# MEZZO/CONTRALTO TOURNAMENT (Quarterfinal 4): Bumbry vs Cossotto



## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Grace Bumbry, USA, 1937- (defeated Rachvelishvilli 13-3)

https://www.talkclassical.com/71137-mezzo-contralto-tournament-round.html






Fiorenza Cossotto, Italy, 1935- (defeated Zajick 13-4)

https://www.talkclassical.com/71246-mezzo-contralto-tournament-round.html






'Voi lo sapete' from Mascagni's _Cavalleria Rusticana_.

Who's singing did you prefer and why?


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

Oh, this is a very tough one, I'm sure I'll have to give it more listens to decide how to cast my vote.
Bumbry sounds almost soprano-ish when compared to Cossotto's deeper chest tones.
Cossotto's high notes are not ideal, especially at the beginning.
Bumbry makes much more dramatic build-up towards the end of the piece, very impressive - thanks to the conductor as well.
Cossotto adds more dynamic touches here and there, trying to make every note count.
Damn, this is hard.

P.S. After 4 listens I can say that Bumbry impressed me more: there is drama, there is drive, well done!


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Cossotto sings very beautifully, but so does Bumbry and Bumbry not only tells me a story, but there's more suffering in her voice. Paradoxically, considering Cossotto is Italian, she also makes more of the words. Bumbry wins for me.

Even so, there are quite a few others who wring more emotion out of the music, Muzio, Scotto, Baltsa, not to mention you-know-who.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

It's awfully hard to ignore a voice as beautiful as Grace Bumbry's. They both were fine but Grace I feel put more emotion into her part.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Both are wonderful. Bumbry has a very dramatic voice. I particularly like her down low, which is not featured here. But I think Cossoto has the more beautiful voice with more pleasing vibrato plus sang with conviction as well.Cossoto gets the garland.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I didn't find this hard. Bumbry is passionate and has a naturally exciting vocal quality; Cossotto has a less prominent vibrato and a richer tone. So far so good for both. But decisive for me is the way Cossotto shades her phrases and uses more dynamic variety and portamento. The pathos is more inward - an individual interpretation, and admirable as such.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> I didn't find this hard. Bumbry is passionate and has a naturally exciting vocal quality; Cossotto has a less prominent vibrato and a richer tone. So far so good for both. But decisive for me is the way Cossotto shades her phrases and uses more dynamic variety and portamento. The pathos is more inward - an individual interpretation, and admirable as such.


You're no doubt right. I just feel that this, of all arias, requires a certain amount of raw passion that it doesn't really get from either lady, though Bumbry does seem more involved. Cossotto's is a plausible piece of singing, but I hear absolutely no anguish in her version, and surely Santuzza needs to sound _in extremis_. I rather feel the same about the Karajan recording with Cossotto and Bergonzi. It's all very beautiful, but just a bit too civilised. I hear no real Sicilian passion in it.

After listening to Bumbry and Cossotto, I sought out Muzio and she gave me exactly what I wanted.






Oddly enough, it was this opera that really got me started on my passion for opera. I was only about 15 and Souliotis had just burst onto the scene. My father, having heard about this young Greek soprano in our local record shop (remember those?) bought her recording for my mother, who is Greek, and I practically wore it out, as I played it over and over again. He also had the piano score and I would love to play the Intermezzo on the piano. Now I am more aware of Souliotis's technical fallibilty, but she certainly sings with passion and my fifteen year old self absolutely loved her singing of the role.






Later it was Callas, in prime vocal condition, who became my yardstick and her recording is also allied to a memory. By now in my late twenties, I was living with a boyfriend in a flat in London and there was a retired opera singer living below us. One day we had invited her up for a cup of tea and she was absolutely thrilled to see my collection of opera recordings. She asked if she could listen to Callas singing _Voi lo sapete_ and while the record played she sat with rapt attention, mouthing the words, obviously very moved. By the end of the aria she had tears streaming down her face and asked if we could continue on through the duet with Turiddu, which had her on the edge of her seat. I later discovered she had been forced to retire early because of a terminal illness, possibly muscular dystophy. I can't now remember. I split up with that boyfriend soon after and moved out of that flat, so never saw her again.






I apologise for my senior ramblings, and realise that we have rather got away from Bumbry and Cossotto, but the three versions I have posted will, I hope, demonstrate what I felt was missing from both their performances. Interesting that all three of them are sopranos rather than mezzos.


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## Esclarmonde (May 10, 2021)

This was a difficult choice. Bumbry is a relatively new discovery for me - and I am besotted with her Amneris.

My first hearing of Cav was Karajan's 60s recording - featuring Cossotto. I can't imagine anyone singing it as passionately - and boy! Her voice could stop a bus!

But - I am currently besotted with Bumbry - so I will stick with my current love. Bumbry it is.

How's the logic there! :cheers:


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Esclarmonde said:


> This was a difficult choice. Bumbry is a relatively new discovery for me - and I am besotted with her Amneris.
> 
> My first hearing of Cav was Karajan's 60s recording - featuring Cossotto. I can't imagine anyone singing it as passionately - and boy! Her voice could stop a bus!
> 
> ...


Funnily enough, passion is exactly what I find missing in that Karajan performance, though the playing and singing is undeniably beautiful.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Tsaraslondon said:


> You're no doubt right. I just feel that this, of all arias, requires a certain amount of raw passion that it doesn't really get from either lady, though Bumbry does seem more involved. Cossotto's is a plausible piece of singing, but I hear absolutely no anguish in her version, and surely Santuzza needs to sound _in extremis_. I rather feel the same about the Karajan recording with Cossotto and Bergonzi. It's all very beautiful, but just a bit too civilised. I hear no real Sicilian passion in it.
> 
> After listening to Bumbry and Cossotto, I sought out Muzio and she gave me exactly what I wanted.
> 
> ...


Interestingly, Muzio's "Voi lo sapete" was among my first opera recordings, and _Cav_ and _Pag_ with Callas my first experience with those operas. I agree completely with your assessment of their preeminence. Muzio, to my mind, had the most naturally emotive voice in opera and simply IS Santuzza, and Callas was in top form for those recordings.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Esclarmonde said:


> This was a difficult choice. Bumbry is a relatively new discovery for me - and I am besotted with her Amneris.
> 
> My first hearing of Cav was Karajan's 60s recording - featuring Cossotto. I can't imagine anyone singing it as passionately - and boy! Her voice could stop a bus!
> 
> ...


She is a tigress as Amneris


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## Esclarmonde (May 10, 2021)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Funnily enough, passion is exactly what I find missing in that Karajan performance, though the playing and singing is undeniably beautiful.


I tend to love beautiful melodies telling me terrible things.

And in Fiorenza Cossotto's Santuzza, I hear passion, conviction and fire. 
Guelfi's Alfio is full of wild passion. 
And the Santuzza-Turiddu duet is detonates with cruel passion.

So maybe there are as many kinds of passion as there are ears...


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## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

I love those who love Muzio


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Cossotto is a _goddess_ in this aria. this was not a hard one to call


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## Dimace (Oct 19, 2018)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Later it was Callas, in prime vocal condition, who became my yardstick and her recording is also allied to a memory. By now in my late twenties, I was living with a boyfriend in a flat in London and there was a retired opera singer living below us. One day we had invited her up for a cup of tea and she was absolutely thrilled to see my collection of opera recordings. She asked if she could listen to Callas singing _Voi lo sapete_ and while the record played she sat with rapt attention, mouthing the words, obviously very moved. By the end of the aria she had tears streaming down her face and asked if we could continue on through the duet with Turiddu, which had her on the edge of her seat. I later discovered she had been forced to retire early because of a terminal illness, possibly muscular dystophy. I can't now remember. I split up with that boyfriend soon after and moved out of that flat, so never saw her again.


*Unthinkable beauty.* This is singing from another universe.

(Grace & Fiorenza made good job. I will not vote in this pole. Both are equally super. Thanks all of you for this one)


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