Customer Reviews

Joan Sutherland - The Complete Bell Telephone Hour Performances Vol. 2: 1961-1968 [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To hear Sutherland as she should have been heard!! The greatest coloratura of our time... Not with a microphone right in her mouth! You can feel the sheer weight and power of her voice in these performances..minus the bad "casta diva" The gem of the set is in the final mad scene from "Hamlet"...I think that piece is the greatest display of coloratura ever recorded in a video..bar none..

After being a Sutherland fan for years and being fortunate enough to have seen her final performance of Norma, this takes me back to PRIMO Sutherland. Not a note out of place, unbeleivable coloratura. The only thing that can not be appreciated is the sheer size of the voice... no little peanut whistle sounds here. The Met Primma Donnas of today would do well to take a peak at this. They can't hold a candle to these performances.. BRAVO DAME JOAN!

This is really Sutherland the way she was when she was the bar none most stupendous coloratura specialist of the last century. She had all the notes...up the E natural above high C. And every aspect of the coloratura's art is at her disposal. Of course, we all know that she had most sparkling gorgeous soprano voice ever. Just listen to the fantastic mad scene from Lucia...this one is even better than her two cd's she did for Decca, and that's saying a lot. Anyone who says Sutherland can't act should purchase this and eat his or her words.

This is the real Joan Sutherland. The greatest coloratura soprano in history. She sings the most difficult bel canto arias with ease and perfection. Her vocal technique has no flaws. Although her sense of drama has its limits.
But if you want to hear the possibilities of the human voice, I urge you to buy this cd and its companian.

This is the very YOUNG Sutherland's voice (circa 1960-1968
here). In those days La Stupenda is world renowned for having the clearest, most crystline voice in
the world. She's Justly famous for having one the most beautiful voice around. Trill for trill, runs for
runs, high notes for high notes, and staccato for staccato, she's unbeatable.

For over 30 years she ruled the operatic heaven as the Queen of bel canto. I think that's the reason
the Callas crowd has always hated her. It is so plainly obvious that Sutherland is vastly superior to
Callas vocally and technically. And her emergence in 1959 as Lucia made La Stupenda the
overnight toast of the operatic world and certainly help force the Greek diva into an early
retirement - not wanting to be second best.

This collection of the toughest bel canto arias sung by La stupenda sets the standards by which all
other coloraturas who follow should and must be judged by.

No one, and I repeat no one, past, present and in the future are likely to compare favorably to
Sutherland's command of the art of coloratura singing, let alone come close to these definitive
interpretations of these most taxing arias ever written.

If you want to hear mind boggling, jaw dropping singing that epitomizes a vocal virtuosa, this is the
DVD for you. For the shere beauty and possibilities of the human voice, this collection of bel canto
warhorses is invincible.

This vhs shows Sutherland when she was the greatest soprano in the entire stratosphere. I challenge everyone to buy this tape, and not be completely overwhelmed by spectacular singing that has never been equalled, and will never be equalled.