# MEZZO/CONTRALTO TOURNAMENT (By Request): Butt vs Forrester



## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Dame Clara Butt, England, 1872-1936






Maureen Forrester, Canada, 1930-2010






'Ombra mai fu' from Handel's _Serse_.

Who's singing did you prefer and why?


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I asked for this as I thought both performances were of the top order and because I find it difficult to choose a winner myself. I will start out by saying I have considered Maureen Forrester to have one of the most supremely beautiful voices I've ever heard since discovering her in high school. To me her vibrato is alive much like Christa Ludwig's was.In the recitative she is the clear winner with her powerful emotions but in the aria I find Butt to sing more tenderly and she has a real trill and trills are important. I am new to Dame Clara Butt, the 6'2" singer with a voice one could " hear across the English sound" one critic said, has beguiled me with her dulcet tones. Here her voice, so different from Maureen's, was equally beautiful and affected me more. I give her the garland.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

No brainer. Maureen Forrester all the way. Some of those held notes were totally breathtaking. I wasn't enamored of Butt's vibrato and both had fine trills.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Handel's music needs period instruments badly. With that out the way, I can't say I enjoyed either of the performances. The recording quality of the Clara Butt video is bad, and she sounds poorly. The recorded upgrade for Forrester is huge, but I find her voice inappropriate and lacking appeal. My vote goes to Forrester.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Two absolutely ravishing voices; a hugely enjoyable comparison. Clara Butt’s sound is remarkable and like no other singer I’ve heard - plaintive, piercing, and vibrant, reminiscent of an oboe. Forrester gives a richer, darker rendition that is no less emotional. I find it nearly impossible to choose, but if pressed I suppose I go with Forrester for her greater depth of tone, but there’s not much to it and Butt’s “whiter” voice is probably more suited to Baroque music. In my opinion, two prime examples of the human voice at its most effective.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> Two absolutely ravishing voices; a hugely enjoyable comparison. Clara Butt's sound is remarkable and like no other singer I've heard - plaintive, piercing, and vibrant, reminiscent of an oboe. Forrester gives a richer, darker rendition that is no less emotional. I find it nearly impossible to choose, but if pressed I suppose I go with Forrester for her greater depth of tone, but there's not much to it and Butt's "whiter" voice is probably more suited to Baroque music. In my opinion, two prime examples of the human voice at its most effective.


That made my day. Butt can truly make your seats shake with her low notes on Deep River, but not here. Forrester's voice is so uniquely beautiful. She tried to sing Verdi once and it was awful, but this is sublime.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Bulldog said:


> Handel's music needs period instruments badly. With that out the way, I can't say I enjoyed either of the performances. The recording quality of the Clara Butt video is bad, and she sounds poorly. The recorded upgrade for Forrester is huge, but I find her voice inappropriate and lacking appeal. My vote goes to Forrester.


HUH? HUH?


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

clear head voice and trills vs developed chest voice. 
#DontMakeMeDecide


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Two fine voices, but I don't really like either performance. Give me Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Janet Baker or David Daniels, to name but three I would rather hear in both the recitative and the aria. Both Butt and Forrester are way too reverent. This is not a hymn, but a simple song in praise of the peace and tranquility of the forest.

Forced to choose one of them, I'll go with Forrester, who is a little more lively in the recitative.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Forrester's approach is livelier and more musically interesting than Butt's Edwardian solemnity.


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