CALLAS/SUTHERLAND/NILSSON - Fails Part 2

"They pay a great deal of money to hear me sing and I certainly do not want to displease them. However, the public should learn to realize that singers, no matter how beautiful their voices, how great their technical skills, are *human beings*. Under the best of circumstances it is not always easy to sing at one's best".
Joan Sutherland.
"Artistas vivem assim. Uma hora você brilha e na outra não é mais tão bom".
Maria Callas
Follow my Instagram page dedicated to Dame Joan Sutherland and Birgit NIlsson :)
/ joansutherlandfan

[@roymayh3819]

These human imperfections make me love the artists even more and appreciate the tremendous difficulties in singing those roles at the absolute highest level of performance. These are not fails, these are glimpses into the way humans try to be perfect and fail by merely being excellent. Also, these are not true 'crack's, these are more like soft breaks and the note is cut short and the singer moves quickly to something else. You want to hear some real cracks, LOL, they are here, especially tenors, when they crack they CRACK!

[@liedersanger1]

This is exactly the right commentary on this post. I was trying to think of how to say just what you've said so well!

[@cashmerecat9269]

They sounded hundred times better than current singers even at their lowest.

[@Yves_Ka]

The most interesting thing about all these minor hitches is the amazing way all 3 singers cope so professionally with their own mistakes. THAT is what it is all about!

[@liedersanger1]

Yes.

[@MrStpendouslvforjo]

Well - nobody is perfect... Joan once said that if she misses a high note : "Tough cookies!" "I'm only human!" I enjoyed this video.

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

Maria once said: 'I can't give the public an athletes way of showing vocal muscle.' And that is true. Singers, including the greatest, are human. Mistakes happen. It does not make them less great if they make a mistake now and then. Thank you for the video.

[@MrQwerty88]

I love these kinda mistakes. One can learn so much about the voice from when it goes "wrong". Brilliant to learn from.

[@baritonebynight]

There is nothing more terrifying than having a memory lapse on stage. I once was singing the duet from Il Barbiere as Bartolo with Lindoro and I came in completely wrong. I knew it forwards and backwards and just panicked...thankfully the tenor went on and it didn't shake him and I got through the show ok. I haven't sung that duet since I finished that run of Bartolos and it still causes me anxiety today thinking of the moment. At the end of the night, nobody in the audience seemed to notice...even a fairly well known retired mezzo who came to see the show. Its nice to know that even the greatest singers in the world have dealt with the same thing....the only difference is that they end up on youtube while nobody knows who the heck I am.

[@magicmonkichi]

Loved these posts...totally shows we're all human...and some can go wrong...that's what makes it so exciting. And if something does go wrong, it is not the end of the world!

[@nathandavis3002]

I cant explain why but i love hearing these recordings of my favorite singers slipping up. Well, not so much the examples from when maria's voice had abandoned her, that makes me rather sad. But otherwise it makes these titanic artists seem more human to me.

[@kevincoxhead7137]

Miss Sutherland herself said, "No one deliberately gives a bad performance." I'm sure we've ALL made mistakes doing our "jobs" or performing. Hit a wrong note, singing, playing the piano, violin or whatever, misjudged the distance on a piano keyboard, misjudged a distance while partnering in ballet, felt something was about to go wrong while dancing and faulted as a result. I've done all of these. The frustrating part is sometimes, it's being recorded! And there it is.. forever.

[@nicholashansen7826]

On their worst day, they’re still better than a lot of people. No such thing as a perfect performance even at the highest of levels!

[@wotan10950]

Perhaps fans should listen to these lapses more often - they’re so used to hearing studio recordings, where all errors can be corrected and polished. And then they’re shocked when even these legends, let alone lesser mortals, make a mistake. I never saw Callas, but I did see Sutherland and Nilsson many times. And yes, they made mistakes. But who cares? 99% of their work was extraordinary!

[@ryan.engstrom]

not so much fails as mistakes and imperfections from 3 wonderfully successful women

[@surtr9728]

That pic of Nilsson! Haha

[@BellaFirenze]

Isn't it too bad we do not have these alleged fails by these artists today?

[@pauloolivier3134]

Nilsson the best soprano ever!!!!

[@KarlaMatus79]

I think that they are human beings and as well can have mistakes and they can be wrong. I love them by their talentents and the voice. All of them different. Huge from Managua, Nicaragua 🇳🇮

[@shayanmardanbeigi2697]

I mean nobody's perfect but honestly Maria's "fails", besides the cracks weren't actually that disastrous, I mean forgetting the words is pretty common and I don't agree that the wobble is actually a fail, I actually kind of like it because it demonstrates a certain melancholic feeling, but that's just my taste, I think its at 4:53 where Birgit saves it in hilarious fashion, and Joan's mistakes are also pretty common with the diction and memory issues but my god she had a great sense of humor

[@LaDivinaLover]

Exactly! And I’ll take these little flubs every day of the week over what most singers give these days. I think picking at memory failings with words and the like is silly. With all that has to be done musically and physically for 3-6 hours worth of music to call a word swap here or there a “failure” is ridiculous. And While sometimes Callas’ wobble was distracting most of the time if it was present it fit what was going on emotionally. It rarely bothers me. And quite frankly if a handful of cracks and word transpositions is all someone can point out as failings for a whole career then it’s nothing to complain about. Lol 😝

[@ahogbin2644]

Interesting. Even these greats could have their off nights. I have just re-read Sutherland's autobiography and was a little surprised at the amount of travelling on jets she did and one night stands she did with minimal rehearsal, particularly in the USA. Even with superb techniques as all these three had, one could be subject to tiredness or just the vagaries of life. I wish we had such singers today though!!!

[@antoniomarcelo4423]

This makes me love the three of the even more.

[@Tenortalker]

I think part of the issue is that the public has become so used to the manufactured perfection of recordings that some people no longer tolerate the imperfections which can be part of a live performance. All three ladies could and did deliver countless live performances. They were no less great just because occasionally they had difficulties, forgot the words etc- that happens. When a live performance really takes wing it can be more exciting than any recording.

[@heesimv]

How sick! What you think to be „cracks“ is live! Nice, what „mistakes“ you found!😂😂😂😂

[@marcallen4532]

these are the nick pickiest flubs I've ever heard.

[@OperaMyWorld]

3:04!! Hahahahaha!!! Joan was Hilariius!! What I have to say? Which recording was this??

[@herrbrucvald6376]

Vini...I disagree with what you consider to be a 'crack'. most of these aren't cracks, believe me.

[@Abigayl1950]

Dear VINI , you don't know the SCORES : you are mistaking too 🧐🤔🤐😜

[@JoanSutherlandFan]

Before I stated something here, I checked ;)

[@alandun27]

I remember a Traviata where Joan launched into Gran Dio morir si giovane - after the long Ahhh! . . . and it was just wooh ooh waah aah . . . people always say you can't understand Joan, but I always could. There was about 4 bars of it before she was back . . . I admire anyone who can actually do that? Everyone onstage has blanks at times - but hardly anyone in the audience would even have noticed . . . Reminds me of a great story of John Weaving's - who sang Siegfried in both English and German. He said there were key words like Sword/Schwert where you could pivot to the wrong language and then he was stuck in the wrong language for quite a while until he could pivot back . . . Maria for all her incredibly perfect musicianship is often all over the place with the words - who knows what she's singing in that Habanera in Hamburg? but you'd swear she has it right and Bizet was wrong! Alan x

[@LaDivinaLover]

I’ve noticed Callas switches words and phrases too but it’s usually the correct intent of the phrase. Just differently worded. Though that Habanera is particularly... special. Lol

[@jorgealbertolettera4027]

Jajajaja la foto de Nilsson

[@OperaMyWorld]

4:53 Great save from Nilsson!!!

[@Tkimba2]

4:53 😂😂😂😂

[@distefano13069609]

What is 00:40 from? Sounds like a bit of Sonnambula but I can't figure out just when.

[@OperaMyWorld]

Love them 💕

[@ransomcoates546]

Sutherland was very frank about her bad memory, which is why she always used music at concerts. What is funny to me is these text lapses both with her and Callas in ‘Lucia’, where all the real fans could have prompted them from the audience. The absolute worst in this was Merrill, who would make up gibberish words in parts he had sung 100 times.

[@Yves_Ka]

No the worst was definitely Caballe especially when she was singing in German

[@jowr2000]

Even if Sutherland forgot lyrics no difference one could never understand a word she was singing anyway. Beautiful sound though.

[@longmai6488]

1:09 which recording ?

[@tiagocosta8648]

Lucia Lammermoor, New York, 1956

[@yglofmi]

Ocorre o mesmo comigo. Tem dias que eu não consigo cantar nada. Todos.

[@Paddy818]

Humans, gotta love em!!

[@yomocaro3500]

They are human beings!!

[@tenor001]

This Video shouldn’t be called ‘fail’

[@johannekjeldsen1043]

Let us excuse La Nilsson, that high C in The Nile Aria is one of the most frightening ever written, the poor soprano has to glide up through most of the upper register - without losing one bit of her breath - and produce an effortless natural sounding top note. Yikes!

[@micaelklein1799]

Si ce sont des erreurs, que j aimerais les entendre aujourd hui!!

[@jorgealbertojoselettera4829]

Jajajaja la foto de la Nilsson

[@Direkt55]

Das sind keine schlechten Momente. Sie alle singen prima. Ich verstehe dieses Video nicht, muss ich ehrlich sagen.

[@wiesawrudnicki5303]

Czlowiek to nie maszyna na spektaklu wszystko moze sie zdarzyc CHWALA WIELKIM DIWOM

[@jimbuxton2187]

Yep...we all have em! Sometimes the singer can't hear the orchestra and gets lost...probably because of some awful staging. I'm surprised people don't Crack more than they do. The voice is a delicate instrument. Even clarinets and trumpets crack notes all the time!

[@liedersanger1]

And half of these arent really fails at all.

[@markdarenvillanueva7740]

1:38 Callas did this intentionally to her voice to indicate sadness in "Ah non credea mirarti"/I never thought you would die. Vocal coloring

[@donatellabrizzi2813]

Callas prima donna in assoluto irripetibile! Le altre le stanno dietro e di parecchio!

[@OperaMyWorld]

0:46??? Which recording is? Wow!

[@JoanSutherlandFan]

Sonnambula at Edinburgh - Aug 1957.

[@mistersmith1883]

I wouldn't call these mistakes. Or cracks. Or wobbles.

[@marylambcarter]

CALLAS HAS NO FAILS... it all sounds amazing just the same ... and the last piece is not an official studio recording and it shouldnt be circulating !! its not respectful !! Well the rest ... they were human ... everyone fails !! THEY ARE ALL AMAZING EVEN WHEN THEY FAIL !!!!

[@marylambcarter]

@Barone Vitellio Scarpia bravoooooo

[@andyberistain6743]

For ignorant like you the Opera is going to hell... 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@marylambcarter]

@@andyberistain6743 wow ... you rule hell !!!ahahah

[@mistersmith1883]

Agree

[@stefanodallasen796]

Certo. Specialmente se ascoltiamo i cantanti di musica leggera che sono supportati dal tecnico del suono che gli corregge praticamente ogni cosa a parte il ritmo.

[@brunobalzano7566]

Qual è il senso di questo video?

[@coloraturaElise]

Ok, haven't watched this yet; I saw these three ladies, HUGE ICONS of opera, and thought, "fails?" So we'll see.....

[@jasonhurd4379]

Really? REALLY!? This is the best (worst?) you can come up with? This is the equivalent of examining the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel with a telescope in order to detect minuscule gradations in color. Do something better with your time.

[@JoanSutherlandFan]

Thank you for the support. Greetings.

[@andreaguarino8207]

They could sing. Today they swallow the sound because they have bad teachers.

[@robertdonkers]

How childish to post something like this