Joan Sutherland--Mad Scenes

Joan Sutherland (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 8, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B00004T2FR
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220,415 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. I Puritani: O rendetemi la speme

2. I Puritani: Vien, diletto, e in ciel la luna!

3. Dinorah: Bellah! ma chevre cherie!...Dors, petite

4. Dinorah: Dieu! comme cette nuit...Ombre legere (Shadow Song)

5. Hamlet: A vos jeux, mes amis, permettez-moi

6. Hamlet: Le voila! Je crois l'entendre

7. L'Etoile du Nord: C'est bien lui...La la la air cheri!

8. Lucia di Lammermoor: Eccola!...O giusto cielo!...Il dolce suono

9. Lucia di Lammermoor: Ohime! sorge il tremendo fantasma

10. Lucia di Lammermoor: S'avanza Enrico!

11. Lucia di Lammermoor: Spargi d'amaro pianto

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable, August 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Joan Sutherland--Mad Scenes (Audio CD)

It was expected for a very long time a CD with MAD SCENES with Joan Sutherland as singer. Her skills as coloratura soprano are unbelievable. In these interpretations you can feel dramatism and emotions. Joan as Lucia always shines. In this recording you can find an improved characterization of this rol, but it is harder interpretation than the first ones. Her Elvira is sweet and bright, but I prefer a another of her permances that was directed by Serafin around 1960. Joan's first performance of Hamlet was around 1982 or 1983 with Sherill Milnes in the title rol. This was recording by DECCA. Actually it is very hard to find this recording. Maybe DECCA should restore it. The rols of Dinorah and Catherine were beatifully carried out by Sutherland, vacally and dramaticly. LA STUPENDA IS STILL THE BEST.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars La Stupenda rules!!!, January 28, 2002

By 

Alex (Bucharest, Romania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joan Sutherland--Mad Scenes (Audio CD)

This CD features Dame Joan Sutherland in arias from 1962 to 1683. The compilation is a spectacular display of coloratura, mastered by the greatest coloratura soprano of the century.

The first 2 tracks are from I Puritani, recorded in 1973. The caballetta Vien, diletto is sung gorgeously. Dame Joan alters the cadenza in the second half of the caballetta, and concludes with a high E flat.

The Ombre legere aria is sung with visible ease, even though this aria is extremely difficult. Just listen to the final high E (huge and agressive), and be amazed by this phenomenal display of fireworks.

The mad scene from Thomas Hamlet is recorded in 1983, when Dame Joan was 57. It is impressive how she sings at that age! She sung when she was past her prime the way most of the sopranos nowadays sing like when they are in their prime. Indeed, the voice shows some signs of wear, but the high notes are there, the coloratura is fast, the characterisation is well handled.

The Lucia mad scene is from the 1971 recording, the best known of her recordings, although not her best. She is incredible in the Spargi damaro pianto when she concludes with a high E flat, that covers the orchestra and the chorus. She had a huge voice!

This CD stands as an avidence of how incredible La Stupenda was, and how her voice changed along the years.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, August 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Joan Sutherland--Mad Scenes (Audio CD)

Finally a recording of Joan's mad scenes. I find this cd interesting because it contains recordings from as far back as 1960, but it also include the hamlet mad scene that was recorded in 1986. The earlier the better, of course, by far. But I have to give it to dame Joan to record Hamlet at near sixty. It is extremely visible that the 1986 Sutherland had lost 1/2 of her voice and 1/2 of her technique. This recording has a lot of rare gems, including the mad scene from Dinorah, featuring a young dame Joan. And Qui la voce from the 1975 Puritani that is out of print, sung brilliantly.