# Question for Jessye Norman Fans



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I used to be rather obsessed with Jessye years ago but have a more balanced view of things now. I saw her 3 times, but every time was after her stunning 100 pound weight loss. She still had some good singing in her BUT she was never really successful at soprano roles after the early 1990's after slimming down. She recorded about 8 soprano roles but NEVER would she do that after the weight loss. Just popular albums in the later part of her career. All opera sets released after her weight loss were recorded earlier when she was big as a house. She was the queen of The Four Last Songs of Strauss and not only did that incredible recording but sang it often in concert. Never again after the weight loss. She did sing 2 of them in concert on TV, but not the ones that went up high. She sang Sieglinde and Ariadne and Kundry when she was slimmer, but people said her high notes were tiny. My final bit of evidence was her TV performance of the Immolation Scene at the opening of Seattle's concert hall. The first half was glorious, but in the second half she ( wisely) lowered every high note by a third. Losing weight was likely great for her health, and often super large singers have breath problems after 45 when the breath gets shorter with age. Still, I think losing weight for Jessye was the end for her successfully singing anything that didn't lie firmly in the mezzo range. She always had a voice that sounded more mezzo, but when she was fat she could spectacularly navigate High A's and B's with finesse. What do you think? Am I off base. I am planning a speech on this.


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

It's not unlikely that the weight loss affected her support and had consequences for her high notes. But I have the impression that her tendency to sing flat at the top preceded the weight loss. Norman's voice changed considerably over the course of her career. In her pre-superstar days she had a lovely, creamy, strong lyric soprano with dramatic potential, as heard in the Haydn operas she recorded with Antal Dorati in the '70s. She reminded me of Eileen Farrell, both in timbre and in the fact that she seemed to have a definite upper limit to her range.






Her voice grew in size and depth, becoming more mezzo-like, and she took on heavier repertoire. I don't know when she started to hit her top notes slightly under pitch, and it isn't a problem on most of her major recordings, but it's something that's stood in the way of my liking her more. Ultimately I'd say she became a mezzo for all practical purposes. The beauty of her middle and lower voice was never in question.

A mezzo, by the way, should have a solid high A, and ideally something beyond that. You need to be able to sing higher than the composer asks you to.


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> It's not unlikely that the weight loss affected her support and had consequences for her high notes. But I have the impression that her tendency to sing flat at the top preceded the weight loss. Norman's voice changed considerably over the course of her career. In her pre-superstar days she had a lovely, creamy, strong lyric soprano with dramatic potential, as heard in the Haydn operas she recorded with Antal Dorati in the '70s. She reminded me of Eileen Farrell, both in timbre and in the fact that she seemed to have a definite upper limit to her range.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I just discovered the Haydn recordings last week and they are amazing.... sounding soprano with great coloratura technique,but fully in the mezzo range. Even back then in the 70's she recorded Oedipus Rex also and she displayed then the biggest sounding contralto voice I've ever heard, even bigger than Ewa Podles.I heard this on a live pirated recording that is no longer extant except on rare vinyl.


----------



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> A mezzo, by the way, should have a solid high A, and ideally something beyond that. You need to be able to sing higher than the composer asks you to.


Indeed. My singing teacher knew Janet Baker and said she used to exercise up to a high D.


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

At one time Jessye was exciting to listen to.
It's her book that was a devastation.


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

nina foresti said:


> At one time Jessye was exciting to listen to.
> It's her book that was a devastation.


For those of us who haven't read it...?


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> At one time Jessye was exciting to listen to.
> It's her book that was a devastation.


Preach, as they say down South. I could only skim it as it was duller than dirt and told nothing that most fans would want to know.


----------

