# Raina Kabaivanska



## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

Hello!

I'm looking for any information about the soprano Raina Kabaivanska and her career in the US. Pictures, links, CDs... Thank you!


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

I found these remarkable videos featuring the lady:


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

Someone has a link to this one?...
Please!


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

melodies said:


> Someone has a link to this one?...
> Please!


Go to BookbButler.com en under search/ film put in: 0745099922023


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

melodies said:


> Hello!
> 
> I'm looking for any information about the soprano Raina Kabaivanska and her career in the US. *Pictures*, links, CDs... Thank you!


https://www.google.nl/search?q=Rain...ved=0ahUKEwizp5iz9vjcAhUDmbQKHQakCYQQ_AUICigB


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

Thank you very much!

This seems to be "Tosca"...


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

Tosca with Pav!


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Perhaps you can find her singing at big P funeral at you tube.


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

Seems to be a soprano with a big career, but not very popular in US...


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

melodies said:


> Seems to be a soprano with a big career, but not very popular in US...


I do think Italy was her "home" ground, as far as I can find. Great actress by the way, the Tosca DVD with Doming is stunning.


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

Biography

http://https://www.naxos.com/person/Raina_Kabaivanska/7255.htm

...appearing at *La Scala* itself during the same year as *Agnese / Beatrice di Tenda, opposite Joan Sutherland.*

In 1962 Kabaivanska was invited to sing *Desdemona / Otello at the Royal Opera House, London opposite Mario del Monaco, conducted by Georg Solti*. The same year she also appeared at the San Francisco Opera and was then contracted by the *Metropolitan Opera, New York*, where she made her debut in the autumn of *1962 as Nedda*. Later roles which she took at the Met included *Mimì (1963), Elisabetta / Don Carlo (1963), Alice / Falstaff (1964), Leonora / La forza del destino (1964), Manon / Manon Lescaut (1965), Cio-Cio-San / Madama Butterfly (1967), Maddalena / Andrea Chénier (1970), Marguerite / Faust (1971), Lisa / The Queen of Spades (1972)* and, her final role at the Met, *Tatyana in 1979*. In America Kabaivanska also sang in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Washington and New Orleans, while continuing her association with *La Scala*. Here she appeared in a repertoire that included *Falstaff, Busoni's Turandot, Suor Angelica, Don Carlo, Mefistofele and Rienzi *(conducted by Hermann Scherchen, 1964). As *Elvira / Ernani* she opened the *1969-1970 Scala season opposite Placido Domingo*. At this time Kabaivanska also met her future husband, an assistant producer. Together they settled in Modena.

From 1971 a permanent guest at the Hamburg State Opera, Kabaivanska made her debut at the Paris Opera in 1975 as Leonora and during the 1970s became a noted interpreter of such heroines of the verismo repertoire as La Wally (Catalani), Francesca da Rimini (Zandonai), Adriana Lecouvreur (Cilea) and Tosca (Puccini). She sang *Elena / I vespri siciliani in Maria Callas's only stage production*, at *Turin in 1973*, as well as *Amelia / **Simon Boccanegra with Abbado* at La Scala in 1976 and *Leonora / Il trovatore with Karajan* at Salzburg and Vienna during 1978. Later she sang *Alice with Karajan at Salzburg* and on film in 1981 and 1982.

Following *Tosca opposite Pavarotti at La Scala in 1980* Kabaivanska sued the theatre for breach of contract and her career was subsequently focused upon the other major Italian houses: Rome, Bologna, Naples, Turin and Palermo. In Rome she sang *opposite Alfredo Kraus as Massenet's Manon in 1981*, going on to open the 1981-1982 season in Donizetti's Fausta. This move into more Classical roles was followed by Spontini's La vestale at Genoa and Gluck's Armida at Bologna (both during 1984) and Elisabetta in Donizetti's Roberto Devereux in Rome (1988) and Genoa (1993). At the *Verona Arena she sang Butterfly in 1978, 1983 and 1997.*


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)




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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

melodies said:


> Someone has a link to this one?...
> Please!


This one is at sale at Presto Classical( U.K)
https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/7954086--puccini-madama-butterfly


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

The Penguin Guide says: "an unforgettably moving performance from Raina Kabaivanska... From the moment she comes demurely on stage she identifies completely with the role..."

Have you watched it, Rogerx?


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

melodies said:


> The Penguin Guide says: "an unforgettably moving performance from Raina Kabaivanska... From the moment she comes demurely on stage she identifies completely with the role..."
> 
> Have you watched it, Rogerx?


I use to have a _copy_ from a VCR tape recorded from German television, not anymore. I ordered a DVD at a seller at Amazon.


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

A very interesting video including footage from 1972 and 1990. Pavarotti says she's the greatest Tosca after Callas...

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWkGFqNlr7E


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

Pagliacci 1968 - Karajan - Vickers, Kabaivanska, Glossop


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)




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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)




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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Ms. Kabaivanska was an outstanding soprano. I watched her singing live quite a few times, during the second half of her very long career.

Of course, she is mostly remembered by roles like Adriana, Tosca, Leonora, Butterfly,... but the two performances I recall with greater affection are as the Governess in Britten's "The Turn of the Screw" (she was already 62 years old, but mesmerized the audience), and one of her very last, back in 2006, as Madame de Croissy, in Poulenc's "Dialogues des Carmélites".


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

melodies said:


> A very interesting video including footage from 1972 and 1990. Pavarotti says she's the greatest Tosca after Callas...
> 
> http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWkGFqNlr7E


I always wonder what that means. "The greatest after..."

Do they mean Callas was the best Tosca and Kabaivanska the second or is it meant chronologically 'the greatest Tosca _since_ Callas'. I very much enjoyed Kabaivanska in the film of Tosca I watched at the weekend. However, the greatest Tosca after Callas in my opinion was Magda Olivero.

N.


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)




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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

The Conte said:


> I always wonder what that means. "The greatest after..."
> 
> Do they mean Callas was the best Tosca and Kabaivanska the second or is it meant chronologically 'the greatest Tosca _since_ Callas'. I very much enjoyed Kabaivanska in the film of Tosca I watched at the weekend. However, the greatest Tosca after Callas in my opinion was Magda Olivero.
> 
> N.


The exact words of Pavarotti were: "Tosca of the past was Callas. Tosca of our days is Kabaivanska."


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

Some important performances of Tosca that Raina Kabaivanska gave:

1971 - Reggio Emilia, debut
1972 - Sofia with Cecchele and Taddei
1973 - Tokyo
1974 - La Scala, with Domingo
1974 - Bolshoi with Domingo (La Scala tour in USSR)
1976 - Parma, Carreras debut as Cavaradossi, Bruson debut as Scarpia
1976 - the famous film with Domingo and Milnes
1977 - Torre del Lago with Pavarotti
1977 - Royal Opera with Pavarotti and Glossop
1980 - La Scala with Pavarotti
1985 - Palais Garnier
1989 - Vienna with Pavarotti
1990 - Rome with Pavarotti
1991 - Palermo with original scenography from the world premiere of Tosca in 1900
1994 - Vienna with Pavarotti
1996 - Naples with Pavarotti
2004 - Madrid, last Tosca


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Raina Kabaivanska also sang one of my favorite operas, Bellini's "Beatrice di Tenda".

In fact, she was able to sing the two female roles, first Agnese:






And later, Beatrice herself:


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)




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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)




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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)




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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)




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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

melodies said:


>


Maybe the best performance of this aria!


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Just yesterday I heard her on Sirius with Richard Tucker in a 1966 *Manon Lescaut.* Being unfamiliar with her, I was very impressed by her.


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

*A live performance from 1990 with high quality sound!*


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

nina foresti said:


> Just yesterday I heard her on Sirius with Richard Tucker in a 1966 *Manon Lescaut.* Being unfamiliar with her, I was very impressed by her.


Can you send me a link, please?


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

https://www.corriere.it/la-lettura/18_ottobre_10/mirella-freni-raina-kabaivanska-scuola-modena-pavarotti-84b3b47a-ccb9-11e8-ae88-febf99edce56.shtml


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)




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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

*PUCCINI 
Manon●Tosca 
R.Kabaivanska, C.Bergonzi 
RAI Milano, M.Arena 
video 1970 ®*


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

https://twitter.com/neilgillespie11

After Sunday's matinee of #ROHForza with some of the amazing cast plus surprise visitor Raina Kabaivanska!


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

*Anna Netrebko* for _Corriere della sera_

"Everyone does Tosca, but I've seen very few good. Tosca of Callas, Tosca of Kabaivanska... She's magnificent in the video from Rome Opera House with Pavarotti, same for the film with Domingo. For me Raina Kabaivanska is a model."


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

I was expecting a Happy 85th Birthday tribute from you on *15 December *


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## melodies (Aug 18, 2018)

*Kabaivanska & Cappuccilli*


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## battistini (Jan 22, 2021)

Raina Kabaivanska made loads of studio recordings and is one of my favorite singers. From memory I know she made 2 studio recordings of Butterfly, Francesca, Tosca (on video), Trovatore (on video), Adriana perhaps others. I don't know how many original recitals she recorded but there are several compilation discs of her arias.

I compare her to Zeani. Zeani had the more lyrical and sweeter voice but it didn't have the heft for Verdi (in my opinion). Kabaivanska definitely did, her recording of the Don Carlo aria is one of the best versions, I think it stands close to Callas or Seinemeyer. She is amazing in certain roles like Butterfly, presumably in the way Destin was. Her voice was always tart toward the end of her career it becomes too tart for my taste. In an early Butterfly recording her voice sounds smaller and less dramatic (to me). I thought she was sublime in Trovatore, others have been less impressed. She has numerous recital discs available on iTunes but in most of these she is not at her best. She is amazing in a Puccini recital disc on Warner.

Like Zeani she was criminally under-recorded (though the Zeani situation is even worse). In Italy I think they styled her La Stupenda. Or one of those superlatives. In the aggregate these two are great great singers.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

battistini said:


> Raina Kabaivanska made loads of studio recordings and is one of my favorite singers. From memory I know she made 2 studio recordings of Butterfly, Francesca, Tosca (on video), Trovatore (on video), Adriana perhaps others. I don't know how many original recitals she recorded but there are several compilation discs of her arias.
> 
> I compare her to Zeani. Zeani had the more lyrical and sweeter voice but it didn't have the heft for Verdi (in my opinion). Kabaivanska definitely did, her recording of the Don Carlo aria is one of the best versions, I think it stands close to Callas or Seinemeyer. She is amazing in certain roles like Butterfly, presumably in the way Destin was. Her voice was always tart toward the end of her career it becomes too tart for my taste. In an early Butterfly recording her voice sounds smaller and less dramatic (to me). I thought she was sublime in Trovatore, others have been less impressed. She has numerous recital discs available on iTunes but in most of these she is not at her best. She is amazing in a Puccini recital disc on Warner.
> 
> Like Zeani she was criminally under-recorded (though the Zeani situation is even worse). In Italy I think they styled her La Stupenda. Or one of those superlatives. In the aggregate these two are great great singers.


I don't think it was La Stupenda. That title was reserved for Sutherland. Caballé was given the title La Superba. I don't know what Kabaivanska would have been called, but she had a very good career, especially in Italy.

I once had an LP of some live recordings with her. The excerpts from *Otello* were particularly fine.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Limited vinyl pressing . :angel:


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I was fortunate enough to see one of her performances as Butterfly in Verona during her run of last performances at the Arena (and I think of the role). Her voice was rather shrill by that stage of her career. However, her acting (both visually and vocally) was extraordinary, she knew that role inside out and I was totally convinced that this woman about the age of 60 was a teenage Japanese geisha. I have seen other singers at the end of their careers once they had lost their vocal bloom and it was clear that they had just been a beautiful voice. That wasn't the case with Kabaivanska. That said, none of her recordings capture the sheer drama of that occasion I witnessed in Verona and the only one I have is her Butterfly DVD.

N.


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## battistini (Jan 22, 2021)

Maybe "L'absoluta"?


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