# Caballe: What Was She Classified As?



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I don't ever remember anyone trying to classify Caballe's voice in my reading over the years. She sang most of the big coloratura roles Sutherland and Callas sang and did so very well, despite having just a so so trill. Her L'Orange Norma is by far one of the finest ever recorded. She even had a great High D, but rarely employed it. She was an exemplary Verdi soprano with the best O Patria Mia I've ever heard. I've even heard her Isolde and I was very, very impressed. Her recorded Salome is among the finest available. Did anyone hear her live and can give a report? How would you classify her. I spoke with Terrence McNally once and he said she had the most beautiful voice he had ever heard live. I go through periods of being blown away with her and other times of finding her a bit boring. Her voice was at it's peak in the early 60's IMHO.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

I would resist the temptation to classify her voice - surely she could sing a wide repertoir from rossinian Elisabetta (breathtaking "Bell'alme generose"!!!) to verdian one (Don Carlo) and beyond. She obviously knew what was best for her voice, but sometimes she tried to extend even farther which didn't always work in my opinion - both stylistically and vocally (for example, Dalila, or Isolde mentioned above).


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Well, I have listened to Ms. Caballé quite a few times in live performances, though regrettably starting from the early 1980s, while her best years were, in my view, from 1965 to 1976, roughly.

Even so, it was a thrilling experience, she had an amazing degree of control over her voice, and was still able to produce some incredible pianissimi.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

to me, she is a lyric soprano with spinto and dramatic coloratura capabilities


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Like Callas, her voice is hard to pinpoint because it seems to run the gamut.
One thing's for sure, her pianissimi are astoundingly gorgeous and breathtaking.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

nina foresti said:


> One thing's for sure, her pianissimi are astoundingly gorgeous and breathtaking.


Exactly. Take that passage from "Bell'alme generose" where she goes to most beautiful ppp then suddenly expands it to a full fff - it literally takes my breath away!


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

schigolch said:


> Well, I have listened to Ms. Caballé quite a few times in live performances, though regrettably starting from the early 1980s, while her best years were, in my view, from 1965 to 1976, roughly.
> 
> Even so, it was a thrilling experience, she had an amazing degree of control over her voice, and was still able to produce some incredible pianissimi.


I am guessing a spinto in size???


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

I heard her recently on the radio singing in Bellini's Il Pirata. Stunningly good singing. Almost, almost made me like Bellini!!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

nina foresti said:


> One thing's for sure, her pianissimi are astoundingly gorgeous and breathtaking.


The end of act one of La Boheme "Amor , Amor, Amor "with Domingo is also stunning:tiphat:


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

To me the core of the voice sounds like a big lyric voice, like Renee' Fleming's, but I believe stupendous technique and a wonderful facial mask projected the voice amazingly well. The most interesting thing i have read about her was her saying that her voice teacher had her do yogic breathing exercises for a year before she even began to sing!!!!!!!!


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## Steatopygous (Jul 5, 2015)

How would I classify her? Large.
Clive James once commented that when she sang in Tokyo the Japanese were stunned. They hadn't seen anything that large, he opined, since the USS Missouri anchored in Tokyo Bay after World War II.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Steatopygous said:


> How would I classify her? Large.
> Clive James once commented that when she sang in Tokyo the Japanese were stunned. They hadn't seen anything that large, he opined, since the USS Missouri anchored in Tokyo Bay after World War II.


Funny! At her vocal peak early in her career, she was much more of a normal size.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Does it matter what we classify her as? At her peak, she had one of the most beautiful soprano voices I've ever heard. No more than any other singer was her technique flawless; she lacked a good trill and occasionally aspirated her runs, but her famous floated _pianissimi_ were incredible. Does anyone else manage the ascent to a _dolce_ top C in Aida's _O patria mia_ quite so effortlessly? I doubt it.

She was a musical singer, dramatically involved, though that drama could be of a somewhat generic type, nowhere as individual or as specific as Callas or Scotto, for instance. For all that, I find her Norma from Orange second only to Callas's and also prize live performances of *Lucrezia Borgia*, *Maria Stuarda*, *Roberto Devereux*, and her singing of the title role in *Turandot* in San Francisco, which all show how exciting she could be before a live audience.

In the studio, I prize in particular her Aida, her Elisabetta in Giulini's *Don Carlo*, her Lucia, her Elvira, her Fiordiligi, her Giovanna d'Arco and all her contributions to the Gardelli early Verdi series, first issued by Philips; also her Liu in the Sutherland *Turandot*. I know many enjoy her Salome, but I'm afraid I never took to it. For me she was at her greatest in the music of Donizetti, Rossini, Bellini and Verdi.

Later in her career she became a little too self-indulgent for my taste. Without a strong conductor in charge, she had a tendency to slow down too much, and to over-indulge those fabulous high _pianissimi_. It is even evident in her recording of *Tosca* with Colin Davis. Puccini asks that the singer take a breath after the climactic _forte_ top B flat in _Vissi d'arte_, making a diminuendo on the following Ab. Caballe snatches a quick breath before the word _Signor_, which allows her to ignore Puccini's marked breath after the top Bb and then she floats down the scale. It is an astonishing vocal feat, but it has little to do with Tosca's predicament, and just becomes an example of Caballe's superb breath control.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I am guessing a spinto in size???


The sound she produced was very polished, with a clear, beautiful timbre, and she was able to sing, at her best, not only those floating pianissimi, but also piercing top notes.

However, her voice was rather more lyrical than any other thing, though using her technique she was able also to tackle the heavy repertoire, and became a bona fide spinto. The size was big, but not very big. Her projection was really great, though.


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## Steatopygous (Jul 5, 2015)

GregMitchell said:


> Does it matter what we classify her as?


Does it matter? Does it _matter_? Are not such questions the very life blood of Talk Classical?


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Steatopygous said:


> Does it matter? Does it _matter_? Are not such questions the very life blood of Talk Classical?


Not for me. I couldn't care less whether she was spinto, lirico spinto, dramatic coloratura or pure lyric. I'm more concerned with whether I enjoy her singing, which, for the most part, I do.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

GregMitchell said:


> Does it matter what we classify her as? At her peak, she had one of the most beautiful soprano voices I've ever heard. No more than any other singer was her technique flawless; she lacked a good trill and occasionally aspirated her runs, but her famous floated _pianissimi_ were incredible. Does anyone else manage the ascent to a _dolce_ top C in Aida's _O patria mia_ quite so effortlessly? I doubt it.
> 
> She was a musical singer, dramatically involved, though that drama could be of a somewhat generic type, nowhere as individual or as specific as Callas or Scotto, for instance. For all that, I find her Norma from Orange second only to Callas's and also prize live performances of *Lucrezia Borgia*, *Maria Stuarda*, *Roberto Devereux*, and her singing of the title role in *Turandot* in San Francisco, which all show how exciting she could be before a live audience.
> 
> ...


I don't have much of a problem with that. frankly, if she wants to show off a little bit, she has earned it, and knows how to do it right (everyone loves a little dose of self-indulgent diva every now and then =P)


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> I don't have much of a problem with that. frankly, if she wants to show off a little bit, she has earned it, and knows how to do it right (everyone loves a little dose of self-indulgent diva every now and then =P)


You and I have a somewhat different attitude. I'd prefer her to adhere to the composer's intentions. It's the less self-indulgent Caballe of the 1970s that I like most.


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## Braddan (Aug 23, 2015)

GregMitchell said:


> You and I have a somewhat different attitude. I'd prefer her to adhere to the composer's intentions. It's the less self-indulgent Caballe of the 1970s that I like most.


I have quite a lot of Caballe from this period and agree that her Aida and Elisabetta in great ensemble recordings are superb. I also like the early Verdi as well as the William Tell etc. The Orange Norma is a stunning performance, especially considering she was also up against the elements when it was recorded. I never warmed to her Lucia but it's a long time since I heard it.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I agree essentially with Greg, though I'm perhaps less fond of her than he is. I enjoy the full-bodied (I'm talking about the voice here, folks), warm, creamy lyric soprano with spinto and coloratura capabilities (as near as I'm willing to get to classifying her) that Caballe was in the '60s and early '70s. Later, less attractive qualities emerged, such as an abuse of register breaks and glottal attacks, a greater "tension" in the tone, a more effortful upper range, and a tendency to lax rhythm and self-indulgent use of the pianissimo. I doubt that her incursions into more dramatic repertoire were without consequence, despite her effectiveness in a role such as Aida, at least on recordings.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

While she wasn't my very favorite singer among her contemporaries, I feel if she were transported in her vocal prime to today that she would be the preeminent soprano in the contemporary opera world. I agree with Wooduck about the faults that creeped in later in her voice.


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## Tuoksu (Sep 3, 2015)

Definitely a true Spinto using her voice in a more lyrical way for the sake of beauty. Her voice had a lot of squillo and more heft than a simple lyric. She also had a decent chest voice. 
Norma: 



Macbeth:


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> to me, she is a lyric soprano with spinto and dramatic coloratura capabilities


I wrote this before being hooked by her more thoroughly, and it is clear to me now that the voice was a solid spinto soprano. the above post got it right "a spinto soprano who sang more lyrically for the sake of beauty".


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Apologies for revisiting this after a long time, but I think what motivated me was that as a person who heard most of the greats of the past only on recording, that it is hard to determine if a voice is large enough to handle a part in an opera house as opposed to a recording. She sang Wagner, for gosh sakes, and her voice might have been completely swallowed up with a big orchestra doing it's Wagnerian thing. I always thought of her more as a big lyric. Perhaps she sang Isolde only in small European houses, which could make a difference. Certainly Bayreuth is very different from The Met accoustically.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Do you membered the book you recommend ? When it finally arrived it was so damaged it was unreadable, thank goodness I paid with PayPal and made pictures by arriving, I got my money back.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Pugg said:


> Do you membered the book you recommend ? When it finally arrived it was so damaged it was unreadable, thank goodness I paid with PayPal and made pictures by arriving, I got my money back.


That is a shame!! It is like voting for Hillary and getting Trump.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Apologies for revisiting this after a long time, but I think what motivated me was that as a person who heard most of the greats of the past only on recording, that it is hard to determine if a voice is large enough to handle a part in an opera house as opposed to a recording. She sang Wagner, for gosh sakes, and her voice might have been completely swallowed up with a big orchestra doing it's Wagnerian thing. I always thought of her more as a big lyric. Perhaps she sang Isolde only in small European houses, which could make a difference. Certainly Bayreuth is very different from The Met accoustically.


it's not just Wagner that pushes me in the direction of spinto. she was also successful in Turandot, Norma, Trovatore and Tosca, among other roles for medium-heavy weight soprano.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> it's not just Wagner that pushes me in the direction of spinto. *she was also successful in Turandot, *Norma, Trovatore and Tosca, among other roles for medium-heavy weight soprano.


Most people reckoned Turandot overstretched her voice. She was more a Liu


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

A Turandot needs a top that soars and gleams: Turandot is almost a supernatural being, not a verismo heroine. Caballe didn't have it, and neither did Callas, and neither does Stemme. Nilsson, Cigna, Turner, Sutherland - that's the stuff.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> A Turandot needs a top that soars and gleams: Turandot is almost a supernatural being, not a verismo heroine. Caballe didn't have it, and neither did Callas, and neither does Stemme. Nilsson, Cigna, Turner, Sutherland - that's the stuff.


Yes! Nilsson and Sutherland were the best, especially Sutherland. She was underrated in that role. several had to vocal weight for it, but few had the ease in the upper tessitura that she did.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> Yes! Nilsson and Sutherland were the best, especially Sutherland. She was underrated in that role. several had to vocal weight for it, but few had the ease in the upper tessitura that she did.


I add, is the best on record, ever.:tiphat:


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## Tuoksu (Sep 3, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> A Turandot needs a top that soars and gleams: Turandot is almost a supernatural being, not a verismo heroine. Caballe didn't have it, and neither did Callas, and neither does Stemme. Nilsson, Cigna, Turner, Sutherland - that's the stuff.


I'm not sure about Cigna.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Tuoksu said:


> I'm not sure about Cigna.


How about Inge Borkh?


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

How about Ghena Dimitrova ?


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## Tuoksu (Sep 3, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> How about Inge Borkh?





Pugg said:


> How about Ghena Dimitrova ?


(_I don't know why this thread is suddenly all about Turandot but I guess this is how this Forum works._)

I think I've never heard a "best Turandot" because there is simply none. They all either sound agressively regal like a Lady Macbeth (Dimitrova, Guleghina, Marton etc) or elegantly Regal (Sutherland, Nilsson etc)
The problem with the former category is obviously being out of character. She's supposed to be charming hot young princess. With the latter it's being mellow and shy around "quel grido e quella morte" in which I like every single word to be spit out like fire.
But gladly I don't even care about Turandot.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Tuoksu said:


> (_I don't know why this thread is suddenly all about Turandot but I guess this is how this Forum works._)
> 
> I think I've never heard a "best Turandot" because there is simply none. They all either sound agressively regal like a Lady Macbeth (Dimitrova, Guleghina, Marton etc) or elegantly Regal (Sutherland, Nilsson etc)
> The problem with the former category is obviously being out of character. She's supposed to be charming hot young princess. With the latter it's being mellow and shy around "quel grido e quella morte" in which I like every single word to be spit out like fire.
> But gladly I don't even care about Turandot.


It certainly is difficult to square Turandot's music with feminine charm of a sort that would make men fall for her. But that's only one of the dramatic problems with this opera.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> It certainly is difficult to square Turandot's music with feminine charm of a sort that would make men fall for her. But that's only one of the dramatic problems with this opera.


Yes, she seems more like a castrating, cold bitch. Why would anyone take up her offer? Some grand prize!

I wouldn't do it even if they bent the rules and told me I could call a friend to consult on the riddles.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Tuoksu said:


> (_I don't know why this thread is suddenly all about Turandot but I guess this is how this Forum works._)
> 
> I think I've never heard a "best Turandot" because there is simply none. They all either sound aggressively regal like a Lady Macbeth (Dimitrova, Guleghina, Marton etc) or elegantly Regal (Sutherland, Nilsson etc)
> The problem with the former category is obviously being out of character. She's supposed to be charming hot young princess. With the latter it's being mellow and shy around "quel grido e quella morte" in which I like every single word to be spit out like fire.
> But gladly I don't even care about Turandot.


Can and may I say, your loss.:angel:


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## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> Yes! Nilsson and Sutherland were the best, especially Sutherland. She was underrated in that role. several had to vocal weight for it, but few had the ease in the upper tessitura that she did.


Just a super bizarre statement. Sutherland only sang the role for the Mehta recording, never on stage, and that recording is (unjustifiably) widely regarded as the best. Far from "underrated," it's one of the overrated performances on record. Her Turandot is a recitalist's runthrough, with a fraction of the dramatic force of Nilsson's many performances on stage and on record.

That Mehta Turandot as a whole is a pale shadow of what that opera is capable of being, with all three principals caring far more about how they sound than about communicating the drama.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

howlingfantods said:


> Just a super bizarre statement. Sutherland only sang the role for the Mehta recording, never on stage, and that recording is (unjustifiably) widely regarded as the best. Far from "underrated," it's one of the overrated performances on record. Her Turandot is a recitalist's runthrough, with a fraction of the dramatic force of Nilsson's many performances on stage and on record.
> 
> That Mehta Turandot as a whole is a pale shadow of what that opera is capable of being, with all three principals caring far more about how they sound than about communicating the drama.


I mostly agree with you here. I think people were dazzled by Sutherland's success in doing something different rather well, and I suspect that it's mainly her fans who place her above Nilsson in the part. I have a live recording with Nilsson, Corelli and Vishnevskaya that blows Sutherland and company out of the water, and I still love the old RCA recording with Nilsson, Bjorling and Tebaldi, despite the fact that the engineers were still intimidated by Nilsson's voice and failed to fully capture its power.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> I mostly agree with you here. I think people were dazzled by Sutherland's success in doing something different rather well, and I suspect that it's mainly her fans who place her above Nilsson in the part. I have a live recording with Nilsson, Corelli and Vishnevskaya that blows Sutherland and company out of the water, and I still love the old RCA recording with Nilsson, Bjorling and Tebaldi, despite the fact that the engineers were still intimidated by Nilsson's voice and failed to fully capture its power.


Nilsson and Dimitrova are best. I have a speech on Youtube about Nilsson in 



. Still, it was great to hear Dame Joan unleash her voice in a change of pace part. She did particularly well towards the end. I also loved Alessandra Marc in the part, but she is forgotten now. Marc's top was so exciting in timbre.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Caballe? I would classify her as having one of the most breathtakingly beautiful pianissimos in opera history.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Bringing this back to Caballe, she did sing a lovely Liu, a more suitable part for her than Turandot. I do prefer Tebaldi by a hair, though, and I really enjoy the unusual casting of Schwarzkopf in the perhaps underrated Callas/Serafin recording. But the most compelling Liu I've heard is Vishnevskaya in the live La Scala recording under Gavazzeni. In that performance Nilsson and Corelli, both at the peak of their vocal powers in 1964, unleash a jaw-dropping flood of sound. I doubt we'll hear another such trio of singers in our lifetimes (well, my lifetime anyway).


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## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> Bringing this back to Caballe, she did sing a lovely Liu, a more suitable part for her than Turandot. I do prefer Tebaldi by a hair, though, and I really enjoy the unusual casting of Schwarzkopf in the perhaps underrated Callas/Serafin recording. But the most compelling Liu I've heard is Vishnevskaya in the live La Scala recording under Gavazzeni. In that performance Nilsson and Corelli, both at the peak of their vocal powers in 1964, unleash a jaw-dropping flood of sound. I doubt we'll hear another such trio of singers in our lifetimes (well, my lifetime anyway).


Must admit that I always find the love around here for Caballe puzzling. Of course, I don't care for or listen to bel canto, and I gather much of her reputation stems from her performances in that repertoire.

But of what little I have of her in my collection (the Mehta Aida, the studio and a couple of live Don Carlos, as Liu in the Mehta Turandot, the Pretre Traviata, the Domingo Pagliacci and the Fabritiis Mefistofele), I find her vocally pretty but dramatically dull. She does do some beautiful things with her floated pianissimi and showcasing her breath control, but I confess I start looking at my watch when I listen to her recordings. It's particularly strange to me that she's often championed by the Callas crowd when to me, there are few name singers who's more "pretty voice and no drama" than Caballe.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

howlingfantods said:


> Must admit that I always find the love around here for Caballe puzzling. Of course, I don't care for or listen to bel canto, and I gather much of her reputation stems from her performances in that repertoire.
> 
> But of what little I have of her in my collection (the Mehta Aida, the studio and a couple of live Don Carlos, as Liu in the Mehta Turandot, the Pretre Traviata, the Domingo Pagliacci and the Fabritiis Mefistofele), I find her vocally pretty but dramatically dull. She does do some beautiful things with her floated pianissimi and showcasing her breath control, but I confess I start looking at my watch when I listen to her recordings. It's particularly strange to me that she's often championed by the Callas crowd when to me, there are few name singers who's more "pretty voice and no drama" than Caballe.


I understand where you are coming from. But, she was inconsistent and her live Norma at L'Orange was one for the ages. I agree she could be dull a lot of the time but she had great moments. She was also MUCH better in the early to mid 60's. MUCH.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> Bringing this back to Caballe, she did sing a lovely Liu, a more suitable part for her than Turandot. I do prefer Tebaldi by a hair, though, and I really enjoy the unusual casting of Schwarzkopf in the perhaps underrated Callas/Serafin recording. But the most compelling Liu I've heard is Vishnevskaya in the live La Scala recording under Gavazzeni. In that performance Nilsson and Corelli, both at the peak of their vocal powers in 1964, unleash a jaw-dropping flood of sound. I doubt we'll hear another such trio of singers in our lifetimes (well, my lifetime anyway).


Caballe had a gorgeous voice, but Tebaldi had an edge in that department over a lot of her competition. I love Tebaldi's Liu. Nilsson and Corelli rivaled Flagstad and Melchoir as one of the greatest duos in opera history.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I understand where you are coming from. But, she was inconsistent and her live Norma at L'Orange was one for the ages. I agree she could be dull a lot of the time but she had great moments. She was also MUCH better in the early to mid 60's. MUCH.


I never cared much for Caballe until I heard some of her early work. Before she began thinking of herself as a potential dramatic soprano, her voice was lithe and pure, the glottal attacks and audible register breaks hadn't intruded, and the high pianissimo wasn't an alluring vacation from the progress of musical events.

I recall, in the '60s, that bel canto recital albums from both Caballe and Sills were reviewed together in High Fidelity Magazine by my favorite critic Conrad L. Osborne. Both sopranos were in prime vocal estate, and the bel canto repertoire seemed in good hands. Both singers also proceeded to overtax themselves by moving into repertoire heavier than was good for them. I think Sills, the better actress, finer musician, and more attractive figure onstage, was more successful artistically, and also had the sense to stop singing before her voice wore out.


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## davidglasgow (Aug 19, 2017)

howlingfantods said:


> Must admit that I always find the love around here for Caballe puzzling. Of course, I don't care for or listen to bel canto, and I gather much of her reputation stems from her performances in that repertoire.
> 
> But of what little I have of her in my collection (the Mehta Aida, the studio and a couple of live Don Carlos, as Liu in the Mehta Turandot, the Pretre Traviata, the Domingo Pagliacci and the Fabritiis Mefistofele), I find her vocally pretty but dramatically dull. She does do some beautiful things with her floated pianissimi and showcasing her breath control, but I confess I start looking at my watch when I listen to her recordings. It's particularly strange to me that she's often championed by the Callas crowd when to me, there are few name singers who's more "pretty voice and no drama" than Caballe.


I know the feeling  the frustration arises when you know what she was capable of at her best in the verismo repertoire such as this clip from Adriana Lecouvreur 




The problem is that this sort of conviction is so conspicuously missing in, for instance, her Tosca with Colin Davis where by rights she should be on fire with Jose Carreras on the form of his life. Perhaps she found the recording studio inhibiting? she is much better in the live recording with Luciano Pavarotti in San Francisco in 1978 for example


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

davidglasgow said:


> I know the feeling  the frustration arises when you know what she was capable of at her best in the verismo repertoire such as this clip from Adriana Lecouvreur
> 
> 
> 
> ...


But this is just declamation. We're talking about her singing. When I hear this:






I hear a singer too much in love with her own voice, and willing to twist musical phrases into pretzels in order to prolong the pleasure of hearing herself. For a beautiful voice fully at the service of the music, try Anna Tomowa-Sintow:


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## davidglasgow (Aug 19, 2017)

Her style could certainly be called decadent in the examples you've cited - killing it with kindness. I do think that this characteristic became even more marked through her career. Even at Théâtre Antique d'Orange, where the challenges of performing in the elements seem to have had such a revivifying effect on Trovatore in 1972 and Norma in 1974, Caballe's later performances follow the pattern discussed: protracted phrasing, at times a slackness of rhythm and a pretty indulgent emphasis on pianissimi. I'm not sure the degree this was a stylistic discrepancy or a technical necessity

1983 - Gioconda (Suicidio! at 2:12:18)





1984 - Don Carlo





1985 - Simon Boccanegra


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

davidglasgow said:


> Her style could certainly be called decadent in the examples you've cited - killing it with kindness. I do think that this characteristic became even more marked through her career. Even at Théâtre Antique d'Orange, where the challenges of performing in the elements seem to have had such a revivifying effect on Trovatore in 1972 and Norma in 1974, Caballe's later performances follow the pattern discussed: protracted phrasing, at times a slackness of rhythm and a pretty indulgent emphasis on pianissimi. I'm not sure the degree this was a stylistic discrepancy or a technical necessity.


Well observed. Welcome to the forum!


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> But this is just declamation. We're talking about her singing. When I hear this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Anna Tomowa Sintow was a wonderful singer! Thanks for your posts here.


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## damianjb1 (Jan 1, 2016)

Woodduck said:


> I mostly agree with you here. I think people were dazzled by Sutherland's success in doing something different rather well, and I suspect that it's mainly her fans who place her above Nilsson in the part. I have a live recording with Nilsson, Corelli and Vishnevskaya that blows Sutherland and company out of the water, and I still love the old RCA recording with Nilsson, Bjorling and Tebaldi, despite the fact that the engineers were still intimidated by Nilsson's voice and failed to fully capture its power.


I'm not much of a Sutherland fan but Turandot is the only Sutherland recording I own and I love it.


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