# First Round: Popular Recital Encore- Deep River: Claramae Turner, Helen Traubel, Lawrence Brownlee



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Very very few opera or lieder pieces show off the singers low register like this Negro Spiritual. You have to be really secure down low to shine in this.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Helen Traubel for sure, with that magnificent chest (not her bosom, though I’m sure that was fine).


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

MAS said:


> Helen Traubel for sure, with that magnificent chest (not her bosom, though I’m sure that was fine).


48 inches to be exact 😜 . The things my mind remembers. I love her rich effortless lower register!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't normally think of tenors as having great chest voices but Brownlee sure sounds wonderful to me here and most tenors don't show this part of their voiced off.


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## damianjb1 (Jan 1, 2016)

Deep River was one of Jessye's favourites.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jessye+norman+deep+river


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

damianjb1 said:


> Deep River was one of Jessye's favourites.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jessye+norman+deep+river


Next round. I am the Deep River queen LOL


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Both women are so close it took me several listens before I finally acquiesced to Traubel -- but it was close!


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> Both women are so close it took me several listens before I finally acquiesced to Traubel -- but it was close!


Claramae's arrangement is so gorgeous... as is her voice. Glad you guys are enjoying this.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I too will take Traubel by a slight margin. Interesting that she sings it a half-step lower than Turner.

I've never imagined a tenor singing this, especially a tenorino like Brownlee. Nothing wrong with that, except that the river isn't as deep. I don't really care for his sort of voice, but he's skillful in the coloratura opera stuff.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> I too will take Traubel by a slight margin. Interesting that she sings it a half-step lower than Turner.
> 
> I've never imagined a tenor singing this, especially a tenorino like Brownlee. Nothing wrong with that, except that the river isn't as deep. I don't really care for his sort of voice, but he's skillful in the coloratura opera stuff.


She sang all of her popular stuff way down in a rich alto voice. Her whole voice was gorgeous but I think it was it's most beautiful down low and her low voice is so beautifully integrated with the rest of her voice. It accounts for why her popular music sung as a contralto made her even more money than her Wagner.
Woodduck, I think Brownlee is lost somewhat in translation because he is such a scintillating live performer. His voice is small but his charm and personality are among the best I've ever encountered. He is the only artist I know of who grabs a mic and tells a fascinating story about every song with the skill of a professional raconteur. He totally won us over and his spirituals were very moving. On TV and in recordings some of that is lost.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> She sang all of her popular stuff way down in a rich alto voice. Her whole voice was gorgeous but I think it was it's most beautiful down low and her low voice is so beautifully integrated with the rest of her voice. It accounts for why her popular music sung as a contralto made her even more money than her Wagner.
> Woodduck, I think Brownlee is lost somewhat in translation because he is such a scintillating live performer. His voice is small but his charm and personality are among the best I've ever encountered. He is the only artist I know of who grabs a mic and tells a fascinating story about every song with the skill of a professional raconteur. He totally won us over and his spirituals were very moving. On TV and in recordings some of that is lost.


Traubel is wonderful in stuff like this. Similar to Jane Froman. They both explode the notion that classically trained voices can't do non-classical music well.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

By and large, I prefer this sung to a simple piano accompaniment and I really rather liked Brownlee at the beginning, but I didn't much like all that hullabaloo in the middle and he lost me.
That left me with Turner and Traubel and I'm finding it hard to choose between them, but I slightly preferred Turner as I thought hers was more deeply felt.

This was a regular encore for the wonderful Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, who, as far as I'm aware, hasn't appeared in any of these competitions. I have her singing it as an encore on a live Wigmore Hall recital, but there's also a performance from Ravenna. I also really like the disc of Spirituals Barbara Hendricks did with Dmitri Alexeev on the piano on which she sings it too. To be honest, I prefer both of them to all of these.


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## Shaughnessy (Dec 31, 2020)

MAS said:


> *Helen Traubel for sure, with that magnificent chest (not her bosom, though I’m sure that was fine).*


Also Helen Traubel for sure, with that magnificent bosom (not her chest, though I'm sure that was fine).


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> By and large, I prefer this sung to a simple piano accompaniment and I really rather liked Brownlee at the beginning, but I didn't much like all that hullabaloo in the middle and he lost me.
> That left me with Turner and Traubel and I'm finding it hard to choose between them, but I slightly preferred Turner as I thought hers was more deeply felt.
> 
> This was a regular encore for the wonderful Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, who, as far as I'm aware, hasn't appeared in any of these competitions. I have her singing it as an encore on a live Wigmore Hall recital, but there's also a performance from Ravenna. I also really like the disc of Spirituals Barbara Hendricks did with Dmitri Alexeev on the piano on which she sings it too. To be honest, I prefer both of them to all of these.


I'll see if I can fix that. I think Lorraine was in an earlier competition. She doesn't pop up for me a lot. I will do a specialized search for you. She is in a Les Troyens competition already.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I'll see if I can fix that. I think Lorraine was in an earlier competition. She doesn't pop up for me a lot. I will do a specialized search for you. She is in a Les Troyens competition already.


Hendricks did two discs of Spirituals, of which the first, with Alexeev on the piano, is definitely the best. It's a fabulous disc and definitely worth seeking out. It should be easy to find on streaming platforms.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Hendricks did two discs of Spirituals, of which the first, with Alexeev on the piano, is definitely the best. It's a fabulous disc and definitely worth seeking out. It should be easy to find on streaming platforms.


So far this is the only spiritual in my contests. We'll see how well people like them. I've browsed Lorraine's offerings. The problem with her is so much is very obscure stuff with little competition that is known artists. I have added a great contest with a Rameau dramatic aria against Norman and she is in the close of Les Troyens. I believe I planed on including something by her earlier that was very beautiful but it was excessively long, much longer than the other singer's rendition. Can't remember what.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I could add more spirituals to the contest if people would like them. I greatly enjoy them but I am from the South where they originated. Let me know if you'd like more. I chose this because it showed off the low range better than almost anything else.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> So far this is the only spiritual in my contests. We'll see how well people like them. I've browsed Lorraine's offerings. The problem with her is so much is very obscure stuff with little competition that is known artists. I have added a great contest with a Rameau dramatic aria against Norman and she is in the close of Les Troyens.


I offered the info about the Hendricks disc, purely because I thought you might like to seek it out and listen to it yourself.

I mentioned Hunt Lieberson because I know she became quite well known for singing it, often choosing to close her recitals with it. Both the Ravenna and Wigmore versions are on youtube.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I offered the info about the Hendricks disc, purely because I thought you might like to seek it out and listen to it yourself.
> 
> I mentioned Hunt Lieberson because I know she became quite well known for singing it, often choosing to close her recitals with it. Both the Ravenna and Wigmore versions are on youtube.


I added two spirituals that I love to the contest and added LHL to the Deep River contest. I do listen to you We'll see how people like them. Hendricks has a gorgeous voice. I saw LHL in a Handel opera ( Theodora???) online opera and she was devastating!


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

I voted for Traubel but fondly remember Marian Anderson singing this spiritual.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I added two spirituals that I love to the contest and added LHL to the Deep River contest. I do listen to you We'll see how people like them. Hendricks has a gorgeous voice. I saw LHL in a Handel opera ( Theodora???) online opera and she was devastating!


Probably *Theodora* from Glyndebourne. She was just wonderful. One of my very favourite singers.


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

Seattleoperafan said:


> So far this is the only spiritual in my contests. We'll see how well people like them. I've browsed Lorraine's offerings. The problem with her is so much is very obscure stuff with little competition that is known artists. I have added a great contest with a Rameau dramatic aria against Norman and she is in the close of Les Troyens. I believe I planed on including something by her earlier that was very beautiful but it was excessively long, much longer than the other singer's rendition. Can't remember what.


Rameau and Berlioz sound wonderful.


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

Traubel. It's something unconscious.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Francasacchi said:


> I voted for Traubel but fondly remember Marian Anderson singing this spiritual.


Next


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Probably *Theodora* from Glyndebourne. She was just wonderful. One of my very favourite singers.


Yes. She is intense like Callas! Great musician with a beautiful voice.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

ColdGenius said:


> Traubel. It's something unconscious.


Someone said that when Traubel sings down low like this she is like the earth mother giving comfort.


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Someone said that when Traubel sings down low like this she is like the earth mother giving comfort.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Claramae Turner was just a name to me before this and I have instantly fallen in love with her voice. It's rich, deep hue is like a thick, warm chocolate sauce. I haven't heard the others yet, but I can't quite believe they will be able to rival this one.

No wait, I take that back, Traubel's version is so much more soulful, like many other Brunhildes she surely was really a mezzo (I'd include Varnay and Modl in that category). Her taking her time over the phrases so that she can shape them and make more pathos out of the words (as well as the gorgeous voice) makes this the best so far.

I like Brownlee's version, but it sounds like he is forcing his voice down and he doesn't have the soul of Traubel.

N.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

The Conte said:


> Claramae Turner was just a name to me before this and I have instantly fallen in love with her voice. It's rich, deep hue is like a thick, warm chocolate sauce. I haven't heard the others yet, but I can't quite believe they will be able to rival this one.
> 
> No wait, I take that back, Traubel's version is so much more soulful, like many other Brunhildes she surely was really a mezzo (I'd include Varnay and Modl in that category). Her taking her time over the phrases so that she can shape them and make more pathos out of the words (as well as the gorgeous voice) makes this the best so far.
> 
> ...


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