Joan Sutherland sings Merche dilette amiche on ABC's Saturday Night Live 1975 BETTER SOUND

Credits to 'Sutherland4l' on YT for originally uploading this!
ABC'S (not NBC's) Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell at the Ed Sullivan Theater. Date is November 1st 1975. This was something I edited a long time ago but never published for whatever reason. Joan also sang My Hero from The Chocolate Soldier during this episode. I believe a video does exist of this somewhere, as there is a segment of video on YT where Howard Cosell opened the episode saying O.J. Simpson will be on. (Joan was on the same episode as O.J.). I've improved the sound quality a lot. It is no longer muffled as it was before.
Enjoy!
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[@machovoce6826]

Dame Joan and Howard Cossell? Unbelievable!

[@danawinsor1380]

I believe ABC's "Saturday Night Live" predated NBC's show. As many will remember, what was to become "Saturday Night Live on NBC was originally called "NBC Saturday Night." I'm not sure when they changed the name of the show. Dame Joan's performance was fabulous BTW.

[@miguelsalinas4143]

Sin duda alguna la Más yMejor Soprano del Mundo!!!!BRAVA!!!!!❤❤❤

[@ahogbin2644]

Wonderful as ever. Interesting to hear her lower register. She still had the top E even in the 80s (briefly heard in Esclarmonde in 1983) but singing is all about pacing and singing on the interest. Love the picture.

[@williammaddox3339]

The only high E'S she sang in the 80's were screams but she could reach the pitch. Sutherland was transposing as early as 1965 to avoid high E's. Her E flats were astonishing till the end of the 70's.

[@cadoh8143]

Thank you. ❤

[@Twentythousandlps]

Howard Cosell compares our Joan to O.J. Simpson! As for her singing, "she killed it", as they say.

[@DiomedesDioscuro]

Digan lo que digan sus detractores, la mujer era un absoluto prodigio.

[@hartmutlorentzen9659]

I miss the chorus.

[@ktrewin23]

Thanks for this. Who's the man in the photo?

[@AkaiGX]

I don't know. Sadly the photo wasn't captioned

[@AkaiGX]

Actually, he just messaged me on FB! I wouldn't want to reveal it on YT for privacy reasons. He has commented on my FB post. Please look there.

[@eloyguevara9447]

no se o aunque lo supongo...............porque esto no lo escuchan millones de personas.............................no tienen ni idea............de quien era esta mujer.......................ni de cerca.....................ahora se hablan idiomas varios.........pero no se adquieren culturas varias....................y ese ese es el problema....................antes no teniamos varios idiomas............pero teniamos acceso a la cultura.................y de eso aprendimos con la mayor de las locuras...........ahora resulta......................que esto parece no existir.........pero no es cierto.......existe......y es lo mas grande del mundo......................

[@johnpickford4222]

eloy guevara: Your comments, probably like you, make no sense and are an insult to Dame Joan Sutherland and most people with common sense.

[@liedersanger1]

This seems a bit low in pitch. Can someone check their piano?

[@AkaiGX]

Nope. It's perfectly on pitch.

[@DiomedesDioscuro]

I think she just doesn't add the final high note we're used to from studio recordings.

[@rugby8-Philadelphia]

This is in A It's written in Ab in the score - I've always heard it sung in Ab Needless to say, *this* ais Great .....as Joan usually is! 😎😎😎

[@alandun27]

Absolutely! A major, although Rugby8 says it's in Ab, the score is definitely in A major - and I don't think Joan had sung a high E (which is the interpolated penultimate note not sung here) since 1960 - she always, for instance, sang the Bell Song transposed to Eb when she sang it onstage - but what about that low A!!! incredible - like a baritone? I've noticed though that the Decca recording from 1959 runs almost a full semi tone sharp - even in the latest remastering - which might be why you're thinking this is flat.

[@kurtgarmaker3719]

She didn't sing an e natural or an e flat

[@clefnoteproductions6695]

I'm sure when, but in mid to late 70s to rarely 80s, she'd transpose everything down a half or full tone. Most of her latter Lucia's, the Mad Scene, was transposed to D flat. High D was her comfortable top in the mid to late 80s

[@rugby8-Philadelphia]

​@@clefnoteproductions6695 That is a GROSS Exaggeration. Yes she did have things, brought down later in her in her career, but to the the extant you imply

[@rugby8-Philadelphia]

Perhaps she wasn't in top form, had a cold, headache, etc - an opted to not sing an Interpolated note. Smart singers know their instruments.

[@AkaiGX]

For those of you wondering, it wasn't that Joan didn't have anything above D in the 80s, she indeed had E flat. Just look at the 1985 CG Lucias. Perfect Ebs. The reason she didn't sing them was because she would get a massive headache after singing an Eb. Thats why she stopped them in '86

[@rugby8-Philadelphia]

@@AkaiGX Thank you for this