"In music you can feel so much and just let go - and you do" - Martina Arroyo

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Living the Classical Life: Episode 85
Filmed on November 18, 2019
Martina Arroyo, a pioneer among African-American performers in the operatic field, is considered one of opera's most effective public ambassadors, from her three-decade performing career to her ongoing involvement in the Arroyo Foundation. As you will see in our conversation, this is not least due to what World Biography called her “down-to-earth sense of humor, coupled with a diva-sized personality.” Enjoy her unique reminiscences of working with legends Renata Tebaldi, Leonard Bernstein, and Victor Borge!

[@Orfeus80]

Arroyo´s beauty from within shines through whether she's singing or speaking. She looks so down to earth yet fully aware of her great career. Lovely words about the great Renata Tebaldi as well. What a superb influence.

[@ginopietracupa4305]

Which famous soprano didn't choose Tebaldi as a favorite? Martina Arroyo all her life said that Tebaldi was her favorite singer, Caballe said that Tebaldi was the most perfect human voice we have ever heard, Birgit Nilsson said that Tebaldi had a voice similar to hers in terms of power, Sutherland said that the two best voices she heard were Flagstad and Tebaldi. Kiri Te Kanawa also admires Tebaldi, Marilyn Horne said that when she started as a soprano she wanted to be like Tebaldi

[@VicenteMReyes-vs9nh]

Yeah, I also think she has no beauty from without.

[@wotan10950]

Great artist, I saw her many times in New York. Fabulous sense of humor - she was once asked how she felt singing Elsa in Lohengrin; she responded, “Very white!”

[@ginopietracupa4305]

Summertime by Martina Arroyo what a beautiful voice

[@rickywilliams1537]

To hear commentary from the divine, consummate artist Martina Arroyo is a thrill! She's a national treasure and ambassador for the arts! Thank you, Zsolt, for this incredible interview! I appreciate you!

[@luc3753]

I like how the interviewer always asks the right questions, the important ones.

[@mid-zz6ct]

"A lover of music? Oh, yes. I thought you asked if he was a great lover. He was both." She is brilliant and luminous. A national treasure and one of the last greats from an extraordinary generation of singers.

[@suzannetevlin8439]

What a lovely interview.

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thank you for watching, Suzanne Tevlin!

[@edwardbak4459]

What a beautiful artist and a generous heart!

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thanks for watching, Edward Bak!

[@hautboisixx8540]

.. so nice to see her again, after all these years .. thank you so much for this .. bravo !

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thanks for watching, Hautboi Sixx!

[@lockjiang]

oh, how lucky we are to see and hear her, she hails from the golden age of opera singing in the 20th century when Maria Callas, Leontyne Price, and a lot were at their top vocal form. How precious this is. It would be great to see Miss Price and Miss Battle.

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thanks for watching and commenting, buulu poulou!

[@paullewis2413]

Never managed to hear Martina live but I did see her in the audience at the ROH/London one night in the 1970's. I think it might have been when Leontyne Price was singing Aida but not sure now. I was in my late teens and a regular opera goer but no more as all the great artists are gone with too few newcomers of high quality and most productions are junk anyway.

[@bubffm]

She even wasnt afraid or intimidated to perform Stockhausen! Great artist.

[@republiccooper]

Wonderful,,, she is such a gem. She broke ground.

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thanks for watching, republiccooper! Always nice to hear from you!

[@radudeATL]

This was an absolutely delightful interview! I adore these interviews.

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thanks for watching and commenting, radudeATL!

[@edwardamosbrandwein3583]

@@LivingtheClassicalLife Thx for these wonderful posts!

[@rupertchristiansen5826]

what a delightful woman. her Ballo duet with Bergonzi one of my great operatic moments

[@bostonviewer5430]

This is such a wonderful interview so first Kudos to Zsolt for his thoughtful questions. A very fine job. I first heard and knew Ms. Arroyo as a young person in the 1960s and heard her over many years in her great roles at the MET and other places: Ballo, Aida, Ernani, Don Giovanni, Butterfly, Tosca, Lohengrin, Forza, Verdi Requiem, Four Last Songs, Beethoven 9th a concert performance of Dvorak's Dimitri at Carnegie Hall and I still remember her song recitals with very fine Brahms lieder. When she speaks about Renata Tebaldi in the interview that is how I feel about her though I was not a singer or musician. When I spoke with her it was a real conversation. When she asked how I was she meant it and expected an honest answer. I became a social worker ultimately and her honestly and kindness were valuable lessons for me. A kind person and wonderful artist with one of the great voices and a real person who I will always remember for being who she is and what she gave to me and all of us who care to listen.

[@jjlungdoc7472]

One of the best among the greatest. There is a definitely an Arroyo sound; Full, beautiful, secure. Summertime gives you an idea of how she sounded live.

[@1trschaefer78]

Amazing woman! Amazing interview!!

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thanks for watching and commenting, 1 trschaefer!

[@ClassicalT42]

Congrats, Zsolt 🎊🎈🎉🍾 Another fantastic interview with an amazing artist. I was captivated from the beginning to the end. ~ Brett

[@ahh1180]

Just loved this thank you very much ♥️

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thanks for watching, AH H!

[@Thevelezrubio]

This was just wonderful; if only all those whoo interview others could be as articulate and thoughtful as this gentleman but he certainly had great musician, human whose love of the Arts shoe through and Ms Arroyo was full of humility and personality

[@doktorlehar]

What a lovely, elegant human being she is.

[@carusoclarinet78]

When I was in undergrad at CIM, I was learning the big clarinet solo from La Forza, and I used to listen to her recording on the record players in the back of the library. Her voice was quite amazing.

[@michaeldoyle6702]

Great stuff. Thanks.

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thanks for watching and commenting, Michael Doyle!

[@robertforman4489]

A truly remarkable woman---

[@pawdaw]

Fantastic singer. I wonder what stories she could tell about working with Karlheinz Stockhausen - she wasn't even 30 when she sang the soprano solos in his Momente.

[@operadoc]

Such a beautiful and underappreciated artist. Lovely interview

[@celloguy]

What happened to this channel? Such wonderful interviews, but no uploads in 3 years

[@shawnmand5607]

Any chance you might ever get Pogorelich? Is Maestro Babayan is familiar with him from their days with Gornastayeva?

[@frandrepol7204]

You have all the qualities of the greatest interviewers, letting us know all the aspects of your sensibility and allowing your guests to express themselves fully and let us feel being part of the meeting.

[@donaldcasey9204]

Can someone tell me, why is it that can't find the interviews with Martina Arroyo on The Tonight Show, with Jonny Carson.

[@C90072]

What is the piece you always play at the beginning ?

[@davidsimmons654]

😭😭😭😭😭

[@liedersanger1]

Not one question about race. Thank goodness.

[@direfranchement]

It does become incredibly tiresome.

[@alioffe4321]

You must be white!

[@greatmomentsofopera7170]

@@alioffe4321 many black artists I know get sick of talking about their race - they want to be respected and loved as artists and exponents of music, not as an exponent of a skin colour.

[@alioffe4321]

@@greatmomentsofopera7170 And many black and queer artists i know like addressing issues regarding their identities, and advocate for visibility in media. They think that their skin color and gender performativity is part of their existence/identities, therefore, artistry. And i hate it when white cis gender privileged masses complain about these matters. I, for one as a white gay man, would have enjoyed hearing her experiences and thoughts on what it means to be a black soprano.

[@greatmomentsofopera7170]

@@alioffe4321 yes it's obvious there are people on both sides of the fence. But it isn't that white people have one opinion and black people another. White and black people come down on both sides of the issue. I was responding to your comment saying that the original commenter must be white.

[@beclear2473]

She makes it a little difficult for the interviewer.

[@ragasaga]

We haven't seen another series of documentaries which speak so genuinely about classical music and inspire students to learn it. Happy to feature your channel in our video for the occasion of World Music Day: 'Top 10 Underrated Music Channels on KZbin' kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKmbaX1to8h2jqM

[@LivingtheClassicalLife]

Thank you! We really appreciate your support!

[@毕禕]

she might need an extra mic🤣

[@tomalebine2778]

What evil person let her do this interview and didnt tell her she had lipstick on her teeth? She is a legend