# SOPRANO TOURNAMENT (By Request): Muzio vs Spani



## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Claudia Muzio, Italy, 1889-1936 (defeated Olivero 14-6)

https://www.talkclassical.com/70215-soprano-tournament-request-muzio.html






Hina Spani, Argentina, 1896-1969






'Ebben? Ne andrò lontana' from Catalani's _La Wally_.

Who's singing did you prefer and why?


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Ok so go kick me in the corner but I like Spani's better than Muzio's. She has an Olivero sound and probably will annoy those who don't go for glottal attacks. But her drama was more emotional and expressive.


----------



## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

I respond better to Mme. Muzio's darker hued voice than to Mme. Spani's slighter one, though both sing impeccably. Mme. Muzio also has a more melancholy quality which fit well with this aria's sad lyric. Both singers also have a not unattractive quick vibrato which adds a poignancy to their performance. 

I vote for Muzio because I find her singing more affecting.


----------



## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

I have no idea who Hina Spani is, but if she got even one vote against Claudia Muzio from a reasonably knowledgeable afficionado, she must be really good. I'll have to give her a listen.


----------



## Concertantek364 (Mar 13, 2021)

More info on Hina Spani:

http://www.cantabile-subito.de/Sopranos/Spani__Hina/spani__hina.html

John B. Steane in _The Grand Tradition: Seventy Years of Singing on Record, 1900-1970_: "She was an artist of great distinction and made what on the whole is the most satisfying series of soprano records to come out of Italy in the inter-war years."


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I wouldn't expect anyone to surpass Muzio in this morbidly melancholic bit of verismo, but danged if Hina Spani didn't outsing her, with focused tone, free, brilliant high notes, a pure, intense line, superb control of dynamics, and the imagination to put her impressive vocal resources to superb use. I don't think either singer lifts this aria to the level Callas does; _her_ interpretation is full of telling detail and evokes an extraordinary sense of loneliness. But Spani comes as close as anyone I've heard, and sings as well as anyone could, certainly more consistently and steadily than Callas. I haven't heard much of Spani before now, but I'll be keeping an ear out for her from now on.


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Concertantek364 said:


> More info on Hina Spani:
> 
> http://www.cantabile-subito.de/Sopranos/Spani__Hina/spani__hina.html
> 
> John B. Steane in _The Grand Tradition: Seventy Years of Singing on Record, 1900-1970_: "She was an artist of great distinction and made what on the whole is the most satisfying series of soprano records to come out of Italy in the inter-war years."


Thanks! What an impressive resume she had. Based on what we can hear in the aria from _La Wally,_ I can well believe that she was outstandingly good in most of her incredibly wide repertoire. They just don't make 'em like that any more!


----------



## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

I don’t see a ‘who cares’ option.


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Neo Romanza said:


> I don't see a 'who cares' option.


Who cares? ..............


----------



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Two wonderful singers and two wonderful versions of this melanchly piece. I fully expected to be going for Muzio, but found myself preferring Spani. Basically, I agree with everything Woodduck said. Callas is imprinted on my mind in this aria, and Spani comes closest to her in evoking a sort of sighing loneliness.

Spani it is.


----------



## Dimace (Oct 19, 2018)

*Spani, without many thoughts.* The first recording is VERY BAD as sound quality and personally I can't make judgments under such circumstances. La Wally is GREAT opera and Maria made it even greater. (Claudia is big voice. I would kill to have her today singing. What a level those days and what misery nowadays.)


----------



## Concertantek364 (Mar 13, 2021)

Dimace said:


> Spani, without many thoughts. La Wally is GREAT opera and *Maria made it even greater*. (Claudia is big voice.


By "Maria made it even greater" you mean Callas? The fact is, she never sang _La Wally_ on stage, and the 1954 EMI/UK Columbia recording of the aria "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana" is the only documented occasion she sang it throughout her entire career.


----------



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Concertantek364 said:


> By "Maria made it even greater" you mean Callas? The fact is, she never sang _La Wally_ on stage, and the 1954 EMI/UK Columbia recording of the aria "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana" is the only documented occasion she sang it throughout her entire career.


Indeed, but, as is her wont, she made her mark on that one aria like no other, so I understand what Dimace is saying. Of the two excellent versions above, it is, surprisinly perhaps, Spani's version that comes closest to her achingly sad loneliness.


----------



## Concertantek364 (Mar 13, 2021)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Indeed, but, as is her wont, she made her mark on that one aria like no other, so I understand what Dimace is saying. Of the two excellent versions above, it is, surprisinly perhaps, Spani's version that comes closest to her achingly sad loneliness.


Since we're only comparing different renditions of a particular aria here, it would have been more accurate to say that '"Ebben? Ne andrò lontana" is a great aria and (whoever) made it even greater'. Callas' version is indeed a marvellous one, but Muzio's and Spani's are in their different ways at least as remarkable.


----------



## Concertantek364 (Mar 13, 2021)

Another, albeit more detailed article on Hina Spani's life and career, written by Bob Rideout, a regular poster on Opera-L:

https://bob-opera.weebly.com/hina-spani.html

According to an interview conducted by _The Record Collector_, _La Wally_ is in Spani's stage repertoire and it is her favourite operatic role after Cio-Cio-San.


----------



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Concertantek364 said:


> Another, albeit more detailed article on Hina Spani's life and career, written by Bob Rideout, a regular poster on Opera-L:
> 
> https://bob-opera.weebly.com/hina-spani.html
> 
> According to an interview conducted by _The Record Collector_, _La Wally_ is in Spani's stage repertoire and it is her favourite operatic role after Cio-Cio-San.


I believe it was a favourite Tebaldi role too.

I used to have the Tebaldi set on LP, but I thought it was dreadfully dull, apart from that one famous aria. I only listened to it once or twice.


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Concertantek364 said:


> Another, albeit more detailed article on Hina Spani's life and career, written by Bob Rideout, a regular poster on Opera-L:
> 
> https://bob-opera.weebly.com/hina-spani.html
> 
> According to an interview conducted by _The Record Collector_, _La Wally_ is in Spani's stage repertoire and it is her favourite operatic role after Cio-Cio-San.


Bird: What a fine article on Spani. I really learned a lot about a soprano I had never heard of before. My thanks.


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I believe it was a favourite Tebaldi role too.
> 
> I used to have the Tebaldi set on LP, but I thought it was dreadfully dull, apart from that one famous aria. I only listened to it once or twice.


I've never heard the opera. I guess I've assumed there's a reason why we never hear anything from it but "Ebben." Perhaps it's a contender in the competition for "most famous one-aria opera"? It would be interesting to hear from someone who thinks highly of it.


----------



## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

Woodduck said:


> I've never heard the opera. I guess I've assumed there's a reason why we never hear anything from it but "Ebben." Perhaps it's a contender in the competition for "most famous one-aria operas"? It would be interesting to hear from someone who thinks highly of it.


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

vivalagentenuova said:


>


"Before he died his skin went yellow"!

How could I have neglected such a masterwork all these years? No wonder Puccini was jealous.


----------



## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

I would actually like to cast my vote for Muzio - despite horrible sound quality she got me completely carried away with the dream-like quality of her voice. Spani was also great, slightly tinny on top, but still with all the drama required. Bravi to both ladies!


----------



## Operasinger (May 28, 2021)

Listen how gorgeously Hina Spani perform this (although it's in Italian instead of French)-


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Operasinger said:


> Listen how gorgeously Hina Spani perform this (although it's in Italian instead of French)-


WOW!

I'm trying to think of something else to say, but my mouth is still hanging open.


----------



## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

Woodduck said:


> "Before he died his skin went yellow"!
> 
> How could I have neglected such a masterwork all these years? No wonder Puccini was jealous.


:lol:

There's a relatively nondescript baritone aria from La Wally that I've hard sometimes. I have the Tebaldi set too, but she and Del Monaco are way past their primes and I've never bothered to listen to the whole thing. Apparently it ends when the soprano gets taken out in an avalanche, so it could be worth hearing that scene. But mostly I think Toscanini was friends with Catalani while he had a rocky relationship with Puccini (in part because Puccini was not a hyper-nationalistic patriot) so his judgments are correspondingly biased and silly.

Spani is great. There's a Lebendige Vergangenheit set devoted to her, and she appears as Desdemona in excerpts with Zenatello and Granforte.

This is a hard choice and I don't have a vote yet.


----------



## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> I have no idea who Hina Spani is, but if she got even one vote against Claudia Muzio from a reasonably knowledgeable afficionado, she must be really good. I'll have to give her a listen.


...wow, I'm glad I did.


----------



## Dimace (Oct 19, 2018)

Woodduck said:


> "Before he died his skin went yellow"!
> 
> How could I have neglected such a masterwork all these years? No wonder Puccini was jealous.


I was ready to write that I could exchange 3 Verdi's operas for this one, but I don't like to be dramatic or overreacting with the music. Loreley is also a VERY GOOD opera.


----------

