Beverly Sills: Les Huguenots: O beau pays de la Touraine: Carnegie Hall: 5/14/69

Beverly Sills
Les Huguenots: O beau pays de la Touraine
Carnegie Hall
May 14, 1969

[@randallevans5141]

This is one of my favorite selections from her studio French recital album. It's terrific to hear it sung live. 1969 was one great year for Beverly Sills.

[@glgree1]

Such superb musicianship and delicacy of phrasing. We just don't hear that much anymore...

[@petelovesbevsills]

Thank you so much donaldcollup! I've just died and gone to Sills- heaven! I couldn't agree more that '69 was a terrific year for Beverly and it's such a pity recording companies weren't clamouring to get Beverly into their recording studios. Our loss but thank goodness for these treasures!

[@celticears]

Thanks for this, Donald. It was the studio recording of this aria that made me fall for Sills in the first place. It is fantastic to hear it live.

[@coloraturaElise]

Interesting to hear different cadenzas from the recording we're used to.

[@ransomcoates546]

I feel very lucky to have heard her several times around this time. She was one of the most exciting singers in my opera-going life of 58 years. But the decline in the 70’s was rapid. I sometimes thought it was perverse revenge - You paid no attention to 15 years of historically great singing - fine, I’ll wreck it all in 5.

[@edwardamosbrandwein3583]

I prefer Sills over Sutherland in this role and this aria.

[@AM-xy6xk]

I prefer Sills over Sutherland. Period.

[@BellaFirenze]

@@AM-xy6xk I prefer Mariette D'Anjou over both of them.

[@BellaFirenze]

Ô beau pays de la Touraine! Riants jardins, verte fontaine, Doux ruisseau qui murmure à peine Que sur tes bords j'aime à rêver.. À ce mot seul s'anime et renaît la nature, Les oiseaux l'ont redit sous l'épaisse verdure; Le ruisseau le répète avec un doux murmure; Les ondes, la terre et les cieux Redisent nos chants amoureux...