# Renata Scotto, Elena Suliotis, Maria Chiara, Raina Kabaivanska?



## Herkku (Apr 18, 2010)

Any opinions about those ladies appreciated.


----------



## curzon (Dec 1, 2010)

Scotto is obviously the most well known quantity amongst these ladies. In the right role she was superb despite her voice sometimes acquiring an unpleasant edge. I only saw her live once - As Lady M. she was unexpectedly good in a role which was not an obvious fit. It didn't do any harm that she was partnered by the best Macbeth of my experience - Renato Bruson.
Souliotis had a stunning natural talent but a very unreliable technique. for the good listen to her Abigaille opposite Gobbi. for the bad hear (if you can bear it) her Lady M opposite Fisher Dieskau.
Maria Chiara I only know from her Aida recording with Pavarotti. I've heard she was much better earlier in her career....
Don't know much about Kabaivanska except she had an extraordinarily long career and a friend of mine cited her as the best Desdemona of his experience.

Sebastian


----------



## Herkku (Apr 18, 2010)

I tend to agree with most of the things you wrote. Scotto was superb in the verismo roles before she lost her voice completely. Her late Mimì and Tosca were painful to listen to. Maybe her Norma wasn't such a good idea, either. But at least she had the style and feeling to sing Italian opera.

Elena Suliotis had a very brief career, but as Abigail with Solti she was very impressive. Not a bad Santuzza, either. She recorded Anna Bolena, but I was already infatuated with Beverly Sills's interpretation of the role, and Lady Macbeth, which you mentioned.

Maria Chiara recorded three operatic recitals on LP, which were generally praised by the critics, and Il Segreto di Susanna. After that, there was a silence of many years, until she appeared in Aida alongside Pavarotti.

Raina Kabaivanska didn't make many studio recordinds, if any. I was fortunate enough to hear her alive at the old La Fenice (before the fire) as Adriana Lecouvreur. She may have been already past her prime, but the Italians seemed to love her. Joan Sutherland wasn't exactly young, when she recorded the role, either.

I just wonder how many talented singers there must be out there, who never make it to the recording studios.


----------



## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

curzon said:


> Scotto is obviously the most well known quantity amongst these ladies. In the right role she was superb despite her voice sometimes acquiring an unpleasant edge. I only saw her live once - As Lady M. she was unexpectedly good in a role which was not an obvious fit. It didn't do any harm that she was partnered by the best Macbeth of my experience - Renato Bruson.
> Souliotis had a stunning natural talent but a very unreliable technique. for the good listen to her Abigaille opposite Gobbi. for the bad hear (if you can bear it) her Lady M opposite Fisher Dieskau.
> Maria Chiara I only know from her Aida recording with Pavarotti. I've heard she was much better earlier in her career....
> Don't know much about Kabaivanska except she had an extraordinarily long career and a friend of mine cited her as the best Desdemona of his experience.
> ...


Great, more people with opera expertise joining the forum! Welcome!:tiphat:


----------



## Herkku (Apr 18, 2010)

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the recording Renata Scotto made with Mirella Freni, including the duet from Bellini's early opera, Bianca e Fernando: "Sorgi, o padre!"- Absolutely fabulous. In it, Bellini used the repeated high note later heard in "Casta Diva". If you haven't heard this, I would strongly recommend it!


----------



## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Herkku said:


> Oh, I almost forgot to mention the recording Renata Scotto made with Mirella Freni, including the duet from Bellini's early opera, Bianca e Fernando: "Sorgi, o padre!"- Absolutely fabulous. In it, Bellini used the repeated high note later heard in "Casta Diva". If you haven't heard this, I would strongly recommend it!


Wow! I'm highly curious about this. Is it on YouTube?


----------



## curzon (Dec 1, 2010)

Almaviva said:


> Great, more people with opera expertise joining the forum! Welcome!:tiphat:


Thank you. This seems a friendly forum (unlike some I could mention) and it's good that members can respect differences of opinion and refrain from destructive tendencies!! 

Sebastian


----------



## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

curzon said:


> Thank you. This seems a friendly forum (unlike some I could mention) and it's good that members can respect differences of opinion and refrain from destructive tendencies!!
> 
> Sebastian


Absolutely. This is a remarkably friendly place devoid of trolls, who get banned by the moderators.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

*Remembering Elena Souliotis*








Elena Souliotis birthday 28/05/1943:tiphat:
Past away 2004


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Scotto often reminded me of late Callas vocally with her wobble in her vocal maturity, but I heard an early recording of hers before she took on all of the heavy roles and she was really wonderful. Seriously!! I was very surprised. They often play her Lady Macbeth on Met Opera Radio and it is dramatically good, but the voice had become ugly by then.
Suliotis was considered to be possibly the successor to Callas early in her career, but the voice went downhill very fast.


----------



## graziesignore (Mar 13, 2015)

In my travels through amateur recordings of the 70s and 80s, I come across Chiara quite a bit. I find her timbre a little thin and patchy at times, but of a pure quality when she was "on" and once an Odabella aria of hers (from Attila) woke me from a sound sleep during an otherwise boring production, it was that good. 

Kabaivanska is the Leonora in the 1970s Trovatore TV production with Bonisolli, Zancanaro, Cortez - a fun/tacky film with excellent singing (and blessedly, a soundtrack CD so you don't need to watch the film).


----------

