Joan Sutherland - The Top 15 High E-flats

Also check out Dame Joan's top 10 High Ds: • Joan Sutherland - The ...
A collection of 15 of my favorite Joan Sutherland E-flats. At first I was going to pick 10...but that didn't happen. With the staccatos in the Hoffmann piece, I've technically included 18 E-flats. However you look at it: a lot of great singing.
0:00 [1959 live] Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor: Spargi d'amaro pianto (Mad Scene)
0:31 [1959 studio] Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor: Spargi d'amaro pianto (Mad Scene)
1:03 [1961 studio] Verdi: Rigoletto: Act II Finale
1:51 [1961 live] Bellini: Beatrice di Tenda: Al tuo fallo ammenda festi
3:11 [1961 live] Bellini: La Sonnambula: Non più nozze (Act I Finale)
3:39 [1961 studio] Bellini: La Sonnambula: Sovra il sen la man mi posa
4:29 [1962 studio] Bellini: La Sonnambula: Non più nozze (Act I Finale)
5:02 [1962 studio] Bellini: Beatrice di Tenda: Deh, seh un'urna (Act II Finale)
5:46 [1964 studio] Bellini: Norma: Già mi pasco ne' tuoi shuardi
6:22 [1966 live] Bellini: I Puritani: Vien, diletto, è in ciel la luna (Mad Scene)
7:19 [1967 studio] Delibes: Lakmé: Où va la jeune Indouse (Bell Song)
7:58 [1971 studio] Verdi: Rigoletto: Act II Finale
8:45 [1972 live] Donizetti: Lucrezia Borgia: Era dessa, il figlio mio (Act II Finale)
9:18 [1972 studio] Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Les oiseaux dans la charmille (Olympia's Song)
9:39 [1979 studio] Verdi: La Traviata: Sempre libera
(Other singers heard are Cornell MacNeil, John Alexander, Sherrill Milnes, and Luciano Pavarotti.)

[@voceangelo]

I envy all of you that were able to hear this Madame Sutherland and all of those golden age singers in person. I can only ever get a taste of knowing what it must have been like in person listening to her live 'Vien, diletto' when she ascends to the Eflat and does that high wire act before releasing the tension in the audience with that glorious 'string of pearls' to the A flat.

[@danfuller1000]

High notes do not make an Opera, however when sung with such command and control... IT'S MAGIC! Brava Dame Joan, you have given me so many splendid nights of exquisite music!

[@DCFunBud]

One of the brightest lights of the 20th century.

[@MrStpendouslvforjo]

I agree with you !

[@platinumemeralds8079]

what a perfect way to describe La Stupenda!

[@KathrynARyder]

On the basis of this one note, from NORMA, at 6:04, I was say that Sutherland had the greatest voice in the history of opera. BRAVA IN EXCELSIS!!!!

[@DiomedesDioscuro]

+kathryn ryder I think that one is the best high note I've ever heard, indeed!

[@Eiswirth1]

I concur.

[@65attila]

A truly remarked voice and singer.

[@MrStpendouslvforjo]

That was a DELIGHT to hear! The last three were particularly AWESOME.....Or should I say - "Stupendous"? lol

[@vale86301]

Magnifica! La Sutherland è memorabile !

[@AU2506]

Cuantos High C, D & E nos has dejado, gracias por esas notas que hicieron renacer tantas obras de Donizetti & Bellini. Que en paz descanses Dame Joan Sutherland

[@muzhelozhstvo007]

OVERWHELMING!!!WOW!!!

[@robertobordino7141]

the best ever.. La Stupenda

[@bellini7verdi]

CANTO...INTERPRETACION....VOZ...COLORATURA...PODER...Y TODA UNA FUERZA HUMANA IMPOSIBLE SE SUPERAR

[@MrStpendouslvforjo]

I really like this compilation! Im a big Sutherland fan and I loved this...Good job!

[@enossantosbezerra1100]

I love Joan , seriously I am a big fun of her

[@schneevongestern9898]

6:04. What a stellar, commanding sound. One of the most thrilling sounds I have ever heard. Just by itself it's amazing.

[@Kibouo]

The tenor immediately before her is also phenomenal, but is overshadowed by the almost ethereal E flat!

[@liquidoflifeaquaticsandmore]

@@Kibouo EXACTLY !!! Pure perfection!

[@alextudor43]

la stupenda

[@SCARPIA44]

Atlanta Ga. Met tour 1964 Lucia 41 curtain calls.Enough said.

[@user-vb3zb9ht6j]

Impressionnant !

[@joaosousaoficial2562]

Stupenda Foverer!

[@bellini7verdi]

INSUPERABLE...PARA SIEMPRE.....................

[@bellini7verdi]

nadie ha tenido mas bella voz que joan Sutherland jamas en la vida........su voz no teni a limites ni en cuanto a poder....ni en cuanto a romanticismo....ni en cuanto a dramatismo....ni en cuanto a interpretación belcantista.....en cualquier sentido que se escuche....jamas podrá tener comparación....es la voz de las voces entre las voces....y decir otra cosa es simplemente .......no saber escuchar......decir ignoracia seria demasiado fuerte.........

[@fastborzoi]

most fabulous compilation, thanks so much

[@Operaphile]

Great compilation!!!! What about the three stunning top E's from her 1960 "Bel raggio lusinghier" from The Art of the Prima Donna? They are my all time favourite Dame Joan top notes :)

[@josephcollins6033]

What an incredible album!

[@thomastmwc]

Sempre Libera high C stacatti OMFG

[@bellini7verdi]

sus 45 años cantando.......avalan una carrera...impetuosa vocal....sin rango jamas en la historia del canto.......desde los 27 años hasta sus 64......estuvo y esta a pesar de muerta.......en el único trono que ha estado una cantante......en el supremo trono de ser la mejor cantante de todos los tiempos......ni las reinas......ni los príncipes árabes...ni las mayores fortunas......han tenido jamas un cache como el de ella........LA MUJER MAS GRANDE DE LA HISTORIA...........

[@2906nico]

Thank you, Captain.

[@Kibouo]

That E at 4:10.... WOW

[@bellini7verdi]

NADIE PUEDE ENTRAR EN LA GRAN GLORIA DEL CANTO........................A NO SER QUE TENGA LAS CUALIDADES PROPIAS DE LA CANTANTE FUERA DE SERIE.............................

[@alextudor43]

trop merveilleux

[@bellini7verdi]

su voz rompió todos los moldes........y eso siempre ha molestado a todo aquel que defiende su cantante favorita........pero joan Sutherland....no es cantante favorita.....simplemente canta como nadie asi de simple......el que quiere lo entiende y el que no que se tome una tila....y se relaje.......

[@Kibouo]

The pitch of some of the E-flats varies - some are straight E flats, some are between E flat and E natural, and some, like the studio version of Lucia is an E natural.

[@CaptFitzbattleaxe]

@Kibouo Amen. I haven't heard anyone else hold the E-flat over the chorus for the full count possible.

[@eloyguevara9447]

YO EMPECE EL MUNDO DE LA OPERA.....................CON CALLAS.............QUE ME VOLVIO LOCO..............DESDE ENTONCES........AUNQUE QUEDE ARROLLADO.........POR SEMEJANTE FUERZA........Y FORMA DE CANTAR..................QUEDE ENAMORADO POR UN MUNDO..........DISTINTO AL QUE CONOCIA...............PERO...............CUANDO ESCUCHE POR PRIMERA VEZ A LA GRANDISIMA JOAN SUTHERLAND......................MI CUERPO NO SUPO CONTENER...............EL MANANTIAL VOCAL..............QUE PARA MI EN ESE MOMENTO ME SOBREPUSO EL ALMA....................ME CAI DE LA SILLA.................TAL Y COMO LO DIGO...........................ME QUEDE PETRIFICADO EN EL SUELO COMO SI ME HUVIERAN DADO UN MASASO CULTURAL AUDITIVO............EN UNOS MOMENTOS MUSICALES...QUE NO SABIA EXISTIA............Y SIGO MANTENIENDO ESO HOY DIA...............

[@kflite68]

I must admit I was always kinda meh about Dame Joan because most the earliest available recordings are from the late 1970's. She was good then but hearing her in the late 50's thru the early 70's puts a whole different light on her. I wish they'd make those early performances (even with the poor audio quality) more readily available to those of us were not yet born or too young to hear/see her in her glory.

[@vettegaddia6234]

+K Leitner Joan had plenty of great studio and live recording of her voice from the 60's. It's the videos of her that most of them at past prime. But the "Bell telephone Hour is a 2 cd set that has her from 1960-1968, And there's the "Age of bel canto"and several others. It is rare to see live recordings with visuals with Joan in her prime though..

[@cnsedgwick]

Awesome.

[@CaptFitzbattleaxe]

@ChrisStockslager The 1963 Puritani? I just listened and you're right: everything is up a half step even though (for some reason) it doesn't sound like it at all. Usually that much variation in pitch makes her sound like an operatic Minnie Mouse. I have some editing to do...

[@fernandodc5146]

And so it is, dear children, how the opera was sung before.

[@ericscam2]

As Noel Coward once said, "I have a talent to amuse."

[@eloyguevara9447]

de donde salio esta mujer..................................

[@Kibouo]

@robertobordino Yes I think it's the pitching of the recording as the voice sounds the correct pitch for the background music

[@CaptFitzbattleaxe]

@Kibouo You're right about the Studio Lucia being in E major. What in the world? Did they transpose the Mad Scene up a half step back towards the original key of F??? Time for some research.

[@clefnoteproductions6695]

As far as I know all Italian versions of Lucia are in Eflat. The French version is F. Yes some Sopranos like Ruth Welting sang it in the higher key. Sutherland would have sung it in Eflat. If it sounds like a E it could be the tuning or speed making it sound higher

[@tompussina]

Quando io dico che Joan è stata il più grande soprano di tutti i tempi (per tecnica, bellezza vocale, musicalità e, secondo me, anche potenza) tanti mi saltano addosso. Mah, io non capisco: un suo acuto riusciva a coprire interi cori orchestra compresa!!!! Ma che si vuole di più? E inoltre, al pari di Kraus, non mi risulta abbia mai, dico mai, commesso un errore di qualsiasi genere sul palcoscenico!!!!!!

[@CaptFitzbattleaxe]

@jomoses07 American tenor John Alexander. He only made one studio recording, unfortunately, as Pollione in Norma.

[@eloyguevara9447]

no es que sea una voz estupenda...................que lo es.............pero para mi es un calificativo........poco ........estUpendo...sabemos todo el significado.............pero es mas..............mucho mas...............DESCOMUNAL.........UNA VOZ..........IMPOSIBLE..................UN ALCANCE.................DEMONIACAMENTE...............QUE TE DEJA SIN RESPIRACION........................YO ..DESDE MI ESPERIENCIA................Y EN MI JUVENTUD...............QUE SIGO TENIENDOLA..................OLLENDO SU VOZ.............SIN SABER PORQUE.................YA QUE NO ESTABA TAN AL DIA CON ESA CAPACIDAD...............ME CAI DE LA SILLA.........................CASI MAREADO.....Y ESTASIADO......................PUES NO ME PUDE CREER QUE MIS OIDOS ESCUCHARAN SEMEJANTE SONIDO.......................ME QUEDE EN EL SUELO.................NO PODIA NI ESTAR SENTADO.........FUE UNA COSA BARBARA............Y SIGUE SIENDOLO ACTUALMENTE.........................JAMAS LO OLVIDARE.....................ME CAI AL SUELO................CASI SIN SENTIDO DE TANTA HERMOSURA SONORA..........................Y ES MI VERDAD......................TAMPOCO INTENTO QUE LOS DEMAS SIENTAN LO MISMO............PERO YO QUEDE TIRADO EN EL SUELO ....................POR UN SONIDO QUE ME DEJO TRASPUESTO..........Y HASTA EL DIA DE HOY SIGUE OCURRIENDO LO MISMO......................................DESCOMUNAL FORMA DE CANTAR......................FUERA DE TODO CONTESTO.....................

[@Knappa22]

La vraie Déesse.

[@herrbrucvald6376]

this we be callin' 'opera porn'........

[@robertobordino7141]

@Kibouo its the recording.. not joan that is out

[@clefnoteproductions6695]

I believe some of these are high Ds as well as Eflats

[@ChrisStockslager]

@CaptFitzbattleaxe I believe it's the remastering that screws with the pitch. Her 1966 I Puritani recording is even worse!

[@jomoses07]

i would like to know who is the tenor at 5:59

[@maximus1295]

Its a baritone

[@CaptFitzbattleaxe]

@Operaphile The high Es are here: watch?v=vwIUyLGtJR4

[@janenotneed5602]

First one scream.

[@ericscam2]

Well said. I agree to disagree.

[@CaptFitzbattleaxe]

@KathrynARyder You may be right. Adjusting the pitch in either direction sounds unnatural (Mezzo Joan or Minnie Mouse Joan). Also, the rest of the 1959 recital is in the usual keys and is consistent with the sound of the voice in the E major Mad Scene. Hmmm. @ChrisStockslager

[@CaptFitzbattleaxe]

That's like saying Hawthorne was a far superior author to Dickens. Both earned a place in the highest tier of their art, just like Sutherland and Sills. Preference for one over the other is just that - preference. (IMO JS had a more beautiful voice. YMMV.)

[@rosslarkin6742]

1959 studio recording of Lucia is a high E, not E flat

[@alexsherdo3962]

anyone know the song she sings first with a man

[@vettegaddia6234]

+Pablo potter If you're talking about Joan's duet with Sherrill Milnes, the duet is from Rigoletto. It is "Si Vendetta".

[@alexsherdo3962]

Thank you

[@jeremyorgeron6009]

Vette gaddia it’s actually from her 1961 recording with Cornell MacNeil.

[@bellini7verdi]

ASPIRANTES OPERISTICAS..OS ESTUDIARE...........HASTA DEJARLAS PERDIDAS...............

[@ericscam2]

Damn, she gets pitchy a lot.

[@ericscam2]

You're right, they are both great artists and in the end it comes down to personal preference. Sutherland tended (IMO) to get "flutey" and I thought her dynamics and tempo were sometimes just plain bizarre. But awesome singers, both.

[@yuh8946]

To be honest most of them are high Es.

[@Kibouo]

Exactly! Not just me then.... Maybe the recordings were sharp.

[@rosemont2283]

Hi

[@yuh8946]

@@rosemont2283 hi sis 🤣

[@bellini7verdi]

SOBERBIA...INHUMANA....ESTO NO SE VOLVERA A REPETIR.....AUNQUE YA ME GUSTARIA A MI.......

[@tklogan111809]

poor Callas

[@NLidar]

Poor you, I can't imagine living as deaf. Thank you for sharing your brave story with us!

[@bellini7verdi]

@@NLidar CALLAS.........NO FUE POBRE.........................JAMAS.......................DE LAS MEJORES CANTANTES .DE TODOS LOS TIEMPOS...........................OTRA COSA.ES QUE TUVIERA SUS PROBLEMAS...............

[@maximus1295]

Yeah, callas was a mezzo with histeric in sopranos parts

[@Hako2004]

Really? How comical.