# Performances of your favorite singers you feel are OVERrated



## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

I'll start with mine, Joan Sutherland: Lucia di Lammermoor and Semiramide

that's not to say that I don't enjoy these performances. they are wonderful, but, imo, they don't capture the whole picture of what made Sutherland great, which was not only her effortless coloratura, but the _heroic_ power, phrasing and elegant legato even up in the stratosphere. give me her "Esprits de l'air", "Ah Bello a me Ritorna", "Ocean! Thou Mighty Monster" or "Santo di Patria" over her Handel, Delibes and lighter bel canto any day of the week.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

This is a surprisingly tough question. No singer is perfect, and I suppose the way to approach this is to consider a singer's weak points and look for the roles in which those are most exposed. So I'll go right to the top and say that I like Callas's Gilda and Rosina less than some do - but then I have to say immediately that the dark and earthy timbre of the voice, so suited to more complex characters and grand tragedy, scarcely matters when the musical and dramatic artistry is so extraordinary. 

A better example might be Melchior, whose Wagner is phenomenal except for his Lohengrin, which lacks the ethereal lyricism peculiar to that among all Wagner's leading tenor parts. I'd say something similar about Flagstad's Kundry, beautifully sung as usual but nowhere near neurotic and tormented enough. Listening to her and Melchior do the second act of Parsifal is a vocal treat but a strange experience dramatically, with the young hero in harrowing agony and his seductress a well-mannered Norwegian babysitter.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

I must confess I'm less than enamoured with Bohm's Tristan than some people are. I find Windgassen underpowered and grey in tone especially besides Nilsson's gleaming Isolde. As for Nilsson, while I recognise her singing of Isolde (live!) vocally one of the great phenomena of the last century I don't warm to the character as I do when it's sung by such singers as Denersch and Price. Possibly I'm looking for a warmer tone and a more human portrayal. But Nilsson's Isolde must be heard - she was able to knock you down simply with a breath!


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## graziesignore (Mar 13, 2015)

My favorite singers tend to be underrated, so it's kind of hard to find a performance of theirs that is OVERrated...


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## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

I hate to criticize one of my absolute favorite Wagner bass/baritones, but Hotter is overrated for Gurnemanz. His performance is exceptionally beautiful at times, but he sings like the tessitura was a little low for him--he fudges a lot of low notes and vagues up the overall melodic line.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

I guess I'd have to say the wimpy performance (which it's actually supposed to be) from Jonas Kaufmann in _Werther_. It just annoyed me no end to see him interpreting that role. He doesn't play wimps very well and seemed miscast to me.
Or maybe it is simply my own prejudice of seeing that sexy hunk of man acting like such a weakling.

(It's a refreshing change to be able to respond to a new thread instead of just adding more to all the old ones all the time. Thanks for posting it.)


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Another Hotter which was praised rather sentimentally by some critics was his performance as Wotan in Solti's Ring. In Act 1 of Siegfried he is in poor voice (he gets much better the rest) but by the time Walkure was recorded his vocal trials had become crippling. Listen to Krauss to hear him as he was - a great Wotan.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

I could add Domingo as Rigoletto which is an astounding example of miscasting. You keep waiting for him to sing La Donne et Mobile


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

DavidA said:


> I could add Domingo as Rigoletto which is an astounding example of miscasting. You keep waiting for him to sing La Donne et Mobile


wait, WHAT?! Domingo sang Rigoletto?


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> wait, WHAT?! Domingo sang Rigoletto?


Yes it was broadcast on TV in UK


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## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

DavidA said:


> Yes it was broadcast on TV in UK


Is it really overrated though? I don't think I've ever encountered anyone who thought Domingo actually worked for the role vocally--even the good reviews I've seen mostly were around the interesting video production and the overall filmic experience.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

howlingfantods said:


> Is it really overrated though? I don't think I've ever encountered anyone who thought Domingo actually worked for the role vocally--even the good reviews I've seen mostly were around the interesting video production and the overall filmic experience.


Yes you are right. It was all the who-ha about Domingo taking baritone roles in his advancing years that was over rated. Wish he'd have just retired with dignity. But he must love the stage. I've quoted before Joan Sutherland's explanation of her retirement: "I don't want them saying, Is the poor old thing going n forever!"


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## howlingfantods (Jul 27, 2015)

Yeah, it really didn't work -- his vocal color is just wrong even if the tessitura works better for him now. But I don't think he disgraces himself or anything, he just doesn't sound like a baritone.

Here's the part with Povera Rigoletto through Cortigiani if anyone's curious.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

DavidA said:


> I could add Domingo as Rigoletto which is an astounding example of miscasting. You keep waiting for him to sing La Donne et Mobile


So was the Barber of Seville recording. 
Nowadays it's suits him those baritone roles.
I smut add that the Rigoletto was a good watch so to speak.


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## Tuoksu (Sep 3, 2015)

Callas' Tosca. Maybe because I don't really care about that Opera that much anyway, but it's definitely far from being her best performance like many people say.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Tuoksu said:


> Callas' Tosca. Maybe because I don't really care about that Opera that much anyway, but it's definitely far from being her best performance like many people say.


I have the Price /Karajan any day of the week.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Tuoksu said:


> Callas' Tosca. Maybe because I don't really care about that Opera that much anyway, but it's definitely far from being her best performance like many people say.


I don't think Tosca is Callas's greatest achievement (neither did she), but is it possible to overrate this?


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## Tuoksu (Sep 3, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> I don't think Tosca is Callas's greatest achievement (neither did she), but is it possible to overrate this?


Like I said, it's only overrated from the point of view of someone who doesn't really care about Tosca. Callas' performance is second to none. Yet it's not the first role I'd mention if I wanted to talk about Callas' achievements. Not even the 10th.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Tuoksu said:


> Like I said, it's only overrated from the point of view of someone who doesn't really care about Tosca. Callas' performance is second to none. Yet it's not the first role I'd mention if I wanted to talk about Callas' achievements. Not even the 10th.


Yes, I understand. Callas said that she thought Tosca a rather silly woman and that she didn't care much for Puccini. When asked how she could then manage to be the greatest interpreter of the role, she said with a shrug that when you don't like a role you have to work all the harder at it.

Ah, Maria. :tiphat:


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## Tuoksu (Sep 3, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> Yes, I understand. Callas said that she thought Tosca a rather silly woman and that she didn't care much for Puccini. When asked how she could then manage to be the greatest interpreter of the role, she said with a shrug that when you don't like a role you have to work all the harder at it.
> 
> Ah, Maria. :tiphat:


Gotta love Maria <3


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