19 Dramatic Sopranos attempt Brünnhilde's Low G (Götterdämmerung)

Part 11 of the "Dramatic sopranos sing..." series. Nineteen dramatic sopranos attempt Brünnhilde's low G from Act 2 of Götterdämmerung, some better than others. I think this one is a bit more difficult than the Kundry's G due to the heavier orchestration and the lower voice being less primed (Brünnhilde sits a little higher than Kundry, especially in the scenes preceding this). Be mindful that the G is written as an eighth note and is not really meant to be sustained, even though it might sound more impressive that way.
Featured artists (by age)
Nanny Larsén-Todsen
Frida Leider
Kirsten Flagstad (pictured with Winifred Wagner?)
Marta Fuchs
Marjorie Lawrence
Martha Mödl
Gertrude Grob-Prandl
Astrid Varnay
Birgit Nilsson
Rita Hunter
Helga Dernesch
Gwyneth Jones
Hildegard Behrens
Eva Marton
Anne Evans
Deborah Polaski
Jennifer Wilson
Linda Watson
Catherine Foster
I will list the recordings in a moment.

[@ПоэзияРоманаЛафоре]

Astrid Varnay is the queen of low notes)) 🔥

[@Thearchivebeyondimagination]

I expected less from Nilsson, but she is not only "getting there", but make it audible and with almost steady vibrato, which is surprising considered how high her voice sat.

[@dramaticsoprano5168]

Certainly, but I had to go through quite a few recordings to find an audible one for her. She has quite a few not so great ones (kzbin.info/www/bejne/op-Qm3-cd6ueg7csi=_lkwa6EwqD2GLIYA&t=38, kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZ-0mGCYm6ylqrcsi=Jb4yV7eweOndHRKY&t=17, etc). I am surprised her Straussian low notes are so much stronger than her Wagnerian ones.

[@cmarley4259]

Thanks for the video! A really underappreciated scene. Also great from Gott. is the scene between Brunnhild and Waltraute, "Altgewohntes Gerausch".

[@mbadiapamies4850]

3:19 - Grob-Prandl !!!!! 4:42 - Rita Hunter also very good

[@adrianday3118]

I find a lot of similarities between these two ladies. Miracle voices. ❤

[@BrianJosephMorgan]

Brava, Dame Gwyneth.

[@dramaticsoprano5168]

Maybe something higher next time?

[@KajiVocals]

Kaiserin’s high C♯.

[@Thearchivebeyondimagination]

Rysanek had no rival when it came to this particular moment ​@KajiVocals

[@KajiVocals]

@@Thearchivebeyondimagination Steber surely?

[@Thearchivebeyondimagination]

@@KajiVocals Rysanek made this role as her own property and sang it on daily basis for 30 years. Steber, i mean this top D is spectacular, but she was a lyric soprano and to have some +C6 extention is a basics for her. From what i heard, she didn't believe that she even sang the part.

[@wotan10950]

@@ThearchivebeyondimaginationShe also had no rival among internationally acclaimed singers for being constantly off-pitch. 🙊 oops, I’ll duck now!

[@wotan10950]

It’s hard to compare because of the quality of the recordings. To me, most of them were very good, except for Dernesch, Marton, and Watson. My formative Wagner experiences were in the days of Behrens & Jones; and I have to say that they were damn good! They were roundly criticized in their day, but both voices have such strong tone and clarity.

[@ER1CwC]

I think the blade in Jones’s voice transferred somewhat well onto recordings, but I feel that Behrens’s was not well-served by the mic. She sometimes comes across as almost lyric.

[@pixelchords3201]

@@ER1CwC Behrens sounds tiny on record. Jones sounds loud but not necessarily big IMO.

[@ER1CwC]

@@pixelchords3201 That’s exactly what I meant! Great description.

[@wotan10950]

@@ER1CwCI once had the great opportunity to hear them in the theater together - Jones as Brunnhilde, Behrens as Sieglinde. So it was easier to make a comparison: Jones had the more beautiful and refulgent voice, but hampered by faulty intonation and unsteadiness; Behrens had a thinner tone, but it was steady and absolutely on-pitch. She was indeed a lyric soprano, but her voice was so well-focused (in the upper range), that it sailed right through the orchestra. I heard saw Behrens onstage in all her great roles; Jones, in her great German roles because she rarely appeared in New York in any other rep.

[@Thearchivebeyondimagination]

​ @ER1CwC According to some witnesses, Jessye Norman could make her Sieglinde sound immense next to Behrens Brunnhilde. And that's not a good thing.

[@pixelchords3201]

Flagstad hits the wrong pitch? It is certainly not a G and does not sound in key either. Seems many of them struggle with this one though I guess the line is not really meant to be loud. Marta Fuchs and Grob-Prandl were my favorites. Nilsson was disappointing. The post-Hunter bunch are mediocre as expected.

[@dramaticsoprano5168]

Sounds like she undershot it, yes.

[@pixelchords3201]

@@dramaticsoprano5168 I checked her other recordings and she also does an F# in Fjelstad (1956) too. That makes Bodanzky (1937) the only time she does the G clearly. I've never heard pitch issues with her before, maybe it was a problem note for her?

[@SleepingTurtle1]

@@dramaticsoprano5168 listen again - Flagstad is bang on pitch, though it's pretty quiet (may or may not be the recording technology)

[@dramaticsoprano5168]

@@pixelchords3201 I doubt it was a problem note for her. She has easy Gs (and lower) in Parsifal and Dido and Aeneas. I think here she is just not using exact pitch. Brünnhilde is muttering to herself in the scene, it is not really meant to be 'sang out'.

[@wotan10950]

Nilsson once said, “I don’t get paid for my low notes!” In various interviews, Sutherland and Te Kanawa said pretty much the same thing. Of course, every note should in place, but that’s not why they were famous!​@@dramaticsoprano5168