Customer Reviews

Rossini - Semiramide / Sutherland · Sinclair · Bonynge

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Yes, this is not the legendary Semiramide with Sutherland and Horne. But it is also very good. There is no doubt that Sutherland is THE Semiramide. Nobody ever comes close. She was just spectacular as this Babylonian queen. Her voice and technique was at her peak in this recording. Sinclaire had a right voice for Arsace and was very involved but lacked the solid technique for Rossini's singing. Other supporting casts were good. Bonynge did a superb job at conducting. The sound quality is fine for the live recording. With the very budget price, I recommend this recording over the extremely expensive DG album with Struder and Lamore which suffer mostly from the unimaginative conducting by Marin. I wish Decca will re-reissue the Sutherland/Horne recording soon. That one is THE Semiramime to die for.

And Sinclair is no match for Horne, who was the greatest coloratura mezzo of her time. But Sutherland alone makes this five stars. She actually sings better here than in the recording with Horne. And this is budget price.

Sinclair is by far the worst Arsace on any of my four different full length versions. Horne is always the best although Larmore is also wonderful. When this recording was made there were essentially no men who could sing the music. More recent recordings with Frank Lopardo, Stanford Olsen and Gregory Kunde as Idreno are much to be preferred. Ramey is the best Assur on records, although Pertusi is also very good.

The best CD is the Studer, Larmore, Olsen and Ramey recording. Studer is very spirited and accurate but lacks the tonal warmth of Sutherland. Buy the Studer CD first get this one as a supplement.

Yes, this is not the legendary Semiramide with Sutherland and Horne. But Sutherland IS here. And she make Rossini's fiendishly difficult music seem like child's play. She is truly a vocal miracle. I own both this set and the set with Horne. Highly recommended!!!

Semiramide is the most difficult bel canto ever written. It simply calls for the greatest dramatic coloratura soprano in the world. And in this century, only Sutherland can sing this role to perfection. Her duets with Horne are just too beautiful to be true.

Sutherland is a dramatic coloratura, Sills a light coloratura. Both are valid and comparisons are silly.
The fact is the Semiramide is the hardest Rossinian opera written. And only Sutherland can do it justice.
Sills is great. But if she was to attempt Semiramide, it would have ruined her voice. The orchestrations and choral background calls for a large voice like Sutherland.

Magnificent and underrated. This Semiramide finds Sutherland in plush and gorgeous tone. She will never again sing coloratura as accurate and fast as this again. We're talking 64th notes. No other coloratura can even dream of attempting Sutherland's cadanzas. So these other lesser coloraturas attempting Semiramide choose far easier cadanzas and embellishment, and this includes Ms Studer. Ms Studer is a fine singer. But to compare her to the ultimate coloratura of our life time(Sutherland, of course) is ridiculous. This set captures Sutherland in her most stupendous form. That alone is worth ten times the price for this cd.

To the amateur critic Peter who wrongly compare the greatest coloratura soprano Joan Sutherland to the average Bartoli, all I can say you need to be educated to the style of coloratura singing. Bartoli's coloratura is flawed - it is not fluid, it is not flowing, it is too shaky, which is not the correct technique to sing bel canto. Just ask any opera singing teacher if you don't believe me. It is also harsh, stiff, uneffortless and non legato. Legato and free coloratura is the correct technique to sing Rossini. Bartoli's colortura is more suited to oratorios like Messiah, when the fioratura is more sharp and less legato, or it could even be effective in Vivaldi. This rules out Semiramide.
Besides Sutherland, Callas had the correct technique to sing Rossinian or other bel canto operas, and so does Sills, but NOT Studer or Bartoli. I know, I sang Rossini when I was studying voice in UCLA years ago. We were taught that Sutherland is the master in Rossini style of fioratura.
Rossinian coloratura is the most fluid and difficult in all opera. And I absolutely disagree that Sutherland is not involving in her role. I feel her expressive voice is her soul in bel canto, and she has no equals in that.
Bartoli does indeed have much emotion in all her singing. But you are comparing a very average small voice with one of the most spectacular dramatic coloratura soprano of our time. It's like comparing a upright piano to a Steinway piano. Really.
However,I like Bartoli, and her singing moves me. But her technique is not remarkable, nor her voice. She is enjoyable in her style of singing, which is lyrical. She is fine singing Baroque arias especially.
She is "in" now. But her days will past and she will be forgotton while Sutherland is already firming place in the annals of opera as one of the greatest coloratura in history.
But then, if you think that Sinclair is as enjoyable in Semiramide than Horne, I think you taste is very unusual. I originally thought about using another remark, but I don't want to sound rude. But you need to be educated about the bel canto style of singing. Especially Rossinian.

Sutherland sings better here than in the set with Horne. But then, you get Sinclair instead of the great Horne. So it's a compromise. I'll get both if I were you though.
I can't help but be sad at all these terrible remarks from bashers that are uncalled for. Please, I beg you, stop. No one deserve a one star review unless the reviewer wants blood. That is just unfair. I understand the anger, but please take it out by writing positive reviews of your favorite diva rather than taking it out and writing negative reviews of your favorite singer's rival.
Is it one basher, two, three,four bashers, or more? That, I don't know, but they are doing Dame Joan a lot of harm. I wonder if these people know that they're actually causing pain for a lot of Sutherland's fans as well as for the Dame herself, that is just unfair.
Sutherland, Callas and Sills are three of the most respected singers of our time. We should be happy that so many recordings preserved for our enjoyment and for future generations of enjoyments. Let's compromise, hear me out please.
I can see both side. But the Callas and Sills fans bashed Sutherland's roles for over a month before any really bad reviews of one star started to go the Callas domains. I see this by reading the reviews and the dates.
I ask for a compromise at least. I don't think that Callas, Sutherland or Sills ever deserve one star reviews. That's for really terrible singers. If you really want to criticize or demean another singer. Three stars should be enough. To continue this is to hurt others. And that's just not right.

I agree that the vocalism of Dame Joan Sutherland is admirable and, simply as singing, is probably as good as you will ever get. I usually find Sutherland's live performances have a pleasure that her studio recordings lack, but not this one. She seems to be doing the part with great care, wonderful polish, but she invests no meaning into the character or words. That alone is enough to own this recording, but, ultimately, there really is something that is lacking. As for the other singers, especially Sinclair, they do show up, but that is about the best you can say for them.