# Victoria de los Angeles....................



## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

About time you get a thread graceful lady.

Maybe my favorite soprano. 
Such a beautiful, feminine voice.
Not heart on sleeve like some others,
but gets the emotions across in her own
subtler way. 
I never tire of listening to her warm, sparkling voice.

Thank you Ms de los Angeles :tiphat: :angel:

Anyone else?


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## Diminuendo (May 5, 2015)

A lovely lady. A very beautiful voice. I don't listen much her complete recordings, but it is always nice to listen to her. I especially like her Spanish songs and the songs of the Auvergne.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

One of my favourites too, one of my top three sopranos, along with Callas and Schwarzkopf. Apparently Walter Legge had a dream of casting all three of them in the same opera, and Callas was his original (if somewhat eccentric) choice for Olympia in *Les contes d'Hoffmann*).

Her Manon and Marguerite are surely the best in the catalogue. Also a wonderful Charlotte. Her Mimi and Butterfly are justly renowned portrayals too. Indeed she sang a wide range of operatic roles including some by Wagner and Verdi. There are live recordings of her singing Elisabeth in *Tannhauser* and Eva, and studio recordings of her Amelia in *Simon Boccanegra* and her Violetta, plus a wonderful live memento of her Desdemona at the Met (with Del Monaco).

Then of course she was one of those rare beasts (Schwarzkopf also comes to mind) who was as much at home on the concert platform as she was on stage in costume. Her song repertoire was also wide ranging, taking in Spanish song, both ancient and modern, German lieder and French _chansons_.

We are fortunate that EMI recorded her extensively and that so much of her repertoire is still available.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

A wonderful singer with a super legacy of recordings.

I love her performances of Spanish songs by Granados, Montasalvatge, Rodrigo etc (including the set with Alicia de Larocha on piano)and of course, Chants d'Auvergne. There are excellent performances of La Traviata, Manon, Faust, Madame Butterfly, Suor Angelica, La Boheme ... even a fascinating performance of Tannhauser.

A magnificent singer with a magnificent voice


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## Cesare Impalatore (Apr 16, 2015)

GregMitchell said:


> Her Manon and Marguerite are surely the best in the catalogue. Also a wonderful Charlotte. Her Mimi and Butterfly are justly renowned portrayals too. Indeed she sang a wide range of operatic roles including some by Wagner and Verdi. There are live recordings of her singing Elisabeth in *Tannhauser* and Eva, and studio recordings of her Amelia in *Simon Boccanegra* and her Violetta, plus a wonderful live memento of her Desdemona at the Met (with Del Monaco).


She was the ideal partner for Nicolai Gedda in Manon, two singers blessed with the most exceptional versatility. There is no need for further words, Victoria de los Angeles simply was one of *the* best sopranos in history. I'm listening to her take on Berlioz's _Les nuits d'été_ song cycle under Charles Munch right now, beautiful stuff.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

I treated myself to her EMI Icon set for my birthday last month


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Cesare Impalatore said:


> She was the ideal partner for Nicolai Gedda in Manon, two singers blessed with the most exceptional versatility. There is no need for further words, Victoria de los Angeles simply was one of *the* best sopranos in history. I'm listening to her take on Berlioz's _Les nuits d'été_ song cycle under Charles Munch right now, beautiful stuff.


Is there a recording of her singing Manon with Gedda? The tenor on her studio recording is Henri Legay. Gedda is on the Sills recording. She did record with Gedda of course; Faust, Werther, Carmen, Les contes d'Hoffmann. And I think they are both on the Cluytens recording of L'Enfance du Christ, but can't check it right now.


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## Cesare Impalatore (Apr 16, 2015)

GregMitchell said:


> Is there a recording of her singing Mankn with Gedda? The tenor on her studio recording is Henri Legay. Gedda is on the Sills recording. She did record with Gedda of course; Faust, Werther, Carmen, Les contes d'Hoffmann. And I think they are both on the Cluytens recording of L'Enfance du Christ, but can't check it right now.


Yes, there is a live Met recording from 1959 with Jean Morel conducting. It should still be available as CD.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Cesare Impalatore said:


> Yes, there is a live Met recording from 1959 with Jean Morel conducting. It should still be available as CD.


Thank you for that.


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## Cesare Impalatore (Apr 16, 2015)

You're welcome!


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Don't forget the recording she made with Gui of Barbiere.
I think it's the best ever made of that opera if you can handle the cuts.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

What a beautiful woodbird she would have been in Siegfried!!!


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Bump. 

Is this one of your favorite sopranos?

She has a very nice recording of La Traviata. There must be a dozen or so other opera recordings with her.


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## IgorS (Jan 7, 2018)

No doubt, one of most beautiful voices.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Yes indeed, and one of my top ten singers https://tsaraslondon.wordpress.com/2017/05/08/singers-who-changed-my-life/

She recorded a great deal, not just opera, but plenty from the song repertoire, Lieder and French song, and of course Spanish song. She was a very popular singer with a charming stage personality, a superb Manon, arguably the best on record in a classic recording under Pierre Monteux. You already know her Violetta, but she was also a charming Mimi on the Beecham recording, a lovely Butterfly, a role she recorded twice (I prefer the first one with Di Stefano), Marguerite in *Faust* (also recorded twice with substantially the same cast, one in mono, one in stereo), Rosina in a classic *Il Barbiere di Siviglia* under Gui, and a wonderful Amelia in Verdi's *Simon Boccanegra* (with Gobbi and Christoff). She is also on the Cluytens *Les Contes d'Hoffmann* as Antonia.

Her Carmen is beautifully and musically sung, but, personally, I find it a bit too ladylike. I just can't imagine this Carmen pulling a knife on a fellow worker.

She also recorded a great deal of song repertoire, particularly Spanish song and she really put the Canteloube _Chants d'Auvergne_ on the map.

A singer well worth investigating.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

One of my favourites too. My first Butterfly was her set with Bjorling and I got to know her voice through her recordings with Tito Gobbi who I was a fan of before really knowing about her. (She is in Simon Boccanegra as Tsaraslondon has pointed out, but also in a Trittico with Gobbi as Michele and Schicchi and she is a superb Lauretta and Suor Angelica. She was pretty much without equal in Puccini and Manon (although Callas and Olivero were more dramatically emotional in some places where their roles overlap). In addition to the recordings already mentioned she is in Cavalleria Rusticana with Corelli (not a role that she suited) and Pagliacci with Bjorling (one of the best recordings of that opera).

I'm not keen on French song, but I make an exception for De los Angeles, her Scheherazade by Ravel is the best I've heard and her Debussy and Duparc are essential listening IMO. She was also good in German Lieder and Spanish rep (there is an excellent recording of Falla's La Vida breve with her as a gutsy, dramatic Salud).

Fritz, you are going to have to invest in ALL her recordings, I don't think you will be sorry.

N.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I also have her Barber of Seville, which I should listen to soon, and her Martha (Flotow), which is sung in English and a bit corny of a translation, kind of in a G&S fashion. Maybe others, but can't think of them now.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Yes indeed, and one of my top ten singers https://tsaraslondon.wordpress.com/2017/05/08/singers-who-changed-my-life/


A worthwhile link to pursue this evening!


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

The Conte said:


> One of my favourites too. My first Butterfly was her set with Bjorling and I got to know her voice through her recordings with Tito Gobbi who I was a fan of before really knowing about her. (She is in Simon Boccanegra as Tsaraslondon has pointed out, but also in a Trittico with Gobbi as Michele and Schicchi and she is a superb Lauretta and Suor Angelica. She was pretty much without equal in Puccini and Manon (although Callas and Olivero were more dramatically emotional in some places where their roles overlap). In addition to the recordings already mentioned she is in Cavalleria Rusticana with Corelli (not a role that she suited) and Pagliacci with Bjorling (one of the best recordings of that opera).
> 
> I'm not keen on French song, but I make an exception for De los Angeles, her Scheherazade by Ravel is the best I've heard and her Debussy and Duparc are essential listening IMO. She was also good in German Lieder and Spanish rep (there is an excellent recording of Falla's La Vida breve with her as a gutsy, dramatic Salud.
> 
> ...


How could I forget her Lauretta and Angelica? Both simply lovely. I might ultimately prefer Scotto's more psychologically complex Angelica, but De Los Angeles's Lauretta is just about perfect.


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