# What image do certain operatic voices make you think of?



## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

what image comes to mind when you hear a certain operatic voice?

I'll start with a few 
*Anna Moffo:* chocolate mousse 
*Martina Arroyo: *purple velvet
*Joan Sutherland:* an angel queen brandishing a sword and summoning a thunderstorm
*Beverly Sills:* a fairy
*Kirsten Flagstad:* liquid gold
*Gina Signa:* a blizzard
*Viorica Cortez:* a witch
*Ingaborg Hallstein:* Christmas bells
*Kiri Te Kanawa:* black licorice 
*Sherrill Milnes:* cold steel
*Elena Obraztsova:* a tigress
*Jussi Bjorling:* mistletoe
*June Anderson:* Joan Sutherland's baby sister


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Maria Callas: gold bullion, spun gold, gold flecks, molten gold, regal gold, silver, platinum, rubies, Tiffany's diamonds, innocent, vulnerable, compassionate, angry, vindictive, sublime, imperious, scheming, flirty, manipulative, penitent, minxy, sexy, dignified, unhinged, highest drama, red blooded, vital, alive, pure bliss. . . 'paradise.'


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Victoria de los Angeles.... all things feminine. :angel:


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

For me singing voices usually evoke _colors_. Some examples:

Sherrill Milnes: Silver, turquoise blue, or bronze
Renee Fleming: Gold or reddish gold
Placido Domingo: Dark green or chocolate brown
Montserrat Caballe: Black with red glints
Anna Moffo: Red
Anna Netrebko: Red-gold or a dark color with glints of silver and gold
Jennifer Larmore: Jet black, like onyx
Cecilia Bartoli: Brown, gold, silver, red
Joan Sutherland: Silver (earlier recordings), Gold (later recordings)

Fascinating topic! I'll be back.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Bellinilover said:


> For me singing voices usually evoke _colors_. Some examples:


I totally get this  the colors these singers make me think of are



> Sherrill Milnes: Silver, turquoise blue, or bronze


silver (though I more metallic silver when compared to the more shimmering silver of June Anderson or early Sutherland)



> Renee Fleming: Gold or reddish gold


I would say somewhat of a darker gold. more "roasted oats" as opposed to "goldenrod" if that makes any sense



> Montserrat Caballe: Black with red glints


same



> Anna Moffo: Red


deep, bronze-ish brown, like an antique lamp or varnished wood



> Anna Netrebko: Red-gold or a dark color with glints of silver and gold


brown with pinkish undertones



> Jennifer Larmore: Jet black, like onyx


same



> Cecilia Bartoli: Brown, gold, silver, red


deep brown



> Joan Sutherland: Silver (earlier recordings), Gold (later recordings)


exactly!

I'll add a few:
*June Anderson:* shimmering silver 
*Kiri Te Kanawa:* jade green with glints of black
*Martina Arroyo:* purple and gold
*Leontyne Price:* brown
*Annick Massis:* midnight blue with glistening stars


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

*BalalakaikaBoy:* I've also heard Caballe's voice described as "lilac"!

For me, Arroyo's voice is black satin or black velvet.

Here are some more colors/images:

Victoria de los Angeles: Red roses
Mirella Freni, Nicolai Gedda, and Juan Diego Florez: White wine
Fiorenza Cossotto: Something hard, shiny, and dark-colored (black marble?)
Alessadro Corbelli: Coffee beans
Barbara Frittoli: Amber
Andrea Rost: Something white and sparkly, like white sequins
Ileana Cotrubas: Milk, white flowers
Natalie Dessay: A white lily (like the kind you see at Easter)
Patricia Racette: Beige with some silver and white
Samuel Ramey: Black


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Bellinilover said:


> *BalalakaikaBoy:* I've also heard Caballe's voice described as "lilac"!


I could see that



> For me, Arroyo's voice is black satin or black velvet.


Martina Arroyo's voice (both timbre and vocal style) are more inviting and emotive than anything black, imo. more purple, brown or deep red



> Victoria de los Angeles: Red roses


yes



> Nicolai Gedda, and Juan Diego Florez: White wine


Gedda: yes! that's perfect
Florez: eh, his voice is more "strawberry daiquiri" imo.



> Fiorenza Cossotto: Something hard, shiny, and dark-colored (black marble?)


sounds about right



> Ileana Cotrbuas: Milk, white flowers


yes



> Natalie Dessay: A white lily (like the kind you see at Easter)


pretty much, though I would throw in an assortment of Easter colors (light blue, pink, light green, etc) coupled with a few accents of deep scarlet (though maybe the last part is more personality, which sharply contrasts with her voice imo)



> Samuel Ramey: Black


yup, like onyx


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

How about these...

Thomas Hampson: Cool blue
Dawn Upshaw: A flute
Sumi Jo: Silver glitter
Jonas Kaufmann: Dark brown with glints of gold
Karita Mattila: Pale yellow or ice blue
Renata Tebaldi: Red-orange
Shirley Verrett: Very dark purple, almost black


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Oh yes, and prime Deborah Voigt is turquoise, silver, and pale gold.


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## Lt.Belle (Jan 19, 2014)

Lol thats very good Gedda white wine and Florez strawberry coctail im tasting it already yummy.
Comparisment of Cristina Deutekom with a Laser Beam i found most striking!


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> *Joan Sutherland:* an angel queen brandishing a sword and summoning a thunderstorm


actually, more than anything, Joan Sutherland's voice reminds me of storm clouds.
*upper register:* dramatic flashes of lightning
*middle register:* rumbling thunder in the distance before a storm
*lower register:* light drizzle and the last remnants of thunder moving off after the climax of a mighty storm

Sutherland's voice was dramatic and like something coming down from the heavens, but at the same time, there was a distinct _gloomy_ quality to it, to the point where she sounded a bit weird trying to portray happy characters like Rosina or Marie from Fille de Regiment.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> actually, more than anything, Joan Sutherland's voice reminds me of storm clouds.
> *upper register:* dramatic flashes of lightning
> *middle register:* rumbling thunder in the distance before a storm
> *lower register:* light drizzle and the last remnants of thunder moving off after the climax of a mighty storm
> ...


That's fascinating! On a similar note, Bryn Terfel's voice reminds me of a windstorm.


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## Celloman (Sep 30, 2006)

Bellinilover said:


> How about these...
> 
> Thomas Hampson: Cool blue
> Dawn Upshaw: A flute
> ...


Are you a synasthesiac?


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Celloman said:


> Are you a synasthesiac?


I could be, as I frequently connect sounds with colors. On other hand, sometimes images come to mind, rather than colors.


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## karenpat (Jan 16, 2009)

Christopher Purves = melted 86% cocoa dark chocolate 
Julia Lezhneva = a clarinet 
Zachary Wilder = breath of fresh air

These are just the ones that immediately come to mind. People who know me probably expect me to come up with a list of countertenor voices (which would be tempting) but I find they are harder to describe. But I may post here again.


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

Mari Lyn - razor blades


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

It occurred to me today while listening to her that Marilyn Horne had one of the most multicolored voices I've ever heard -- from dark brown to silver and everything in between, I'd say.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Couac Addict said:


> Mari Lyn - razor blades


this is what I think of when I think of Gina Cigna  (apart from the aforementioned blizzard). when she hits a high C, I'm like "better be careful. don't wanna get a paper cut"


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Elena Garanca = some R-rated sultry scenes that are banned here via ToS. Lots of pleasure, put it this way.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Vladimir Chernov's voice reminds me of a black rock with gold glints in it -- like this one:


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## graziesignore (Mar 13, 2015)

Giorgio Zancanaro: strong black coffee. (Espresso?)

Placido Domingo (as a tenor): an orange.

Samuel Ramey: highly polished oak.


Interesting take on Chernov, as I always thought his voice was somehow multi-layered, but I would have characterized it as "hard/soft," whereas you have "black/gold."


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Sir Thomas Allen has a very _textured_ voice, to my ear. The color I associate with it is a light golden brown, mixed with some dark red.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Callas: Parts of her voice remind me of a clarinet others of a violin
Jessye Norman: before her weight loss her voice reminds me of a gurgling stream... very liquid and down low of a cello
Nilsson: a trumpet but more feminine ( trumpets are soprano but sound male to me)


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Nilsson: a trumpet but more feminine


... a "frumpet", perhaps?


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## Tuoksu (Sep 3, 2015)

(This is the thread I've always wanted!!)

*Maria Callas: * 
Supernova, silver/white sound waves, laser beams, electromagnetic waves, beach waves, a praying angel... It's the hardest one to describe.
Pretty much something like this





*Joan Sutherland: *Falling shimmery snowflakes. Sometimes a crone.
*Rosa Ponselle: * Rose Gold 








Besides, I do associate very particular shades colors with certain composers and some of their Operas:
*
Verdi*
La Traviata
Il Trovatore
Rigoletto
Ernani
Macbeth
*Bellini*
Norma, Il Pirata, La Sonnambula
I Puritani
*Donizetti*
Lucia di Lammermoor
Anna Bolena
*Mozart*
*Wagner*
*Puccini*


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> ... a "frumpet", perhaps?


A phrase to remember.


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## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

Tuoksu said:


> (This is the thread I've always wanted!!)
> 
> *Maria Callas: *
> Supernova, silver/white sound waves, laser beams, electromagnetic waves, beach waves, a praying angel... It's the hardest one to describe.
> ...


Tuoksu, you may have something called *synaesthesia*. I do too, and my synaesthesia is the letter-color type:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia

While most of the time, synaesthesiac people perceive their "version" differently (for example, the letter A looks red to one person but seems blue to another), I am so astonished that if I looked at the words you colored (without seeing you colored them), I would still agree with your choice of colors 90% of the time (Macbeth is red, Il Trovatore is light purple, Il Pirata is green, Puritani is light blue, Wagner is brown, Puccini is dark green etc...)


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## Tuoksu (Sep 3, 2015)

silentio said:


> Tuoksu, you may have something called *synaesthesia*. I do too, and my synaesthesia is the letter-color type:
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia
> 
> While most of the time, synaesthesiac people perceive their "version" differently (for example, the letter A looks red to one person but seems blue to another), I am so astonished that if I looked at the words you colored (without seeing you colored them), I would still agree with your choice of colors 90% of the time (Macbeth is red, Il Trovatore is light purple, Il Pirata is green, Puritani is light blue, Wagner is brown, Puccini is dark green etc...)


I've been told so by a friend (German composer Stefan Hertrich from Shiva in Exile.)
I think my sisters have it too. And like you said it's mostly a different perception for every one. For instance, we sometimes have an "argument" about day colors (I see Sunday as white while thy both insist it's blue..etc)and it's quite funny. 
It's fascinating though when someone else sees the same thing as you. I'm just as stunned that you agree with my colors.


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## Annied (Apr 27, 2017)

No images for me as far as the singers are concerned, but music and water are inextricably linked in my mind. It may be a babbling brook, a mountain stream, waves rippling onto the shore or even Niagara Falls, but it's always water.

Alongside that, the music I enjoy the most evokes curves in my mind's eye. Baroque will forever be a closed book to me as all I can ever see are jagged lines, triangles, squares etc. all of which make me feel edgy and uncomfortable.

I do seem to be out on my own with this though!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Annied said:


> No images for me as far as the singers are concerned, but music and water are inextricably linked in my mind. It may be a babbling brook, a mountain stream, waves rippling onto the shore or even Niagara Falls, but it's always water.
> 
> Alongside that, the music I enjoy the most evokes curves in my mind's eye. Baroque will forever be a closed book to me as all I can ever see are jagged lines, triangles, squares etc. all of which make me feel edgy and uncomfortable.
> 
> I do seem to be out on my own with this though!


That's a whole different and interesting look on the matter. :tiphat:


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## Annied (Apr 27, 2017)

Pugg said:


> That's a whole different and interesting look on the matter. :tiphat:


I think it's down to having an exceptionally strong sense of rhythm that totally dominates my poor sense of pitch. An "ear" as lopsided as mine probably doesn't come along too often in opera circles.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Annied said:


> I think it's down to having an exceptionally strong sense of rhythm that totally dominates my poor sense of pitch. An "ear" as lopsided as mine probably doesn't come along too often in opera circles.


Self knowledge is a virtue to cherish.


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## Annied (Apr 27, 2017)

I'd certainly love to meet someone who has the same imbalance and swap thoughts.

I do actually feel rather sorry for anyone who has both perfect pitch and a perfect sense of rhythm. (I'm not saying that mine's perfect by the way - I have no idea if it is or not.) To be able to hear when someone is slightly off the centre of a note and also when they're slightly off the centre of the beat into the bargain, must make it a rare thing to hear a truly satisfying performance.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Annied said:


> I'd certainly love to meet someone who has the same imbalance and swap thoughts.
> 
> I do actually feel rather sorry for anyone who has both perfect pitch and a perfect sense of rhythm. (I'm not saying that mine's perfect by the way - I have no idea if it is or not.) To be able to hear when someone is slightly off the centre of a note and also when they're slightly off the centre of the beat into the bargain, must make it a rare thing to hear a truly satisfying performance.


Someday you will find your "soulmate" trust your own judgement.


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## VladaNS (May 24, 2017)

George London - Darth Vader


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## Jemarchesurtousleschemins (Apr 3, 2017)

Some current female singers:
Renee Fleming: the color of butterscotch (do not ask)
Anna Netrebko: (pre-2010) ebony, (post-2010) olive green
Sonya Yoncheva: Reeeeally dark brown (dark chocolate, kind of)
Diana Damrau: Dark yellow
Kristine Opolais: Ice blue
Sondra Radvanovsky: Midnight blue
Pretty Yende: Crimson and white
Joyce DiDonato: Rose gold
Elina Garanca: Misty green
Isabel Leonard: A deep brown

Just my $0.02


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Jemarchesurtousleschemins said:


> Some current female singers:
> Renee Fleming: the color of butterscotch (do not ask)
> Anna Netrebko: (pre-2010) ebony, (post-2010) olive green
> Sonya Yoncheva: Reeeeally dark brown (dark chocolate, kind of)
> ...


Now I have too.......


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## Jemarchesurtousleschemins (Apr 3, 2017)

Pugg said:


> Now I have too.......


Fine... I just really like butterscotch and Renee Fleming's voice makes me think of the color of butterscotch for some reason. It's just light yet warm...


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Jemarchesurtousleschemins said:


> Fine... I just really like butterscotch and Renee Fleming's voice makes me think of the color of butterscotch for some reason. It's just light yet warm...


I know the feeling , she may sing the yellow pages for all I care, still love it.


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## Jemarchesurtousleschemins (Apr 3, 2017)

Pugg said:


> I know the feeling , she may sing the yellow pages for all I care, still love it.


Pugg, I know, right?


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Jemarchesurtousleschemins said:


> Pugg, I know, right?


I know, :cheers:


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Has anyone been able to prove that Renee Fleming & Katie Couric are not the same person? Lol


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Jemarchesurtousleschemins said:


> Some current female singers:
> Renee Fleming: *the color of butterscotch *(do not ask)
> Anna Netrebko: (pre-2010) ebony, (post-2010) olive green
> Sonya Yoncheva: Reeeeally dark brown (dark chocolate, kind of)
> ...


Sherrill Milnes' voice, especially as it sounded in the late 1970's, often makes me think of butterscotch! Here's an example:






And I can definitely hear "rose gold" for Joyce Di Donato's voice -- though I tend to think "the color of champagne."


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

^
Bellinilover:
How about his Rigoletto on Decca or his Manrico with Leontyne Price, they are both priceless.


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## Baritenor (Dec 13, 2015)

Reviving this old thread because it's interesting. Anyone else have any other opinions.


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## Baritenor (Dec 13, 2015)

Anna Netrebko: something dark and mushy....*mud * maybe  (yeah, I'm not a fan of Ms Netrebko)
Angela Gheorghiu: something quite dark, beautiful, and gentle....maybe *the night* or a *black flower*
Rene Flemming: *molten gold* I guess
Kiri Te Kanawa: a *particularly beautiful piece of bronze*
Elina Garanca: a *white rose* or a *white candle*
Maria Callas: *a musical note on a piece of paper* because it's black and it's so good it's like 'pure music' 
Renata Tebaldi: *orange rose or gladiola*
Joan Sutherland: a very dramatic but dry and emotionless voice....*thunder on and on and on* (no, not a fan of this beloved singer)
Elisabeth Schwartzkopf: *lilly of the valley* or *hyacinth*...probably sitting behind a pretty woman's ear. 
Kirsten Flagstadt: *shimmering metal*....a *pretty angel or fairy made of shimmering metal*
Monsterat Cabale: *pianissimo, pianissimo, pianissimo* is all I here. Another beloved singer that I'm not a fan of (don't shoot). The *petrol gray* color
Claudia Muzio: *hydrangeas* 
Victoria de Los Angeles: definitely *red roses*
Shirley Verret: a *beautiful brown*....or *the day and night cycle* or *the soil and the air* because of her dark lower register and her brighter airy upper one.
Anita Cerquetti: a pure an ephemeral voice....maybe unpolluted *spring water* or a *mayfly*
Ileana Cotrubas: I agree with *milk*....that or *white porcelain*
Eleanor Steber: a *tuning fork* because it's vibrant and quite metalic.
Ingeborg Hallstein: a very high and pretty voice....the *gates of heaven* or *heavenly bells*
Diana Damrau: a *pretty iceberg* or *marble*
Christina Deutekon: an *ice beam*
Lucia Popp: [a B]sparkling star[/B] ?
Beverly Sills: *lemon tree flowers* or a *thin sharp piece of metal coated in light gold*
Anna Moffo: *silk* or *chiffon* maybe because it's so smooth and beautiful
Ewa Podles: *a cave*...in a good way!
Natalie Dessay: *gold foil* because it's thin, light, and beautiful
Sumi Jo: soft and pretty...a *sea anemone* or a *frangipani* perhaps
Philippe Jaroussky: a *delicate piece of light gold*
Juan Diego Flores: *red roses....in a masculine way* 
Bryn Terfel: the sound that an elephant makes with his trunk only the perfect opera version

And that's enough for today. Let me know if you want my 'review' of a voice that I haven't covered.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Baritenor said:


> And that's enough for today. Let me know if you want my 'review' of a voice that I haven't covered.


I'll have my people call your people. When I get some people.


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## Baritenor (Dec 13, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> I'll have my people call your people. When I get some people.


[Gasp] You don't have people?! How lame


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Callas at the end of her career sounded like an ambulance siren.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Baritenor said:


> Anna Netrebko: something dark and mushy....*mud * maybe  (yeah, I'm not a fan of Ms Netrebko)
> Angela Gheorghiu: something quite dark, beautiful, and gentle....maybe *the night* or a *black flower*
> Rene Flemming: *molten gold* I guess
> Kiri Te Kanawa: a *particularly beautiful piece of bronze*
> ...


Podles... cave.... brilliant


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Baritenor said:


> Ewa Podles: *a cave*...in a good way!


a cave to me would denote a cooler voice. when I think Podles, I think more of a smokey bonfire in the Russia wilderness.


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## Baritenor (Dec 13, 2015)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> a cave to me would denote a cooler voice. when I think Podles, I think more of a smokey bonfire in the Russia wilderness.


Are you from Russia yourself *Balalaika*boy?


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

Del Monaco: a volcanic eruption
Warren: the finest steel sword concealed under a velvet cloak until ready to strike
Pavarotti: the first warm, golden spring day after a long, harsh winter
Nilsson: a fully armoured warrior tank who can solo fight a dragon
Salminen: black rocks 
Polgár: dark brown velvet with golden embroidery
Furlanetto: black molasses
Imbrailo: just the embodiment of health and youthful virility
Fleming: a young fruit tree in full bloom
Tomlinson: depending on role, a friendly white bear or a venomous but beautifully patterned snake
Tebaldi: actual angel with silver wings
Corelli: mithril armour and a royal blue cape
Tézier: a colour-shifting satin that changes between gold and a reddish brown
Keenlyside: a playful squirrel with so much energy, he probably had 10 coffees
Pape: a cello
Székely: a pipe organ
Milnes: noble yet somehow perpetually melancholy



Ooh, can we do the opera colour thing?


Don Carlo: black with antique gold and flashes of deep red
Traviata: light blue
Tosca: burgundy and gold
M*cbeth: blood red, black and white
Trovatore: not even one colour, just raging fire amplified by Sozin's Comet
Rigoletto: a mix of deep blue and rusty red
Madama Butterfly: pastels, especially pastel pink and light green
Turandot: turquise/aquamarine with a LOT of gold
Tristan und Isolde: cloudy greys and dark blue 
Boris Godunov: dark brown, gold and a dark orange 
Billy Budd: white and dark blue 
Eugene Onegin: starts out with warm colours and goes to white and violet/blue
Parsifal: grey, deep red and a lot of white
Carmen: red and black
Lucia di Lammermoor: white and red against a cool-toned dark background
The Magic Flute: green, white, gold and black with flecks of glitter
Un ballo in maschera: all sorts of purples/violets


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## Open Book (Aug 14, 2018)

Celloman said:


> Are you a synasthesiac?


This is the word I was trying to think of. When one sense evokes another sense inappropriately. Sounds have specific colors apparently.

I'm sure I'm one. For me digits from 0-9 have colors and many words have the flavors of foods.

Some sounds of the orchestra have flavors as well. A clarinet tastes like a tart plum. A piano is fruit-flavored jello. A bass can be licorice.

When it comes to voices, though, I don't fine tune that much. Vocal categories have ranges of color. Soprano voices are shades of bright red, mezzos darker red or purple, altos deep burgundy, tenors golden brown or tan, baritones charcoal grey or dark brown or dark purple, basses black.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Baritenor said:


> Are you from Russia yourself *Balalaika*boy?


no. I'm American. I just love Eastern European music and the character Balalaika from Black Lagoon (she's my profile picture).


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## Baritenor (Dec 13, 2015)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> no. I'm American. I just love Eastern European music and the character Balalaika from Black Lagoon (she's my profile picture).


What do you think about Romania's music then (it's my home country)?

Slow reply btw


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

> Juan Diego Flores: red roses....in a masculine way


if you mean "masculine" as in the sound of a teenage boy....sure I guess :/



> Claudia Muzio: hydrangeas


ooo! yes, this is fitting!



> Victoria de Los Angeles: definitely red roses


agreed



> Shirley Verret: a beautiful brown....or the day and night cycle or the soil and the air because of her dark lower register and her _brighter airy upper one_.


huh? I've never experienced her upper register as particularly "bright" in any capacity, more like PIERCING! beautiful brown works well. personally I get more of a purple velvet or polished mahogany, but that works



> Ingeborg Hallstein: a very high and pretty voice....the gates of heaven or heavenly bells


absolutely



> Diana Damrau: a pretty iceberg or marble


I'm a bit confused by this one...because an iceberg and marble have little in common. between the two, I think "iceberg" is more fitting. her voice is cold, but glistening, and icy comes to mind immediately, like if you were to do an opera of the movie Frozen. marbles doesn't work as well though, as it's not a voice with much richness in any capacity.



> Lucia Popp: [a B]sparkling star[/B] ?


my thoughts exactly, like a comet the color of a pink opal



> Beverly Sills: lemon tree flowers or a thin sharp piece of metal coated in light gold


the first works, the second I don't really see



> Anna Moffo: silk or chiffon maybe because it's so smooth and beautiful


100%. could listen to that all day



> Christina Deutekon: an ice beam


fits quite well, a bit like a more dramatic Damrau with more laser focus


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Eleanor Steber: pink opal and white silver


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Elena Obraztsova: a witch


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## aussiebushman (Apr 21, 2018)

Albert7 said:


> Elena Garanca = some R-rated sultry scenes that are banned here via ToS. Lots of pleasure, put it this way.


Yours is one of the few references I have found to Elina Garanca. I happen to think the voice is wonderful, but visually, this lady pushes every button in my mind (and body)


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Baritenor said:


> Anna Netrebko: something dark and mushy....*mud * maybe  (yeah, I'm not a fan of Ms Netrebko)
> Angela Gheorghiu: something quite dark, beautiful, and gentle....maybe *the night* or a *black flower*
> Rene Flemming: *molten gold* I guess
> Kiri Te Kanawa: a *particularly beautiful piece of bronze*
> ...


Wow, finally I've got a perfect image for Renata Tebaldi's voice: orange roses!


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> Eleanor Steber: pink opal and white silver


alternatively...dogwood flowers.


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## Baritenor (Dec 13, 2015)

And another one: Leyla Gencer - mud


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Baritenor said:


> And another one: Leyla Gencer - mud


...ouch (but not entirely unwarranted).


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## Baritenor (Dec 13, 2015)

Well it seems to be agreed that she's a Callas-tye of singer in that her voice isn't beautiful per se but it works for her.


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## Baritenor (Dec 13, 2015)

Baritenor said:


> Anna Netrebko: something dark and mushy....*mud * maybe  (yeah, I'm not a fan of Ms Netrebko)
> Angela Gheorghiu: something quite dark, beautiful, and gentle....maybe *the night* or a *black flower*
> Rene Flemming: *molten gold* I guess
> Kiri Te Kanawa: a *particularly beautiful piece of bronze*
> ...


Two more of my favorites (I don't know how come I omitted them the first time):

Elisabeth Grummer: a piece of fabric/clothing that is both beautiful in itself and beautifully tailored
Lisa Della Casa: a brightly shinning angel


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## Baritenor (Dec 13, 2015)

Baritenor said:


> Two more of my favorites (I don't know how come I omitted them the first time):
> 
> Elisabeth Grummer: a piece of fabric/clothing that is both beautiful in itself and beautifully tailored
> Lisa Della Casa: a brightly shinning angel


Anite Cerquetti: a gentle flowing crystal clear stream


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