Grace Bumbry in Abigaille's entrance in Nabucco

[@brodereck1]

I have vivid memories of Grace Bumbry singing Turandot at the Sydney Opera House. Absolutely sensational.

[@Tenortalker]

Grace had such a phenomenal voice and a stage presence which made each performance come alive. Hers was a grand scale Abigaille. Yes , perhaps one could wish that she had more agility in the descending scales in that difficult first scene, but she 'is' Abigaille with her generous voice and temperament. There has only been one Grace Bumbry - unique and much loved by her colleagues and loyal fans.

[@billcarr54]

Grace Bumbry ! Fabulous voice and presence.......in this magnificent opera.

[@georgescott3652]

Absolutely gorgeous singing Ms Bumbry

[@peterdevita6308]

Love the role of ABIGAILE - Have seen it performed often on stage from the MET to European Houses! Miss Bumbry is excellent in one of her many soprano toles fiercely attacking the role of Abigaile just as VERDI wanted. Damn difficult role!

[@ian.marais1202]

Oh my she is so very good. Wow what a voice. Beautiful and so talented. Real opera singing. Just love her.❤❤

[@joemiller6975]

Bumbry's Aibigaille is beautifully executed! It is one of her best Performances as a soprano. She is utterly fearless and techncally just so strong and secure in all she does vocally and dramatically in this very demanding role. She is one of the best Abigaille's ever in modern times! Thank God this live performance exist! In my opinion Verdi was her best composer, she seemed to shine in any Verdi role Mezzo or Soprano!

[@joemiller6975]

The one exception was Lady MacBeth she never quite entered that role vocally for me Verrett was much better at it!

[@matthewbrown17]

@@joemiller6975 grace has said herself she does not think Lady Macbeth was one of her best roles but she was asked to sing it early and often and obliged.

[@vincebossi46]

Bumbry…voce strepitosa…..artista, magnifica!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@dramaturge231]

I love her Abigaille. RIP

[@SpecialtyHorseTraining]

My favorite early Verdi opera because of Abigaille. I saw Bumbry in the Verdi Requiem with Franco Corelli.

[@draganvidic2039]

This is quite good and she uses chestvoice too which seems to be a lost art sometimes but very necessary in this role that really needs it.

[@gerardmignon700]

Quel timbre somptueux, On peut rêver maintenant...

[@iwanttogrow2003]

la présence la voix le style le jeux d'acteur MAGNIFIQUE GRACE BUMBRY Merci pour cette video

[@ShadavionGrant]

They can at least give this woman a grammy for lifetime achievement. Very few honors bestowed to her with a tremendous voice. Ashame!

[@mjmacmtenor]

She did receive the Kennedy Center Award a few years ago!

[@corneliuswhite5139]

She didn't have as many solo recordings as the other great ladies of opera.

[@joemiller6975]

Bumbry recieved a great deal of acclaim on the Stage and was one of Opera's imposing personalities and Super Stars as both a Mezzo and Soprano. Her artistry is impeccable and outstanding.The controversy { in this country) there was never any question about her merits as soprano in European Houses, will eventually die away because her live performances of which there are many will endure and find admirers as they are good performances with solid musicianship and vocal brilliance! Bumbry is known as one of the great singers of her time and will continue to be recognized as such in the future! Her Artistic Legacy is assured!

[@joemiller6975]

@@corneliuswhite5139 Her film of Carmen is a late 1960's Tour de Force, she and Jon Vickers are a good team and deliver the goods but God I wish they had teamed her with Corelli for the film, their recording of the live performance of Carmen and of Tosca are incredible their chemistry was electric, they definitely made each other feel their roles strongly and the voices blend and compliment each other just beautifully, they can also be heard in live in Cav she as Santuzza. Bumbry's live performances are riveting and thrilling and will assure her place as a leading Prima Donna in both the Mezzo and Soprano Fach! I always felt Bumbry was a singer who needed to be both seen and heard to be truly appreciated. The voice was glorious but the temperament and personality was the icing on the cake.

[@ShadavionGrant]

@@mjmacmtenor I recently found out she is Grammy Winner! IN 1972 she was among an ensemble to win for Best Opera Recording alongside Leontyne Price!!!

[@georgescott3652]

Great singing! Love this!!!!!

[@jasonblack4208]

"is this a mezzo role, a dramatic soprano role or a coloratura role?" Abigaille: yes

[@danafripp4120]

Precisely! 😂😂😂😂😂

[@jimbuxton2187]

Its just EVIL

[@anonymous-cq7wj]

Lady macbeth as well

[@romearomeo]

Fantastica, meravigliosa...

[@69EBubu]

J'y étais..Souvenirs, souvenirs...

[@tomhamilton]

A great artist.

[@annabonolis6743]

Grace Bumbry is an excellent Abigaille in the magnificent Verdu's. "Nabucco" the first succecsfull. Opera of my very beloved Verdi

[@DiomedesDioscuro]

¡Qué grande! ¡Y qué hermosa está en esta producción!

[@fernandowohllkbody1871]

Grace maravillosa y atractiva

[@rogalesi58]

Che. Bel timbro

[@cristinapalermo3569]

Bravissima Grace!!!

[@dmp7252]

She was a presence on the stage, and there is no mistaking her voice. I saw her at the met in Don Carlo. It wasn't he leading role, but she was singing either the second soprano role or maybe it was a mezzo role. Anyway, she brought the house down. But I always got a sense that she struggled with the high notes. Here, she does a skilled enough job, but you can tell it requires concentration. But again, her voice is unmistakable.

[@натальяпопова-э9н2я]

R.I.P. Великая Грейс!!!!!!!?!

[@BellaFirenze]

Paris Opéra, 1979 Sherrill Milnes ... Nabucco Carlo Costa ... Ismaele Ruggero Raimondi ... Zaccaria Grace Bumbry ... Abigaille Viorica Cortez ... Fenena Marc Vento Le grand pretre Robert Dumé Abdalo Janine Boulogne Anna Nello Santi

[@esterbruno8604]

Brava Grace! 👏🥰

[@nancysikes]

Ain't nothing wrong with the performance. The criticism here is a bit academic, missing the forest for the trees. She has a thrilling voice, full of character, perfect for this role. A very cool looking production as well.

[@correasilvio2010]

Bumbry the best Abigail!

[@corneliusbates460]

Grace Bumbry was probably one the greatest mezzos ever. NONe of the mezzos can touch her range and expression and stage presence

[@joemiller6975]

Bumbry was one of the greatest Singers ever! Miss Bumbry is singing Soprano here and demonstrating beautifully that she was more than a pushed up Mezzo.The woman was a successful Star Soprano doing the most demanding Soprano roles in major houses internationally! Why do people refuse to give her credit for this?

[@georgescott3652]

Bravo!

[@nedimhasanagic5053]

Jedana od poznatih mezzo soprana Grace Bambry tumači sopransku ulogu Abigail u verdijevom Nabuccu

[@arnoldamaral3814]

Always loved La Bumbry great timber but struggled with the top voice as a soprano. Arnold Bourbon Amaral

[@liedersanger1]

Maybe, but not here!

[@revmiguel2000]

Timber and timbre are two different things (you want timbre as it refers to vocal sound)

[@arnoldamaral3814]

@@revmiguel2000It was a joke my friend 😂🤣😭. Chill 🇫🇷💙🍷. Arnaud Bourbon Amaral

[@arnoldamaral3814]

@@liedersanger1 WORD 💙💚🤗👍🇫🇷 Arnaud Bourbon Amaral

[@stezstezic4450]

Where? When?

[@foropera]

​@@stezstezic4450 on the video, first 10 sec.

[@olaskolasko8729]

Who are the other singers?

[@foropera]

Carlo Cossutta, Viorica Cortez, Ruggero Raimondi, Sherrill Milnes, conductor: Nello Santi

[@AmoClassic]

🤣

[@caninbar]

It sounded like she sang "Ode guerrier". Who care about the consonants, right?

[@arnoldamaral7406]

Very sorry my friends 😢 As much as I love this lady. Her top voice was her enemy. Her mezzo roles were spectacular 👑 Arnold Bourbon Amaral

[@theogoldberg8919]

Don't apologize everybody's entitled to his own opinion. As long as your polite such as you are 😉

[@joemiller6975]

Listen to other's in this role and say that Bumbry did not attack this role with spectacular agility and technical assurance! Only Callas is as exciting and daring in her execution of Abigaille's treacheous vocal runs up and down the scale! Bumbry in my opinion is very good here and her top on a good night was thrilling!

[@janm.c.munich3513]

Crap. And get rid of your fake aristocratic name. You certainly are not a Bourbon.

[@purisermonisamator]

Perhaps it's hard to call it a perfect performance, but in this "bloody" part, Bumbry exceeded my expectations. It is regrettable that the too hasty conductor could not properly savor this passionate and intoxicating music of the young Verdi.The conductor's "short breath" prevented the music of this opera from becoming itself.

[@thesoubretteoftheopera7313]

Not quite. A bit shrill in the top notes. Much better than Scotto's attempt at this. Grace is at least very exciting as Abigaille should be

[@janm.c.munich3513]

A Soubrette, a cheap chorus girl, criticising a goddess? Very brave and stupid.

[@thesoubretteoftheopera7313]

@@janm.c.munich3513 Somebody taking what I call myself on the internet seriously? Very stupid. I created this account name like 10 years ago

[@michaelroberts6894]

Bumbry tried hard to be a prima Donna assoluta when she could have been the greatest mezzo if she hadn’t pushed her glorious voice out of its bounds!

[@foropera]

michael roberts I think she just followed what her body/voice needed. Her voice was taking 3 days to get clear again when singing mezzos like Dalila, Orfeo, and the doctors told her she had to stop singing them. I don't know if it's true but I think she was from the begining more than a mezzo. When she auditioned for the Paris Opera in 1960 they immediately proposed her Salomé and Leonora/Trovatore. But as she knew only the complete role of Amneris because she worked on it for a year with Lotte Lehmann, she prefered to make her debut in a role she already knew well enough...She made some mistakes like the title role of Aida, Forza, Trovatore, Abigaille maybe too much dramatic coloratura for her, Turandot...But all the other like Elisabeth from Tannhauser, Elvira in Ernani, Gioconda, Norma, Tosca were quite good.

[@theogoldberg8919]

@@foropera EXACTLY

[@joemiller6975]

Bumbry was a great singer who yes took risk but for the most part she delivered the vocal goods!

[@joemiller6975]

Listen to Bumbry sing Isolde's Liebestod live well into her 60's and say she pushed her voice out of bounds ,listen to her Turandot with the high notes as secure and effective as canon balls and say that! Bumbry had the range and she had technique, and timbre that was gorgeous, her voice never fell apart! That some hardcore Bumbry as Mezzo fans simply would not accept her as a soprano did not change the fact that she was as much a superstar soprano as she was a superstar Mezzo

[@janm.c.munich3513]

Tosh

[@mavoisine3]

That's called stretching your limitations to their maximum. This said, generally I love Bumpry.

[@stefanocautavera]

The voice itself is glorious, but this role is *so* not for her.

[@joemiller6975]

She performed it with great success. I saw it at NYCO and the audience was on their feet cheering and shouting in appreciation . The New York Critics may have had reservations but noone who paid for a ticket had any that Night! She was thrilling!

[@stefanocautavera]

@@joemiller6975 Success is one thing, accuracy is another. She certainly has more than enough vocal weight, but this role also requires a whole lot of agility and aptitude for florid singing, which is obviously giving her trouble here.

[@janm.c.munich3513]

@@stefanocautavera talking crap, aren’t you?

[@jmiller05]

@@janm.c.munich3513 What's crap about that? Are you 100% telling us that Bumbry had the range and agility for this role? Some of the scales in this sound like a baby burping. Bumbry always had 'successes' because she was a popular artist with a wonderful voice. However this is not her role at all, nor do I think the soprano fach was her true calling. In my opinion, she was a fabulous Ammeris, Eboli and Carmen, mezzo roles that really showed us the full potential of her voice.