Perfect soprano voice at 65? Nellie Melba - Otello: Willow Song + Ave Maria - Live, 1926

Piangea cantando... O salce! Salce!... Ave Maria
Otello
Giuseppe Verdi
Farewell Concert at age 65
Covent Garden, London
June 8, 1926
I don't think the entire scene from this concert has been uploaded. It's a waste of time to add to the superlatives that critics, musicians, fans from her time and ours have lavished on her voice. But to very simply and succinctly illuminate the qualities of the voice and the artistic choices as they relate to the scene and character, let me quote from a KZbin commenter on another, older recording of Melba singing the Willow Song....
@AulicExclusiva:
"Sopranos who emote on the word salce miss the point. Desdemona is recalling her mother's slave's lament as in a dream, full as she is with the presentiment of doom. Her own sorrows are interspersed with the monotone words-willow, willow, willow. If the soprano boo-hoos at EVERY phrase, this alternation is lost."
"Melba does it perfectly. Her Desdemona feels her impending fate and sustains the chant-like phrases like a transfiguration. It is very vivid in the Farewell disks. Not even such flawless vocalists as Rethberg or de los Ángeles quite get that mood of sadness and foreboding."
.....................................
This channel is primarily about vocal emission-aural examples of basically correct singing, correct impostazione-chiaroscuro, vowel clarity, firm and centered pitch, correct vibrato action, absence of throatiness or thickness, sounds free from constriction and from the acoustic noise that accompanies it-with occasional video examples that demonstrate what the body, face, mouth, jaw, and tongue look like when used with correct impostazione-the vocal emission of the one and only Italian school.
Caveat: I'm biased in favor of baritones and baritone literature, but if you want to learn about and listen to all the greatest singers in the old-school tradition, explore this spreadsheet (voice parts are separated by tabs): bit.ly/2W4qmE3

[@terrance7220]

Her last recordings are some of her best simply because the equipment was better🙂people really be thinking her voice was “small” “wouldn’t project in modern theater” my ass.

[@timothymacdonnell9079]

This is different from the newer singers. Her voice is much clearer and open, and the phrasing is better. This is probably what they mean by Bel Canto. I hope they bring it back.

[@robertmwoodley1502]

No wonder she captures the sadness and pathos of imminent death. This was the night, in the presence of the King and Queen, and broadcast to so many, where Melba said goodbye to her beloved Covent Garden, after ruling as Prima Donna Assoluta for four decades, top of the bill and invited into the highest society in the Empire. In her farewell speech, also recorded, she breaks down and thanks even the humblest workers at Covent Garden.

[@gavinmillar7519]

It's a very emotional speech Robert and only the hardest heart could fail to be affected by her conveyance of her sentiments in that.

[@jakenewby9928]

Today is Nellie's 123rd birthday. A great artist, a great supporter of artists and a true world treasure. Thank you Nellie after all these years.

[@trrill]

162nd birthday… but yes!

[@jorydillard3766]

❤❤❤❤Si! In inglés it, my mother‘s favourite opera, singer name, Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba. ❤❤❤

[@katewilmot4375]

Nothing forced...clear resonance makes one wonder what it sounded like live?probably 100% even more beautiful.

[@matOpera]

She is spectacular here. This recording helped me understand, at last, what the Melba craze was all about.

[@samsen3965]

Heavenly...

[@BrianLeevoice]

What a find this is! And so good to bump into you online after such a long interval!

[@pointofnoreturn3103]

Hmmm. Probably with a recording this old, only a small percentage of her resonance comes through. But, I detect a silvery shimmer to her sound, similar to what I hear in Carol Vaness. And, there is a definite sweetness to her tone. I wonder what she sounded like live... Many, many lovely things! Thanks for posting this! It is a wonderful thing to hear singers from the golden age, and try to imitate their technique!

[@robertmwoodley1502]

Critics in the audience at Covent Garden used to liken her notes to silver stars projected out into the auditorium, and the Garden's good acoustic no doubt helped. I can't think of many singers today whose notes would be compared to silver stars.

[@pointofnoreturn3103]

@@robertmwoodley1502 That is so great! She must have been a wonder to behold!

[@jameswilliams1826]

Beautiful…. We’re related to Dame Nellie by marriage going way back.,,

[@dianadinu8430]

👏👏👏👏💐🌺❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🎶🎵👍💐💐💐

[@jimbuxton2187]

Some voices just don't record very well. The only true way is to hear a voice live in the theater. A friend of mine who heard all the greats says you can be fooled both ways. Small voices sound big in recordings and vice versa.

[@robcardinal8430]

Lily Pons is a perfect example of a small voice, that sounded larger in recordings.

[@michaelinmass]

Reminds me a bit of Toti dal Monte and other very bright voices of that time. One could even argue that some of Callas’s singing used this very forward placement. I suspect that the tight corsets they wore caused them to rely on this very mask oriented production. The sound was on the white side for sure, but remained very youthful.

[@stefanocautavera]

Pristine.