself noticeable, but the time flows as the daddy summons the relatives, Lakme and Gerard have a one to one moment together, crowd comes back, crowd leaves, and only after that, the poor tenor is stabbed. The stabbing is here:


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

This one is also subtitled. A very modern and very blonde Lakme. 
It is tagged at the beginning of the Bell song, after a drammatic pause.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I know both these recordings and I expect Sutherland to be me choice in this one. It's not an aria that particularly suited Callas' gifts.

I'm impressed with the beginning of the Callas version, there's not just great coloratura singing here, but there are shadings and depth to her singing married with masterful phrasing. Suddenly, this hackneyed showpiece becomes infused with meaning. This is superb. If I must be picky, some of her top notes are slightly pinched and ultimately she will need to impress in the coloratura passages. They don't quite have the sparkle of sopranos with brighter voices. However, this is a wonderful recording full of feeling and nuance.

Sutherland is possible the most stunning of all sopranos when it comes to the 'bell' imitation coloratura, but I was mesmerised from the start. The aria fits her like a glove. Her technique and poise at this part of her career puts her on a par with Callas when it comes to execution of bel canto. She may not have been as expressive as Callas in roles such as Elvira and Amina, but she delivers everything this aria requires.

I imagine Callas will win in this group, but this is one of the few arias that Sutherland overtakes her in (one of the others possibly being Bel raggio from Semiramide). I love Callas, but I must be fair. La Stupenda takes the crown.

N.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Seattleoperafan said:


> The Sutherland aria is from the Art of the prima Donna. I was introduced to it at 15 when I was in Germany for the summer in my sister's garret apartment while she was working on learning Marten Aller Arten. She would play it as a help in learning it. I would sit in while she was working with her accompanist learning that marvelous piece. When she was out I would listen to the rest of The Art of the Prima Donna. She said it was the most technically perfect and vocally dazzling recorded performance she had ever heard. I asked her about our current The Bell Song and she wrote:
> *Dear John,
> The "Bell Song" is just about as hard to sing as it can get. With this kind of singing, you don't think about the text, you just try to survive!!*


Unless you are Sutherland! (Or else she just has the knack to make it sound easy.)

N.

P.S. You are far too kind to Callas in your assessment. She's at most 9 out of 10, whereas Sutherland could easily be 11 out of 10 in this.


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## Dogville (Dec 28, 2021)

I think it's interesting some people have problems with Callas' top notes here. The E natural at the end sounds gigantic and completely secure to me, free from any harshness or stridency. If anything, her Eb in the Lucia Mad Scene from this same recital is the one that emerges as slightly acidic.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Dogville said:


> I think it's interesting some people have problems with Callas' top notes here. The E natural at the end sounds gigantic and completely secure to me, free from any harshness or stridency. If anything, her Eb in the Lucia Mad Scene from this same recital is the one that emerges as slightly acidic.


That note may be secure and loud, but it doesn't sound easy or comfortable. The sound is penetrating and airless, like a siren, and there's that slowing of the vibrato - the waver that isn't yet a wobble but will eventually become one - that's not infrequent in Callas's top notes even in her best years. The impression is one of dominating the notes by force rather than letting them fly free as we hear with Sutherland (or, in a different rep, Nilsson). Much as I love Callas, I tense up in anticipation of these notes, and I can't share in some people's excitement over how "big" they are.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

The Conte said:


> I know both these recordings and I expect Sutherland to be me choice in this one. It's not an aria that particularly suited Callas' gifts.
> 
> I'm impressed with the beginning of the Callas version, there's not just great coloratura singing here, but there are shadings and depth to her singing married with masterful phrasing. Suddenly, this hackneyed showpiece becomes infused with meaning. This is superb. If I must be picky, some of her top notes are slightly pinched and ultimately she will need to impress in the coloratura passages. They don't quite have the sparkle of sopranos with brighter voices. However, this is a wonderful recording full of feeling and nuance.
> 
> ...


Bel Raggio is coming up down the road. It is a top 5 favorite aria for me. I like many versions over the years by Sutherland but will use the first one.


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