# Favorite Verdi Soprano



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Please list your top 4 favorite Verdi sopranos in order


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Please list your top 4 favorite Verdi sopranos in order


I'd already voted and then I read this,so : Milanov,Ponselle,Tebaldi,Price,Callas.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

1. Ponselle
2. Milanov
3. Price
4. Callas
Tebaldi I love, but her short top is a problem. Millo is great in broadcasts, but I've heard her voice was not quite the best size for Verdi. Sondra Radvanovsky is the best we have today but not up to the quality of past sopranos. Eileen Farrell is spectacular on her Verdi disc but didn't sing much in the house. Nilsson would be the greatest current Verdi soprano if she were singing today, but for all her almost matchless skill at singing Verdi including incredible piannisimi her voice was a bit to Nordic. I think Flagstad would have been an incredible Verdi soprano and had the flexibility ( she considered Norma) but I am not aware that she ever sang Verdi in her early days. Of note is that Leonie Rysanek first made quite a name for herself at the Met as a Verdi soprano before she moved on to specialize in Strauss and Wagner. I was blown away by Lisa Daltirus in Aida and Trovatore in Seattle but never hear much of this gorgeous singer who's acting is as good as her marvelous singing. Finally, Gwyneth Jones was one of the greatest Verdi voices I've ever heard in her early days before she took on the heavy German roles. Check out her early Trovatore offerings on Youtube to be blown away. You won't recognize her voice back then.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I wish one could delete a thread if you make a mistake like I frequently do. I left out Callas...unthinkable!
Here is G. Jones singing Trovatore early in her career:



.


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## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

Tebaldi, Ponselle, Price, Milanov, Callas.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Revenant said:


> Tebaldi, Ponselle, Price, Milanov, Callas.


I would save money for a year to hear Tebaldi in Ballo or Forza.


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## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I would save money for a year to hear Tebaldi in Ballo or Forza.


I have the dvd of the RAI video of Forza (1958), with Corelli, Bastianini and Christoff, Molinari cond. One of my favorite dvds. There is a filmed interview with Tebaldi included as a bonus. She says "you don't have to be Greek to sing Italian opera" or words to that effect. Wonder what she meant...  (Actually I remember the "rivalry" very well. Everyone took sides.)


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

This is my list of favorite performers for several Verdi soprano roles. 

Abigaille: Maria Callas
Giselda: Ghena Dimitrova
Elvira: Anita Cerquetti
Lucrezia: Leyla Gencer
Giovanna d'Arco: Montserrat Caballé
Alzira: Virginia Zeani
Odabella: Cheryl Studer
Lady Macbeth: Maria Callas
Amalia: Joan Sutherland
Lida: Antonietta Stella
Luisa: Gilda Cruz-Romo
Gilda: Lina Pagliughi 
Leonora (Trovatore): Maria Callas
Violetta: Maria Callas
Maria Boccanegra: Elisabeth Rethberg
Amelia: Zinka Milanov
Leonora (Forza): Renata Tebaldi
Elena (Vespri): Martina Arroyo
Elisabetta: Anita Cerquetti
Aida: Renata Tebaldi
Desdemona: Elisabeth Rethberg
Alice: Barbara Frittoli
Nannetta: Mirella Freni


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Callas
Callas
Callas
Callas


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

I've never understood the fuss about Callas--she had no voice.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

moody said:


> I've never understood the fuss about Callas--she had no voice.


Have you tried watching this with the sound off, moody?






*edit* Thanks for all the recommendations on this thread, by the way--including the Callas recordings!


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

moody said:


> I've never understood the fuss about Callas--she had no voice.


I like how you keep saying things we didn't hear from you before in your every post.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Blancrocher said:


> Have you tried watching this with the sound off, moody?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sounds better that way !


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Aramis said:


> I like how you keep saying things we didn't hear from you before in your every post.


Tell you what,I'll post what I wish and you can as well.
Got anything constructive to say ? Arranged your sponsorship have you ?


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

Anja Harteros
Katia Ricciarelli
Ileana Cotrubas (in the lighter roles of Violetta, Gilda, etc.)
Montserrat Caballe

I'll be interested to see how Anna Netrebko's voice develops as she takes on more Verdi heroines.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

*Mauer:* I was pleased to see Cotrubas on your list, as I've just been getting "into" her singing again after a hiatus, via her Micaela in Abbado's CARMEN. (I have her Violetta, too.) Her timbre had a uniquely poignant quality.

I voted for Rosa Ponselle above. It's odd: when I think "Verdi soprano" I immediately think of the sort of soprano who sings the Leonoras, Aida, Desdemona, Amelia, Elisabetta, Alice Ford -- basically the late-middle or late-period spinto roles. I don't think so much of Gilda or Violetta or even Luisa Miller. Anyway, my top-favorite Verdi sopranos are probably:

1. Rosa Ponselle
2. Leontyne Price
3. Renata Tebaldi
4. Marina Poplovskya

Ponselle had that inimitably rich sound and seemed to be able to do anything she wanted with her voice. Price's voice in its prime was one of the most sheerly beautiful ever, I think. Same with Tebaldi, though she seems to have been much better with "high output" than with coloratura flexibility (whereas Price's voice had the flexibility such as you might expect of a smaller or lighter voice.) Poplovskya's Met Elisabetta of 2010 was unforgettable for me. (I've heard her also as Marguerite in FAUST and thought she was just as great.)


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

moody said:


> I've never understood the fuss about Callas--she had no voice.




Voice AND soul. 

Don't listen to him Maria.


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

*Maria Callas
Leontyne Price *(early Price performances)*

Elena Souliotis
Gabriella Tucci*

Great list Schigolch, I agree 100% with your Callas choices and I may even try to squeeze in Puritani (elvira) after hearing the Pristine Classical remaster (the male voices are also greatly enhanced)

You are also right that Gencer and Cerquetti were great Verdi singers but unfortunately very few studio recordings, mostly only older live versions exist.....

Souliotis and Tucci have small number of Verdi recordings but they are really great and should be bought on sight....

Scotto and Freni both have large catalogs of Verdi recordings but none of them really made say wowwww....


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

DarkAngel said:


> *Maria Callas
> Leontyne Price *(early Price performances)*
> 
> Elena Souliotis
> ...


Souliotis was a great singer. Very passionate.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

schigolch said:


> This is my list of favorite performers for several Verdi soprano roles.
> 
> Abigaille: Maria Callas
> Giselda: Ghena Dimitrova
> ...


What a marvelous list and you reminded me by mentioning Caballe how extraordinary she was as Aida. She trumped everyone in her pp High C and then turned around and sang a huge sound on the next high note. She was a great Verdi singer.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Itullian said:


> Souliotis was a great singer. Very passionate.


She was also a very sad case of a voice destroyed. If you listen to her Nabucco recording you can only gasp at the crazy --and exciting-- example of complete recklessness at every turn. This and a choice of repertoire taken up with apparently no thought as to its suitability meant she was finished as a top-of-the-bill artist by the age of thirty three .


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

I wonder why American members seem to ignore home grown talent. Eleanor Steber and Eileen Farrell are equal to those on these lists and better than most.
Anita Cerquetti is a strange case,gone by thirty and the reason is still unclear but she was a marvel.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Seattleoperafan said:


> What a marvelous list and you reminded me by mentioning Caballe how extraordinary she was as Aida. She trumped everyone in her pp High C and then turned around and sang a huge sound on the next high note. She was a great Verdi singer.


She sang (some roles only on recordings) the following Verdi roles, I think: Elvira, Giovanna, Amalia, Gulnara, Luisa, Leonora (Trovatore), Violetta, Elena, Maria Boccanegra, Mina, Amelia, Leonora (Forza), Elisabetta, Aida and Desdemona. She wisely avoided roles lile Abigaille, Lady Macbeth or Odabella, except some arias in recitals (the recordings with Guadagno in the 1960s were really good).

I think she was an outstanding Giovanna (a role from a very neglected opera, true), and I like her also a lot as Elisabetta or Luisa Miller.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

"I think she was an outstanding Giovanna (a role from a very neglected opera, true), and I like her also a lot as Elisabetta or Luisa Miller."

A friend played me excepts of her singing Giovanna eons ago in the car and I remember it to this day. She made a disc of Early Verdi Heroines in 1966 when her voice was at it's peak and it was astounding. She sang one of her very few high D's she ever recorded on that album.


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## Pip (Aug 16, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I wish one could delete a thread if you make a mistake like I frequently do. I left out Callas...unthinkable!
> Here is G. Jones singing Trovatore early in her career:
> 
> 
> ...


She was great in her early days in Verdi - I have the broadcast tapes of her Trovatore, which you mention, also her Elizabeth in Don Carlo(1966) and Aida (1968) and of course she recorded Desdemona for Barbirolli in 1969.
At the same time, she sang Sieglinde, Senta, Leonora(Fidelio), Eva and Kundry at Bayreuth in '68 and '69.
I saw her in Vienna in 1975 (already well into Brünnhilde,) still singing in Don Carlo.
She was fabulous until the wobble got too noticable.


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## Pip (Aug 16, 2013)

I don't think that there is a "one complete Verdi soprano" because the roles are so diverse.
We have the Spinto Verdi Soprano - Trovatore - Elizabetta(DC) - Forza - Alice Ford -Amelia(Ballo)
We have the (almost) wagnerian high dramatic soprano - Abigaille - Aida
We have the Lyric soprano - Boccanegra - Traviata - Luisa - Desdemona.
We have the soubrette - Rigoletto - Nanetta
I know that many have graduated from one group to another, but the wise ones have not strayed too far.

Raina Kabaivanska was marvellous as Desdemona and Leonora(Tr)
Katia Ricciarelli was a magnificent Luisa Miller and Desdemona
Sylvia Sass was incredible as Elizabeth de Valois and Amelia
Mirella Freni started with Nanetta went on to be one of the best Elizabeth de Valois' ever and finished with Aida !!!

For range - has there ever been a soprano that could sing all of the above roles with distinction including Abigaille in Nabucco- ?

Yes One -- C A L L A S !


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Pip said:


> We have the soubrette - Rigoletto


Seriously, you think Gilda is soubrette role? It's often sung by light coloratura sopranos, but please - how do you see soubrette in the storm scene that leads to Gilda's death on Sparafucile's dagger?


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Pip said:


> I don't think that there is a "one complete Verdi soprano" because the roles are so diverse.
> We have the Spinto Verdi Soprano - Trovatore - Elizabetta(DC) - Forza - Alice Ford -Amelia(Ballo)
> We have the (almost) wagnerian high dramatic soprano - Abigaille - Aida
> We have the Lyric soprano - Boccanegra - Traviata - Luisa - Desdemona.
> ...


This is not worthy of you really,because it is pointless and then you turn into a marketing manager.
I won't comment on Callas again because it will upset Aramis,but he's proved right by the famous act 4 recording by Toscanini with the Gilda of Milanov.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Perhaps I should have said Verdian Dramatic Soprano...sorry. Aida, Forza, Ballo, Trovatore, Don Carlo. These are so hard to fill these days. I was too vague, but it has elicited some enlightening responses. I will contend that Callas could sing any role in Verdi well, something which hardly anyone else could do except perhaps Ponselle or Farrell, but that is academic. Vocally Sutherland could have, but she lacked a low register with punch which is needed for effective Verdi Dramatic Soprano roles.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

seattleoperafan said:


> perhaps i should have said verdian dramatic soprano...sorry. Aida, forza, ballo, trovatore, don carlo. These are so hard to fill these days. I was too vague, but it has elicited some enlightening responses. I will contend that *callas could sing any role in verdi well*, something which hardly anyone else could do except perhaps ponselle. Vocally sutherland could have, but she lacked a low register with punch which is needed for effective verdi dramatic soprano roles.


yes ........................


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

I love all the listed 

Depends on role, I guess. 

For the Leonoras and Aida: Price (also Tebaldi in Forza because she sounds like an angel)
For Violetta and Amelia: Callas
For Desdemona: Ricciarelli
For Elisabetta: Freni


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Moody referred up-thread to Americans tending to ignore American talent. That got me thinking that maybe I'd like to replace Marina Poplovskaya on my list with Patricia Racette. She was the first Violetta I ever heard (Met broadcast of 1998, I believe). Then I heard Ileana Cotrubas on the Kleiber recording. Now it occurs to me that if any soprano comes close to having the pathos in the timbre that Cotrubas had, it's Racette. I know some don't care for Racette's vibrato, but I personally love it.


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## Pip (Aug 16, 2013)

Aramis said:


> Seriously, you think Gilda is soubrette role? It's often sung by light coloratura sopranos, but please - how do you see soubrette in the storm scene that leads to Gilda's death on Sparafucile's dagger?


when one remembers some of the singers who sang Gilda like Lily pons or Lucia Popp, yes it is possible to classify it as a soubrette.
it is certainly true that many lyric sopranos have also sung it with success. It just emphasizes my point of trying to classify "The" Verdi soprano. there are too many categories for one singer who can sing them all. Even Callas, dropped Abigaile very quickly, right at the beginning of her career in 1949.
as for mr moody pouring scorn on whoever I care to like - well just take it with a pinch of salt, we can't all like or dislike the same people.

Suffice to say, if I feel the need to market anyone , it certainly won't be Callas - she does not need help from anyone.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Gilda has always been a controversial role...

Reading the score, I think it's written for a lyrical, or light-lyrical soprano with good coloratura. Many times, there is indeed a tendency to use very light voices, but in my view Gilda is not really a 'soubrette'.

There are two traps to avoid when singing Gilda, let's call them the 'mechanical bird' trap, and the 'sweet virgin' trap. The first one is to sing the coloratura, giving all the notes, all the _abbellimenti_, including non-written but traditional notes, like the E-flat 5 in the _codetta_ at the end of "Caro nome",.... but failing to transmit what Verdi's music is all for: a very young, naive, but also very determined and daring girl. This is one example, Hilde Güden:






The second trap, of course, is to emphasize so much the virginal charm, the purity of Gilda, that we got an archetype, instead of a real woman. Montserrat Caballé, while a peerless vocalist, was sometimes offering this kind of performance herself:






On the other hand, while Maria Callas somehow helped to rescue the role from too many and too light sopranos that were almost always being cast in the 1950s, the stinging metal of her voice while singing the scales (exactly the way Verdi wrote them, by the way) of "Caro nome"... is this Gilda either?.

One good compromise was offered by Renata Scotto:






while other nice examples could be Joan Sutherland, from those sopranos with a big, imposing voice or Lina Pagliughi (my personal favourite) from the lighter voices.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

> when one remembers some of the singers who sang Gilda like Lily pons or Lucia Popp, yes it is possible to classify it as a soubrette.


These two made excellent Gildas indeed, but I wouldn't call none of them a true soubrette. They most likely were soubrettes at some point but wouldn't get to sing in Rigoletto had their voices not grow enough to leave this vocal category.


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## mchriste (Aug 16, 2013)

Why is La Stupenda missing from this poll, and not even mentioned in the thread either? (genuine question)

I love Joan Sutherland's Gilda in the legendary 1971 Bonynge Rigoletto.
Although, perhaps it's mostly because both Milnes and Pavarotti complement her so well in her duets...

Callas is always a favorite of course. Overall though, I'm more excited about the Verdi baritones than his sopranos


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Pip said:


> when one remembers some of the singers who sang Gilda like Lily pons or Lucia Popp, yes it is possible to classify it as a soubrette.
> it is certainly true that many lyric sopranos have also sung it with success. It just emphasizes my point of trying to classify "The" Verdi soprano. there are too many categories for one singer who can sing them all. Even Callas, dropped Abigaile very quickly, right at the beginning of her career in 1949.
> as for mr moody pouring scorn on whoever I care to like - well just take it with a pinch of salt, we can't all like or dislike the same people.
> 
> Suffice to say, if I feel the need to market anyone , it certainly won't be Callas - she does not need help from anyone.


Your comments are unfair as I only comment on the expertise of a singer. This is not open to opinion as it is either there or it is not and the evidence is at hand to help us.
This has nothing to do with dramatic presence,tone of voice,etc these are personal likes or perhaps dislikes.
So we have to look at other opinions:
I came across a post of yours where you say that Charles Osborne's book on Verdi's operas is a marvellous aid.
He is a well known journalist and theatre and opera critic and was given an official award by the Italian Government for his work on Verdi, this is what he had to say regarding Callas :
" I have always found Callas's vocal failings a great stumbling block,especially in the bel canto operas which,in the earlier part of her career, she liked to sing.
Callas was convincing in the theatrical roles where the gramophone tended cruelly to expose her. On disc she is vocally inadequate or at times excrutiating. "
Callas has in common with Glen Gould a following who will brook no criticism so I waste my time no doubt.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

http://www.gazzettadiparma.it/prima...randi_cantanti_verdiani_di_tutti_i_tempi.html


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## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

schigolch said:


> http://www.gazzettadiparma.it/prima...randi_cantanti_verdiani_di_tutti_i_tempi.html


Just curious, but do you know if this _verdetto_ was reached by a panel of peers (i.e., musicians, singers, composers, conductors, etc.) or by the _giornale_-reading public? Poor Di Stefano. Couldn't find him anywhere. Maybe I just missed him on the list. But someone once called him "anti-musical and a law unto himself." A price must be paid for that I guess. Also, he was more Puccini and verismo than Verdi, afaik. But who else could manage that diminuendo straight down from a high C in Salut, Demeure? But that was Gounod territory. Again, you see, I digress...

Tebaldi third?? I would have put her first. But that's just me.


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## TrevBus (Jun 6, 2013)

From this list, Tebaldi. My favorites, when they sang Verdi; Renata Scotto, Mirella Freni and Grace Bumbry.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

mchriste said:


> Why is La Stupenda missing from this poll, and not even mentioned in the thread either? (genuine question)
> 
> I love Joan Sutherland's Gilda in the legendary 1971 Bonynge Rigoletto.
> Although, perhaps it's mostly because both Milnes and Pavarotti complement her so well in her duets...
> ...


I left Joan off because I intended this to be about the big Verdi dramatic sopranos but didn't think this through well. I am at fault. Sutherland did a fine early run as Aida and was incredible at Leonora in Il Trovatore when she was around 60, including really good chest singing for a change. She could have made a career as a Verdi dramatic soprano, but fate had another path for her to uniquely follow.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Revenant said:


> Just curious, but do you know if this _verdetto_ was reached by a panel of peers (i.e., musicians, singers, composers, conductors, etc.) or by the _giornale_-reading public? Poor Di Stefano. Couldn't find him anywhere. Maybe I just missed him on the list. But someone once called him "anti-musical and a law unto himself." A price must be paid for that I guess. Also, he was more Puccini and verismo than Verdi, afaik. But who else could manage that diminuendo straight down from a high C in Salut, Demeure? But that was Gounod territory. Again, you see, I digress...
> 
> Tebaldi third?? I would have put her first. But that's just me.


It seems the panel was of singers, both active and retired. Some names are mentioned: Carlo Bergonzi, Antonietta Stella, Violeta Urmana, Renato Bruson, Cecilia Bartoli, Michele Pertusi, Juan Diego Flórez, Sonia Ganassi, Dimitra Tehodossiou, Leo Nucci, Desirée Rancatore, Celso Albelo, Renée Fleming, Thomas Hampson,... Each of them could choose three female candidates, and three male candidates.

The results: Maria Callas won, by a large margin. Second was Piero Cappuccilli. Then, Renata Tebaldi, Carlo Bergonzi and Cesare Siepi, followed by Fiorenza Cossotto, Leontyne Price, Ettore Bastianini, Renato Bruson, Mario Del Monaco and Giulietta Simionato.

A parallel panel, with a few experts, mainly musicologists, gave a similar results. The fourth leaders were Carlo Bergonzi, Maria Callas, Piero Cappuccilli and Renata Tebaldi.


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## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

schigolch said:


> It seems the panel was of singers, both active and retired. Some names are mentioned: Carlo Bergonzi, Antonietta Stella, Violeta Urmana, Renato Bruson, Cecilia Bartoli, Michele Pertusi, Juan Diego Flórez, Sonia Ganassi, Dimitra Tehodossiou, Leo Nucci, Desirée Rancatore, Celso Albelo, Renée Fleming, Thomas Hampson,... Each of them could choose three female candidates, and three male candidates.
> 
> The results: Maria Callas won, by a large margin. Second was Piero Cappuccilli. Then, Renata Tebaldi, Carlo Bergonzi and Cesare Siepi, followed by Fiorenza Cossotto, Leontyne Price, Ettore Bastianini, Renato Bruson, Mario Del Monaco and Giulietta Simionato.
> 
> A parallel panel, with a few experts, mainly musicologists, gave a similar results. The fourth leaders were Carlo Bergonzi, Maria Callas, Piero Cappuccilli and Renata Tebaldi.


Thanks.  I would quibble about the relatively low ranking of Tebaldi and even more about the apparent omission of Tito Gobbi from the list. After all, he was a great Rigoletto, Simon, Iago and Falstaff. For some reason the judges may not have identified him as a Verdi specialist.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

The results of a similar survey for Verdi sopranos between Spanish fans and critics:

1.- Maria Callas
2.- Renata Tebaldi
3.- Montserrat Caballé
4.- Mirella Freni
5.- Renata Scotto
6.- Leontyne Price
7.- Joan Sutherland
8.- Anita Cerquetti
9.- Zinka Milanov
10.- Leyla Gencer


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

How many of you have heard the 1935 Traviata from the Met with Ponselle and Tibbett? I heard it yesterday on Sirius and it was astounding. It is the only complete live recording of an opera with Ponselle. Her voice up high was just too big for the recording quality of the day, but still you could hear not only her gorgeous singing but the fact that Callas has a serious rival in the acting department. Her acting was definitely old school, but no one could ever deny that she didn't completely immerse herself in the role of Violeta in an astounding performance. I believe the reason she is not rated higher is because of unfamiliarity because of the early dates of her recordings.
The Spanish survey is interesting. Tastes differ with areas. Italy HATED Ponselle, but American and the rest of Europe in her day LOVED her. Italy thought her voice was passionless.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Rosa Ponselle's most cherished operatic project was to sing Violetta. She was powerfully attracted by the dramatic weight of the role. From a purely vocal point of view, after having sung Norma's coloratura with success, she was confident Violetta will not be a problem. Of course, she understood that her voice was larger, darker than that of sopranos like Galli-Curci or Tetrazzini, but she also thought it was ideal for the second and third act. Maestro Serafin supported Ponselle, and advised her to study the role in Italy, with Gemma Bellincioni.

After her great success there singing Norma and Gioconda, Ponselle wanted to sing her first Violetta in London, and it was a complete triumph for the American soprano, with an outstanding ovation at the end of more than 30 minutes. The Times considered her the best Violetta of all times.

Among the audience was a young Zinka Milanov that declared later: "The voice of Ponselle in Traviata was light, but powerful, with the right colour to perfectly present the drama".

After this, Ponselle was very confident for her Traviata debut in the MET, with Lauri-Volpi and De Luca. However, the reviews were not as good as she was expecting, with the critics on fire about transposing "Sempre Libera" a full tone down. Even her colleague (not friend) Lauri-Volpi, said:

_Rosa's voice is like a human cello, but her B4 and her C5 are not always available, and where they are, she fights to sustain them. In Traviata, neither her first act, not her "Amami, Alfredo" are really top class. It would has been better for her never to sing Violetta, this just ruined her top notes

_Ponselle was always a little bit unsecure about her top notes, true. Even if during her first years, they were a marvel to hear. However, trying to lighten her voice to sing the first act of Violetta the 'soprano coloratura' way, did damage her voice. But she was one of the first sopranos on record to give Violetta her true dramatic stature, and provide a fully convincing portrait of the sick and loving woman. Hers is a great Violetta.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I had some bad luck on other opera forums with bitchy posters. It is so nice to have found a place where I can get so many very knowledgeable replies to posts I make. I know a lot about opera, but some of you people know a whole lot more and are willing to teach me. Thanks.


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I had some bad luck on other opera forums with bitchy posters. It is so nice to have found a place where I can get so many very knowledgeable replies to posts I make. I know a lot about opera, but some of you people know a whole lot more and are willing to teach me. Thanks.


Schigolch has an amazing amount of opera experience and historical knowledge, plus I find his insight and subjective recommendations to be things always worth checking out (as well as many other members here)

Amazing we can only get 9 votes for the most important opera composer of all time leading lady, if you look at all the Verdi opera CDs released where is all the Verdi love.......


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

I haven't voted because:

1. These singers are not currently active and I listen mainly to those who are, or at least have been since the eighties when I began to like opera.

2. I don't really like dramatic sopranos. Ileana Cotrubas is my favourite soprano who sometimes sang Verdi.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

mamascarlatti said:


> I haven't voted because:
> 
> 1. These singers are not currently active and I listen mainly to those who are, or at least have been since the eighties when I began to like opera.
> 
> 2. I don't really like dramatic sopranos. Ileana Cotrubas is my favourite soprano who sometimes sang Verdi.


We knew from the start who would win in any case.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

> These singers are not currently active and I listen mainly to those who are


So if Kaufmann dies tomorrow, you're automatically lesser fan?

Not that I would plan something.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

mamascarlatti said:


> I haven't voted because:
> 
> 1. These singers are not currently active and I listen mainly to those who are, or at least have been since the eighties when I began to like opera.
> 
> 2. I don't really like dramatic sopranos. Ileana Cotrubas is my favourite soprano who sometimes sang Verdi.


Your answer is as foreign to me as the concept of being crazy about football;-) Since opera is an art form rooted in the distant past in most cases, why would one limit one's listening choices to only those who have been active since you started listening to opera. In my humble opinion that eliminates most of the great singers. I can understand it if one likes early operas as most of them have only been recorded since that time. I do understand many people don't like dramatic sopranos,yet here again it is like trying to get me to understand football;-) Nevertheless, happy listening to you, Mamascarlatti!


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Your answer is as foreign to me as the concept of being crazy about football;-) Since opera is an art form rooted in the distant past in most cases, why would one limit one's listening choices to only those who have been active since you started listening to opera. In my humble opinion that eliminates most of the great singers. I can understand it if one likes early operas as most of them have only been recorded since that time. I do understand many people don't like dramatic sopranos,yet here again it is like trying to get me to understand football;-) Nevertheless, happy listening to you, Mamascarlatti!


I think there are plenty of great singers now. So why wouldn't I support them by listening to them, and watching them on DVD? I want opera to continue, to flourish, not to die. I don't see how this is limiting my choices any more than you are by focusing on what you see as the great singers of the past. In fact, I think it widens them, as there are always new singers, new works, new productions.

You say the concept of opera is rooted in the distant past. But so is conventional theatre, in fact far more ancient, but that does not stop us enjoying the work of living actors and playwrights. Moreover there are plenty of contemporary operas to enjoy, as well as the Baroque which as you said has only become popular in the past thirty years.

I have tried listening to earlier recordings, but I often don't enjoy them. I don't know if it's the style, or the sound quality, but something puts me off.

Luckily, there is room for both of us, and we can still both enjoy the joy of this wonderful art-form, so happy listening to you too!

(PS I get football, but cricket?!!?)


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

One list of "Greatest Verdian Singers" by the Spanish magazine 'Opera Actual': 

G. Arangi Lombardi
F. Barbieri
E. Bastianini
M. Battistini
C. Bergonzi
J. Bjorling
M. Caballé
M. Callas
P. Cappuccilli
E. Caruso
F. Corelli
F. Cossotto
B. Christoff
M. Del Monaco
P. Domingo
B. Gigli
N. Ghiaurov
G. Lauri Volpi
H. Lazaro
I. Marini
C. Maneil
G. Martinelli
V. Maurel
R. Merrill
Z. Milanov
L. Nucci
A. Pertile
L. Price
E. Rethberg 
C. Siepi
G. Simionato
R. Stracciari
E. Tamberlick
R. Tucker
F. Varesi
L. Warren


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

schigolch said:


> One list of "Greatest Verdian Singers" by the Spanish magazine 'Opera Actual':
> 
> G. Arangi Lombardi
> F. Barbieri
> ...


On the whole that's the best list so far.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

mamascarlatti said:


> I think there are plenty of great singers now. So why wouldn't I support them by listening to them, and watching them on DVD? I want opera to continue, to flourish, not to die. I don't see how this is limiting my choices any more than you are by focusing on what you see as the great singers of the past. In fact, I think it widens them, as there are always new singers, new works, new productions.
> 
> You say the concept of opera is rooted in the distant past. But so is conventional theatre, in fact far more ancient, but that does not stop us enjoying the work of living actors and playwrights. Moreover there are plenty of contemporary operas to enjoy, as well as the Baroque which as you said has only become popular in the past thirty years.
> 
> ...


The problem is that the word greatest was used and that's what counts.
Also ,are you really telling me that you can't listen to recordings of Callas and Milanov,because I remember disagreeing with you when you said that Siepi was the greatest and I said Pinza. Same era.


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## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

schigolch said:


> One list of "Greatest Verdian Singers" by the Spanish magazine 'Opera Actual':
> 
> G. Arangi Lombardi
> F. Barbieri
> ...


Well, it's official: Tito Gobbi's reputation has "disappeared" among some operaphile circles. How are the mighty fallen. It seems a great injustice. Not only a great singer but also a master class teacher. Pity. (At least they have his brother in law Boris Christoff in that list.)


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Revenant said:


> Well, it's official: Tito Gobbi's reputation has "disappeared" among some operaphile circles. How are the mighty fallen. It seems a great injustice. Not only a great singer but also a master class teacher. Pity. (At least they have his brother in law Boris Christoff in that list.)


It is injustice for sure. But I don't feel bad for him - seeing this photo, I think he had his benefits of operatic greatness when he lived:


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

*Revenant:* I too was surprised not to see Gobbi. But the thing you have to remember about lists of "the greatest" anything is that, while they pretend to be objective or definitive, they really just represent people's opinions. Personally, I think some of the choices seem a bit arbitrary, but whatever.


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Aramis said:


> It is injustice for sure. But I don't feel bad for him - seeing this photo, I think he had his benefits of operatic greatness when he lived:


Gobbi was one of the great ones for sure, those immortal 1950s La Scala seasons with all the great singers (as seen above)

Who is that fine looking Lady........


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

Aramis said:


> So if Kaufmann dies tomorrow, you're automatically lesser fan?
> 
> Not that I would plan something.


Luckily for you . . . :devil:


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

moody said:


> The problem is that the word greatest was used and that's what counts


Precisely. I was explaining why I DIDN'T vote in this poll, in response to DA's puzzlement about why so few people voted.
.


> Also, are you really telling me that you can't listen to recordings of Callas and Milanov


I am not telling you that I can't, I am telling you that I don't much, and certainly not enough to make an informed decision. In fact most of what I consume is via DVD. Callas is rather under-represented there, although I do have her Act 2 Tosca.



> because I remember disagreeing with you when you said that Siepi was the greatest and I said Pinza. Same era.


Glad you remember this. I haven't actually heard Siepi sing yet (his Don Giovanni is still in my unwatched pile) so it's unlikely I'd be touting his merits.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

mamascarlatti said:


> Precisely. I was explaining why I DIDN'T vote in this poll, in response to DA's puzzlement about why so few people voted.
> .
> 
> I am not telling you that I can't, I am telling you that I don't much, and certainly not enough to make an informed decision. In fact most of what I consume is via DVD. Callas is rather under-represented there, although I do have her Act 2 Tosca.
> ...


Still don't understand your first remark. Sorry if it wasn't you in regard to Siepi,I've just gone back over the threads which took some time. But they end at forty--why's that.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Well, what we can know for certain is that those two were indeed Verdi's favorite sopranos 








Teresa Stolz







Giuseppina Strepponi


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

schigolch said:


> Well, what we can know for certain is that those two were indeed Verdi's favorite sopranos
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I was always creeped by her photos, she looks like a male to me.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

moody said:


> Still don't understand your first remark.


Well Dark angel wondered why only 9 people voted in the poll. I said I didn't vote because I hadn't listened to the singers enough. They are past performers, and I am only really familiar enough to pass judgement with current performers. I'm not saying they are not great, just that I don't know them. Simple as that.


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## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

Bellinilover said:


> *Revenant:* I too was surprised not to see Gobbi. But the thing you have to remember about lists of "the greatest" anything is that, while they pretend to be objective or definitive, they really just represent people's opinions. Personally, I think some of the choices seem a bit arbitrary, but whatever.


I agree to a large extent: personal opinions, mirrored and circumscribed within cliques in which no argument for diversity is allowed. Cliques in which the mere expression of a proscribed preference can bring down collective howls of execration on the offender's head.


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> Well, what we can know for certain is that those two were indeed Verdi's favorite sopranos
> 
> Teresa Stolz, Giuseppina Strepponi


Indeed they received "special attention" with Strepponi becoming his wife and later after her death Stolz becoming romantically linked to the composer and constant companion


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Revenant said:


> I agree to a large extent: personal opinions, mirrored and circumscribed within cliques in which no argument for diversity is allowed. Cliques in which the mere expression of a proscribed preference can bring down collective howls of execration on the offender's head.


Which is why I never post in "greatest" polls. You'd have to first nut out the criteria. And I honestly think it is hard to detach one's visceral reaction from the more objective matters.

"Favourite" questions are another matter. _De gustibus non est disputandum_. I can talk about some soprano performances that I have enjoyed.

Renata Scotto in the Met's Luisa Miller. Wonderful portrayal of anguish particularly in the last act.
Anja Harteros in Don Carlo. I love her voice, and her singing, and she has such stage presence.
Ileana Cotrubas as La traviata, on CD and on YT, and as Gilda. Probably my favorite soprano ever, and she's such a beautiful dignified Traviata.
Marina Poplavskaya as Desdemona in the DVD from Salzburg. She makes Desdemona really three-dimensional, and heart-breaking.
Liudmila Monastyrska in the Nabucco from La Scala. Scary lady.
Violeta Urmana in the Tcherniakov Lady Macbeth from Paris. Another scary determined lady.
Kiri Te Kanawa in the Met's Simon Boccanegra. The beauty of that voice.
Raina Kabaivanska in Il Trovatore from Vienna, with Domingo. She sings beautifully and is a dignified Leonora. I can believe that she would kill herself rather than submit.
Sondra Radvanovsky in the recent Ballo from the Met. Passionate and heartfelt.
Catherine Malfitano in the Stiffelio DVD with Carreras. 
Cheryl Studer in the Attila DVD with Samuel Ramey.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

mamascarlatti said:


> Well Dark angel wondered why only 9 people voted in the poll. I said I didn't vote because I hadn't listened to the singers enough. They are past performers, and I am only really familiar enough to pass judgement with current performers. I'm not saying they are not great, just that I don't know them. Simple as that.


I found what I was looking for,it was Sospiro Sept.28th,2012 ,thread "Mozart On CD,DVD and Blue ray.
It's been bugging me so am glad to have sorted it.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

moody said:


> I've never understood the fuss about Callas--she had no voice.


One of the funniest things I've ever read.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

GregMitchell said:


> One of the funniest things I've ever read.


New to internet?


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Not at all, though new to this particular forum. Why do you ask?


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

GregMitchell said:


> Not at all, though new to this particular forum. Why do you ask?


Because claim that Callas had no voice, as ridiculous as it is, is far from being the worst thing you can read about music in the internet. So when you say it's one of the funniest things you did ever read, I'm getting all Don Alfosno, thinking "cara semplicità, quanto mi piace!".


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Aramis said:


> Because claim that Callas had no voice, as ridiculous as it is, is far from being the worst thing you can read about music in the internet. So when you say it's one of the funniest things you did ever read, I'm getting all Don Alfosno, thinking "cara semplicità, quanto mi piace!".


Such a claim (Callas having no voice) is funny, because it betrays an ignorance of music and singing that is quite astounding. I quite accept that there are many who do not respond to Callas's admittedly individual sound, but to say that one of the greatest singers of the twentieth century, who became famous in the opera house, not just on record, as so many do these days, is just plain silly and deserving of ridicule.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

GregMitchell said:


> One of the funniest things I've ever read.


Not very impressive ,have you bothered to actually read through the posts ?
You will see that I have quoted Charles Osborne's opinion in my post no.37, Now he is an authority on Verdi,are you honestly unaware that there are many who criticise Callas's voice and voice production ?
I ,by the way,did not find your little remark in the least bit funny. If you do decide to comment you should try to do so in a constructive and sensible way--a forum is a place for discussion.. Then we will, I'm sure, be struck with your expertize and obvious long experience.
At the moment based on your post I have to wonder what your experience of opera is in the first place.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

> Now he is an authority on Verdi,are you honestly unaware that there are many who criticise Callas's voice


So you think that people who criticise Callas voice prove that, as you said, she had none? In a word, if something is criticised, it doesn't exist. A bright logic, I must admit.


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## HumphreyAppleby (Apr 11, 2013)

I like Margaret Price in Verdi roles. Beautiful tone, passionate interpretation, dynamics, and some edge in the upper register, not unlike Leontyne, although more silvery, and actually more to my taste.

I think she's incredible here:





And Anita Cerquetti is the other Verdi diva for me, along with Caballe.


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## Posie (Aug 18, 2013)

Since this poll is closed, I vote for Leontyne price.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

moody said:


> Not very impressive ,have you bothered to actually read through the posts ?
> You will see that I have quoted Charles Osborne's opinion in my post no.37, Now he is an authority on Verdi,are you honestly unaware that there are many who criticise Callas's voice and voice production ?
> I ,by the way,did not find your little remark in the least bit funny. If you do decide to comment you should try to do so in a constructive and sensible way--a forum is a place for discussion.. Then we will, I'm sure, be struck with your expertize and obvious long experience.
> At the moment based on your post I have to wonder what your experience of opera is in the first place.


You misquote Charles Osborne. No he doesn't much like Callas's voice or method, but at no point does he say she didn't have a voice, and in fact praises very highly her live Lucia from Berlin.
It is one thing not to like Callas's voice, but to suggest that she had no voice or couldn't sing is patently ridiculous.
At her peak she had a range of almost 3 octaves from the F# below middle C to an E _in alt_. It was a large and voluminous voice, and the very top notes had an incisive power which enabled her to sing both Turandot and Lucia, and even, at one point, alternate the roles of Elvira in *I Puritani* and Brunnhilde. Even at the end of her career, when the voice is admittedly worn and unsteady at the top, she can sing a legato chromatic scale, every note cleanly articulated. You can hear it in her versions of the aria _Arrigo ah parli a un core_ from *I Vespri Siciliani*, recorded at the end of her career. The high C is shrill and unsteady and the low F# something of a moan, but every note inbetween is clearly and cleanly articulated in a perfect _legato_. This is not the work of someone who has no voice. Martina Arroyo, on the complete recording, just slithers down the scale.
Or have you heard the live version of *Norma* from La Scala in 1955, in which she hits a top C _fortissimo_, effects a _diminuendo_ on it, before cascading down a perfect chromatic scale to the verbal gasps of the audience? She manages the same effect again in *la Sonnambula* in Cologne in 1957, on an even higher note (Eb _in alt_). This is not the work of someone with no voice.
Furthermore she was a musician of unparalleled excellence. In the words of conductor Victor de Sabata, "If the public could understand how deeply musical she is, they would be amazed." This is why she is so revered. Even Charles Osborne, who does not like her voice, admits that she is a great musician.
In short my argument is that I quite understand that there will always be some who will never like Callas's voice. She is not comfortable listening (who said opera should be comfortable?) and she will always remain controversial, but to flippantly suggest that Callas had _no_ voice is to show a complete ignorance of music and singing.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

That is not what I said. The original poster said Callas had no voice, a claim which is patently not true. If he or she had simply said "I don't like Callas's voice" that would have been different. There is nothing wrong with _my_ logic. 
For example, if we were talking about pianists, and somebody said Alfred Brendel can't play the piano, that would be a ridiculous statement. On the other hand, if they said they didn't like Brendel's playing, that is a value judgement to which they are entitled.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Aramis said:


> So you think that people who criticise Callas voice prove that, as you said, she had none? In a word, if something is criticised, it doesn't exist. A bright logic, I must admit.


That is not what I said. The original poster said Callas had no voice, a claim which is patently not true. If he or she had simply said "I don't like Callas's voice" that would have been different. There is nothing wrong with my logic. 
For example, if we were talking about pianists, and somebody said Alfred Brendel can't play the piano, that would be a ridiculous statement. On the other hand, if they said they didn't like Brendel's playing, that is a value judgement to which they are entitled.


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## Svelte Silhouette (Nov 7, 2013)

kiri te kanawa is a sad omission


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

GregMitchell said:


> You misquote Charles Osborne. No he doesn't much like Callas's voice or method, but at no point does he say she didn't have a voice, and in fact praises very highly her live Lucia from Berlin.
> It is one thing not to like Callas's voice, but to suggest that she had no voice or couldn't sing is patently ridiculous.
> At her peak she had a range of almost 3 octaves from the F# below middle C to an E _in alt_. It was a large and voluminous voice, and the very top notes had an incisive power which enabled her to sing both Turandot and Lucia, and even, at one point, alternate the roles of Elvira in *I Puritani* and Brunnhilde. Even at the end of her career, when the voice is admittedly worn and unsteady at the top, she can sing a legato chromatic scale, every note cleanly articulated. You can hear it in her versions of the aria _Arrigo ah parli a un core_ from *I Vespri Siciliani*, recorded at the end of her career. The high C is shrill and unsteady and the low F# something of a moan, but every note inbetween is clearly and cleanly articulated in a perfect _legato_. This is not the work of someone who has no voice. Martina Arroyo, on the complete recording, just slithers down the scale.
> Or have you heard the live version of *Norma* from La Scala in 1955, in which she hits a top C _fortissimo_, effects a _diminuendo_ on it, before cascading down a perfect chromatic scale to the verbal gasps of the audience? She manages the same effect again in *la Sonnambula* in Cologne in 1957, on an even higher note (Eb _in alt_). This is not the work of someone with no voice.
> ...


Osborne said : "Callas's VOCAL FAILINGS WERE A STUMBLING BLOCK and that the gramophone tended cruelly to expose her. On disc she is vocally inadequate or at times excrutiating. Well ,you are right he certainly didn't like her voice or method---so how am I misquoting him and what am I quoting from ? If you know please correct my mistakes, but in any case You should take care as to such accusations.
We are not talking about a theatre actress but an opera singer and to me the voice comes first. But I will grant you that my remark about "no voice" was probably ill chosen. I should have said : "Callas has not got the voice to be a great Verdi soprano".
Let's see a couple more criticisms.
"Carmen". Her gypsy is devoid of any charm ...Callas shows that this is no role for a fading soprano and there are problems with dynamics...it is Callas who prevents this being a seriously considerable recording.
Rodney Milnes.

"La Forza del Destino". Maria Callas's sometimes over-brilliant,not always steady high notes and her ambitiously weighted climactic phrases produce the stress on which her detractors like to fasten".
Lord Harewood.

"Tosca". "It is altogether a histrionic marvel--Macaw sqauwks and all ." Philip Hope-Wallace.

"Norma" "Maria Callas delighted everyone except those disconcerted by her faults of vocal emission.
Her phrasing was often memorable ,arresting and even perhaps exaggerated....yet the flawless vocal emission which is the cardinal quality called for in this exposed and perilous role was not vouchsafed....but the voice did not ride the big final ensemble as it should ...I myself cannot feel that she is more than a plausible Norma. The classical dimension was wanting".
Philip Hope-Wallace.

You ask if opera should be easy listening, the drama may not be but the protagonists should be.
My choice of Verdi sopranos would include Zinka Milanov, Rosa Ponselle ,Eleanor Steber and Meta Seinemeyer. The singing of these great stars never made me wonder whether they could surmount the difficulties.

I am not ignorant regarding singing and I saw Callas as a matter of interest...did you ?


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Svelte Silhouette said:


> kiri te kanawa is a sad omission


How dare you to call her that way!!! She's a human being, not a "sad omission"... even if you don't like her singing!!!!


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

moody said:


> Osborne said : "Callas's VOCAL FAILINGS WERE A STUMBLING BLOCK and that the gramophone tended cruelly to expose her. On disc she is vocally inadequate or at times excrutiating. Well ,you are right he certainly didn't like her voice or method---so how am I misquoting him and what am I quoting from ? If you know please correct my mistakes, but in any case You should take care as to such accusations.
> We are not talking about a theatre actress but an opera singer and to me the voice comes first. But I will grant you that my remark about "no voice" was probably ill chosen. I should have said : "Callas has not got the voice to be a great Verdi soprano".
> Let's see a couple more criticisms.
> "Carmen". Her gypsy is devoid of any charm ...Callas shows that this is no role for a fading soprano and there are problems with dynamics...it is Callas who prevents this being a seriously considerable recording.
> ...


I feel we have got off on the wrong foot. You obviously do know a great deal about singing, but your rather glib comment that Callas had no voice deserved a glib response.

At 61, I am (just) too young to have seen Callas live. However I have heard every single one of her commercial recordings and almost every note of live material there is out there. It was a relatively short career, and her decline was unfortunately rapid, but, at her peak, whether you like her voice or not, she was the absolute mistress of her voice, and rendered the score with a great deal more truth than most of her rivals. The reason her *Trovatore* Leonora (when Schwarzkopf was heard to mutter, "that woman is a miracle") caused such a stir, had nothing to do with her acting, but everything to do with her accurate reading of the score, replacing all the _bel canto_ ornaments that singers like Milanov largely ignored. Her Leonora is surely one of the greatest of her achievements, those trills in _D'amor sul'ali rosee_ always integrated into the line, and emerging like the sighs of a wounded soul.

Rodney Milnes, admittedly did not like her Carmen, but he extravagantly admires her in other roles, Lucia amonst them. He may be right that Callas's Carmen lacks charm, but that rather depends on your view of the role. Callas's Carmen is absolutely the _dangereuse et belle_ woman described by Micaela. De Los Angeles, Milnes's preferred Carmen is certainly charming, but not in the least dangerous.

Charles Osborne is a critic I take little notice of, as I rarely agree with him. He is a Sutherland devotee, and she is a singer whom I don't really respond to, though I acknowledge the beauty of her voice and her technical prowess.

Philip Hope-Wallace was an old school critic who never came around to the revolution that Callas created in opera after the war. If he didn't find Callas a plausible Norma, I dread to think of what he might have said about Bartoli's. Of course he still laboured under the mistaken belief that *Norma* is a Classical opera, when it is a Romantic one, written of course for the same singer who created Amina. In those days large voiced sopranos approximated much of the coloratura, whereas Callas returned it to its coloratura roots. Incidentally there are absolutely no macaw squawks in Callas's first *Tosca* (though I'll admit there are a few in her second). Her voice is rock solid throughout and a good deal more secure than many who have followed her.

Lord Harewood was one of Callas's greatest admirers, so let me continue his quote on her recording of *la Forza Del Destino*: _Against that, her admirers can urge an unparalleled musical sensibility and imagination, subtle changes of tonal weight through the wonderfully shaped set-pieces, and a grasp of the musico-dramatic picture, which is unique._.

Andrew Porter on Callas's recordings of *Norma*: _My reaction is that, on both sets, Callas gives an interpretation of Norma, which Sutherland, Caballe and Sills, the heroines of later issues, do not begin to approach. Her vocal faults are easy to discern. The beauty, force and affecting power of her enunciation, timbres, timing and moulding of line are more easily experienced than described._

John Steane neatly sums things up in his comparative *Aida* survey: _If anyone doubts that genius is the word, he should put down the stylus at any point in this *Aida* (though preferably not at the climax of "O patria mia"). the character is there in the very sound of the voice as well as in that special way of going to the heart of a phrase, of making old things new._ Of course, for some people. that climactic high C is the most important note in the whole opera, and, if it's fudged, then that's all that matters. I happen to think opera is about a lot more than isolated notes.

Let me quote Michael Scott on Callas's test recording of Donna Anna's _Non mi dir_, made in 1953: _Her singing causes us to reexamine the music: the most remarkable thing about it is its sense of style. She reminds us that problems of style are not, as is commonly supposed, historic but musical. There is nothing in the least contrived or arty-sounding about it, in the manner of many Mozarteans. Her voice is easily produced, her tone perfectly supported, and her phrasing a model.... Altogether her singing admits of no technical problems; this aria, one of the most demanding ever written, appears not to cost her the slightest effort. Not only does she sing it more easily than Lilli Lehmann....., but she also sings it more persuasively: she communicates that she is appealing to Ottavio, not about to throttle him._

I do not really agree with your statement that the protagonists, the singers, should always be comfortable listening, though I note that your favourites are all singers with beautiful voices, but little dramatic vitality, except for Ponselle maybe, also one of my favourite singers. Milanov I have never got on with. Plain boring. Both Senemeyer and Steber I do like.

It's my belief that there is no such thing as a great Verdi soprano. A great Aida or Desdemona is not likely to make a great Violetta or Gilda. Tebaldi, for instance, sang a wonderful *Forza* Leonora, Aida, Desdemona and Requiem, but lacked the technique (and the high notes) for Violetta. She never sang the *Ballo* Amelia or the *Trovatore* Leonora on stage, as far as I'm aware. Leontyne Price is also regularly offered as the ideal Verdi soprano, but again, though she was ideal as Aida, she never sang Violetta or Gilda, or Lady Macbeth. Callas's achievement is that she had success in Verdi operas from all periods, Abigaille, Lady Macbeth, both Leonoras, Violetta, Gilda, Amelia in *Ballo*, Elisabetta, Elena (*I Vespri Siciliani*) and Aida.

I accept you don't like her voice. Many don't, but even her greatest detractors admit of her musical excellence. if she had merely been a great actress, her records wouldn't continue to sell in their millions and she would be completely forgotten.


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