Leonie Rysanek as Abigaille in Nabucco

[@Zva26]

When this Rysanek performance took place, she was heavily criticized by critics. But of course, at that time Maria Callas and Birgit Nilsson were the shining lights. Rysanek hadn't yet come into her own. Listening to this today, one quickly realizes what a great and shining dramatic soprano Leonie Rysanek was. I'm very impressed by her rendition of this impossibly difficult music. She certainly surpasses anyone doing this role today.

[@matthieudegott3154]

Je suis très impressionné par ce que j’entends. Voilà une héroïne impériale, maîtresse d'elle-même et de son destin, folle, certes, mais pas hystérique. La caractérisation de Rysanek est excellente, et elle chante tout avec le feu nécessaire. Quelle torche vive! Merci pour cette découverte!

[@Zva26]

@assindiastignani you are so right! Rysanek was simply miscast as Abigaille, though she fared better as Lady Macbeth. Her true fach was Strauss and the Wagner "blondes" like Siegliende, Senta, Elisabeth, and even Otrud. Her Strauss heroines (Ariadne, Salome, and most of all The Empress in "Die Frau" made her the great artist we all remember. She had that "flaming top" that seemed to open like a huge umbrella. We won't encounter her like again.

[@Paulofibonelli]

Larry Mitchell she hated this role and it lead her to a vocal crisis afterwards (it’s a vocal assassin role, considering Elena Souliotis as an exemple)

[@joaopauloribas3565]

Salome , Empress, Chrisotemis, Elektra (on video ), Klytemnestra, Marschalin, Siegliende, Senta, Elsa, Ortrud, Kundry, and Santuzza i(n the italian Repertoire) are some of her Most Amazing rolês! I saw her live a few times and besides being extremely musical her voice was stunning and huge! I love her!

[@lakehayden]

i think this is amazing: she may not have been a verdi "allrounder", there are very few anyway, but my god what a high register in these early days thanks for posting this

[@peterkratzke952]

Unglaublich, wie die Rysanek in die Höhe geht und wie diese sehnigen Töne ohne Hindernisse zu kennen wie Leuchtraketen abgefeuert werden. Ähnlich eindringlich wie diese live gesungene Abigail ist ihre Lady Macbeth auf Platte unter Leinsdorf. Gibt es in der heutigen Zeit eine ähnlich Grosse, bei der man wegen Stimme und Interpretation fast aufhört zu atmen? Ich wage zu behaupten, nein. Respekt und Danke Leonie Rysanek!

[@matthieudegott3154]

OK, je vous suis mieux. Ceci dit, chaque chanteuse à ses défauts, et ses vertus. Et on a oublié à quel point Callas a été critiquée en ses débuts (en pleine possession de ses moyens stupéfiants), avant d'être absolutisée (quand elle n'était plus qu'une ruine vocale) puis totalement divinisée après sa mort, comme une impératrice romaine. Leurs défauts, à Callas et Rysanek, m'intéressent peu. Leur talent de magiciennes, à changer le plomb en or, me suffit. Ici encore, la magie est stupéfiante.

[@LABARITONESSA]

MIO DIO UNA VOCE ENORME!!!!! LA ADORO!!!!!!!

[@mthwyang]

She does have an amazing and ringing top register, and must have been really exciting to hear in the theater. But I think she falls short on the coloratura demand. Scales and trills all sound sketchy. That's why Abigaille and Lady Macbeth are such difficult roles...

[@petergraham8681]

I was fortunate to finally obtain a copy of this MET broadcast, Dec. 3, 1960, from Stefan Zucker‘s company & despite quite a few performance cuts it remains a notable achievement. Rysanek was heavily criticized & remarked later that she should have left Abigalle alone & its true that her voice loses its focus as it descends but she compensates for this significantly with her remarkable upper range which does, I feel, fulfill the roles inconsiderate vocal demands when the tessitura is high, At the time Rysanek & Birgit Nielsen were unique in this area of their instruments but Callas, by then, was unreliable, vocally, for roles like this. Rysanek begins the performance strongly since the opening trio does not descend into the troubled area of Rysanek‘s instrument. Her big scene at the start of Act 2 does, though, expose the weak area of her voice & in later years she was somewhat able to remedy this deficiency. I heard she later had some lessons with Milanov that might have made this possible but I am not certain if this was the case. Anyway, Rysanek still has some fine moments in the role & honestly, few other sopranos then could cope with Verdi‘s demands, in this role, more successfully.

[@SuperStar2999]

Even thought this is a bit iffy, I'd rather hear her sing it than most of the people who sing it that don't have the voice required! BRAVA RYSANEK!!!

[@candide43201]

That was taxing for her.. But I love her.. Her senta is still the best.. But for me no one beats Ghena Dimitrova in this role.. The loudest sound ever at my ears and chest tones out of the ass

[@kgarmaker123]

Its iffy, Callas was better in the role, but Rysanek was a fabulous interpreter of Strauss.. this just wasnt her forte..

[@matthieudegott3154]

Pourquoi dites-vous ça? Qui traitez-vous de "lâches"?? Je ne comprends pas. Et Crespin, à qui a-t-elle dit ça? Ce n'est pas son style...

[@jefgong]

C'est quand même un peu n'importe quoi. On dirait tout simplement qu'elle n'a pas appris son rôle et qu'elle improvise par moments. Sans parler de la justesse approximative.

[@arno7179]

Voce enorme ,ma spesso tende ad essere calante .

[@kgarmaker123]

Thats because Rysanek is a true Dramatic, and Scotto is a pip squeak coloratura with a lot of edge to her voice ... no size...... I cant stand scotto in this.

[@davidbell742]

Why drag Scotto into this unless you have personal hangup about Scotto in which case thats your problem. Who is interested in your likes and dislikes anyway?...