Joan Sutherland sings "Bel raggio lusinghier", Carnegie Hall, 1964

Joan Sutherland sings "Bel raggio lusinghier... Dolce pensiero" from Semiramide by Gioacchino Rossini
Recorded live from Carnegie Hall (concert performance), February 18, 1964
Chorus and orchestra of the American Opera Society
Conductor - Richard Bonynge

[@crazyorganist1609]

That high E is absolutely gargantuan. Joan was one of a kind

[@Hako2004]

The final high E natural was huge!! The entire voice is big and brilliant, but she moved it around with astonishing agility.

[@justicepatrick6366]

I dont mean to be so offtopic but does anyone know a method to log back into an instagram account?? I was dumb forgot the account password. I would appreciate any tips you can give me

[@reignbishop7926]

@Justice Patrick Instablaster :)

[@petenoles5979]

This is my favourite Sutherland live performance. It is recorded from the audience, so one can really hear that gigantic dramatic instrument reverberating through the entire hall.

[@RM-py1bq]

During the applause you can hear one audience member remark, " ... better than the record!"

[@JM-lw3nx]

It's really quite amazing that she can sing those notes without moving her mouth.

[@shannonlewis8906]

🤣🤣🤣

[@photo161]

The mouth should play no part whatsoever in the sound, only in shaping the vowels.

[@SR-jx8yu]

OMG!!! Just AMAZING! Oh to be have been there!

[@machovoce6826]

"Better than the record," says the man next to the recorder. You bet. Because if you only know Sutherland by her recordings then you don't really know Sutherland. She was astonishing.

[@baritonebynight]

I am too young to have seen Sutherland live, I discovered her in college through recordings and then once I became a singer I was able to sing with a guy who had sung with her when she was in the final years of her career. He described her as a "big girl scout" who was very down to earth and easy to work with and added her recordings did not do her justice. He also stated that her poor diction that she was criticized for on recordings wasn't really all that poor live.

[@operabilia]

Pure drammatico-coloratura! And a hugely powerful one!

[@Eiswirth1]

Greatest voice in all of recorded history. I'd give anything to go back in time to hear her sing live in the 60s to mid-70s.

[@jackbeanblossom5115]

I Was fortunate to be in attendance of her recital at the I.U. auditorium in Bloomington, In. When I was an undergrad music student........the recital included the Concero for coloratura soprano/Gliere!

[@acitipo]

Yo también Me hubiera gustado verla en vivo.

[@wotan10950]

I’m pleased to say that I saw her onstage often after 1973 at the Met and other venues. I last saw her in 1987, and she was still brilliant.

[@predickament]

As a teen I was with Boston Opera with Sarah Caldwell and was in the chorus of her Lucia - she was a phenomenon - heard her Norma with Horne, also did many performances with Sills, I was so fortunate in those years!

[@baritonebynight]

Back when I was very young and only a chorus singer, I sang with an older guy who had sung with Sutherland when he was very young and only a chorus singer. He called Sutherland "a big girl scout" and was kind to all who approached her.

[@wilsonwatt9283]

Unsurpassed in the history of recorded opera. Sutherland was a perfect match for this role and never failed to deliver what was required by Rossini. I say her at Lyric of Chicago and her voice simply reverberated throughout that huge house like a great organ. Her ability to move her voice with the speed and agility Rossini demanded was unsurpassed [yes, even by Callas who was supreme as an operatic performer[ and delivered absolutely everything the composer required inthis role.

[@Fairpavel]

In terms of agility - please do listen Callas sing "Se al mio crudel" from Armida in 1952 and see for yourself that Sutherland does not surpass her.

[@jondavwal13]

Unfortunately the sound of Callas's voice pretty much takes her out of the running for best anything having to do with singing.

[@Fairpavel]

Now, that is a ridiculous statement. Forget all about musicality, forget all about instilling life into characters and ... oh, just forget.

[@jondavwal13]

Fairpavel didn’t say she wasn’t a great musician, but people who keep insisting she rivaled Sutherland for sheer voice are deaf and deluded. Her voice was ugly and inconsistent with drastic differences between registers. Somehow it’s this remarkable thing that she sang Wagner and bel canto in the same day. No, it’s stupid. She abused whatever instrument she had.

[@Fairpavel]

Well, I thought you said exactly that! Sheer voice can be boring if it is just and only sheer voice. Especially - but not only - in her later years Joan Sutherland could be dramatic and emotional and that's why I like her in the first place. I find the Callas voice quite beautiful at times in certain passages and I remember I found it a strange and heavy voice when I heard it really for the first time. From then on I grew accustomed to it, loved it and learned how to be objective about its qualities on record. (You know, some youtubers claim to have heard both Callas and JS live but I am not one of them.) It's never sheer voice.

[@debbiewoodburn6786]

La Stupenda. The Incomparable.

[@debbiewoodburn6786]

The one and only Joan Sutherland.

[@eberhardthauer3818]

Never more reached since 10.10.2020 (day of her death)

[@cadoh8143]

Fantastic singing. The best live performance from Sutherland. Have you, AP, the complete performance?

[@ra6504]

sutherland Fan , I do! My email is [e-mail]

[@BellaFirenze]

The note came across the stage, passed over me and into the heavens. Unforgettable.

[@vanmusician]

I suspect this is playing a half tone too high, like many YT recordings. There is a slight 'Minnie Mouse' quality to her voice and the women's chorus which is not natural. And the tempi sound rushed. I heard her sing this aria at a 1963 concert here in Vancouver - a few days after her very first Norma performances.

[@misanthropelife]

Wow to see her live in her prime 😮

[@sutherlandfan64]

Miraculous singing!

[@-Tesla-Live_]

Incredible!!!

[@photo161]

Listen in amazement as La Stupeda emits a veritable torrent of glorious sound...

[@theon9575]

Badass singing, this. Goodonya, Joan.

[@rosslarkin6742]

Oh Lord, nothing else to say other than she is an absolute beast here. I have lots of respect for Caballé but I don't think she had a voice suited to this role. And even in her prime, I think her range topped out at D6 so she never had the courage to end this aria on a glass shattering high note (and she skipped the high C's and D's scattered through the rest of this piece depending on key). Many other sopranos attempt this role, but I think it really requires a true dramatic coloratura. I don't think anyone else in recent recorded history combines both the sheer size of Sutherland's voice AND it's unbelievable flexibility and power in the upper register.

[@theon9575]

The voices of Caballé and Sutherand were very different, and incomparable when heard live. Like apples and oranges. And to ask which is better, apples or oranges, makes no sense. Opera singing is not a competitor sport. 🥴

[@jondavwal13]

@@theon9575But as good as Caballe was, one was better than the other objectively. It is no contest.

[@theon9575]

@@jondavwal13 "Objectively" .. are you serious? LOL. See a dictionary . We're talking about matters of taste and preference and of opinion. It's not something amenable to "objective" measurement or evaluation. If it were then there would be nothing to discuss. Singing is an art form, not a measurable science. It's like: "As good as oranges are, apples are better than oranges objectively. It is no contest." ... meaningless.

[@Antonio-qm3bi]

​@@theon9575Do not act wise and mocking, because you are not right and you only make a fool of yourself. You are right about whether someone likes her voice or not, but an objective evaluation can be made in terms of art. For example, Callas and Sutherland had trills, good coloratura and notes above C6 with ease, Caballé did not; Caballe and Sutherland had a beautiful timbre, while Callas's voice was strident in some ways. Among the three, only Callas had perfect diction. And in terms of drama and use of chest voice, Sutherland was not the best compared to Caballé or Callas... It could be said that Sutherland was better than Caballé, evaluating those technical aspects, and obviously Callas was better than both

[@theon9575]

@@Antonio-qm3bi oK. I won't. LOL

[@meltzerboy]

To be clear, there is no other soprano of the past 50 years who can sing this music with the brilliance, agility, and beauty of tone that Sutherland possesses. At the same time, if one listens to some of the early recordings of the aria (not the whole role) of Sembrich and Abendroth, for example, there is a certain style of ornamentation that is more elegant than Sutherland's. True, it is the "old coloratura," even different from that of Galli-Curci, let alone Sutherland, but it seems to hearken back to Rossini style and practice from the days of Patti, whereas Sutherland's ornamentation is not quite as, how to put it, stylistic. But I am nit picking here, for her Rossinian duets with Horne are exceptional by any standards. What none of these sopranos do, however, including Abendroth, Sembrich, Tetrazzini, Galli-Curci, Boninsegna, as well as Sutherland, and which only Callas appears to do, is end the first part of the aria come scritto, which, in this instance, I think, is more effective.

[@-Tesla-Live_]

OMG

[@jondavwal13]

Sutherland’s voice live always sounded like it was sitting on your shoulder singing in your ear. It filled every open space in the air. And it seemed as well as coming out of her mouth it was coming out of the back her head and both ears.

[@misanthropelife]

You heard her live and she actually sounds like this?

[@katimwong2623]

Magnificent!

[@vicmanu]

Amazing! I did not know this American Opera Society perfomance at Carnegie Hall had been recorded! Could you please post more?! :)

[@ra6504]

Could you p m me, please?

[@vicmanu]

I'm trying to, but I don't seem to be able/know how to do it...

[@ra6504]

vicmanu [e-mail]

[@nathandavis3002]

Could I too? I love the quality of this recording in that it reveals the true nature of her voice.

[@michaeltortora8563]

I was at this performance. One of the most exciting performances I have attended. The duets with Marilyn Horne were incredible!!! I still have the program which is signed by Sutherland, Horne & Bonygne. Does a recording, from this evening, of the entire opera exist? If so, is it possible to get a CD of it?

[@misanthropelife]

I would want that full recording too.. i’d pay to get it 🤗🤗🤗

[@williammaddox3339]

@@misanthropelife Opera Depot has it.

[@nathandavis3002]

Shes a monster here! Recorded from out in the audience yet somehow her voice sounds bigger than studio recordings when the mic would be directly in front of her.

[@ivannackovic79]

Nathan Davis I know right..? But to be honest nothing and no one can quite compare to hearing her live in the theather.

[@crazyorganist1609]

That would've been amazing to hear live

[@SebaStian-ld7um]

A studio recording unfortunately cannot capture the reverberation and resonance a singer has in an opera house. One literally feels it on a physical level.

[@cinziavidali411]

Splendida Sutherland.

[@herrbrucvald6376]

To be honest, there's not a single 'dramatic coloratura' soprano today (2017) that I like, or I think can even sing in any way the great Donizetti-Bellini repertory. Not one. The new Met Norma is vocally (ahem) inadequate. Sutherland = divine

[@nathandavis3002]

I actually find sondra radvanovsky to be a fine voice and fantastic musician, who in several roles is able to hold her own against the greats. However, I have to agree that apart from a respectable casta diva she is an inadequate norma.

[@advocate1563]

yes as I was reading the other comment 8 was thinking about Sondra but like you agree with his comment.

[@smurf902]

U mean someone sang it better than DiDonato? (Shade intended)

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

I was born thirty years too late

[@eugeniohuerta8290]

Estupenda 😇😇🌹🌹🎈🎈

[@eduardobraivein8496]

Am I mistaken or this was Marilyn Horne's first-ever Arsace? And weren't the other singers Richard Cross (Assur) and Eddy Ruhl (Idreno)?

[@eugeniohuerta8290]

Del paraíso del Liceo al Cielo 🌈💕💟🖐️🖐️♥️

[@johnloveridge5682]

A

[@josephhapp9]

🌺🌺🌺 Insane talent,,,jaw dropping. Thank you😘😘😘😘😘😘

[@ChrisStockslager]

Do we know if this is playing a little fast or if she is somehow was still singing this in the original key? A year before she sang it half step down twice on TV, so I assumed that’s how it was from then on out. But it almost sounds like this is the actual original key!

[@ra6504]

Chris Stockslager, this was sung in the orinal key.

[@ChrisStockslager]

R A How are you sure? It’s strange she would transpose it down for television twice in 1963, and then sing in the original key here in 1964 before finally transposing it down again in 1965 for Boston.

[@ra6504]

Apparently, this is what happened, as the rest of the opera is not half-step sharp.

[@ChrisStockslager]

R A Do you notice how the key starts to drift upwards around 1:00? Compare the key when Joan comes in around 2:00 vs the start of the piece. Even compare :30 vs 2:00. Sounds sharp to me - perhaps the original tape warped a bit or something? You can hear a strange pitch bend from the orchestra at 4:23 too. Regardless, she sounds spectacular!!!

[@ER1CwC]

@@ChrisStockslager You have a fantastic ear! I completely agree with your assessment of the fluctuations in pitch. The tape was not running at a consistent speed.

[@LABARITONESSA]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@carmeloserafin5101]

splendida tecnica,...sdoganata da molte artiste, sopratutto italiane...ma anche inglesi... indicando la strada del compromesso...spiace che lei già in questo periodo pur frequentando l'Italia si mangi mezza pronuncia italiana...che non è un Opzional da poco....infatti oggi molte interpreti scolpiscono il testo con una chiarezza assoluta...e non hanno niente da invidiare allo strumento divino di questa interprete che comunque ho sempre applaudito e ammirato senza riserve...( anche in una mitica Lucrezia Borgia a Roma alla fine di una carriera da incorniciare per i Ruoli portati in scena molto spesso con una sempre più convinta padronanza di un fisico a volte troppo importante...me la ricordo in una Traviata dove dovette andare a cercare il tenore fra le ampie trine con una verve trattandosi del Brindisi...che la diceva lunga di come fosse padrona assoluta dei suoi mezzi e nervi d'acciaio)......la chiusura delle volatine... però; butta giù a cannonate tutte le riserve possibili. Chapeau...e grazie per la testimonianza...

[@ebenezeradjierteh2498]

This is the Joan.

[@jondavwal13]

That might be the best E of her career. Holy shit.

[@MrStpendouslvforjo]

STUPENDOUS!! I've been listening to Joan Sutherland since 1980 - and I'm still bowled over with her ability! Such a huge voice and the perfect agility! She was truly a virtuoso of the highest order!

[@acitipo]

Ah! La Stupenda!! El timbre mas hermoso de la lírica.

[@lawrenceallen6508]

WOWWW Amazing ❤👏👏👏👏

[@MisterSoprano]

Not her fan, but always admired her as she was indeed a great singer.

[@eberhardthauer3818]

Überreicht!!!

[@eberhardthauer3818]

Muss heißen: unerreicht...!!!! Noch nie wieder bis heute 2022!

[@gerardmignon700]

Vocalement superbe, mais question langage, c'est de la bouillie.

[@finners62]

yawn yawn