Shirley Verrett sings Isolde's death, better sound quality

Shirley Verrett in 1977 sings a rare Death of Isolde (Liebestod), from Tristan und Isolde, Richard Wagner, in a concert with the whole Mozart Motet "Exultate, Jubilate", conducted by Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic.
Improved sound

[@Homoclassicus]

This is one of the most moving, intense, visceral interpretations of anything, in Opera or otherwise, I have ever seen. Amazing, truly amazing.

[@gergananestorova1057]

Homoclassicus I agree. I have heard some great interpretations of some of the greatest sopranos, but Only in this one I feel the passion in her death as I imagine it should be and feel

[@Kiarinadia]

Can't hold my tears. The tempo is so perfect too. And her face at the end during the orchestral conclusion !!!

[@Kiarinadia]

No detail about the Verdi's song that follows on the video ? Superbe also.

[@indeserto]

@@Kiarinadia Indeed. It's from the Sleepwalking scene in "Macbeth".

[@santi7616]

That's right. She was really unique. 🌟🌟🌟

[@johnmarohn6777]

The more I watch and listen to Shirley Verrett, the more I am finding that she is always totally immersed in her roles----voice, drama, facial expressions, body language, expressiveness of her eyes, even her cheekbones radiate. And I have always the loved the tone, the color, and all the textures of her magnificent voice. And there is not a word of her Liebestod that I don't believe in my soul. RIP to this once-in-a-lifetime voice....

[@NikoHL]

Method singing ?

[@gregoryswanson3920]

😢

[@julesmanresa2302]

Verrett. What an artist, what a woman. Absolutely beautiful, physically and vocally. A picture of class and artistry, a true interpreter. Rest in glory, sister!

[@NikoHL]

Shirley was Isolde in the Performance.. if only life wasn't so short.

[@dubbelhenke854]

She had it all! And above all - a superb fantastic musicality.

[@debbie94510]

Amen.

[@tinawalton7703]

Geeze, I actually clapped at the end. Couldn't help it. Thrilling.

[@ghostwriter11]

Brought me to tears.

[@NikoHL]

Always ❣️

[@Aldolinozinho]

Me too.

[@gabrelconner3391]

I have died and gone to heaven........wow just stunning......

[@azhybrid5271]

WTF! Purely the most Outstanding Performance of Isolde of heard to date! Just absolutely perfect and beautiful.

[@Samuel6969ify]

La più struggente, commovente., coinvolgente interpretazione della morte di Isolde mai sentita. Grazie grandissima e indimenticabile Shirley !

[@carmeloserafin5101]

l'avesse fatta in teatro come interprete... sarebbe resuscitato Wagner...ma motivi di razzismo spesso l'hanno fatta soffrire...ma lei invece di mollare alzava l'asticella e ha affrontato un repertorio da paura fino alla fine.

[@Josquinquin]

One of the most heartfelt interpretations I have ever heard. Ms. Verrett's total commitment is almost too much to bear. Exquisite.

[@johntmarohn1]

I see in Verrett's face the agony of hope at this end of this stunning aria. This is Verrett at her exquisite best

[@charlesbrown1934]

Somehow I missed this performance at the time, but i'm so happy to find it now. Verrett is one of my favorite singers and her repertoire was so broad. She may have had some problems at the end of her career, but her legacy, thank God, is preserved in the digital media for all to hear. What an artist!

[@michaelgadsby]

This is simply meteoric... so rarely does the totally musically immersed voice put me in a state somewhere between ecstasy and panic but this is eternal.

[@sandusky0901]

She 's magnificent & hats off to Zubin Mehta & the Orchestra too

[@sarinarausa975]

I love the shot where you can see Mehta is in ecstasy listening to Shirley make magic together with his orchestra

[@jorgepda]

One of the most gifted singers. Ever.

[@morganhalpin2103]

stunning performance from the late Shirley Verrett. U can see Mehta loved it too... RIP Ms Verrett.

[@dsteely2588]

I was first aware of Shirley when I bought the Boston/leinsdof rendition of Mahler’s 3rd Symphoniy where she sings the “o mensh” movement. I had goose bumps and listened to it over and over, which I still do today. She has been in my top ten since them, forty years ago.

[@AmoClassic]

Can one find it here?

[@marilynpostwalla7999]

But the last note. That last, soft note. Nobody can do it is exquisitely as Jessye Norman.

[@CMI2017]

Thanks for this. A really powerful version. The phrasing and tone are hallmarks. Verrett was in the top class.

[@larrydunning2323]

I never knew she was such a great artist!

[@wotan10950]

I had to return to this video. The more I watch it, the more extraordinary it is. Besides her total immersion in the moment, she also proves that decibels are not the prerequisite for Wagner. It is beauty of tone and phrasing. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more beautiful Liebestod - except perhaps Flagstad. No, not even Nilsson could achieve this beauty. Of course, Verrett never sang the complete role, so comparisons really aren’t fair.

[@peterbernhard63]

I hear it now in 2019- Richard Wagner and Shirley Verrett- it is just unbelievable!!!

[@cherubello9340]

L'interpretazione, se mai ne fosse esistita una così definibile, si potrebbe dire sbagliata. Isolde qui è iperumana, una categoria del divino e quindi brilla di luce siderale perché ciò che era umano non è più, a partire dal suo folle amore. È questo che ci dice Wagner ad esempio tramite Furtwangler e Flagstadt. Si...ma le lacrime che rigano le mie guance non hanno mai sentito, al contrario, tanta umanità che passa dalla voce commossa a quello sguardo di una dolcezza tanto femminile, distrutta per il suo amore e avvolta nei vortici di una musica di infinita bellezza. Buongiorno Shirley, che i miei pensieri possano raggiungerti in qualche angolo del Paradiso. Thank you.

[@fabriziomariagarzi5534]

Cherubello, concordo e mi associo alle tue belle parole. Thank you pure a te.

[@carmeloserafin5101]

chapeau...a lei e a te.

[@alicjaalvena1120]

this is the best version i've heard. such power. amazing. none of the versions i heard matches this one, including nilsson, norman or meier. love this lady!

[@NickGerson]

Listen to Stemme, also very, very good.

[@alicjaalvena1120]

i know her now, i love it, same with christa ludwig, kirsten flagstad, farrell.

[@damarius4life705]

Aedan Alvena true... although she was offered to sing Isolde and Brunhilde on stage, she wisely chose not to

[@Altonahh10]

@Robert Lee, Countertenor Haha, yes, now she is. When I heard her 20 years ago as Elisabeth (Tannhäuser) she was wonderful.

[@sarinarausa975]

a close second I would say would be Eileen Farrel's version, she has such pure emotion when she sings it just like Verret does.

[@giancarloarnaboldi9544]

L ' interpretazione più ORGIASTICA che abbia mai ascoltato di questo finale. Magnifico

[@stevehays5029]

The dilemma is the Wagner requires a soprano with the stamina and power of Flagstad, Nilsson, or Eileen Farrell, but voices on that scale just aren't seductive. That's why Verrett is more effective in this aria. She couldn't sing the whole opera live, but she projects the feminine allure in a way that Wagnerian sopranos can't.

[@foropera]

steve hays Urmana sang a lot of Isoldes and her voice was beautiful during a long time. And her vocal abilities were not very far from Verrett's. (I attended many live performances of both). Verrett had enough stamina to sing Medea, Norma and the 2 roles in les Troyens, so maybe Isolde was not so far away. The concept of "non-seductive Wagnerian dramatic soprano" voice is quite personal. Flagstadt and Farrell's voices are very seductive to my ears (even without good high C). At a time around 1986 Verrett was scheduled to sing Elektra at the Paris Opera, but cancelled ( health issue and an operation). In her autobiography she later wrote that maybe the Wagner repertoire could have made her loose her vocal agility and that she didn't want that stiffness to appear in her voice.

[@johnrondeau8500]

I am literally transported to the celestial sphere every time I listen. Zubin doesn't ask that orchestra to back off at all and she literally soars above it.

[@drtslim]

@@foropera Yes, I recall Ms. Verrett saying that she was studying the role of Brangane for a production with Birgit Nilsson (who had to cancel due to illness). She said that her voice took on a heft that she hadn't heard before, and she always wondered what might have happened had she explored that sound more.

[@didierduplenne2325]

So glad to hear someone else saying that Nillson's voice isn't seductive (never liked it 😬)... Verret's voice is powerful, but warm and moving. A stunning performance !

[@jasonhurd4379]

Just a note to point out that seductiveness per se is not the most vital quality needed for Isolde's voice at this point in the drama, but (musically) rather an ability to build, untiringly and rock solidly, from the quietest pianissimo to that glorious fortissimo and then back down again over the course of the Liebestod; and (dramatically) the power to express her gradual transfiguration and mystical union with Tristan. I would say that, of the two, the second accomplishment is by far the more difficult to achieve.

[@JRSoubasse]

This is literally the best version I’ve ever heard... I know that’s blasphemy considering the likes of the wonderful Birgit Nilsson, but I’m being honest. This moves me to tears EVERY TIME!!!

[@teodorojaranilla5008]

i m DISAPPOINTED ...that even just in FULL recording of the opera...if it needed to be done over weeks or months ...SHIRLEY VERRET S PRESENCE as ISOLDE was not done!!! her voice had real fullness and timbre middle high or low...that reminds in its evenness THAT of the Greatest KIRSTEN FLAGSTAD...i honestly say that in the notes of the low ragne she had more penetrating sound than EVEN Birgitt Nilsson...her last high climactic G# is full and then goes down to the B in the middle range also FULL..usually many LOSE timbre in that B...wow...yet...her final 2 pianissimos were incredible and shimmering!

[@user-gu9yq5sj7c]

How is it blasphemy to really like Shirley Verrett singing Isolde's death? I really enjoyed it.

[@JRSoubasse]

@@user-gu9yq5sj7c I adore everything about Shirley Verrett. The reason I say that regarding Nilsson (whom I also adore) is because she was the successor to Flagstadt in the Wagnerian soprano). Isolde is not the typical Wagnerian role, but it does require a dramatic voice. When it comes to Wagner, many people prefer Nilsson. I think Verrett would have excelled in that role as in everything else she did. I’m not sure she ever performed the full opera.

[@carmeloserafin5101]

... una volta andai in Camerino a portargli un mazzetto di Mughetti ...lei mi abbracciò come sempre...spazzando via una recita non fortunata...cose che in Teatro possono capitare...anche perché il ruolo affrontato ... ha messo in difficoltà moltissime soprano, soprattutto se il direttore è Distratto sapendoti non in forma perfetta, sostituendo una sua collega che aveva dato forfait..lasciando l'ultima recita scoperta....La Verret pur avendo il lunedì il concerto di canto decise di Cantare. Il Lunedì in un concerto di Canto...vide che ero nella prima fila alla Scala con Leyla Genger...sua maestra di palcoscenico.Alla fine andammo a salutarla in Camerino dopo una serata ..Trionfale. Ricordo come fosse ieri...la sorpresa più della donna che dell'artista trovandosi di fronte alla collega che a Firenze con Donizetti l'aveva lanciata in campo internazionale...come uno dei mezzosoprano emergenti.Credo che poi si videro per una lectio magna sul ruolo di Norma...che la Verret...doveva affrontare non più come Adalgisa, ma come Norma avendo come antagonista in Adalgisa... la Obraztsova Mentre sparlottavano in francese . pensai ...una turca di cultura francese...e una americana fiera delle sue radici africane...unite dal bel canto italiano.Mi commossi...tanto era Signora un pò agè...la Genger, tanto era modernissima la Verret! Ma la musica le rendeva ...al di là del Tempo.Dopo quelle due esperienze altre volte l'ho incontrata e ogni volta...era una festa.

[@fabriziomariagarzi5534]

Carmelo Serafin, purtroppo altri tempi...come non si puo' rimpiangere quel passato?...chi non c'era non sa.

[@carmeloserafin5101]

@@fabriziomariagarzi5534 chi ama il teatro comunque ringrazia di aver avuto il lusso di essere dove di potesse ascoltarle...

[@sarinarausa975]

@@carmeloserafin5101 L'ho conosciuta negli anni novanta mentre faceva un concerto a Firenze e un masterclass, una gran signora, di class e umanità.. ma non capì allora nei tempi senza youtube quando fossi così grande come artista ed anima... era proprio divina. Volevo tornare negli anni 80 per vederla dal vivo

[@Germangirl253]

Her German pronunciation is just fine!

[@qwertydghvdger6326]

I love Shirley's interpretation. Sublime and beautiful... Rip MS Verrett...

[@robertwarn9756]

Simply magnificent. This is by far my favourite version of this song. Ms Verrett: sadly missed.

[@barbarabellis4924]

Robert Warn A

[@alexandremassipe8781]

Absolument magnifique d'incarnation, de travail, de sensibilité et de beauté.

[@238assante]

Amazing. The warmth and the power of the voice .. of course that's a recording so maybe the balance is different from what the audience got but it was probably even better. Mehta does a great job also.

[@johnrondeau8500]

I could listen to this a million times and never tire of her. Flawless.

[@fridafan1]

It doesn't get better than Verrett and Nilsson when it comes to this♥

[@vikingsong2068]

Flagstad and Meier.

[@MrBob33000]

Superb. What a truly great artist. Sadly missed.

[@peterwylliejohnston]

An astonishing performance by one of the greatest immortals in operatic history: a superstar of the first rank.

[@luvindaopera111]

THIS is the way it should be sung! The voice is PERFECT! Glorious! OMG....

[@TruthSerum101]

What a stunning woman. Beautifully sung. I just learned that she was no longer with us.

[@leonardothierry]

Joseph Losey, one of the greatest directors of actors who ever lived, once said about them something that applies to singers as well, or to any performer. In Mexico, natives go to the peak of an appallingly high cliff and jump. They throw themselves in the air aiming to dive into the sea down there, looking as if it were miles away. They have no idea at the moment they jump if they're going to survive the fall or if they're actually diving into death. They don't give a damn. They just jump. That's all. There's no way Shirley Verrett and the few other singers (if you count them on the fingers of your right hand, you won't need them all) who do what she does here, reach that stratospherically high note the way she does ... there's no way they don't feel just like those natives jumping from that cliff without knowing if they're going to survive the fall. Joseph Losey couldn't have done a better job of putting it into words. Indeed, throwing yourself from the top of a cliff is the only way certain works can be performed. "Liebestod" is one of them. That's why so few singers can do justice to it. Shirley Verrett doesn't "do justice to it." Her rendition of the piece is pervaded by the same enigmatic element that was there when the composer felt the urge to commit to paper what he heard in his head.

[@SaberBenSalem]

Leonardo Thierry beautiful allegory, you translated what i couldn't describe in words.

[@leonardothierry]

Saber Ben Salem Thank you. I read it in a book in which Losey was explaining why he thought Vanessa Redgrave was so breathtakingly good.

[@AmoClassic]

Couldn't have said it better myself

[@AmoClassic]

❤️❤️❤️

[@carmeloserafin5101]

Qui dimostra come lei...quando affronti un' Agonia...entra in un "trance Sacro" con una personalità decisa che porta l'eroina wagneriana, verso il canto belliniano...pur onorando la partitura in maniera "chimica"...ma la sua regalità alla fine sale ad un pathos che Metha asseconda ...capendo che l' interprete va ...amata. La voce é allo Zenith!!!

[@carmeloserafin5101]

Infondo Wagner adorava la Norma di Bellini

[@1JulianneD]

truly sublime with all the momentum of true art

[@corneliusbates460]

She is absolutely one the greatest. Callas Noir as they called her at Lascalla. Moving !

[@donpkra]

WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

[@janthorne9993]

There simply HAVE TO BE people who sit around online and click the thumbs down indiscriminately. There is no other way to account for 19 down votes.

[@Verdisoprano]

Wow! I did not expect this at all. Stunning!

[@morganlefay195]

Her Isolde made me cry

[@Callasjunkie]

Reduced to tears.

[@sarashkim]

This is the best Liebestod I've ever listened to, thank you.

[@andrewbasile1847]

What an immense surprise to hear this as I have never known that she sung the piece!! Brilliant in every way! Gorgeous tone, tender and yet crushingly tragic and you feel all of the emotions just through her voice!! This is of course one of the most beautiful and difficult Arias in Opera and you can either do it or not. She was spectacular!

[@henri46ley]

Une très grande dame.

[@salumbre365]

Exquisite beyond words. Thank you.

[@merryquantagency2731]

The complete soprano: slender and beautiful, powerful voice with dramatic emotion. A legend!

[@marthaanne820]

Definitely the most moving version I have ever heard.

[@thomasdeansfineart149]

I agree! Very Italianate somehow. ❤

[@johnrondeau9222]

How I wish I could have been there for some of of the most beautiful and memorable moments in musical history. Thank you for sharing this it is glorious.

[@vaniarivera107]

The queen!! So much emotion and musicality. Love her ❤️❤️

[@parrotland]

Most beautiful rendition I have ever heard of Leibestod

[@tristanw.7206]

So beautifully sung! Never knew she sounded so wonderful!

[@gsaturn8614]

Her beautiful, expressive face had me before she sang a note. When she began, the tears began to flow. I actually realized that I was forgetting to breathe. Adjectives can't describe the beauty and grandeur of her performance. And it was her first Isolde.

[@fjaporto]

One of the most beautiful rendition I’ve ever heard of this aria

[@mariorodriguez2920]

Amazing performance, it’s one of my favourites versions. Everyday I listen it. Asombroso, es una de mis versiones favoritas de Isolda. Diario la escucho.

[@hal7ter]

I had never heard of this artist - I just listened to Nillson singing this and it sounded brittle by comparison - possibly just the sound quality - but this is very moving.

[@eboli7146]

Nilsson's voice was famous for having a particular "cutting" quality. However I have heard that recordings do not do her voice justice, live it had a much more "rounded" sound and was absolutely gargantuan.

[@lagunagreg4019]

I never thought Nilsson had a beautiful voice even when she was younger and in better shape.

[@debbie94510]

WOW. She was the whole package. Never heard of her until today - now I'm a fan!

[@paulettamayerhofer2061]

Wonderful, control of the voice and diction was perfect. BRAVA!

[@FranciscoFerrerGaliana1930]

Una de las más bellas Arias de Richart Wagner

[@BalletBabyBoy]

goddess

[@bcom11]

perfectly said. almost too much to bare. that expressive. that beautiful.

[@deterrese]

Im speechless...

[@jimmorgan5612]

The greatest soprano who has ever lived.

[@ВладимирГуляев-ф4м]

For the first time listened to Verrett magnificent voice to admire.

[@Samuel6969ify]

Si conferma una delle GRANDI con la Callas, Caballè e poche altre!

[@joanazhelezcheva2790]

Outstanding!

[@zecararasia]

Verret, garndissima! Canta uma Isolda tão poderosa e frágil, pura emoção.

[@TotalTennisGeek]

Incredible!!!!

[@tristanw.7206]

Never expected her to sing this so well! Too bad not many video of her available...

[@fritsvanlamoen1734]

verbazingwekkend! ik ben sprakeloos,wat een fantastische sopraan!!

[@vocalfan2397]

What a rare and moving performance. Miss Verrett is stunning. To think she also sang one of the very best Delilah's on record (with Jon Vickers)! Do check it out!

[@Callasjunkie]

Brilliant. Cant say more.

[@hbpe5]

Shirley Verrett IS wonderful.

[@alexandravonderweth9724]

Großartig!

[@erichmayr7299]

Goosebumps!!!!

[@cagedbirdsings]

A vocal powerhouse! Such an emotional and meaningful interpretation! Simply mesmerizing!

[@alexandremassipe8781]

Absolument superbe !

[@yurizivago3641]

stupenda....

[@avvpil]

Grazie per averci offerto questa magia incredibile.

[@Jeannekm126]

One word: Wow!!

[@SaberBenSalem]

eternal genius

[@FranciscoFerrerGaliana1930]

MARAVILLOSA ARIA. GRAN INTERPRETACIÓN DE SHIRLEY VERRETT.

[@teodorojaranilla5008]

ZUBIN MEHTA has such great EARS in accompanying his soloists...superb conductor...the way he provide a CUSHION for his singer...

[@hervecarbuccia9929]

Tout est dit dans les commentaires déjà publiés...Dame Verett a marqué l'art lyrique de façon mémorable...une immense artiste dotée d'une voix somptueuse. Les comparaisons entre des artistes de la même classe ne sont pas pertinentes car chacune possède un talent unique. Ma génération (gens nés entre 1950 et 1960) a été comblée en cantatrices extraordinaires. Un grand bonheur de pouvoir les réécouter 🤩

[@merryquantagency2731]

Indeed the most moving interpretation ever! Brava Shirley Verrett!

[@FranciscoFerrerGaliana1930]

Una interpretación impresionante de Shirley Verrett.No cabe más belleza ..

[@Huaimek861]

Absolutely beautiful, astounding!!! I'm filled with emotion listening , tears welling in my eyes .

[@lorik_shat]

Шедевр очень приятный голос! Браво...Браво:)ڰۣ✿

[@jeanmarieballestra7892]

Himmlisch schöne Musik !!! Shirley und Zubin sind auch wunderbar !! Unübertrefflicher Wagner !!!!!

[@FranciscoFerrerGaliana1930]

Maravillosa Música y Voz..

[@RBP1963]

She is really amazing with her complete sopran-mezzo voice ! I just compare her with an straordinary liebestod i heard by Montserrat Caballé at her senior years ! Both are legendary !!!

[@germanquintero10121946]

Excelente

[@FoggyRoad81]

Sadly the improved sound also re-emphasizes how utterly lame this audience was, how unappreciative of this brilliant performance they were. Brava Verrett!!! I miss you so much. Also thanks foropera!

[@dxhtz]

Youre right!..Strange!? Sunday crowd maybe..not the fanatics..there for "the EXPERIENCE"..

[@EmilyGloeggler7984]

Nils Brown It isn’t strange. The crowd was realistic. No shame in that.

[@johnrondeau8500]

Philistines really she is incomparable

[@GDARAKOS]

tones of colour thats a voice for isolde.

[@paulmiraglia1875]

Shirley Verrett is a goddess!!! Absolultely Sublime!!!!!

[@alexandremassipe8781]

Sublime.