Perle Nere - Operatic disasters - Part 4

LIKE AN OLD CAR TRYING TO START IN THE DEAD OF WINTER
21st Century Opera Festival. Featuring Roberto Alagna, Josè Cura, Monserrat Caballè, Anna Netrebko, Irene Theorin, Nina Stemme, Eva Marton, Katia Ricciarelli, Marcelo Alvarez, Yusif Eyvazov, Klaus-Florian Vogt, Joseph Calleja, Hildegard Behrens, Fiorenza Cedolins and, finally, as an antidote: Zarah Leander and Sara Scuderi.
GIVE US BACK THE BEUTIFUL SINGING!

[@xxsaruman82xx87]

Caballe was at the end of her career. When she was younger she was a goddess.

[@debbiejohnson2789]

Many people would go see Caballé at any age, even in her much older years because they loved her so much!

[@rossmanmagnus]

Age is no excuse. When you are too old to sing beautifuly, then don't sing - even if it pays the debts.

[@piticolsf4748]

@@rossmanmagnus stfu

[@rossmanmagnus]

@@piticolsf4748 no random dude im serious. in russia theres one famous singer Pugacheva so she was very good back in the days but then she started smoking no wonder today she sounds like a vintage horn

[@noellemorel7280]

@@rossmanmagnus yes, please, refrain from articulating anything. Thanks.

[@nausitran]

Grande teatro real people complaining and saying "shame!". We need more people like this. Bravo.

[@daleksupreme922]

The guy giving the conductor a dirty look because he could not be heard over the orchestra was hilarious.

[@josephhapp9]

Dalek Supreme that one cracked on the high note.

[@gilgameshofuruk4060]

He's an amateur. When Eva Turner sang the orchestra had to work harder to be heard at all.

[@joshdaniels2363]

That Caballe clip made me incredibly sad.

[@bs3415]

ME to.SO SAD

[@maestroclassico5801]

Yes me too but say it.... She was still so much better late in her career than newer singers are NOW. Marton was once great.. fantastic..pitch but that wobble just got the best of her.

[@adriand6883]

IKR. She was having such a hard time. ☹

[@longhorngal9498]

Maestro Classico I heard Marton sing Turandot in Vienna mid nineties and the voice stopped at about A flat. Every high note was plus or minus A flat. Rough night for all.

[@ransomcoates546]

@@longhorngal9498 There is this kind of singer - Gabrielle Schnaut and now Christine Goerke come to mind - who have one sound that has to be taken as any note above G. I guess you’re supposed to understand it as what is written in the score, but it’s just one pitch.

[@bravaLiz]

The Schubert Ave Maria was very painful. Sorry.

[@zasesdea]

jajjajja yessssss....

[@slateflash]

so microtonally painful

[@maocharlisme]

The Carmen before it was also a dying lovebird ='(

[@nickevershedmusic8927]

Yes it was, come listen to mine instead to recover from that

[@radames5855]

Dolorosissima

[@Ursaminor31]

True classical signing will return it will. The matrix is falling, and true talent will prevail one day. Have hope

[@ursuladietze2094]

I like your brave and honest comment about favouritism particularly in the context of Netrebko. I caught a glimpse of the favouritism especially rampant in Vienna. YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT !!! A very arrogant and houghty tourist guide mocked me for my question about the preparation system at the Wiener Staatsoper. I asked them if they prepare understudies in their productions and he told me:through his nose: "No, madam... All our major parts are only sung by stars. And there would not be any use to prepare an understudy, since Madame Netrebko cannot be replaced by anybody". If there is one case of overrating a contemporary singer pushed to stardom, that was it !!!

[@jocelynen2572]

it's a shame. This is just nepotism

[@jambones100]

Gotta love that Hollywood star system.

[@alexnowakowskii]

That is just not true, the Staatsoper has an ensemble of 60 singers always on the back burner ready to jump in if someone can’t go on, including Netrebko.

[@lesliestevens3387]

Indeed even finding bad reviews of Netrekbo online is difficult. She is not that beautiful now but she still drags everyone into the trap...

[@michaelgeiger4043]

Jim Fitton sorry, but what does Hollywood have to do with any of this?

[@deadtenorssociety2973]

Voce, voce, ed ancora, VOCE! THAT is what makes great opera. Giorgio Tozzi once told me that opera is a singer's medium...NOT a director's medium. He expressed great sorrow over the fact that we seem to live in the age of the director...and this was twenty-five years ago. It will only get worse if opera companies are allowed to continue to get away with "cutting edge" productions that focus more on conceptual design than on beautiful singing. Give me Merli and Muzio ANY day!

[@ursuladietze2094]

Yes, yes and three times yes!!!!

[@vampireratt]

Giorgio Tozzi....Cesare Siepi...those were voices

[@gimmelmom]

This 100%

[@michelefritze3988]

I sang opera and everone has the odd bad day. The Voice is an imperfect instrument. Granted the people are paying, but no singers sing badly on purpose. 🙏🕊🌹💞

[@AfroPoli]

I agree. Sometimes, however, I get the feeling that certain singers care more about their paycheck then about the quality of their singing.

[@Lellobeetle]

I cut dear Montse some slack. The paying audiences knew she was past prime for many years and still wanted to hear her. I love her too much to hate on her.

[@Flyghumlan9]

Cabbale´is my heroin, Siempre

[@uppityglivestockian]

@Lellobeetle, I think this phenomenon happens regularly, because the people who love a particular performer will keep supporting them out of love. In a world where cruelty is too often the first reaction, that there are enough grown ups who would rather help a beloved singer ease gently off the stage, rather than shove them out in the snow for a polar bear to eat, makes me feel a little better about humanity. Opera singers have never been paid what they are worth, especially considering how punishing their work is. They should be paid like football players. So I bet some also still sing because that is the only way they know how to feed themselves. Compassion is supposed to be dispensed generously, not withheld.

[@camillegreffe110]

Caballé was in Paris a few years ago for a "Leçon de musique" at the Philharmonie. She was there to talk about singing, about the voice, to share her knowledge. Her daughter and a tenor who's her protégé were the designated singers. She was being helped to walk and stand up, and it was very touching. She interacted a lot with the crowd, cracked some jokes, and was speaking in French. Only at the end did she sing a bit (because we were literally begging for it) with her daughter, and I'm telling you, I cried. People around me as well. The theater was full and we had all paid good money to be there, and it was worth every penny. Most touching, amazing musical experience of my life. The standing ovation after the "leçon" lasted so long! People were screaming, throwing flowers - such bliss.

[@terrietackett8964]

@@uppityglivestockian In his hayday, Pavarotti was only paid $5,000.00 a Opera!! It was only when he formed the Three Tenors, that he became a wealthy man.

[@uppityglivestockian]

@@terrietackett8964 Exactly. As a result of that phenomenal success, all three of them finally earned, and could continue to command, what they truly deserved.

[@user-lz6en3fe5e]

I have been learning to sing opera from a teacher whose way of singing opera is the same as Lauri Volpi. My teacher is quite aged, but his high C note of the aria Che gelida manina is brillant, stable. We often discuss problems of modern opera world. He said the modern opera has lost the beauty of the past. The worst is that there is no teacher left who knows old methods of producing voices. He is quite pessimistic. Everytime I take the sining lesson, I listen to lauri volpi. What a happy moment it may be!

[@78giri]

I wonder what is the name of your teacher?

[@baritonebynight]

Not true. The legendary Marilyn Horne is teaching.

[@stone8193]

baritonebynight Horne was bad and can't teach either. Many opera singers, even the great ones were usually terrible teachers because they didn't understand much how they did what they did

[@fr.jamesjohnson1567]

There is ONE. A last Jedi

[@stone8193]

Fr. James Johnson who

[@PeterTrabaris]

The human voice is a marvelous thing at any age. I especially like when singers of age continue to sing. I feel blessed when every anyone goes through the incredible training and effort to be able to sing opera. My respect and love go to all of these singers.

[@secretofsinging]

Lovely comment...

[@Pasunsoprano]

I whole heartedly agree.

[@brandonburrell8517]

God bless you.

[@felicianoncapiscia]

Thank you.

[@ISLEE-zb7iw]

Agree !

[@TroySleeman]

What a vain thing to say "when you're too old to sing, don't sing" If you are older than sin itself sing your damn heart

[@adaj472]

I agree. Voiced get better with age when you take care of them, actually

[@timbruneau6602]

It’s so disheartening to witness a frustrated WANNABEE singer defame great artists because they, and therein their voices, have declined, rather than promoting these artists with performances from when they were at their best. What sort of person needs to do this? Clearly, an insecure, bitter and sad individual.

[@lcuxi]

I mean yes, do sing for yourself - but don't make people pay a big deal to listen to you, otherwise you look greedy or in debt.

[@kevinm.pfeiffer5037]

"out" ("sing your damn heart out"). But in the shower... ;-)

[@gummypusswatterson1322]

@@lcuxi Caballè has many fans that would want to hear her sing no matter what. i wouldn't be surprised if she did it for her fans, not for the money.

[@j.j.schlachtfeld9325]

As depressing as this video is, I have to say that the recurrent clip of Netrebko laughing cracked me up every single time

[@pepeelsordo]

This is what I have been saying and commenting since years ago. Directors and conductors are killing this art. And then, audiences that don't know a thing about voices. Placido singing as a baritone!! Stage productions that don't make any sense. Ugly shouting voices without any regard for beauty, or color or legato. I just stopped going to the theater. Which is a real pity. I want to hear the Corellis, Warren's Siepis, Tabaldis, etc of today's. Not a mockery of opera singers. Where are the teachers and theater directors that would know and love this art?

[@bredbandtva7177]

Opera's existence would be w impering fart even if the singers were better, if it cant be substained by audience interest then let it die instead of pumping in millions of tax money to support it.

[@josanbabu]

PLEASE remove the static sound between clips. It's painful if you listen to it with headphones.

[@missasinenomine]

Here here. Rather, hear hear.

[@AfroPoli]

I would if I could. Sorry for that.

[@claudiodriussi9912]

You're right, but unfortunately that isn't the most painful noise in the video...

[@dancingecho3864]

At least the first time I the static I wouldn’t have to hear it again…..because it made my ears go deaf.

[@ilgattopardo3231]

Well, compared to the singing featured in this video (except for final 'antidote' section of course), it's not that painful to hear.

[@silvr94]

Old Caballé still sounds better than a lot of today's singers lmao

[@fan2jnrc]

Don't talk nonsense. Even when I sing Carmen drunk, I do better than Caballe in this extract. It's a shameful, pathetic disaster.

[@flav2689]

⁠@@fan2jnrcSeriously…She was in her 80s and had dealed with some serious health problems. Should she have retired earlier? Thinking about her image, yes. But she had every right to perform and her fans wanted to see her, even though they knew perfectly well that the health problems and age had severely damaged the glorious voice. And she knew it too. She did it for the fans and because she loved it. It’s not like she was delusional and overestimated her skills. But considering all that, she managed surprisingly well.

[@user-ie2wg2tr5b]

​@@fan2jnrcI'd like to hear you hearing drunk.You must be quite SOMETHING...

[@user-ie2wg2tr5b]

​@@flav2689of course and us Spaniards are only an uneducated lot.Me the first.But certainly not with la Superba.

[@vaterwotan1079]

I was just in a few somewhat major competitions this season. I did not place, but that is not my gripe. My issue, is that all these competitions had "Audience Choice" awards, where the audience's favorite singer was voted on, and given an extra prize. In every case, the audience choice awards, NEVER WENT TO THE "WINNERS" picked by the judges, (Directors, agents, casting directors, ect). It speaks volumes about the state of the industry, when those "chosen" to win and sing internationally are NOT THE SINGERS THE PUBLIC ACTUALLY WANT TO HEAR.

[@lazer6739]

I think it applies to piano competitions, too. Audience prize is more telling to me of what people like than the judges

[@jocelynen2572]

Madrid audience is really well-educated. They don't let people cheat them.

[@Luguezinho]

Yes! That's what I thought

[@jsierra88]

I visit the Teatro Real to listen good opera and I think people do the same and pay a lot of money waiting for good singers to make them enjoy opera. Those practices are not fair for people who love opera.

[@karlnapf5685]

@@jsierra88 A great conductor once said: "I prefer a Faust without the C instead of a C without the Faust!" He was right and you and the rest of the Franco-Madrid Opera-visitors are idiots!

[@noblesetsentimentales]

Karl Napf "Franco-Madrid" - what the hell?

[@ilgattopardo3231]

@@karlnapf5685 Nowadays we usually don't have neither C neither Faust.

[@loge10]

Andre Bocelli started it. He singlehandedly destroyed expectations of great operatic singing and made it into a pop phenomenon where the microphone became a standard tool and over-production became expected. People don't know what great singing or theater is anymore

[@Sfxfreestyle]

Woah, andre bocelli didnt ruin anything. He frankly felt he liked pop music more, so he did tbat instead, he has an amazing voice, but andres music has feeling, this stuff is just shit

[@JUANQUISPE]

Andrea Bocelli has not started this. This is older.

[@nathnwil]

Only a person who hasn't really experienced great operatic singing either in or out of the opera house or concert hall would consider Bocelli an opera singer at all. Yes he recorded the Verdi Requiem but I've heard it done by Price and Pavarotti among others so I know how it SHOULD sound. Don't rely on marketing and publicity to educate you. LiSTEN and educate yourself.

[@davidkymdell452]

Pavarotti started it...

[@downfromkentuckeh]

Dude, they were complaining about the decline of true operatic singing during Carusos time, get over yourself

[@MicahandModesta]

I think you really hit the nail on the head at 11:03. In Dame Kiri TeKanawa's biography she mentions how opera is now in the hands of producers and not singers.

[@GARYDEE52]

Micah and Modesta ASMR i

[@TeachUBusiness]

I am so glad to find this as a student of opera. It is incredibly difficult and physical. These clips show how hard it is. Thank you.

[@MrSwifts31]

AfroPoli~ You are so right. I attended my first opera aged 7 (in 1954!) In those days singers often stayed with a particular opera house and progressed through the ranks,maturing,and caring for their voices carefully as they did so. Very few singers flew backwards and forwards,as long distance air travel didn't really exist,and where it did it was expensive and tiring. Vinyl records were expensive,and so it was often a long period between issues of opera recordings. Agents were more concerned with conserving and protecting their client,not solely interested in fees. Opera house managements tried to create a sort of opera repertory system,and didn't allow the singer or their agent to dictate what opera was performed(and by who) at an opera house. Nowadays this has in many cases completely disappeared. Singers are allowed(and sometimes activily encouraged) to sing roles that are too heavy,or just not right for them, too early on in their careers. Many singers/agents/opera directors etc only seem interested in the amount of money they can make out of the singer.If the voice suffers,well they don't think this matters,as there is always another new voice in the wings,no matter how they may not be ready for the roles thrust upon them. New singers are often deceived into singing the wrong parts,and truth to tell often they deceive themselves. I am glad that I saw many operas/singers,when the opera world was run in a sane way,with the music at the heart of it. Now it seems to be a vocal lunatic asylum.Such a shame.

[@nickevershedmusic8927]

Wow

[@jonas4288]

RIP Montserrat Caballé. Seing her in this video made me really sad. :(

[@ester_ray]

There is one guy in this Video who does not deserve this: Johan Botha. He was a marvelous singer, I heard him many times singing flawless on stage…. everybody can have a bad Moment sometimes, but in his career he had very few… He was very sick in the end, so maby the tracks stem from that timeperiod shortly bevor he passed away. RIP Johan

[@markoorvo62]

Had the privilege to be in the chioir in a production of Aida when he was in good form. What a voice!

[@davidmendes9900]

I don't really think Montserrat sang it badly. Imagine being around 80 years old and be able to still hold extremely beautiful notes like her! Of course she already didn't sing as well at that time as she did when she was younger, but that's definitely not bad.

[@mattiheiskanen597]

Stop singing opera when not on hight!

[@davidmendes9900]

@@mattiheiskanen597 It's very easy to say such a thing on internet, right? I wonder if you would have the courage to say this face to face with Caballé if she was alive... One must not stop doing what makes he/she happy and well just because it might not sound as awesome as it did once.

[@mattiheiskanen597]

@@davidmendes9900 Ok, if people pay for hearing so what. Many of them do not understand how it should sound, they do not have the "ear" for that. I would not say it to any directly, I just would not pay to listen.

[@reiskariimi]

In my opinion she sang pretty well.

[@user20867]

like, any decent tenor does?

[@jerryarispi4031]

the nessun Dorma should have been called ...nessun canta

[@uppityglivestockian]

@Jerry you made me lol.

[@cesaralvaradogarcia3842]

Jajjajaa

[@silvr94]

nessun canti... sorry, I'm a grammar nazi

[@mrlopez-pz7pu]

LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!

[@MrStpendouslvforjo]

Haha!

[@BeastBeauty12]

We should all be so grateful to you for posting these so as member of the younger generation can see what it use to be like. Whilst technology and modernisation has had a great impact in many areas of the world it is very clear in relation to opera gone miles backwards. Thank you again for sharing

[@doGreatartistsgrowontrees]

So true about Eyvazov. Would be nowhere if it weren't for his wife.

[@maxi03726]

Fantastic compilation. Every word of your comments is absolutely true! Thank you for working for a minority who has ears to hear the difference.

[@ingmarruttens6797]

Klaus florian Vogt sounds like a choirboy. Who thinks that he sounds like a Wagnerian hero??

[@siegfriedschwert1352]

His Wagnerian career is a complete mystery.

[@jaroslavsojka8266]

Probably, only himself.....

[@richmusic9521]

I love them all singing Beyond their best at a late age just enjoy them before they’re all gone just don’t forget and listen to their BEST Too when they’re at their Prime

[@john.arnold1860]

Vogt's singing is bad enough but the video zooming in on his vacant eyes, cakey makeup and chapped lips is giving me day terrors

[@roymayh3819]

Mistakes happen. Challenges develop. Great ones sometimes struggle and fail. Doesn't make them less great. This is opera, this is live performance, by living people. There is no need to degrade unnecessarily. The "car" comment is completely uncalled for and none of those singers, even ones that sing less well deserve this. Unbecoming of you.

[@operabilia]

Carissimo, anche se tutto questo è triste, ma fa ridere. Grazie per questo momento.

[@sevoflurane]

Great post!!!!

[@andresarchilaboiton333music]

I complete agree with you. The opera needs back to the art of beauty of the vocal sound. It's true that the opera singers need act too but the most important is the sound of the voice.

[@arbiterveritatis1063]

Only aggressive, outraged audiences, as this one at the Teatro Madrid, will cure this problem. Maybe.

[@OscarGraumusico]

Bravo audience Teatro Real of Madrid

[@donniecatalano]

Please be careful with sound levels! Damn, I almost destroyed my speakers with those sound effects in between clips!

[@arbebareis3773]

OH my goodness! There is someone like me who thinks this way! These people sound horrible! Worse yet - audiences think they are good! Audiences today appreciate effortful singing! I love Leander btw. Give us back singers like Rethberg, Ponselle, Melchior, Flagstad, De Luca!

[@rowantucker7010]

Leander is amazing, love her voice!, but what even *happened* there?!

[@Operafreak9]

@@rowantucker7010 I am just discovering LEander. Now, I ahve a Swedish Trinity: Nilsson, Bjoerling and Leander.

[@violin3394]

Or Callas

[@klokheten]

The sacred art in fatal declining. The microphone should be kept away from the operatic stage. It will destroy the singers acoustic focus and the concert experience for the devoted audience.

[@Agorante]

There is a reason why amplification is used. I don't like it but I understand it. American opera houses - Met, Chicago Lyric, and San Francisco War Memorial - average about 3,800 seats. Covent Garden, the Statsoper and Munich average about 2,200 seats. The reason is simple. Most of the European houses receive government subsidies. Whereas American houses rely almost solely on box office. American opera is considered "white" stuff and not subject to government subsidies so the opera houses are huge and must rely on the box office. Big houses are fine if you are Corelli or King but not if you have a more normal sized tenor voice. There are singers with big voices today but they are relatively rare. So if a theater wants to mount something like Chenier and none of the half dozen guys in the world who can sing it in an American size theater is available - they talk to a sound engineer.

[@CorneliusHDybdahl]

@Kay Young No, it is their vocal tract which is the amplification. The diaphragm is an inspiratory muscle.

[@Mohamedmifxal]

@@Agorante you know calling TIMBERRR!! when a tree is cut down can be heard for miles......human voices is quite cable of reaching far cutting through orchestra in a more closed place like a threatre

[@cliffgaither]

@@Agorante *_::_* _If they continue to "turn to sound engineers" then we, the audience, are being cheated. ( What ) we are getting is fake / artificial / mechanical / the latest advancement in amplification technology ?_ _The Houses you mentioned have been around for some time & some for hundreds of years. ( Why ) is this only recently becoming a problem ? ( Why ) are ticket prices so high as the volume & vocal quality decline ? ( What ) happened to Jose Cura's heroic "Samson" ? ( Will ) amplification help him sing "Pagliacci" less badly ? ( Should ) singers travel for important performances _*_WITH_*_ their Vocal Coaches ? ( Isn't ) it tragic that _*_ONLY_*_ thin "attractive" people can be considered lovers ? ( Did ) people demand Montserrat Caballe lose weight before singing her ravishing "Norma", at least the one in Japan ?_ _In America, we are getting less food in the packages, but the price is the same OR higher ! ( How ) do people reconcile this kind of rip-off ? They Don't ! We just pay the price & wait for the next "vocal" swindle._ _The people in Europe are vocally protesting the vocal fraudulence AND I'm sure the absurd productions. The more people protest, the less likely management will want to face hundreds / thousands of dissatisfied patrons ; unfortunately, people here are more tolerant / grateful / unaware / stupid Americans._ _Secondly ( @deadwalkie ) the men at Florence wanted to duplicate or enhance Greek Dramas, but according to some Historians, they didn't have enough Historical Documentation to Emulate the Greek Tragedies ; as a result, the Florentines created something completely New & Different._ _People give the _*_Ancient_*_ Greeks credit for Everything ! While treating _*_Modern_*_ Greeks like Turks._ _I have read accounts as stupid as people saying Opera was created by the Ancient Greeks._ _The Italians ! Created Opera ! They are The Masters of this Art They Give To The World AND They Always Will Be ! It Is The Italians _*_NOT_*_ the greeks !_

[@Agorante]

@Nicholas Ennos Al Jolson is the exception that proves the rule. Jolson could be heard in large theaters without amplification but he was replaced in the next generation by "crooners" like Crosby who had smaller but smoother voices and so needed a mic. Jolson had a strange voice. It was hardly beautiful. But it was piercing. Crosby recorded "In the Blue of the Night'" and other big romantic ballads. By contrast Jolson sang "novelty" numbers often in blackface. Jolson spanned the introduction of talking pictures, radio crooning, and microphones. The new technology potentiated new singing styles. Many early twentieth century opera singers had begun in vaudeville. Rosa Ponsel, Leonard Warren and many others first sang in huge vaudeville theaters and found the opera stage congenial. Sinatra couldn't have survived in vaudeville but became an immortal singing star after the microphone was invented. Why are you arguing with me? Everything I've said is well known and not controversial.

[@bodiloto]

posso dire una cosa sola: AMEN . Daniele,sei ENORME ! tutto vero, BRAVO !

[@darkinetix]

I think in order to drive home the point, in future videos you should include the correct counterparts... I've seen videos like this for the pop/contemporary side of music and they're more effective that way. This would be especially helpful to ears that aren't as advanced in the Opera genre (like my own) but are very enthused by it. If you can find videos of the same subjects singing the phrases correctly, that would be even better (and so much more forgiving to these artists!)

[@rksu747]

darkinetix you wrote this comment just for me. However, my untrained ears absolutely heard what a train wreck that was and much that followed.

[@john.arnold1860]

Interspersing the bad tenors with Behrens screaming "MUORIIIIII" is the funniest thing on the entire internet, thank you

[@marcosmarin8930]

Like Ricciarelli, Beherens voice was destroyed by Karajan

[@alexbramm1410]

It saddens me to hear Katia singing like this, her voice was gorgeous when she was in her prime. She was pushed and pushed to sing beyond her fach!

[@johnpickford4222]

Couldn’t Kati’s say, or sing, no?

[@Musettina6]

She asked - was not pushed . Nor is she now.

[@marcosmarin8930]

VERY SAD THING

[@furstjakobderschwabe]

,,Fach" is an artificial construct and has pigeonholed singers who could likely do more and not feel restricted. Amerikaner lieben das Wort, ohne es eigentlich zu verstehen.

[@draganvidic2039]

She was always overrated and voice went away very quickly

[@Zashorigin]

Well said... Bravo!

[@123pailin]

Your closing comment hits it a thousand percent. So true....

[@bravaLiz]

I remember when still a kid, I heard Monserrat in her prime. She was exquisite! However, some do not know when to stop. It is similar to a baseball pitcher trying to throw a ball at 96 miles per hour, and he is 80 years old. Very Sad.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

There was a golden age of opera: Caruso, Ponselle, Gigli, Muzio, Martinelli, Melchior, Flagstad, Traubel, Varnay, Nilsson, Callas, Tebaldi, Sutherland, Price, Sills, Caballe, Domingo, Pavarotti, and above all, the glorious Bjorling and the magnificent Corelli. That was the golden age. But no one today can compare with those great artists. We have left the land of giants and are now in the land of pygmies.

[@larryhaynes5139]

Indeed, a collection worthy of the litter box!

[@bakhtiyorallaberganov1776]

Bravo I love it!

[@ursuladietze2094]

Bravo indeed to Afropoli! My collecion of opera DVDs and CDs stops in the 80s.

[@PM-rp4bl]

I know nothing about opera: I’m just a clueless flute passing through... but I gotta say, this video takes no prisoners. The tea is scorching

[@radames5855]

La Mamma morta è cantata stupendamente!!!

[@timmertens6233]

Well, there is really some truth in what you say. Thanks for taking the effort to compile. However, I was happy to see, for example, Eva Marton 2 years ago in Budapest. I couldn't ever see her, getting the “aura“ -and listening live to a beautiful voice when I was young. So, I am greatful that they still tour - for enthusiasts, like me. Of course, no top performance can be expected. But memories. And we are all about heart and feelings, aren't we?

[@sharonstromley9350]

Sadly, too many 'stars' are not willing wait or to train correctly. They want to be on stage now, not thinking about the voice long term. So, their voice is damaged, many not even truly settled. They could never see the career of a Joan Sutherland, Leontyne Price, Jessye Norman, Maria Callas.or how about Jon Vickers, Richard Tucker or a Jussi Bjorling. Maria had the courage to leave the stage gracefully, still magic, and her fans still wanting more. And bravo! to educated Italian opera lovers who knew when a breath was taken at the wrong time or notes cheated on who were brave enough to hiss their displeasure or even to call singers out during a performance. Now that, is real opera.

[@peteradaniel]

God bless you Perle Nere! Please keep exposing the hypocrisies of this dying art.

[@DissonantSynth]

Your commentary was so hilarious and accurate!

[@rosemaryallen2128]

Thank you SO much! I shall save this to have a good laugh again if the state of the world gets too much for me!

[@elotello]

Yusif Eyvazov truly has a horrific voice!!!

[@123heldentenor]

Totally agree, but for me the worst is Klaus Florian Vogt. That is no helden tenor, and not even a good lyric. The voice may not be truly ugly, but it is totally lacking in color, much like the sound of a gnat buzzing around your ear.

[@davidmuller9938]

@@123heldentenor THANK YOU. HIS WAGNER SINGING IS THE BLASPHEMY OF THE GREAT MUSIC.

[@alexanderehrmann4405]

Ja Edgar das stimmt,wenn er net von seiner Frau überall hin mitgeschleppt würde,kein seriöses Haus würde Ihn engagieren, sie müsste längst auch von der Bühne verbannt werden. Beide einfach nur schlimm.

[@biancacastafiore8760]

who is vogt's wife?

[@oliverkubiak6310]

@@biancacastafiore8760 I think he means Eyvazov and his wife.

[@mohammedabbas1265]

It would’ve been an honour to hear Caballé at any age, I think we were lucky to hear her in concert. However, I do agree aspects of capitalism has muddled all singing not just opera.

[@sisignora8357]

Oh. My. God. What a compilation.

[@vonliberte9063]

8:04 Amazing that you knew about that Zarah Leander performance :) I never expected that!

[@fr.jamesjohnson1567]

Ok, let's get it straight. Opera is SINGING and acting. Broadway is ACTING and singing. In opera the voice is to come first. Please, no appeals to the origins of opera idea. We are a long way from that. We have 2000-4000 seat houses now and the voice must penetrate a big orchestra and hit the back row. In order to produce a sound like that and not have the voice break apart sooner or later, the body must be involved. This is not pop singing! Slinking and sliding and twisting and other excessive movements will cause the voice to suffer because you cannot build support. I'm sorry, but you cannot reasonably expect to do big opera like tv or the cinema or even a stage play or musical theatre. Say whatever you want but when climax time comes and that B-flat, B, C, D or E-flat in alt has to come out--especially at the end of the opera, you had better be properly set up for it or you'll get knocked out. It's great to draw-in new people to opera but sadly, the appeal for a new audience has focused on transforming opera to be like other stage, broadcast and cinematic medium (i.e. emphasizing the visual) instead of properly educating the public about this unique art form. As a result, the norm is singers who look great, explicit sex appeal, very realistic life-like acting, bizarre staging and set productions and voices falling apart all over the place.

[@Porn05Mouth]

Omfg, could you be any more pretentious? 🤡

[@maryvallettakeith6146]

@@Porn05Mouth How is this pretentious? He speaks truth, and so does the maker of this video. Why are you here?

[@FeelTheRoseFever]

I disagree, interpretation is so important and has a great impact on the voice as well. Btw many teachers tried to teach me with support and said it is the most essential thing for good singing...well if it was it would have made me better, but it didn't. A free balanced voice is not achieved by breath support, it certainly wasn't for me and so many of my colleagues

[@franzitaduz]

Ricciarelli and Caballé IMHO must be removed from the premise of the video as, in their prime, they represented a very high level of performance. We must feel sad that after the career their circumstances, financial or missing the spotlight, caused both of them to present to the public less than their own standards, Tax debts are a serious thing when you have been the breadwinner for an entire family since your 20's. The balance speaks for itself. I was glad to hear the amplification protest. Audiences are paying for live unmixed performance and they deserve to get it the old-fashioned way.

[@staffanlingarde3431]

Love the part with leander and hûlphers. Great fun!

[@marylambcarter]

PLEASEEEEE MORE OF THESE VIDEOSSSSSS

[@ferociousgumby]

6:09 that helped me on my diet - I threw up

[@debbiejohnson2789]

Tasteless comment

[@quequitoAR]

I'm overwhelmed of seeing this shameful circus-like display of puny pseudoartistic miseries has overcome the operatic stages. Terrible days for those who love opera.

[@ER1CwC]

At least the Europeans (or Mediterraneans more specifically?) know when to boo. In North America, standing ovations are practically universal. I saw the Met audience give Alagna a standing ovation after a performance of Cyrano, during which he completely lost his voice in the SECOND act, with half of the opera still to go.

[@MarianoSpagnolo]

The opera is a game, but a very serious game. Opera audiences understand what is happening and what should happen. That is the greatest problem for mediocre singers and their managers who want to impose useless people for this job. Is just a coincidence that these agencies selling mediocre singers are in the hands of "stars" of the past?

[@Michael-mh4vr]

Many opera goers are more interested in the stage presence and acting ability of the performers than prodigious voices...if the heard a great operatic voice from 50 years ago they would have an epiphany of sorts. But if a huge voice wobbles a little or is a little off pitch I understand. ...unless they don't like to hear Josh grobanesque voices that are pretty but to small to be heard

[@MarianoSpagnolo]

Today it is not important to be a great artist. Nowadays it is more important for theaters to have a regisseur, that is more famous than more "innovator" and "original". It is not uncommon, then, to mount a Rigoletto on the Planet of the Apes, as in Munich. I remember Berganza saying: if I went to the Louvre and hit the "Gioconda" with a hammer, I'm sure to go into the prison. Why does not it happen with Rigoletto, Carmen or Barbiere di Siviglia? The opera must be comprehensive: all languages (I mean, lights, costumes, dramaturgy, music, scenery, etc.) MUST BE CONCORDANTS. Without this principle, we can bid farewell to the opera and its incredible artistic strength. But we have a new big problem: soon we will not have an audience that understands the true art in the opera. We are already full of singers without technique. And when one appears with a little technique, it seems that the public does not like it!

[@joshdaniels2363]

That Caballe clip makes me so sad.

[@BillyBoy442]

Caballe was in very poor health when she sang Carmen’s Habanera.

[@tubalooney]

What has happened opera? The singing has been forgotten..... modern directors who demand ridiculous and unhealthy singing conditions. For example I’m singing in Carmen and for the whole opera black and silver confetti covers the floor. It is not cleaned... we have had it throughout all the rehearsals the dust is appalling. When the ladies of the chorus enter for the fight scene the push over tables which crash to floor creating great clouds of dust and plastic. Let’s even go near theatrical smoke..... secondly orchestras are getting louder and louder. Voices by and large stay the same size... singers push and push , there is often onstage amplification of the orchestra it’s too loud designers, decorators and directors who have no idea about the physical necessities for good singing to which singers and conductors have to bow before etc etc etc it’s tragic

[@operabilia]

And trying to sing Turandot while driving is not too clever an attempt ... (01:47) ... and OF COURSE amplification is destroying opera. What do you think? That the vast majority of those current voices do have indeed BIG voices?! They haven't. No names here but there are plenty out there who would never make it in large auditoriums or arenas without amplification.

[@PapagenoHannover]

If listeners would be educated, the singers would be good! As simple as that! They would notice the difference between Mr. Alfredo Kraus and Mr. Yusif Eyvazov or between Leontyne Price and Anna Netrebko.

[@vampireratt]

Leontyne Price ..Jesse Norman...they had voices...Anna Netrebko is forgiven all because she can make any role sexy...case in point Lady Macbeasts...err I mean Lady Macbeth

[@adaj472]

Bloop... bloop... and bloop.

[@adaj472]

vampireratt that’s like trying to compare a dramatic to a coloratura. The vocal folds aren’t even the same; totally different sounds. You may prefer one or the other, but that doesn’t mean one is less than the other. NONE of these women are perfect. They’re all amazing in their own ways, though.

[@vampireratt]

@@adaj472 What I'm saying is that Anna Netrebko sometimes sings a little flat....and takes on Roles not suited for her voice.

[@adaj472]

vampireratt lol look, it is physically impossible to never sing flat ever. Even the most seasoned professionals (yes, even the oldies) have sung sour notes in their careers. If they haven’t, they don’t have careers. As for Anna, I disagree. She’s got a gorgeous voice and her technique gets better with time (female voice doesn’t even fully mature until 30-35). People just hating on her because she’s “new school”.

[@samuelfoo010228]

Netrebko's laughing because she's singing opera and just realised she'd actually prefer Justin Bieber... or rather that, if that she and her ilk keep singing like this, it's no surprise that the youth today are all in love with Justin Bieber, rather than this contemptible perversion of what we still somehow call 'high art'.

[@MadonnaImperia]

Is it Sara Scuderi singing "La mamma morta"? It is very beautiful.

[@AfroPoli]

+MadonnaImperia Yes.It is her and very beautiful, I agree.

[@sugarbist]

No Bjorling cracks?

[@Campuscoll]

When have you ever heard Bjorling crack ????

[@jamesryan6008]

When i saw "in-house amplification", i was imagining Anna Netrebkho singing "Stereophonic Sound"

[@RonWylie-gk5lc]

Surly we don't need to hear anything that was sang in error, the voice is such a beautiful instrument we should treat these errors as something that we cannot help now and again, they should be forgotten

[@stillstanding6031]

The thing is that is that in days of old, they knew, like Garbo, when to retire.

[@pattinicholls3256]

Not a fan of seeing my heros having a tough moment on the operatic stage because of a bad night or note can happen to the best of us but going after certain opera trends such as amplification and nepotism is fair game. The Netrebko / Yusif combo drives me up the wall. So much fluff and so little substance! Hoping for better days ahead.

[@melmatthews5876]

I'm glad you had the guts to point out this favouritism towards Netrebko and her husband. But she has a beautiful voice not to mention her beauty so she will always be in demand. It's sad to hear about the use of amplification in classical vocal recitals, opera and oratorio! Originally the diaphragm and correct placement of the voice was the power behind vocal projection! Vocal coaches and voice teachers must be tearing their hair out in frustration! I'm disappointed that there are cliques even at this level of classical singing. It's very small minded and parochial not to mention childish.

[@sananton2821]

@@melmatthews5876 If her voice is so beautiful why was she wobbling in this clip?

[@maxcornise7204]

She’s completely forgotten how to sing, her last decent performance was her Bolena at The Met, after that the voice became cloudy with imitation-Callss chest notes😅😅😅

[@saelind73]

Io ho amato la Caballé. Lei rimane una delle più grandi voci, ma qui è davvero inascoltabile. Sembra che canta da ubriaca. Non avevo mai visto prima questo clip. E' scioccante. Non c'è nessuna scusa, nemmeno i soldi.

[@flav2689]

6:05 My ears…he destroyed one of my favourite arias!! And if that’s not enough, then the murder of Nessun Dorma! I need to purify my ears (and soul) with the voice of Pavarotti.

[@karlakor]

The white noise between some of these excerpts came as a great shock to me, and it was several seconds before I could recover sufficiently to continue listening. After hearing the second one, I stopped this video rather than risk having to endure another assault on my nerves.

[@rothvinbosley1335]

Mr. Poli, I think you are so right. So many singers have almost no tone and can't hit the higher notes with an beauty. But we also have to remember that really great singers just are not made very often! There are other ways today to make more money in Pop and other art forms. I think they sing parts that are just not suited to their voices and end up with much shortened careers too. As you said, it takes years and years of training to have a 30 year career. Many should quit before they can't sing any longer like dancers or sports figures! We all have a finite time span on this earth and to present our craft to the public.

[@GERFONTA]

As populations grows we can expect more gifted people to be born, but an exceptional voice is just that, one exception, generally unexpected to find anywhere, without a proper early discovery and apropriate education apllied during yeard of hard learning work- Society is not for that a long sacrifice and pay no attention to what takes so a long term to manifestate a rewarding payment, in successand money.

[@lynnefisher4167]

Unfair on Montserrat, I would pay good money to hear her sing the telephone book. We loved and still love her. If the public didn’t admire her, she would never have been in such demand.

[@ciromusic.london1458]

I hope the purpose of this video is to show people the human side of these great artists and not ridicule them for their mistakes.

[@kapellmeisterr]

Erwin Schrott is not that bad in comparison to Yasuf, you don't see him going after elite level roles like Yasuf does.

[@AfroPoli]

True!

[@paolograndinetti7609]

Complimenti ad AfroPoli per questo filmato ben fatto e simpatico. Mi sono divertito, poi, diciamolo pure, la perfezione non esiste ed è bello vedere che anche i grandi a volte inciampano assumendo un aspetto di mortali come tutti noi.

[@gabrioxxx]

Sara Scuderi.....such refreshing soothing beautiful sound

[@RobinPratt]

When the 3 tenors filled a football stadium, that was THE END of opera.

[@kraus3591]

👍👍👍

[@flav2689]

That doesn’t make any sense. They actually did opera a favour, when introducing it to people outside the genre. How was that the end? The end was when the standards dropped so low that mediocre singers could go through. Or are you seriously implying The Three Tenors were bad? Or even mediocre? If so, I’m not wasting my time here. I’m not saying they were the best of all times, but phenomenal either way. Especially Pavarotti, who sadly passed away way too soon.

[@marcosmarin8930]

THEY should have REFUSED that stupid $$$ idea

[@nickevershedmusic8927]

They introduced it to people that should be introduced to it

[@siegfriedschwert1352]

I sometimes wonder whether Flagstad (an incredibly capable singer) would ever have succeeded in today's world of entrenched mediocrity. There are so-called opera-lovers who unfortunately cannot tell the difference between great singing (Flagstad) and mediocre singing (Kampe, Stemme, Herlitzius, Lang, Merbeth, etc.).

[@helenespierman151]

IMO, one of the problems is that lyrical music (early-to-mid 20th Century) was replaced by rock 'n' roll and its aggressive musical successors. Musicians ALL used to have Classical backgrounds; it was simply all around in the popular culture. Cartoons, Marx Brothers movies, old TV shows, the records we used to listen to as kids -- it was all around us. Everyone had the Met Opera radio broadcasts on every Saturday, and we all took piano lessons.

[@Sfxfreestyle]

2:08 I can’t help but fucking bust out laughing

[@ferociousgumby]

Out-of-control vibrato is a BIG problem. I heard a recording of myself singing not too long ago and was quite horrified at the pronounced wobble. I know it wasn't there before, so I guess I can understand someone can sing and somehow be unaware of it. Even professionals whom you would think HAD to know. No one tells them, of course.

[@terrietackett8964]

To Aurthur Diggs....you are so right about the opera world today. They are rode like race horses, and put away wet. Poor management drives them into the ground, overbooking them to three and four hour operas, then right on to festivals, then recording sessions, and on and on. The voice is a fragile instrument, and these men and women aren't machines. They need better management. I am heartbroken over how many brilliant singers have their voices blown to Hell by being forced to sing, when they need rest. I'll mention one who is going down this path, Villazon. He is destroying his voice by overdoing everything. I would love to hear him still singing in even five years, but I just don't have much hope.

[@Yotam1703]

The girls who sang Turandot were Nina Stemme (who was 54), Eva Marton (who was 61 I think), and Irene Theorin (whi wasn’t all that bad)