Customer Reviews

Joan Sutherland: Age of Bel Canto [VHS]

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This tape had Dame Joan Sutherland in her absolute prime. Recorded in 1963 when she was the greatest coloratura soprano of this century. During the 60's and 70's, Dame Joan had a huge soprano voice of amazing clarity and gorgeous tone form low G to F above high C! And unlike all other coloraturas, her top notes are big and fat. I don't even think the Wagnerian soprano Birgit Nilsson had high notes of that size!!! But most incredible about Sutherland was her phenomenal technique, every requirement of the coloratura soprano's art was met with complete ease and perfection. Especially impressive were her lightning fast staccati and that trill...The most ravishing trill in history...An actual fast spinning of two adjacent notes, just like the trill of a flute!!! That alone would have made her famous. But of course, vocally she was the complete package. She was the "Voice of the Century", and perhaps every century...Alas, we'll never hear singing like hers again. Bravissima!!!

I started my interest in opera with Tebaldi. When Sutherland came along, I then followed both. This tape is magnificent! In '63, Sutherland was hitting her stride and it's wonderfully audible here. How she hits those high notes with seeming ease, always leaves me gasping. The only things wrong with this tape are: it's too short and doesn't rewind fast enough to be played again, and again, and again. Simply beautiful! This was first time I had heard Sutherland perform "E Strano" from Traviata. I must admit that I found myself thinking; "Oh, THAT's the way that's supposed to sound." This die-hard Tebaldi fan had to admit that Sutherland does "E Strano.." better. The contents of the rest of tape fall squarely in the Bel Canto - Coloratura reportoire. I would be interested in opinion from Callas fan. Well worth the price. Wow! What a voice!

Sutherland is one of the best coloratura soprano I've ever heard. Her dizzy high notes & vocal techniques are closed to perfection. A glorious example of Joan Sutherland's singing - a model for any generation. Sutherland's voice is overwhelmingly beautiful, rich, accurate and imaginative. Her voive is so sweet that can make one's head spin and she is at the very height of her powers.

Since the first reviewer wanted a Callas point of view on this Tape I will give my honest opinion. First and foremost I am a diehard Callas fan. I believe that Callas had the best vocal technique and dramatic intelligence that not even Caballe or Tebaldi could ever dream of having even in her later years. Yet, she never possesed the lovely lyric voice that Joan Sutherland had. Her agility soars well above any I have ever heard of or will ever hear of again. Her e flat come out of her like hit a key on a piano yes that simple. She will go down in history as the best voice of the 20th century. My highest recommendation for this Tape.

This fascinating video preserves for posterity the voice and art of Joan Sutherland in her prime. In 1963, Sutherland is just dazzling with her flexible passagework, luminous high notes (up to E flat on this video) and her perfect trill, perhaps the best of any singer. Sutherland graces with her unique gifts arias and duets from I Puritani, Semiramide, La Sonnambula, Don Pasquale, Crispino e la Comare and La Traviata, and also sings the Gypsy and the Bird by Benedict. The performances are all staged, with the nice support of the tenor Richard Conrad for the duets from Sonnambula and don Pasquale. Sutherland refers continually to legendary singers like Patti, Melba, Galli-Curci et al as her predecessors. When you hear this incredible performances you do not have other option but to agree that she in the same category as the great prima donnas of the past.

So many glorious nights I've spend at the opera house starring the great Dame. So many Lucias, Aminas, Violettas and Norma. I am the lucky few who had seasonal tickets to the Met. I was honored to have heard Price, Tucker, Callas, Nilsson, Domingo, Corelli, Caballe, Freni, Tebaldi, De Stefano, Sills, Merrill, Moffo, Scotto, Pavorotti and countless others. Sure Corelli was fantastic (as Calaf, Enrico), and Callas (as Tosca and Lucia) was mesmerizing as well as stunning vocally. Of course Birgit Nilsson was just a huge wall of pure sound (as Turandot and Isolde). And Caballe also was just wonderful. But by far the biggest thrill I had through all those memorable evenings and matinee were those that starred the great Australian Prima Donna, Dame Joan Sutherland. Of course she had the most phenomenal technique in the world, and no one can dispute that. And she had the most glorious voice in the world, and no one can dispute that as well. But it was her super personality that I encountered in her many autograph signings that made me fall in love with her.
The reason why I teared up when I watch this video is that it is the Joan Sutherland of her earliest years that is portrayed here. Yes, she was great right up to the end, but no one can dispute that her most spectacular moments lie at the earlier portions of her long career (late 1950's-late 1970's). All of the arias recorded here are from that golden era.
A magnificent "Vien diletto" from Puritani, a spell-binding "Bel raggio", and crowned by a "Sempre libera" to end all others.
So here we have evidence to the future operatic world that the most spectacular coloratura in the history books had left many wonderful recordings, including many vhs tapes that will the ultimate standards by which all divas of the past, present, and future will have to compare with!

This display of dazzling coloratura left me speechless. There are no sopranos out there that can be compared to the golden age soprano of Dame Joan Sutherland. She must have been in her thirties when she did this, and her voice was GORGEOUS back in those days..with the voice getter more and more spectacular as she goes up the staff, up to the bombshell of all high e-flats. Take my word for it, there is no better operatic video out there.

This is a true video documentary to the art of bel canto by the all time specialist in that reportoire, Dame Joan Sutherland. The great Australia diva pays homage to the most famous Prima Donnas of the past and interprets a few of the many bel cantos show stoppers in her own incomparable and immitatable vocal style.

In opening, she sings "Qui la voce...Vien, diletto", the mad scene from Bellini's I Puritani, simply exquisitely, there can be no criticism for her command of her extraordinary lyric instrument. In particular, pay attention to her execution of the many downward chromatic scales in rapid succession up to high D flat. In fact she sings Elvira's mad scene even better than she did for her best selling "The art of the Prima Donna" album that she recorded for the then London Records about 40 years ago. She finishes "Vien diletto" on a top E flat in alt, flawless, of course.

Next, La Stupenda, as she was firstly given that title by the Venetians after her stunning 1960 Alcina, attacks the tour de force, "Bel Raggio...Dolce pensiero" from Rossini's Semiramide. I found not one fault vocally in the interpretation of this coloratura showpiece, crowned with a ringing high E flat. Then comes two lovely duets, one from Donizetti's Don Pasquale, and another from Bellini's La Sonnambula that Ms Sutherland sings beautifully, if not given much support from her anemic sounded tenor.

Following the duets is Benedict's "The Gypsy and the Bird", a favorite encore piece sung by many of the coloratura assolutas of the past. It is a bird song, really, but not giving Dame Joan much of a vocal challenge. Then comes "Io non sono piu l'Annetta" from Ricci's Cripsino E La Compare. This is one of Sutherland most performed arias because of the ease that she makes of the trills, arpeggios and high notes.

But without question, the highlight of this entire collection is a flawlessly sung "Ah, forse lui...Sempre libera" from Verdi's La Traviata. This aria is what Dame Joan Sutherland is all about...perfect technique, perfect execution of all vocal demands, and just, ravishing, ravishing singings as always, including a gleaming high E flat that she nails at the end of the aria. Also take notice to the great ease that the diva shows in her execution of the impossibly high tessitura. In this reviewer's opinion, there are no better interpretations out there of any of the arias that Dame Joan chose to sing in this collection, but never is that more apparent than "Sempre libera". There are only a few Prima Donna Assolutas in living memory who can even come remotely close to this, and we all know who they were...

In all, a stupendous collection by La Stupenda.

What a program. I am in awe of the superlative singing by La Stupenda. Everything is lovely. I have many sound recordings of this diva, but this is my first visual recital, and it is a stunner. For sure, I will be getting many, many more. YES!

Sutherland at her ultimate form. Renata Tebaldi once said that the great aria "Sempre Libera" should be sung this way. THOSE HIGH NOTES!! Are they for real? They are spine tinkling.These high notes have to be heard to be believe. And she just opens her mouth and they come out easily. The runs and trills are just like a flute could have done it. Never heard anything like it.
Listen to it, and you be the judge.
This is truly singing that is the stuff of legends.