Joan Sutherland - 1960 Let the bright seraphim (in Italian)

This recording captures the encore to Alcina that Sutherland sang at the end of her first Italian performance in February, 1960. It is sung to the words of "Ma quando tornerai," one of Alcina's arias.
Imagine singing this piece directly after singing the title role! No wonder they first called her La Stupenda after this performance.
(Photo is a 1957 painting of Sutherland as Alcina, plus a few special effects)

[@Anduril919]

That top note never fails to grab a hold of me. No wonder she got dubbed the "stunning one" (La Stupenda) after that. I can't recall a note sung more gloriously and more ravishingly than that top note. It's sung with an abandon that speaks eloquently of her supreme confidence in her vocal instrument and technique.

[@Greg07623]

Thank you for sharing this. I hope before I die I can once again hear a voice so spectacular in an opera house....but not holding my breath.

[@JoanSutherlandFan]

I never heard this before!!! Oh my Godnesssss!!!! Stupendous!!!!!

[@65attila]

Magnificent voice and singing by the GREAT JOAN.

[@siennas3186]

I NEVER knew she did it italian! OMG ....

[@acitipo]

Es bellísimo el timbre de la Stupenda, ataca las notas agudas y sobreagudas de una manera maravillosa, única.

[@flyboytim]

Never seen or heard of it. Divine.

[@silverkitty2503]

YASSS QUEEN ...THAT ATTACK!

[@hildegerdhaugen7864]

Love this!!!

[@acitipo]

La belleza de su timbre FUE ÚNICO, por eso desde el principio se le llamó “la Stupenda “, nada menos que en la Fenice, comenzó esta leyenda.

[@magicmonkichi]

This is Amazing~! I've heard about it and read about it in her biographies...Now we get to hear it ^_^ Thanks Capt~! /salut

[@LaDivinaLover]

No she is not singing Ma Quando Tornerai. She is using the words to that aria in Let the Bright Serafim which if you think about it is quite ingenious.

[@alextudor43]

Incroyable, quelle merveille !

[@emma41093]

@CaptFitzbattleaxe Good pointer - thank you sooooo much for this. I can't wait to go to London now to see the Joan Sutherland - A Tribute at the opera house!!!!!!!!!!!

[@emma41093]

Lovely!!!! Soooooo tempted to play this right now in the university canteen :)

[@CaptFitzbattleaxe]

@ChrisStockslager The BellaVoce one with the red cover with the weird Egyptian painting on it. :D

[@CaptFitzbattleaxe]

@asdfopera She is indeed! Thanks for the heads up; description adjusted accordingly.

[@NLidar]

Isnt this piece from Samson and not Alcina?

[@ChrisStockslager]

Wow! I haven't heard this ever before outside of the short snippet at the end of the Sutherland documentary! What a find. What edition of Alcina is this cut on?

[@JoanSutherlandFan]

It's from her debut at Teatro la Fenice, February 1960 ;)

[@highbaritone]

Vinicius Soaris and the rest is history. Richard on harpsichord.

[@ChrisStockslager]

@CaptFitzbattleaxe Thanks! :D

[@ransomcoates546]

The singing is wonderful, but who could tell what language it is. Italian, English, Swahili?

[@schneevongestern9898]

Do I care? No. With a sound this glorious I couldn't care less if she spits out consonants and gives ultra clear diction or not. You don't excite and thrill people with diction. You do so with sound. At least as a singer. In my opinion, diction is a bit overrated in opera. Some diction should be there, but not to the sacrifice of sound. And to me, her voice never was about diction and drama. She was pure sound.

[@highbaritone]

@@schneevongestern9898a teacher to her students. Unless you can sing like Sutherland, you had better have good diction. 👍

[@sutherland9]

maybe Hawaiian?

[@WrestleNiceGuy121]

I thought this aria is from Handel's Samson.

[@silverkitty2503]

it is

[@sayersbrock]

man the trumpeter certainly butchers his/her way through this...

[@gimmeachallenge]

I'm not near an instrument and certianly don't have perfect pitch, but I would swear this higher than the version in D I'm used to hearing. Is this in E-flat??

[@tjw2469]

yes, very slightly sharped then D natural

[@vanmusician]

This aria is written in D major (but would have sounded as D flat in Handel's time.) It sounds to me like this recording is running fast and therefore a bit sharp. Her vibrato sounds a bit suspicious - usually a sign of wrong pitch in the transfer.

[@silverkitty2503]

bullshit.....its the way vibrato should sound down tight floral runs and not to mention trills ...vibrato is natural in a voice ..anyone i know who fucks with it ends up with this gross wobble

[@silverkitty2503]

Interesting the recording ..its not great ..i mean not sutherlands singing which is amazing as always ..but the quality of the recording .....sounds like the old sopranos ..always wondered what they sounded like really galli curci etc..they obv had a lot more bass in real life!

[@aykcroid]

Yes, it is E flat.

[@caninbar]

Whatever language she sings in, it's unintelligible. But who cares?

[@hanslick3375]

True 🤣 It doesn't get more "prima la musica" than this. I wouldn't change a thing about her diction.

[@gimmeachallenge]

Well, maybe not. I just found something in E-flat, and this is lower....but marginally. Lol. Must be in the cracks.

[@thomastmwc]

bad diction as usual haha

[@Tkimba2]

Wc tM literally no one cares...

[@silverkitty2503]

i bet she could sing 'fuck the words' perfectly clearly in high F if you wanted.