# Your Favorite Bel Raggio Lusinghier



## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

mine are
1) Anna Moffo
2) Joyce DiDonato
3) June Anderson
4) Joan Sutherland
5) Marilyn Horne


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> mine are
> 1)* Anna Moffo*
> 2) Joyce DiDonato
> 3) June Anderson
> ...


I have no problem ranking Moffo version right at the very top.....early 1960s vocally pure tone up and down the register that flowed like golden honey with clear ringing high note, has plenty of dramatic swagger and fearless ornament (some would say excessive) including an ending vocal "cadenza" flourish.......

Selection from 1961 RCA debut recital album:


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

The only two I've heard are Horne's and Sutherland's. They both sing it with great skill, though I think Sutherland sounds more at ease in it:


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Sutherland's Bel Raggio from The Art of the Prima Donna is the greatest single aria ever recorded in my opinion. The hugeness and majesty of her voice running up and down the scales so perfectly. The high E in the middle is absolute spine tingling perfection. She was at her peak on The Art of the Prima Donna. Horne is also really wonderful.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Bellinilover said:


> The only two I've heard are Horne's and Sutherland's. They both sing it with great skill, though I think Sutherland sounds more at ease in it:


Amen to this:tiphat:


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Sutherland's Bel Raggio from The Art of the Prima Donna is the greatest single aria ever recorded in my opinion. The hugeness and majesty of her voice running up and down the scales so perfectly. The high E in the middle is absolute spine tingling perfection. She was at her peak on The Art of the Prima Donna. Horne is also really wonderful.


Though I might not go along with your first statement (that honour goes to Callas's 1949 recording of the Mad Scene from *I Puritani*) I'd agree that Sutherland's first recording of _Bel raggio_ on _The Art of the Prima Donna_ is the best version of it ever committed to disc.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

I have heard several singers live in this aria: Gruberova, Anderson, Takova, Blancas, Devia, ... of which, my favorite would be Anderson.

Speaking about recordings, I love indeed Ms. Sutherland's renditions. And I have also a soft spot for this one by Teresa Berganza:


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## Il Maestro (Oct 27, 2015)

There are quite a few recordings that I like for various different reasons:

Callas (live 1956 recording, not the later studio recording from the early 60's). I think she had the perfect voice and temperament for these dramatic Rossini roles, with enough heft at bottom of the range and fluidity in coloratura to give these roles justice. One only has to listen to her live recording of _Armida_ to hear what I am taking about. The descending chromatic run from C#6 down to and E4 (from around 4:45) is quite simply phenomenal. It's a pity she never recorded a complete _Semiramide_.






Sutherland's recording from_ the Art of Prima Donna _ is another favourite of mine. Her voice is at its freshest, her diction is still good, her coloratura is, as always, brilliant and I love the ornamentations (which were no doubt written by her husband).






June Anderson's version, which I have on DVD, is also thrilling, for pretty much the same reasons as Sutherland's, though I slightly prefer Sutherland's version because her top notes are more rounded and less shrill.






Joyce DiDonato's version is also one of my favourites, with electric coloratura, perfect diction, extremely accurate divisions, a strong middle register and a real sense of style. I just wish that, as a mezzo, her lower register had a bit more heft to it.






The only version I have heard which I didn't really enjoy is Fleming's. Unfortunately I can't get past her mannerisms in this repertoire.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Sutherland's Bel Raggio from The Art of the Prima Donna is the greatest single aria ever recorded in my opinion. The hugeness and majesty of her voice running up and down the scales so perfectly. The high E in the middle is absolute spine tingling perfection. She was at her peak on The Art of the Prima Donna. Horne is also really wonderful.


What more can one say?
La Stupenda gets the thumbs up with ease!


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

I hate that aria guts, it's like generic fallout from Rossini's less successful opera put in middle of _Semiramide_.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Il Maestro, I had never heard Callas' live version, just the studio. Yes, it is marvelous! Pity it wasn't recorded like Armida in 52 when her top was still unlimited and she could have tossed off enormous high E's like Joanie did in 60. Then we would be really talking. Her Rossini from Armida is breathtaking. Pity the sound wasn't better.


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## Il Maestro (Oct 27, 2015)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Il Maestro, I had never heard Callas' live version, just the studio. Yes, it is marvelous! Pity it wasn't recorded like Armida in 52 when her top was still unlimited and she could have tossed off enormous high E's like Joanie did in 60. Then we would be really talking. Her Rossini from Armida is breathtaking. Pity the sound wasn't better.


Yep, studio recordings of _Armida_ and _Semiramide_ with Callas at the peak of her powers would have been dream-come-true.

Having just listened to Horne's version of _Bel raggio_ for the first time, I would definitely add it to my list. Though the ornamentation can sound a bit random at times, the low notes are thrilling and, as usual, her coloratura is masterful.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

GregMitchell said:


> Though I might not go along with your first statement (that honour goes to Callas's 1949 recording of the Mad Scene from *I Puritani*) I'd agree that Sutherland's first recording of _Bel raggio_ on _The Art of the Prima Donna_ is the best version of it ever committed to disc.


lmao! for once, your opinion of one of Sutherland's renditions is more favorable than mine XD


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

There's also the one by Cheryl Studer, the heroine of the complete Deutsche Grammophon SEMIRAMIDE. The voice is certainly lovely, though I'm not sure whether her style is good or not:


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I often really like Studer. She had a beautiful voice. For a large voice, her coloratura was fine, but not on the level of Sutherland's. I listened to her Bel Canto CD more than once, I remember.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I often really like Studer. She had a beautiful voice. For a large voice, her coloratura was fine, but not on the level of Sutherland's. I listened to her Bel Canto CD more than once, I remember.


I like Studer a lot, too. She had a sizeable, pure voice but, as you sort of suggest, her coloratura here doesn't quite sound effortless. I think she's one of those singers (like Moffo, I guess) who spread herself too thin, trying to sing in too many different styles when she should have focused on one or two. But she certainly gave us some great opera recordings.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I often really like Studer. She had a beautiful voice. For a large voice, her coloratura was fine, but not on the level of Sutherland's. I listened to her Bel Canto CD more than once, I remember.


to be fair, most teapot coloraturas who specialize in Mozart, baroque or light bel canto hardly hold a candle to Sutherland's coloratura. imo, Studer is a bright voiced spinto soprano, though she probably could have developed in more the direction of a dramatic coloratura with more training (I've never seen her as a true dramatic soprano as is claimed. not enough mettle in the voice).


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## Ramiste (Nov 4, 2015)

The only performance I care for in this aria is Frederica Von Stade's.
She sounds deliciously mischievous, and that's exactly what Semiramide should be in her cavatina!


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Il Maestro said:


> There are quite a few recordings that I like for various different reasons:
> 
> Callas (live 1956 recording, not the later studio recording from the early 60's). I think she had the perfect voice and temperament for these dramatic Rossini roles, with enough heft at bottom of the range and fluidity in coloratura to give these roles justice. One only has to listen to her live recording of _Armida_ to hear what I am taking about. The descending chromatic run from C#6 down to and E4 (from around 4:45) is quite simply phenomenal. It's a pity she never recorded a complete _Semiramide_.
> 
> ...


Hear, hear!

I've just finished listening to eleven recordings of the aria and although I would also list Studer's and Moffo's as being amongst my favourites I would also want the ones you have put on my list. I think this is a difficult aria as it can easily become nothing more than a fluffy vocal showcase. Who is Semiramide? She is the queen of Babylon, has helped murder her husband, yet feels repentant to some extent for having done so and is in love with Arsace.

I would list the eleven in order of preference thus:

1) Sutherland (1960)
2) Sutherland (1966)

Sutherland dazzles the listener with her prodigious coloratura, taste and technique. Plus she comes closest to portraying the different facets of the character.

3) Studer (1993)

Though not as varied on an emotional level as Sutherland or as vocally spectacular, Studer does manage to sound imperious and vulnerable.

4) Callas (1956)

Although too earthbound, Callas presents Semiramide as woman who has suffered a great deal (as only Callas can).

5) DiDonato (2009)
This is the lightest of the mezzo versions I listened to, DiDonato presents Semiramide as young woman in love and thus is very much the opposite of Callas' portrayal. It's very difficult to get the balance between murderous queen and woman in love (and only Sutherland manages to strike that balance totally convincingly for me).

6) Studer (1989)
Slightly more secure vocally than the one in the complete set, but not as convincing on an interpretative level.

7) Moffo (as above)
In the Callas mould, but in a lighter vein.

8) Anderson (as above)
A very tasteful and accomplished performance, though lacking in emotional content.

And now for the ones I don't like:

9) Horne (1966)
This aria needs to be kept light (as it's protagonist is a woman who is blissfully in love), yet at the same time needs to have a certain authority and emotional depth (the woman in question is a queen who has been through a traumatic event). Horne sings with accomplishment, but doesn't have any of the attributes of the character and her voice doesn't naturally sound right for any of them either.

10) Bartoli (1992)
Amazing coloratura, but zero emotion. There is no character here, Bartoli could be anybody.

11) Fleming (2002)
Had Rossini been living and writing in New Orleans in the early 20th century, Ms Fleming may have been suited to performing his music. Unfortunately, here her simpering and purring is just annoying.

N.


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## Il Maestro (Oct 27, 2015)

The Conte said:


> Hear, hear!
> 
> I've just finished listening to eleven recordings of the aria and although I would also list Studer's and Moffo's as being amongst my favourites I would also want the ones you have put on my list. I think this is a difficult aria as it can easily become nothing more than a fluffy vocal showcase. Who is Semiramide? She is the queen of Babylon, has helped murder her husband, yet feels repentant to some extent for having done so and is in love with Arsace.
> 
> ...


I mostly agree with what you say. Admittedly I had never heard Studer and Moffo, but I'm glad that I did now. Just a note on Horne: I don't necessarily think the voice in itself is unsuited to the role. To me it's just the _ornamentation_ that, whilst very stylish and accomplished, sounds a bit random in the context of the character.



The Conte said:


> 11) Fleming (2002)
> Had Rossini been living and writing in New Orleans in the early 20th century, Ms Fleming may have been suited to performing his music.


:lol:


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

No doubt that *1960 version by Sutherland* is clear voice at her prime has the most technically pure vocal technique, the thrilling piercing high note at 5:09 could crack glass, no wonder she was called La Stupenda!

But other singers are more dramatic and creative with their delivery and ornament, sung with bravura and swagger that seem to be invented on the fly every night.....these are one that attract me.

Of the versions above *Anna Moffo* still is my favorite, surprising touches everywhere in her version and the ending vocal cadenza is over the top but that is her style.....and most singers simply are not creative enough to pull that off on the fly, brava Anna










Along the same lines that *Berganza* version posted by Schigolch has many touches that I find inspiring making for dramatic delivery, she was very good at Rossini early in her career. That *56* *live Callas* also is thrilling, does not use a lot of ornament but done in such a dramatic exciting fashion, so much confident swagger that just amazes me, brava again

Not to mention names but the "dead car battery" ornament technique where you just modulate the same notes over and over is just not going to cut it, too many other great singers here


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

She was* 57* at this performance, and had been breaking new ground and setting the highest standards for most of her career. Perhaps this wasn't the best choice at her age, _but she still out-sings almost everyone else_, only failing against her much younger self:tiphat:


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