# Round Two: Mezzo: Samson et Dalilah: Amour! vien: Rise Stevens and Shirley Verrett



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Rise Stevens owned the part of Dalila and Carmen in post war years at the Met for a long time. She also had a career in the movies. I really love Verrett as a mezzo.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

I can't decide. I'm not voting


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> I can't decide. I'm not voting


I wish we had either today! I don't know if I can choose.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Miss Stevens refuses to dig deeply into her chest register, perhaps believing the old tales that you'd lose your high notes. I never saw Miss Stevens while she was still singing, but saw some films. I did see her when Marilyn Horne sang Dalila's aria in one of the Metropolitan Opera's galas and made a point of embracing her in tribute. Miss Steven's diction here sounds curiously opaque, though she doesn't murder the language. The voice is firm, the tone even, sensuous to a degree without putting it on. A most ladylike Dalila. She does not shirk any of the dramatics, but she doesn't exaggerate anything. Strangely, she takes a lower variant on her high note at _je le brave!_, kicked off in the old-fashioned way.

I was fortunate to see Miss Verrett as Dalila in two productions a decade apart. She, of course, has no trouble at all plunging into her chest! So she did also "live." Unfortunately in the later performances her voice was affected and her chest notes were very hollow-sounding, the tone lacking any velvet throughout the range. I find her lower notes here somewhat hollow, too, but she doesn't hesitate to use them. Is this a late career performance? The high notes are not bad, but not as sure as I'd like.

The more I listened to Stevens the more I liked her, despite the gingerly descent into her chest register. In comparison, Verrett seems exaggerated.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

MAS said:


> Miss Stevens refuses to dig deeply into her chest register, perhaps believing the old tales that you'd lose your high notes. I never saw Miss Stevens while she was still singing, but saw some films. I did see her when Marilyn Horne sang Dalila's aria in one of the Metropolitan Opera's galas and made a point of embracing her in tribute. Miss Steven's diction here sounds curiously opaque, though she doesn't murder the language. The voice is firm, the tone even, sensuous to a degree without putting it on. A most ladylike Dalila. She does not shirk any of the dramatics, but she doesn't exaggerate anything.
> 
> I was fortunate to see Miss Verrett as Dalila in two productions a decade apart. She, of course, has no trouble at all plunging into her chest! So she did also "live." Unfortunately in the later performances her voice was affected and her chest notes were very hollow-sounding, the tone lacking any velvet throughout the range. I find her lower notes here somewhat hollow, too, but she doesn't hesitate to use them. Is this a late career performance? The high notes are not bad, but not as sure as I'd like.


I think it sounds later. There wasn't alas much of a choice and the other selection really sounded late but I wanted her in this. She wanted to be prima donna with the salary to boot so I can understand her wanting to sing soprano parts, but I think she ended up damaging the most beautiful part of her voice which was the lower half. She almost avoided any chest voice in her soprano roles.
I love your assessment of Rise Stevens. It was a very pretty voice but women back then weren't encouraged to be bad, you know.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I think it sounds later. There wasn't alas much of a choice and the other selection really sounded late but I wanted her in this. She wanted to be prima donna with the salary to boot so I can understand her wanting to sing soprano parts, but I think she ended up damaging the most beautiful part of her voice which was the lower half. I love your assessment of Rise Stevens. It was a very pretty voice but women back then weren't encouraged to be bad, you know.


Metropolitan Opera stars in those days had to be prudent - they were a class act (with some exceptions). Rudolf Bing almost fired Robert Merrill because he appeared in a film called _Aaron Slick from Pumkin Crick_.

I changed my post a bit.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

MAS said:


> *Miss Stevens refuses to dig deeply into her chest register, perhaps believing the old tales that you'd lose your high notes.* I never saw Miss Stevens while she was still singing, but saw some films. I did see her when Marilyn Horne sang Dalila's aria in one of the Metropolitan Opera's galas and made a point of embracing her in tribute. Miss Steven's diction here sounds curiously opaque, though she doesn't murder the language. The voice is firm, the tone even, sensuous to a degree without putting it on. A most ladylike Dalila. She does not shirk any of the dramatics, but she doesn't exaggerate anything. Strangely, she takes a lower variant on her high note at _je le brave!_, kicked off in the old-fashioned way.
> 
> I was fortunate to see Miss Verrett as Dalila in two productions a decade apart. She, of course, has no trouble at all plunging into her chest! So she did also "live." Unfortunately in the later performances her voice was affected and her chest notes were very hollow-sounding, the tone lacking any velvet throughout the range. I find her lower notes here somewhat hollow, too, but she doesn't hesitate to use them. Is this a late career performance? The high notes are not bad, but not as sure as I'd like.
> 
> The more I listened to Stevens the more I liked her, despite the gingerly descent into her chest register. In comparison, Verrett seems exaggerated.


Her chest register was well developed, she just didn't use it in the more abrupt manner of Callas, Obraztsova, Cossotto, etc.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

When it's this close I just have to let sheer beauty carry the day. I've listened very little to Stevens despite her celebrity and her importance to the Met - I've never heard more than a bit of her Carmen - so this is quite a treat. It's gorgeous vocalism, the voice rich and even from top to bottom, and I like the way she and Stokowski slow way down toward the finish line, whether or not it's in the score (his idea, probably).

Verret isn't as clearly recorded, so I'm less sure about her. I hear nothing lacking in her performance, but I'm going to remain the unapologetic sybarite.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> When it's this close I just have to let sheer beauty carry the day. I've listened very little to Stevens despite her celebrity and her importance to the Met - I've never heard more than a bit of her Carmen - so this is quite a treat. It's gorgeous vocalism, the voice rich and even from top to bottom, and I like the way she and stokowski slow way down toward the finish line, whether or not it's in the score (his idea, probably).
> 
> Verret isn't as clearly recorded, so I'm less sure about her. I hear nothing lacking in her performance, but I'm going to remain the unapologetic sybarite.


I suspect that if we had an early, pre soprano switching Verrett in a good recording we would have something special. Glad you found Stevens voice to be such a gorgeous instrument like I did.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> Her chest register was well developed, she just didn't use it in the more abrupt manner of Callas, Obraztsova, Cossotto, etc.


She seems to have one of those perfectly even, blended voices in which you aren't aware of registers at all. Maybe she worked hard to attain that, or maybe it came naturally.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I agree with everyone who says that Stevens sounds absolutely gorgeous. It is certainly the more beautiful rendering of the aria, but, for me it is Verrett who gives us a better idea of what is going on. You don't really need to understand French to know that this Dalila is up to no good. She is alone here, the gloves are off and she should have something demonic about her. Verrett gives me that in spades.

Stevens, for all the beauty and musicality of her singing, is just too ladylike for me. Verrett sounds dangerous, which, at this point in the opera, is exactly what Dalila should be. I must say I was rather surprised to find that I was the only person to vote for Verrett so far. I found the choice quite easy.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I agree with everyone who says that Stevens sounds absolutely gorgeous. It is certainly the more beautiful rendering of the aria, but, for me it is Verrett who gives us a better idea of what is going on. You don't really need to understand French to know that this Dalila is up to no good. She is alone here, the gloves are off and she should have something demonic about her. Verrett gives me that in spades.
> 
> Stevens, for all the beauty and musicality of her singing, is just too ladylike for me. Verrett sounds dangerous, which, at this point in the opera, is exactly what Dalila should be. I must say I was rather surprised to find that I was the only person to vote for Verrett so far. I found the choice quite easy.


Delilah is dangerous, but she's also sultry and seductive. I think Stevens plays up the honey trap aspect of Delilah better, but it's still too close for me to call.

I see your point about the gloves being off though. Sirens often have a much nastier side when they aren't trying to woo their prey.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> I see your point about the gloves being off though. Sirens often have a much nastier side when they aren't trying to woo their prey.


Quite. This is Dalila unmasked, her sole laid bare for the audience to see. She is like Lady Macbeth in _la luce langue_.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

I am not particularly a mezzo fan but Rise Stevens makes me open my eyes. I happen to be a huge fan of Verrett and thought she was fine but Rise's interpretation was more appealing to me.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> I am not particularly a mezzo fan but Rise Stevens makes me open my eyes. I happen to be a huge fan of Verrett and thought she was fine but Rise's interpretation was more appealing to me.


So glad you discovered her and was impressed. She was wonderful in historic recordings of the Met singing Carmen back when I had Met Opera Radio. She sang it more than anyone else in the Met's history. She was the premier Dalila in her day. She also sang popular music well and was a pretty lady in the movies. Beautiful rich voice. Did you know she went on to manage the Met On the Road productions. She went on to train many successful opera singers including Pliska and Tourangeau. They listed about 20 singers who had successful careers who studied with her... quite an accomplishment. She lived to be almost 100.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I like Steven's voice, but I always find her somewhat placid and it leaves me wanting more from her.

Verrett was a superb Dalila (and this may not be her best performance of the aria, but it's still more characterful than most other singers who have sung the role in the theatre).

I go with Verrett.

N.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

I'll go with Verrett.
I have already mentioned I don't particularly enjoy Stevens' chest tone so it's more about personal preference. I wouldn't say Verrett is on top of her game here as well, but the velvet of her voice where it's required wins me over. And oh boy those looks!


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Azol said:


> I'll go with Verrett.
> I have already mentioned I don't particularly enjoy Stevens' chest tone so it's more about personal preference. I wouldn't say Verrett is on top of her game here as well, but the velvet of her voice where it's required wins me over. And oh boy those looks!


Azol, it is a pity a good video of Verrett as Dalila isn't around. She was beautiful and she could act supposedly very well.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

_"Resistance is useless, Samson!"_


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Azol, it is a pity a good video of Verrett as Dalila isn't around. She was beautiful and she could act supposedly very well.


It's out there somewhere


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