# Berganza: Si o Non?



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)




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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Un enorme sì !!!!


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## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

Theresa Berganza had a nice voice overall (which iirc they admit), but I do agree with them that her high notes tended to have a sharp edge to them. Watching lots and lots of videos of singers who sing their high notes with a vertical opening vs. a horizontal opening suggests to me that that part of their criticism is correct. So I like Berganza's Rosina with Hermann Prey, but there are some rather shrill top notes that a different technique might have avoided.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

This makes sense. We can hear the deficiencies in these otherwise very good singers. The unpleasant contrast between Price's chest voice and hooty, falsettoish middle register is especially indicative. My impression is that this increased as she aged. The real exemplar here was, predictably, Muzio; I suppose Caballe is a fair choice, but her shameful musicianship - stretching the phrases beyond the breaking point so that she can make love to her own voice (you can watch her hands caressing it) - is more than I can take.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Although I tend to agree with you about La Caballe's romance with herself, it somehow doesn't bother me as much as it does you. (My favorite is her last held forever note in Don Carlo.) LOL
But Muzio is far and away superb and a perfect choice to indicate the difference when done correctly.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

nina foresti said:


> Although I tend to agree with you about La Caballe's romance with herself, it somehow doesn't bother me as much as it does you. (My favorite is her last held forever note in Don Carlo.) LOL
> But Muzio is far and away superb and a perfect choice to indicate the difference when done correctly.


That performance also had Corelli as *Don Carlo *which is ostensibly the reason Caballe took the note to an extended and an absolutely astonishing _sostenuto, _to everyone’s delight.


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

Berganza is 'okay'. She's not awful, but she's not good. You can see that her technique is moving away from the principals of old-school singing but has not yet fully arrived at the catastrophe of the modern school. I am not offended by her singing, who could be, its very pleasant, but just that. Pleasant. I've never understood the hype of her Carmen I must say.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Op.123 said:


> Berganza is 'okay'. She's not awful, but she's not good. You can see that her technique is moving away from the principals of old-school singing but has not yet fully arrived at the catastrophe of the modern school. I am not offended by her singing, who could be, its very pleasant, but just that. Pleasant. I've never understood the hype of her Carmen I must say.


She was a very elegant *Carmen *compared to some in the role and very _légère _which was unusual (I saw her in San Francisco in the role). I didn’t notice any untoward vocal problems or errors in technique, as I was not really looking for any and did not buy any of her recordings. *Carmen *is far from a favorite opera anyway and I seldom luster to even the Callas *Carmen*. Everyone knows *Callas is Carmen! 😂😂😂*


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I really like her Cenerentola, but that is a particular role that works better with a lighter more sopranoish voice. I too find little to value in her Carmen. I also like her in the Ponelle film of Barber of Seville, where her charm and wit can be enjoyed both vocally and visually.

N.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

The Conte said:


> I really like her Cenerentola, but that is a particular role that works better with a lighter more sopranoish voice. I too find little to value in her Carmen. I also like her in the Ponelle film of Barber of Seville, where her charm and wit can be enjoyed both vocally and visually.
> 
> N.


The most bizarre casting was her Zerlina in the Losey *Don Giovanni *film; not only was she too old visually but the timbre was “wrong” from my point of view.


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

MAS said:


> She was a very elegant *Carmen *compared to some in the role and very _légère _which was unusual (I saw her in San Francisco in the role). I didn’t notice any untoward vocal problems or errors in technique, as I was not really looking for any and did not buy any of her recordings. *Carmen *is far from a favorite opera anyway and I seldom luster to even the Callas *Carmen*. Everyone knows *Callas is Carmen! 😂😂😂*


I quite like a lighter, elegant voice for Carmen, my favourite for the role is Germaine Cernay, but she just characterises so much more vividly than Berganza who I found too relaxed.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Picky, picky, picky . This video is a lot of. dogmatic hooey ! All of these sopranos had GORGEOUS voices and were great artists, each in her own way .


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## OffPitchNeb (Jun 6, 2016)

I don't have a strong opinion about Berganza, but my impression is that she sounds like a "short" soprano rather than a true mezzo, if you compare her to other contemporaries, like Baltsa and Cossotto.

I have some discs of her doing Zarzuela with Carreras, and she sounds charming. I have not listened carefully to Berganza in any operatic roles. Any recommendations?


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