# Round Three: Ah! Perfido!. Marton, Jones



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Both of these singers are singing at the start of their career before they developed wobbles. You'll be amazed I think.Thanks to Mas for helping me locate Marton's elusive video.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Gwyneth Jones sings very beautifully and her voice is exciting with a cutting edge, fluid with the _coloratura, _but she seems to be just singing the notes. Eva Marton in contrast, has a rougher voice, a bit of trouble with breaths in the divisions, but is thoroughly involved, and seems to have at least heard Callas’s recording.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

MAS said:


> Gwyneth Jones sings very beautifully and her voice is exciting with a cutting edge, fluid with the _coloratura, _but she seems to be just singing the notes. Eva Marton in contrast, has a rougher voice, a bit of trouble with breaths in the divisions, but is thoroughly involved, but seems to have at least heard Callas’s recording.


It is a pity both ladies didn't keep Mozart a part of their repertoires like Nilsson did and kept their voices healthy for longer. Jones I think needs a meatier part to sink her teeth into as in opera she is a wonderful interpreter usually.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

The young Gwyneth Jones had a warm, sympathetic quality in both voice and manner that may take the edge off her performance here, which is a bit lacking in intensity where that's needed. Eva Marton certainly doesn't lack it, and I even find her vehemence a little tiresome (or else I'm just tiring of this piece). The quiet sections could use a bit more legato, but on the whole her performance is more engaging than Jones's.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I'm not sure which of these two versions to vote for. It seems to me that each one has what the other one lacks. I prefer the conducting on Marton's version (Tilson Thomas), but I don't think we are supposed to be voting for the conductor! Jones has the more beautiful voice, but Marton is a little more involved. Even so, it struck me that they were both concerned about adopting a suitably Classical tone and were a little too respectful. Schwarzkopf, a renowned Mozartian, brings more fire and drama to it.

Incidentally, it's hard to believe from these performances that they would both become more renowned for their Strauss and Wagner.

I'm going to go for Jones, but both leave me a little underwhelmed.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

There's a lot that I like in the Marton version and she puts lots of welly in the recit. There's a few odd gurgles here and there and I found my mind wandering after a while, but there's still plenty to enjoy in her version even if she isn't Callas, Studer or Schwarzkopf.

I've heard the Jones version once before, but I couldn't remember what it was like so I was very happy to listen to it again. There's plenty of fire and bite in the recit and the more I hear her early work, the more I really like her voice and artistry. Could it be the voice that developed the most over a singer's career? She's a touch too wild and Marton sings far more in the classical style (which the piece needs). However, Jones was always exciting and so I will vote for hers despite it not being quite as authentically Beethoven as Marton's.

N.


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