Gertrude Grob-Prandl's bloodthirsty battle cry (Die Walküre, 1951)

The only live version of Grob-Prandl singing "Hojotoho!". Personally, I enjoy this one more than the famous studio version. She sounds much warmer and the vibrato sounds much more natural in a large house. Also, the pitch is much better this time!
Brünnhilde - Gertrude Grob-Prandl
Conductor - Robert F. Denzler
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
May 4th 1951.

[@babydrane]

My favourite Brunnhilde for the Ring Cycle. Exciting, tender and defiant when needed and didn't struggle at all to sing any of it. I came to hear her after Flagstad and then Nilsson in the Decca Ring - so after I literally thought nobody could do it better. After all that I hear Grob-Prandl and she gives me des frissons. She is undoutedly one of the greatest dramatic sopranos of the 20th century.

[@brunegilda2453]

Yes, Varnay could and did.

[@nohaylamujer]

What a thrilling voice!

[@magicalvocalworkout2133]

Amazing, amazing, amazing...

[@williammaddox3339]

I knew her as a name but this is the first time I have heard her of recording of her. WOW!

[@roberthorn1838]

Wow! What a column of sound and yet brilliant and light..ideal for Brunnhilde. I would love to have seen her live

[@petergraham8681]

One of the few dramatic sopranos that I have heard who can combine the virtues of power (as here & also in TURANDOT) & tenderness with substantial lyric beauty in her timbre: for instance, the aria from ROBERT LE DIABLE (sung in German as well).

[@pianoronald]

If Grob-Prandl had a trill her performance would be perfect. But even so, her Hojotoho is my favourite version next to Frida Leider‘s.

[@jasonblack4208]

Sometimes a slightly lighter voice singing Brunhilde sounds more "soprano-y", and feels more convincing. In modern times, singers get this wrong because they think dramatic should equal "dark", and flood the market with lyric and spinto sopranos going full ingolata, but bright, natural voices like Grob-Prandl do this role justice and offer a different interpretation that makes sense.

[@babydrane]

Exactly. What I love is that she seemed disconnected from the Met, Bayreuth and La Scala so her interpretation isn't the textbook heroic sound and she didn't darken her voice to sound like Flagstad. I presume that is because she was outside the realm of Flagstad's influence. Happily as well, she didn't succomb to the annoying Mozartisms one comes to expect from Vienese singers. There is a freshness to her voice that doesn't ever get consumed by the overwhelming need for Wagnerians to have darker voices. That said, the voice was still deep and fuller than anything we can expect from today's singers who have generally discarded the golden age of opera.

[@Shahrdad]

She was a true dramatic soprano, and I have read from several sources that her voice was larger than Nilsson's.

[@jasonhurd4379]

@@Shahrdad Her emission was also far firmer than Nilsson's. Do an A-B comparison of any passage sung by both (Was bluten muss is a good start), and Nilsson is WOBBLY next to Grob-Prandl's rock-steady singing. The Viennese also had far better intonation than the Swede.

[@Shahrdad]

@@jasonhurd4379 So I'm not the only one who always felt as if Nilsson was always about to go off pitch. Both were obviously great singers, and we certainly don't have anything like either one today.

[@Wotan123456789]

@@Shahrdad Does that make her a better artist? a better soprano? a better singer? I don't really understand these silly comparisons. There are many voice that were larger than Nilsson, so what?

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

Stunning!

[@pixelchords3201]

I do enjoy her singing here in this excerpt more than usual. In studio recordings the vibrato sounds too fast and the text gets lost, but here it seems to be less intrusive.

[@rubinskyceliberti4444]

Genial

[@draganvidic2039]

Not my favourite but it was one of the biggest voices ever and a true soprano.

[@giuseppestefano6278]

唱的真野郭，生书！

[@AhmetOzturkk]

Prodl range video next? :D

[@dramaticsoprano5168]

Eventually, yes. But there are very few recordings of her that I would be hesitant to call it a ‘full range’.

[@AhmetOzturkk]

@@dramaticsoprano5168 I know there are enough assorted low notes, although not perfect thanks!

[@dramaticsoprano5168]

@@AhmetOzturkk I’ve heard her down to about Bflat3, which is definitely nowhere near her bottom. Perhaps she goes lower in Elektra or Lohengrin (is there a full recording?), I haven’t listened to those in full yet.

[@XlikeZero]

horrible quality of a tone

[@dramaticsoprano5168]

I can see why people might think that, but I still find her voice thrilling. Retaining purity of sound and beautiful tones seems to be a challenge for a lot of big-voiced singers, however.

[@Ruffiello]

I don't agree. It's very clean, even, and steady. It is metallic, but many of the huge voices are metallic. I love it!

[@AhmetOzturkk]

You mean not soft and lilting? You poor thing! ;) Dramatic voices don't do either of those well when of a high vouce type, where do you think the deafening squillo comes from? :) The voice is extremely pure, the goal for any singer, tone is something that cannot be changed, unless we somehow invent vocal cord surgery :O

[@nohaylamujer]

@@AhmetOzturkk Amen to that!

[@XlikeZero]

@@AhmetOzturkk I don t like vibrato and vocal line. She can t deliver melody of a music. Good luck!