June Anderson and Marilyn Horne Magnificently sing the Ingenius Semiramis - Arsace Rossinian Duet

Disclaimer - I own nothing

[@victoriagrapsidou3474]

June is like a fresh aura blowing softly in Bel Canto! She has a beautiful voice and Semiramis is her forte!!

[@LohengrinO]

...and that "softly" was both June's weakness and strength

[@davidmolina7543]

Beautiful!

[@nolango6160]

The best Colbran interpreter ever :) Brava to June always!!!

[@johnsonharold3463]

Perfect, singular. It makes me recall way back when Lyric Opera returned to perform in Chicago, opening night Norma with Maria Callas and the Adalgesa was Giulietta Simeonato. Well, I was a 3rd year university student at the U of I and my vocal friends in Chicago asked me to come up and audition with Maestro Rescigno. I was hired. The 'Mira Norma' was thunderously applauded as was Callas' "Casta Diva". Well, I think that the Chicago audience was starved and had been without Grand Opera since the end of the Golden Age with Rosa Raisa (who entered the same elevator of The Civic Opere House when I went up to audition) and Rosa Ponsell. Those were the days.

[@LohengrinO]

if only you had a small recorder with you that night... it would have gone down in history

[@robertoparoni1385]

Recite storiche, benché la Horne non fosse più giovanissima. Il più bel duetto di Rossini! Grazie 🙏

[@jmiller05]

If June had a trill and slightly more natural agility she would've been the greatest bel canto singer since Callas and Sutherland. She is absolutely sensational here as she was in most of the things she sang.

[@nathandavis3002]

June was such a master of Rossini... Her Armida is the only non Callas Armida I can listen to.

[@nathandavis3002]

And God, is she ever beautiful...

[@LohengrinO]

@@nathandavis3002 June is in the most uncanny way a weird, scary weird, dame Joan clone... I dont mean she was a copy... she was a BRILLIANT Artist on her own but on genetic level she looks like dame Joan... scary thing... like Gruberova and Inga Nielsen...

[@nathandavis3002]

Yeah - and with such unusual features, it's pretty surprising. Their eyes are different though.

[@BellaFirenze]

Mi ricordo bene di questa recita. Indimenticabile. Bravissime.

[@Василиса-р5л]

Очень, очень красиво!!! Я в восторге!!!!!

[@Itschriscruz]

This is the last production of Semiramide the Met put out as far as I’m concerned.

[@nathandavis3002]

It was tragic to see that beautiful costume, which June wears so stunningly, butchered to fit around Angela Meade's girth...

[@LohengrinO]

@@nathandavis3002 June indeed wears it Stunningly omg (but why oh why Horne's costumes are always so horrible... June is a poem, Horne comes from another production)

[@Itschriscruz]

@@nathandavis3002 Angela who??? 🤔

[@jamesmiller6244]

Wonderful thank you not quite as good as their Concert Performance at Covent Garden in 1980s which was sensational

[@jordipanadesribera6890]

Brave.

[@jeffreyhunter7635]

Both singers are doing a good job and We must forgive Marilyn for attempting Arsace at this age but it’s still more solid and the placement more forward than any other Arsace besides Poddles! All of you must be confused with hearing the squillo from both, its crystal clear and Marilyn wasn’t always so swallowed you can thank the recording era for that condensed sound! These two are the last of the greats when it comes to BEL CANTO technique and vocal production!

[@LohengrinO]

Marilyn Monroe?

[@singermanz]

Squillo? No way of telling unless you’re in the theater. There are indicators from recordings, but evaluating squillo from recordings is fundamentally flawed. The flaws in hornes sound are not from throatiness, but from nasality from her high larynx that was her trademark. She was able to sing extremely difficult rep, just not in the bel canto open-throated full italianate tradition established by Garcia.

[@LohengrinO]

@@singermanz I personally hear Gargles... now if that is called squillo... ok

[@stefanocautavera]

This is like the Beauty and the Beast, vocally. June sounds glorious, the other lady sounds as if she's choking on mashed potatoes.

[@LohengrinO]

not to mention that June covers her up completely in their duets without even trying

[@hrvoje14]

Haha, agreed: the Soprano and the Ventriloquist.

[@singermanz]

@@Capetenor1 she was able to do some pretty amazing things, even if her sound was “unique” (uniquely bad- unlike anything resembling Italian opera tradition). All in the nose, closed throat. Yet she could be heard, she could phrase, she could sing the notes on the page- no matter how complex or technically demanding. She’s the epitome of “modern” singing technique pervading stages and schools today.

[@stefanocautavera]

@@LohengrinO I'm always very wary of singers who get marketed as "unique-sounding", both in Opera and in pop music. In most cases, they're just distorting their voices, and the resonance suffers as a result. The Hornes, the Bartolis, the Kaufmanns etc... They all fit that mould.

[@celloguy]

I can’t stand when singers are behind the beat. Especially in Rossini (all bel canto) it robs the music of all thrust, urgency and excitement. Don’t need to list again the singers who have the musicianship to notice this of course, but it’s worth drawing it to attention as yet another facet that makes those singers remarkable. Of course sometimes you can be flexible with tempo for expressive effect, but it has to be a musical choice, and it has to be compensated soon after - ie rubato.

[@mao1878]

June Anderson is like the almost exact copy of Joan Sutherland.. same facial expressions / strange eye movements .. not to speak of not getting one word /hint at least in what language they were singing ( Horne also.. sounds like she swallows her toungue at one moment 🤔😨). Also to me too they sound behind the tempo of the orchestra during most of it 😓 sorry but to my ears only Callas’ Armida is an enjoyable Rossini opera 😳

[@LohengrinO]

As I am the King of Exaggeration all I can say for your comment is: exaggeration! :D

[@mao1878]

@@LohengrinO 🫠😬 maybe .. but maybe not

[@yannicklaunoy2097]

Those strange eyes mouvements are probably checks on the conductor... Just saying.

[@operara]

@@yannicklaunoy2097 Yes, they are. And June also has pretty poor eyesight, it was always a big challenge for her on stage.

[@henri-francoisserrescousin412]

Quels horribles costumes !