# Elena Suliotis: What Happened???



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I listened to Suliotis' Abigaille in Nabucco from 1964. She was AMAAAAAZING! But her pipes were pooped by the time she was 30. To me her technique and voice sounded phenomenal. Was it just taking on too many big big roles before her voice was mature or did you hear bad technique in her singing? I am thankful to being steered in her direction by a fellow member. I'm curious what you guys think. I LOVE her subtle vibrato, probably a result of being in her early 20's. What other recording do you like with her in it?
Varnay also sang all the big parts in her 20's and as a result had a big vocal crisis she had to work through and was largely done with the big dramatic soprano parts by the time Nilsson, who was her same age, was just launching her Met career.
Nilsson was singing parts like Lady Macbeth in her early 20's, but Nilsson was a freak vocally.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I hope she had the foresight to save her pennies and dimes while she was going strong.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I listened to Suliotis' Abigaille in Nabucco from 1964. She was AMAAAAAZING! But her pipes were pooped by the time she was 30. To me her technique and voice sounded phenomenal. Was it just taking on too many big big roles before her voice was mature or did you hear bad technique in her singing? I am thankful to being steered in her direction by a fellow member. I'm curious what you guys think. I LOVE her subtle vibrato, probably a result of being in her early 20's. What other recording do you like with her in it?
> Varnay also sang all the big parts in her 20's and as a result had a big vocal crisis she had to work through and was largely done with the big dramatic soprano parts by the time Nilsson, who was her same age, was just launching her Met career.
> Nilsson was singing parts like Lady Macbeth in her early 20's, but Nilsson was a freak vocally.


I wasn't familiar with this singer, but from doing some research it appears that what you stated is exactly what happened, & this is not something that can always be heard in recordings. That's why its sooooo important to have teachers/mentors in your career that know your voice & can advise you when you're ready to tackle the heavy dramatic rep. So sad because apparently Suliotis was an amazing talent, even evoking the name Callas!


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## davidglasgow (Aug 19, 2017)

I thoroughly enjoy Souliotis' recordings. I particularly like the plaintive sound she achieved with her high notes and a sense of daring, particularly evident as Abigaille. 

Admittedly, her critical reputation is that of a barnstormer. You might expect a wobbly clumsiness like Eva Marton or maybe Gwyneth Jones at their very worst, imprecise and pitchy. I would suggest this only really applies to very late Souliotis, and even then it was allied to a pretty mesmerising dramatic insight such as when she was the Princess in Suor Angelica in 1991. Nonetheless, the negative descriptions have stuck, e.g. steam whistle high-notes, described as having a yodelling quality, wear and tear on the voice. 

I'd argue this representation is not entirely fair based on Souliotis' recordings. Although she was not a marvel singing coloratura, in a lot of challenging repertoire Souliotis could be quite an elegant singer. Although this suggestion may seem contrary, if you sample her Aida or Amelia or Santuzza or Manon Lescaut it is often to find that the remembered baleful chest voice is not omnipresent and frequently there is a fresh, bright quality which can be endearing. She could, above all, be very exciting.

In its way, Souliotis' unpolished but impetuous approach can seem less vulgar and fitful than the verismo attempts by Caballe, Scotto and perhaps Milanov who, at the opposite extreme, arguably outstayed their welcome.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

> What other recording do you like with her in it?


She only made complete opera recordings so that's is doe able, start with the abridged Norma , there's also a Classic recital out there, stunning.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I listened to Suliotis' Abigaille in Nabucco from 1964. She was AMAAAAAZING! But her pipes were pooped by the time she was 30. To me her technique and voice sounded phenomenal. Was it just taking on too many big big roles before her voice was mature or did you hear bad technique in her singing? I am thankful to being steered in her direction by a fellow member. I'm curious what you guys think. I LOVE her subtle vibrato, probably a result of being in her early 20's. What other recording do you like with her in it?
> Varnay also sang all the big parts in her 20's and as a result had a big vocal crisis she had to work through and was largely done with the big dramatic soprano parts by the time Nilsson, who was her same age, was just launching her Met career.
> Nilsson was singing parts like Lady Macbeth in her early 20's, but Nilsson was a freak vocally.


I think you can already hear the seeds of her demise in the recital disc and in the *Nabucco* recording. Both are thrilling, but the voice is only just in control. It is reckless singing and this is part of the excitement of course. So many times, she threatens to go off the rails, but, by some miracle, she manages to stay on track.

Comparisons with Callas are inevitable, I suppose, but Callas is far more in control in her live recording of the opera in 1949, the voice more focused and the coloratura more precise.

Incidentally, she first billed herself as Suliotis - the extra o was added later.

The chronology of her recordings for Decca is as follows.

1965 - *Nabucco* - with Gobbi and conducted by Gardelli. I still think this the best of all studio *Nabucco*s, mostly because of Souliotis's thrilling Abigaille. Gobbi is a tad over the hill, but still mesmerising.

1966 - Aria recital. Side 1 was dedicated to the Mad Scene from *Anna Bolena*, where you can hear some of the ****** in her armour. She doesn't even attempt the rising set of trills in _Coppia iniqua_ (written into the score and so not optional), something I suppose we've become more used to these days. Side 2 has Lady Macbeth's _Ambizio spirto_. Luisa Miller's _Tu puniscimi_ and Amelia's _Morro ma prima in grazia_. The *Anna Bolena* and *Macbeth* arias are here much better than in the later studio recordings. Also recorded were Gioconda's _Suicicdio_, Amelia's _Ecco l'orrido campo_ and Leonora's _Pace, pace_, which were later released on the fourth side of her recording of *Cavalleria Rusticana*.
1966 - *Cavalleria Rusticana* with Del Monaco, Gobbi and conducted by Silvio Varviso. Del Monaco bawls his way through the opera, and Gobbi, by this time, tends to bark. Souliotis is quite good and the voice still sounds in reasonable shape, but I don't find her as interesting as either Callas or Scotto.
1967 -*Norma* in a curiously abridged recording, again let down by Del Monaco's bawling. Souliotis still sounds pretty good actually. A shame she didn't record it in better circumstances. That said, she hardly knocks the top three (Callas, Sutherland and Caballe) off their pedestals.
1968-1969 - *Anna Bolena* The voice is really starting to sound in trouble now, with lots of hollow, unsupported tones. Horne's clear focused mastery as Giovanna does tend to show her up. On the other hand, Souliotis has the necessary grandeur for the role, and, for me, that makes her a more successful Anna than Sills, who recorded it around the same time.
1971- *Macbeth* with Fischer-Dieskau as Macbeth and Gardelli conducting again. Some might argue that she has the requisite voice of a she-devil, but to me this just sounds like a singer in terrible trouble. The middle voice has disintegrated completely; there aren't so much gaps in her registers as yawning chasms. It was little short of disastrous, and it's no surprise that shortly after this she disappeared from the scene completely.

I've heard it said by people who heard her in the flesh, that the voice was nowhere near as large as it sounded on record. She made her London debut in 1968 in a concert performance of *Nabucco* to mixed reviews, many opining that if she continued singing so recklessly she wouldn't last the course; prophetic words as, a few months later, in 1969 her Covent Garden debut as Lady Macbeth was little short of disastrous.

She made one more recording for Decca in 1991, singing the Zia Principessa to Ferni's Suor Angelica. Listening to the recording, you would not believe that Freni was the older singer.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

GregMitchell said:


> I think you can already hear the seeds of her demise in the recital disc and in the *Nabucco* recording. Both are thrilling, but the voice is only just in control. It is reckless singing and this is part of the excitement of course. So many times, she threatens to go off the rails, but, by some miracle, she manages to stay on track.
> 
> Comparisons with Callas are inevitable, I suppose, but Callas is far more in control in her live recording of the opera in 1949, the voice more focused and the coloratura more precise.
> 
> ...


All I asked for you delivered!!!!!!!! She doesn't seem to have the huge vocal mass of Dimitrova, but in her recording she sounds wonderful. There is a youthfulness to her sound then which is refreshing. Some complain about her chest voice, but I like it. She sounds the youngest to me on the top notes. They are wonderful but the voice didn't sound like it had come into it's maturity.... and it hadn't.  Thanks for the extensive history!!!!!


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

> 1967 -*Norma in a curiously abridged recording, again let down by Del Monaco's bawling. Souliotis still sounds pretty good actually. A shame she didn't record it in better circumstances. That said, she hardly knocks the top three (Callas, Sutherland and Caballe) off their pedestals.*


The brilliant minds at Decca thought it would be great selling point to make heavy cuts (mostly to Norma's father) so entire opera would fit on two vinyl LP albums (4 sides), otherwise a great studio Norma recording.....Decca also had Sutherland's Norma release at this time

Current CD release restores some of the cuts from LP release but still noticeably edited/shortened










A fan of Elena stopped by to see her (notice the same dress as Norma album cover)










Also keep in mind how young Elena was singing/recording the most daring difficult heavy bel canto roles, age 22 for famous 65 Decca Nabucco recording and La Scala season live performances......


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

Pugg said:


> She only made complete opera recordings so that's is doe able, start with the abridged Norma , there's also a Classic recital out there, stunning.


I haven't listened to this recording yet, but I love the cover art.
I don't think I have ever heard Suliotis, sounds like I need to remedy that at some point.,


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> All I asked for you delivered!!!!!!!! She doesn't seem to have the huge vocal mass of Dimitrova, but in her recording she sounds wonderful. There is a youthfulness to her sound then which is refreshing. Some complain about her chest voice, but I like it. She sounds the youngest to me on the top notes. They are wonderful but the voice didn't sound like it had come into it's maturity.... and it hadn't. Thanks for the extensive history!!!!!


Well she was only 21 or 22 when she recorded *Nabucco*, and she had already been singing the role quite a bit.

Callas too started young, singing Santuzza at the age of 15 in a student production. She was already a member of the Greek National Opera by the time she was 20, starting in smaller roles before graduating to Tosca, Martha in *Tiefland*, Santuzza, and Leonore in *Fidelio*, which she sang before she reached her 21st birthday. Her schedule was not as punishing as it was to become however, and she was able to try out a lot of new repertoire in concerts usually shared with other singers from the opera company, even, at one time, singing Vaughan Williams's _On Wenlock Edge_.

She was 26 when she first sang Abigaille, and quickly decided it was not a role she wanted to sing again.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

This seems like the perfect opportunity to reassess Souliotis' recordings (both studio and live). Whilst I only have a few of the live recordings, I have all her studio recordings except for Anna Bolena. My guess for the name change is that in Italian her name as pronounced would be written Suliotis even though Souliotis is a direct transcription from the Greek. She studied and started her career in Italy, once she became noticed internationally the 'Italian' version of her name made less sense.

It can be difficult to understand a singer's technique from studio recordings as passages that don't work can be repeated and notes spliced in to replace ones that aren't quite in the right place first time round. Her first recording is the studio Nabucco, but I started with her live Anna Bolena from 1966. I then listened to her La Scala Nabucco from December 1966. Both of these recordings show that she had a phenomenal support and her breathing must have been very efficient. Her voice is extraordinary, especially in one so young and I basically think she was a freak of nature (although I don't know much about her training). The registers are more or less well co-ordinated, however, some of her attacks aren't clean, there are a few sourish high notes and some of the coloratura passages are sloppy. She also doesn't always manage transitions from the middle of her voice to lower down well either. This all points to me of her having underdeveloped crico-thyroids (one of the two muscle groups attached to the vocal chords). This muscle group is key to hitting the high notes, developing smooth registers and keeping the voice supple and flexible.

Further listening to the studio Norma from a year later only goes to confirm my first impressions that despite it being a great voice with a wealth of natural colour, there are some slight technical flaws (those mentioned above). Cavalleria Rusticana recorded the year before is her best recording from the point of view of technique and her flaws are less apparent in Verismo.

The final recording I listened to is Macbeth from 1970. This is the first of her recordings where her support has started to weaken. However, her crico-thyroids seem more co-ordinated with the rest of her voice than before (although that is relative and there are still problems). What is interesting to me is that in some places she uses these vocal problems to accentuate the drama and she has more abandon and freedom than in the act one aria on her recital disc. A great example of that is the start of 'Vieni t'affretta', on the recital disc the attack is perfect and there is a shimmering softness to it. Whereas in the complete set she starts it with a malevolent force that produces a rasp from too little crico-thyroid action. The first is beautiful, but has nothing to do with Verdi's Lady in my opinion. With singers that went through a vocal decline over a number of years we all have different tolerance points. For Souliotis mine comes at 1970 and this Macbeth recording. A year later she sang Norma in Tokyo with more vocal problems, less support and rougher handling of the registers. Wikipedia has her singing until 1974, but that Macbeth was her last studio recording from her main career.

So, I think the technique wasn't perfect to begin with and she was mostly singing repertoire that needed a great degree of technique. Perhaps she was a freak of nature and as her voice changed she didn't know how to sing as she had never had to learn, or she didn't keep herself and her voice in shape (constant physically training is necessary for opera singers). Wikipedia tells us that: "The received opinion is that Souliotis' early assumption of difficult roles damaged her voice." I can't be 100% certain, but I'm not convinced by that, yes, she sang mainly very heavy roles at a young age. However, the technical shortcomings were there from the start and heavy roles don't cause you to lose your support.

I treasure her studio Nabucco and Macbeth as not only do they have her in, you also get Gobbi and Fischer-Dieskau in roles they were made for. I'm glad she recorded so much in such a short time and there aren't really any other roles that I would be desperate to hear her in. Her candle burnt at both ends and whilst her time was short, she gave off a lovely light.

N.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

The Conte, you are a treasure. Just what I wanted.
From my experience as a fan, not a singer, I have gathered that dramatic soprano voices just don't mature at the same rate as other sopranos and, as in the case of Christine Goerke, the voice doesn't come into it's own till around 40. Elena was essentially using a voice that was ever changing and not at all fully "ripe" as it were. Singing a diet of Macbeth and Nabucco just isn't the recommended course of action for a young
voice. 
Now Milanov was singing big roles from the start, but these were in the small houses of central Europe and that is not the same thing as singing at the Met or Chicago or Sf. Nilsson also was singing this repertoire,but the houses in Sweden were small as well.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

> I'm glad she recorded so much in such a short time and there aren't really any other roles that I would be desperate to hear her in.


I would have liked a studio from Un Ballo and La Forza. :angel:


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Pugg said:


> I would have liked a studio from Un Ballo and La Forza. :angel:


There's a live Forza (I got mine from ebay seller Ars Vocalis).

N.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

The Conte said:


> There's a live Forza (I got mine from ebay seller Ars Vocalis).
> 
> N.


Me too, I have even a VCR / VHS Tape.


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