Leonie Rysanek - unexpected high D

Leonie Rysanek sings the dream scene ("Wehe, mein Mann!") of the Empress in "Die Frau ohne Schatten" at the Met in 1966, when she unleashes a fabulous high D instead of a high D-flat. Dame Joan would be jealous.
Conductor: Karl Böhm

[@classicalduck]

Saw her live in San Francisco in the '70s. Her "wrong" notes are better than some sopranos' "right" ones!

[@tomsalmon6334]

Matthew B. Tepper When she died she was only 71....you must have seenher in her 60's...but she sang forever!!! Hope you enjoyed her.

[@laddboris4116]

+Tom Salmon I think he is saying in the 1970's not HER 70's

[@Classicvideofan]

Well ... Leonie told me once : 'you know, when I am doing this 'shout' in Sieglinde first act after Siegmund pulls the spear out of the oak tree, it is not a "shout" it's a top E flat' ... just check and you will see (she was doing that on stage only not in recordings ... and the effect was actually breathtaking ....)

[@davidsimmons654]

Dominique Rousselle one of the times it was almost an F!!!!

[@leonie4696]

Actually it is a sword, not a spear.

[@levieuxpiano]

Personne ne pourra égaler Ryanek dans "ses rôles", dont celui de le l'impératrice.Grandissime artiste !

[@dapheneo]

C’est vrai mais c’était mieux de la voir en scene, elle irradiait ! La voix seule ne me séduit pas, c’est instable, le timbre est mat et ne prend la lumière que dans les aigus. Je l’ai vue souvent a Paris, dans ses Strauss...géniale évidemment .

[@corneliuswhite5139]

Wow, to hear that live would have been terribly exciting! It was as if someone sped up the sound on that note. It was right in there!

[@spacepunk2001]

It was beyond exciting!!!!! Life-changing.

[@hcleskov-fischer6033]

Well that's exactly what the uploader did. No idea why. If you listen to the same broadcast you'll notice that she just sang the d flat as written.

[@dudeforcaster8630]

If GPS was around in 1966 Leonie might have been able to locate a pitch.

[@AntonGerzenbergPiano]

I just don't think it was an accident this high D. She clearly sang it on purpose, it's very on pitch..

[@dudeforcaster8630]

@@AntonGerzenbergPiano You completely missed the joke, Anton.

[@aksdjfhalskdjfhadfhj]

I don't think this is typical of her. She often sang close to the right notes, sometimes even the right notes.

[@levieuxpiano]

Brava !

[@levieuxpiano]

Rysanek , inapprochable dans son rôle.

[@jerryvezzuso5564]

The greatest of the greats....

[@MASMusic1102]

Very sharp D-flat! But fabulous!

[@madamemedusa6929]

Maybe I´m wrong, but it is not a "D", it is much higher, it es a "F", the second in the part of the Kaiserin......

[@draganvidic2039]

No. It’s supposed to be a C as in the score.

[@hcleskov-fischer6033]

@@draganvidic2039 in the score it is either a c sharp or d flat. Must check. This recording is from the first Met broadcast and the uploader for some bizarre reason changed the pitch of that particular note to make it sound as if she sang a d.

[@ransomcoates546]

Once you get used to 'Leonie pitch' she doesn't seem out at all.

[@vettegaddia6234]

Dame Joan has no rivals when it comes to high D's. Although Rysanek was a great dramatic soprano.

[@trbaker8000]

Neophyte.

[@sanek5287]

dd

[@federicozamboni1907]

Pitch issues are terrible

[@unclelouie3828]

I don't know. Bet Thelma Votipka could do it.

[@draganvidic2039]

Many can do this, it’s not about that.

[@wotan10950]

I saw her (too) many times at the Met, in both soprano and mezzo roles. I was so disappointed. Yes, great actress, but never seemed to get the right pitch. Her mezzo roles were more successful because she could focus on acting, rather than singing.