Joan Sutherland, Huguette Tourangeau & John Alexander-Norma-Trio-Act I, 1972

Trio-Act I-"Oh, non tremare...Oh! Di qual sei tu vittima",
Opera, Norma,
Composer, Vincenzo Bellini,
Norma, Joan Sutherland,
Adalgisa, Huguette Tourangeau,
Pollione, John Alexander,
Oroveso, Clifford Grant,
Clotilde, Gwendolin Jones,
Conductor, Richard Bonynge,
San Francisco, 1972

[@PeteBMan]

So happy to have come across a new cd of this to call my own and appreciate that you posted this so I and others could enjoy 😊

[@skyhunk]

I adore Huguette Tourangeau; her voice is flexible and smoky, (the closest comparison I could come up with is Isola Jones). I'm so happy to say I heard her live in a concert recital in Ottawa. Here she sings Adalgisa as fine as anyone could. But to my ears, Horne, later paired with Sutherland, was magic -- the blend of their voices was and still is without match.

[@barrynicolle1821]

I have always been a super fan of JS,and have heard other recordings of Madame Tourangeau but although I have the Sutherland, Horne Alexander, recording of Norma , of course I would like more of John Alexander because he is such a fine tenor, Any suggestions please.

[@howardbaltazar4293]

I was at this performance in San Francisco in 1972. I was a teenager just discovering opera. Unfortunately I thought all sopranos sang like Sutherland and didn't realize or appreciate what I had heard that night. It was a few more years before I became aware of just how lucky I was to have heard Sutherland live at the height of her powers. I would love to travel back in time and hear this again with more knowledgeable ears, but alas I can't, however having this document of the performance is the next best thing.

[@chrisryan9071]

Howard Baltazar Howard, I absolutely understand ...I was at the opening night of Joan's return to Australia on July 10 1965 and oh, how I wish I could recall more of what I heard that night ... it was a Lucia with John Alexander as Edgardo!

[@orion8835]

Howard Baltazar wow I have heard of people having these virgin experiences with gold plated casts . Fascinating .

[@debbiewoodburn6786]

The unmistakable voice of the incomparable Joan Sutherland.

[@65attila]

I saw a performance of this about this time with Joan in Philadelphia. STUNNING !!!!

[@martaclark3259]

I was sooo blessed to have been present at this performance! It is in my heart, i will never forget it! Thank you for sharing this magnificent recording!!!

[@SirDiogoferreira]

OMG!!! That is the perfection of bel canto :) thank you!!

[@edejan]

Absolute beauty and perfection! I am also struck by what a strong and important Pollione John Alexander presents. He is wonderful! I would love to get my hands on a copy of this recording...as if I could afford it! LOL....

[@rogerwhite95]

edejan, you can purchase this recording very cheaply from Amazon.com!

[@debbiewoodburn6786]

Stupendous!

[@christiaandhooghe]

Hearing this, live is always the best. Only new the Joan with, Montserrat, Margretta and Marilyn. Huguette does a marvelous job as Adalgisa. And Joan hitting that last high note, spot on. Marvelous singing!!!

[@jeantourangeau4635]

genial cela me rappelle de vieux souvenirs dont mes parents me forçaient d'écouter aujourd'hui j'adore 💕

[@Tenortalker]

Sutherland is great here - just phenomenal high note at the end too. Tourangeau has a success as Adalgisa because basically her fine mezzo contralto voice is respected and she is not expected to sing too high in the ensembles and duets. John Alexander is much more than a reliable Tenor - a fine artist in his own right.

[@andara1987]

Extraordinary performance!

[@wilsonwatt9283]

One of the interesting things I have noted in Sutherland's live recordings at her height is that her diction is not really that bad but it does have, in every language, a distinct Australian accent. I have only caught this since working closely over several years on an international education project with a colleague from Australia. I can now understand Sutherland better than I ever did before that experience. This means that her diction was always better than I perceived but it was my problem not hers. I do think sometimes she shortchanges articulation for sound but I do not think as much so as many argue.

[@skyhunk]

Yes, her diction has very often been described as 'mushy' and/or indistinct. However, you absolutely cannot sing a note on a consonant. If you compare her singing to a musical instrument (which does not have nor require consonants, but instead vowels), she becomes an amazing musical instrument. (The notes are what matter to me -- it's what music is made of after all.) In this case it's the accuracy (pitch of the notes sung), and to a somewhat lesser extent the emotion conveyed by the music. To me I find Sutherland somewhat lacking in her acting ability (the emotions conveyed by her actions on stage), but in the end I am always won over by her sheer perfection of technique, beauty of sound, and absolute musicality. I care less about her diction, her acting, and more about the music given to us by the composer who first created their music based on -- what else -- the notes on the musical staff. For me opera is a more aural experience than visual although I have friends who say opera is an art form that is equally an auditory experience as visual. I say in reply, I can put on a headset, close my eyes and be transported to another world, and I don't need to pay $100.00 for a ticket to see what's happening on stage -- it's happening in my head.

[@bellini7verdi]

DE LOCURA MUSICAL TOTAL.....................NORMA...................SONAMBULA............IL PURITANI............BEATRICE DI TENDA..............UFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF...............LA LOCURA TOTAL.................DEL CANTO MAS BELLO DEL MUNDO................................

[@orion8835]

Oh to have been at this performance in Frisco. Ahhh..wow.

[@randysills4418]

I heard this opera with Sutherland and Horne in 1982 in San Francisco! It still was outstanding although Horne sang flat all through the second act duet! I don't know how Joan stayed in tune....but she did! Horne had come down to Los Angeles the night before to appear on The Tonight Show with Jonny Carson and she did soundgreat! Maybe she should have stayed in San Francisco and rested!

[@bellini7verdi]

LOS MEJORES 32 AÑOS DE UN SER HUMANO.....................SUMIDO EN LA BELEZA DE LA MUSICA Y EL CANTO................Y EL AMOR.................UN HOMBRE TAN BELLO COMO SU MUSICA.......................Y POR ESO ESTE IMPULSO FINAL DEL ARIA.........................ESE ALARGAMIENTO DEL SENTIMIENTO..............FABULOSO....................

[@LC-ig2jm]

search for the 1969 norma of dame joan if you want to hear by far the best norma joan has ever sung. "norma-sutherland-cossotto" is what you need to type in on utube, its the 1969 legendary performance that i think may be on the same level as dame joan's beatrice di tenda as tragic actress. she was on fire! her best diction yet.

[@DCFunBud]

There was no one like Tourangeau.

[@crazyorganist1609]

Never will be again

[@bellini7verdi]

TODO MI SABER..............EN CUANTO A ESTOS TEMAS............ME HAN SIDO DADOS A BASE DE ESCUCHAR............A LA GRAN MARIA CALLAS.........Y A LA GRAN JOAN SUTHERLAND...........MAESTRAS ABSOLUTAS DEL CANTO Y DE LAS EMOCIONES...OPERISTICAS BELCANTISTAS Y VERISTAS.................

[@bellini7verdi]

LA BRILLANTES DE BELLINI..............QUE ADMIRABA WAGNER....................Y QUE FUE INSPIRACION DE VERDI MAS TARDE.........CON ESO NO SE PUEDE.........................

[@bellini7verdi]

BELLINI ERA UN GENIO.............Y SOLO GENIOS DEL CANTO PUEDEN CATAR..SUS OPERAS.................Y MIL PERDONES POR MI COMENTARIO..PERO LO SIENTO.........ASI DE FUERTE EN MI ALMA.................

[@SirDiogoferreira]

Thank you :)

[@bellini7verdi]

ahora esta opera se va a representar en Madrid..........en el teatro real.............después de cien años.............y es una coproducción............entre Madrid..........valencia.............y Bilbao..............pero.............no esta a la altura de la opera en si misma............que es un acto digno de elogio .si por supuesto.......pero ....esta opera es de una grandiosidad enorme........en todos los sentidos.............y los participantes.no tienen las voces adecuadas.....................las cantantes que podían cantarla..han muerto ya................y ahora mismo.....hacerlo es una osadia total..........................

[@bellini7verdi]

BELLINI EL GRANDE

[@florianomasi3486]

riesco a capire ciò che dicono le due donne solo a tratti, e dire che ho l'orecchio più che allenato, e conosco il libretto quasi a memoria. Lui non lo conoscevo, ma mi sembra un bel Pollione

[@bellini7verdi]

HAY QUE TENER MUCHO GUSTO VOCAL ANIMICO INDIVIDUAL.............PARA DESPUES IMPOSTARLO.EN GRUPO............PARA QUE EL GRUPO SEA ELEGIDO.......Y BRILLE ANTE LOS PROTAGONISTAS...........Y SER UN TODO PO EL TODO...........

[@rogerpropes7129]

When people say they don't like opera are they talking about bel canto--oompa, oompa, oompa all the way through?