# Round Three: Che puro ciel. Ferrier and Stevens



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I've saved some exquisite renditions of this aria for the last. Both very emotional, incredibly beautiful but very different. See which one strikes you fancy. The singing on both starts a minute in if you are in a hurry. You can vote for both if this is a tie for you.




Artist: Kathleen Ferrier Choir: Glyndebourne Festival Chorus Conductor: Fritz Stiedry Orchestra: Southern Philharmonic Orchestra Composer: Christoph Willibald Gluck 




Artist: Risë Stevens Conductor: Pierre Monteux Orchestra: Orchestra del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma Composer: Christoph Willibald Gluck


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

We may have here the least and most sexy Orfeos on record. Since there's no reason for Orfeo to sound sexy, I have to prefer Ferrier. The straight men in the audience may have a different perspective, assuming their raging hormones haven't caused them to lose all perspective. No surprise that Stevens was a celebrated Carmen and Dalila. Ferrier's unique voice is full of innocence and wonder. 

On an unrelated topic, is there, or was there, an English school of oboe playing? The tone quality of Ferrier's oboist sounds just like that of the Philharmonia's oboist in the early 1950s.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> We may have here the least and most sexy Orfeos on record. Since there's no reason for Orfeo to sound sexy, I have to prefer Ferrier. The straight men in the audience may have a different perspective, assuming their raging hormones haven't caused them to lose all perspective. No surprise that Stevens was a celebrated Carmen and Dalila. Ferrier's unique voice is full of innocence and wonder.
> 
> On an unrelated topic, is there, or was there, an English school of oboe playing? The tone quality of Ferrier's oboist sounds just like that of the Philharmonia's oboist in the early 1950s.


So different and both so wonderful.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Somehow I hear nobility in Ferrier’s voice, as beautiful a deep voice as I’ve ever heard, flowing in richness. Stevens is more variegated in tone but no less attractive. Hard to pick but I lean more towards Ferrier.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I've saved some exquisite renditions of this aria for the last. Both very emotional, incredibly beautiful but very different. See which one strikes you fancy. The singing on both starts a minute in if you are in a hurry. You can vote for both if this is a tie for you.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The first is a prettier singing, the second is a prettier conducting.
The conducting (edit - instrumental accompaniment) for Kathleen Ferrier sometimes resembles a cell phone ringing to me, LOL !
But she fights it bravely, and we are doing the singing competition, so she has my vote !


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Ferrier is perfect here, singing with wonder and a sort of suppressed awe. Stevens sounds too feminine and too doom laden I think and Monteux's tempo strikes me as too slow. The voice is lovely but Ferrier takes this easily.


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