The NY Times has been running a series of articles called "Five Minutes to Make You Love [something]." They're little glimpses into particular repertories or instruments.
This week, they've got "Five Minutes to Make You Love Sopranos." Okay, this isn't a problem for me; I have a lot of soprano recitals and love many many sopranos. The choices are generally good, although I think that however great she was, Callas's voice qua voice is an acquired taste for lots of listeners. And for Caballé, I would have picked "O patria mia," from Aida, given her incredible ability to float high notes that go on forever. I have to applaud the two Leontyne Price selections (Tommasini, "D'amor sull'ali rosee" from Il Trovatore, and Fleming, "Zweite Brautnacht", from Die Aegyptische Helena, a fabulously exciting recording) and the variety of others.
I think a couple of common aria types are missing. One is a coloratura showcase, so I have a couple of my own favorites here for you.
First, here's Rosa Ponselle in the greatest recording of the soprano's big aria from Ernani that I've ever heard. Ponselle was a dramatic soprano, a Norma and Aida, but she could move a very big voice with incredible speed and lightness. Listen to her trills and especially the turn as she comes out of the long trill in the fast section. Also, this remains one of the most beautiful soprano voices on record, pure velvet.
3 comments:
I forwarded this to B., a coloratura herself in her singing days, who enjoyed it. She's a big fan of Tetrazzini, also Ponselle, but did not know Turner.
There's more Turner on YouTube; also, I think I have an extra, unwrapped copy of the EMI CD that has most of her studio recordings, if B. is interested.
If the SIP orders are ever lifted and people can visit again, I've got an extensive collection of singers on CD, and I would be happy to have B. come by and take a look.
(Eva Turner is a personal obsession of mine - long story - and at one time I was working on a biography. One of her students beat me to it, but I still plan to compile a complete chronology of her performances, which the British Newspaper Archive now makes possible for me to do without moving to London for six months,)
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