when i read all the comments,i notice that a lot of people don't have the slightest idea how difficult this is!!!!!Bravo Eva,who was,together with Nielsson and Dimitrova,the greatest Turandot there was.
@@cwstars All operaphiles who have any interest in Wagner or Strauss know Grob-Prandl. She was the greatest hochdramatisch of the postwar era. Irmgard Seefried said, in an interview, 'When Grob-Prandl sang Turandot, the walls shook.' Her Brünnhilde and Elektra remain unsurpassed for firm emission, wobble-free tone and tireless full-throated singing. Do a side-by-side comparison of Grob-Prandl and Nilsson in identical passages (I would suggest Donna Anna and Isolde) and the Swede sounds shaky, ill-tuned and wobbly. Do yourself a favor and get acquainted with Grob-Prandl's recordings. She is astounding.
I remember this. She wasn't my favorite soprano but at the time hadn't heard anything better. She had a dark, round, beautiful enormous voice and this was probably one of her best roles. What she lacked were the pianissimi. Here she sounds amazing. Brava!
I remember watching this when it was broadcast. I was stunned they opened with this aria, but that quickly subsided when I listened to how well she sang this. She was in such fine voice. That perfect posture and breath control were amazing too. Brava!
The reason Mr. Levine doesn't look too pleased, as I heard it, was that they did this on the fly! Her plane was late from Boston and they never had a rehearsal! She literally ran in from her cab and sang! If that is true... BRAVISSIMA EVA!!!!!!!!!
MASMusic1102 thanks for the background story.These singers live under so much pressure.A collegue of mine heard Eva Marton live.The walls were always shaking
I had heard that story also, and her dress and shoes came out of her suitcase just in time. At any rate, she was extremely nervous because she was the firest singer to perform during the second part of the broadcast. I remember watching this on my first color TV, and can hardly believe it was over thirty years ago.
From the many renditions of this difficult aria I've heard, I have to say this is one of my favourites. Eva Marton brings a stern, almost embittered quality which sits perfectly with the character.
she does something that few sopranos do well (callas did it well among others) but its the use of chest voice at certain moments to create dramatic effect... she does IT here wonderfully at just at the start of the note at 3:49... it really brings out the drama that "gruff" chesty sound... wonderful ;-) even though she had a flat high C NOTICE THOUGH: THAT she realizes that she is flat and she adjusts at around 5:45 and sings the right note ;-) still the vast majority of this is a singing lesson for sopranos in this rep ;-) BRAVA!
Jesus Christ, are people actually complaining about the high C? Wasn’t even flat as parole are saying. She just slip up to it a bit. Was a great performance as they audience’s response should have told you.
Exactly right. I was lucky enough to have been there and I doubt anyone noticed anything wrong. It needs an armchair critic to spot things like that. Considering she had no rehearsal as her plane was late in I say brava.
She is wonderful, nothing less than wonderful. And even if the C is a little flas, she's still wonderful. But.... I have two questions: why, between a lot of tenors in that gala, nobody sang Calaf for Marton? And: WHY THAT SCENOGRAPHY??????
Wow! She NAILED it. I saw her do this role in the house and she never sounded this good. Magnificent! And thank God we didn't have to hear some puny tenor be blown away by her in the riddle part of the aria like we usually do.
I first heard Marton in Frau ohne Schatten on the same stage as Nilsson. It was interesting to compare their voices. Nilsson's was like a laser beam, Marton's was an ocean of sound. I liked her very much in those years, but she began to sing loud-louder-loudest until her voice became very unpleasant. In questa reggia is a killer because of the huge orchestra and one high note after another.
BRAVA EVA! Like Tony Ryttar stated, it must have been hard for her performing this aria knowing that Birgit Nilsson was listening backstage. Jimmy Levine doesn't look too pleased at the end. No matter,Eva turned in a fine performance as always.
My vocabulary is quite extensive...and being a professional singer myself, with a more-than-sufficient background in ear training - she wasn't as pitchy as you're trying to deduce her to be. There were - countable - maybe three notes that were questionable, however, she eventually slid into the center of the note with charisma and grace. Not an excuse, thus meaning I somewhat agree with you, which doesn't make it perfection. Albeit, like my other comrades have mentioned, this IS one of the hardest arias in the soprano operatic repertoire. Therefore, figuratively, perfection because her consistency was chart-topping and definitely one of the best IQR I've heard....and I've heard more than enough.
Very well said, Jermaine! This Doug Barker character, together with vocalissimo1 and Bosie Wilder, go around various videos posting arrogant, obnoxious, negative comments. They try to pass themselves off as armchair experts, but just demonstrate snobbery more than anything else. Trolls will be trolls.
@@jermainejr11 Sorry, this was the opposite of perfection. Thick, opaque timbre with ungainly, effortful phrasing and a complete lack of chiaroscuro. A monochromatic, prosaic and dull rendition with neither poetry nor characterisation to redeem it.If you want to hear perfection, please listen to Gertrude Grob-Prandl.
Jason Hurd, sorry boo, I don’t agree with you on many levels. I just listened to Getrude’s and though piercingly striking as her voice was, I was unpleasantly impressed. She’s great but I prefer the very tone in Marton’s voice that you despise. When I think of this aria, I hear Marton’s voice. I guess it’s a generational thing, in theory, with different tastes.
Es cierto, ha sido la última Turandot hasta la fecha. Todas las que han llegado después han sido "Gloria de un día" y algunas incluso para olvidar. Su Turandot estaba en las antípodas de la de Birgit Nilsson; por su estilo estaba más cerca de las Turandots italianas de los años 30.
I think she had a nice BIG strong voice. The High C was kind of odd but what an opulent sound! - she looked nice here also...I miss big voices like she had.
I remember in an interview with Marton, she said that when she and Nilsson were doing Die Frau at the Met, Nilsson told her that she needs to sing Turandot. I have never understood why anyone would even want to sing this screamer.
Marton at her best. She nails it here. Listen to the security of her vocal line,breathing,phrasing she's got it all. Puccini didn't spare the soprano in this one.Legend has it that he didn't even have time to revise it. There is one other rendition that comes close to this, and that is Eileen Farrell's
Such a sound and presence! From my experience C6 was not usually her best note BUT in Die Frau she sang a C#6 and it was absolutely riveting. In a later performance she lightened up on the C and she hit it better but with less excitement. My suspicion is that there is a switch around C where she shifts from that big round sound more into the head voice and it is awkward for her. No expert here.
Eva Marton was boosted to be THEE Turandot at the time, but I (just my personal opinion), have a problem with hitting the notes on pitch at the top. I mean that's the whole point! Otherwise it's just flat. Dimitrova during this time, was a Turandot!!
I don’t agree with her singing some flat notes... I’ve listened to this performance a million times and it’s the most perfect version with a Marton style she can only sing! Bravissima
I don´t like comparisons between singers. But saying that Marton was the best Turandot (with a flat note here), can´t be meant seriously. I liked her live performances as Elektra, Färberin or even Turandot but her voice felt much better when she did Tosca. She forced herself to be a dramatic soprano which she never really was.
It's a miracle she was able to sing. Her plane from Boston was very late and she had time to change her dress, do her hair and go on to open the gala without properly warming up.
ENGRAMAS DA ANCESTRALIDADE Na ária In questa reggia, da ópera Turandot, de Puccini, o grito Desesperador soou na ressonância magnética que veio passar, De geração a geração e ancorou na alma da mulher em atrito, Vida da princesa Lou Ling que o rei dos tártaros veio devassar. Engramas do passado são forças coercitivas que recrudescem Situações que delineiam dificuldades do infrator se beneficiar, Interlocutor carrega os pensamentos de cargas que crescem Sempre na dificuldade remota que o faz sucumbir ou elevar. As amarras, em que o coração foi retido, é algo em remessa À reflexão que dê luz na expectativa de um novo caminhar. Somente ser profundo, que todos nós somos, pode ter essa Visão da realidade da existência, o que temos são os indícios Que podem nos levar a esse caminho, numa decisão de amar Que nos dê o paraíso, no sentido de horizonte, sem vícios. (*) (*) FERNANDO PINHEIRO, presidente da Academia de Letras dos Funcionários do Banco do Brasil. - ENGRAMAS DA ANCESTRALIDADE (poesia), de Fernando Pinheiro. - in O mundo de Morfeu, de Fernando Pinheiro.
There is just NO way to know what a singer sounds like unless you hear them live. Marton's voice was every bit as large as Nilsson, and as beautiful. Yes, Nilsson's voice was beautiful, not just large. The recordings do Nilsson a dis-service.
I think this is Ava Marton greatest role. The first high C is tremedous. She sang it effortlessly unlike that scream in the Turandot she did with Domingo. Other great Turandots will be Dimitrova, Nilsson and Sutherland.
Vette gaddia As you know, Sutherland was a Turandot only on recording, and that, while it was amazing, doesn’t make her a great Turandot. And we will never know what her In questa reggia would sound like outside the recording studio. She never sang it in public, even in concert. Similarly, I would never say Leontyne Price or Maria Callas were great Carmens, although they made great recordings.
The grestest Turandot there ever was with Nilsson? Hahahahahahha you all need to stop! MARTON DOES NOT HAVE A REAL DRAMATIC SOPRANO VOICE! Her voice is lyric! Marton does NOT possess a CUTTING EDGE quality. Her voice is not METALLIC! She spreads a lot and if OFTEN flat flat flat. She is even flat in Tosca which is a role written for the same voice as Turandot except Tosca is a bit easier. AND THIS IS A FACT: LISTEN TO HER LIVE TOSCAS HIGH C6s and MARTON IS FLAT BY an entire note - not half a note but an entire note. Instead of singing a C6 she sings a Bb5 😳😳😳😳😳. So if she already struggles with a lower role such as Tosca why does she bother singing Turandot? SHE IS FLAT HERE ALSO!!!!! Now, Callas and Dame Eva Turner are by far the best Turandots! BY FAR!!!!!
@Pimp The Human That is false also. Nilsson has great high notes but the interpretations lacks starting with great Italian diction. The best Turandot is Dame Eva Turner starting with the fact that Dane Eva had more voice and diction than Nilsson. And Dame Eva Turner’s favorite Turandot was a soprano called Maria Callas. Dame Eva dis not ever even mentioned Nilsson. Whoever says Nilsson is the best Turandot has completely missed the point of the opera.
@Pimp The Human Both Callas 1954 and 1957 are FAR FAR FARRRR superior to anything Nilsson ever sang. Had Callas not sang any high notes whatsoever Callas would still be the best Turandot of all time cause the legato and phrasing she executes in the notes below F5 are incredibly hard to believe. First and foremost Turandot compare to Nabucco is absolutely nothing. Nabucco requires way more voice than Turandot ever will. Turandot wasn’t Callas role? Who are you to state such stupidity? Let me gather you right now. TULLIO SERAFIN WORKED DIRECTLY WITH PUCCINI AND SO DID HIS MENTORS, they were a direct generation of the composers such as Verdi and Puccini. Let me inform you that it was Serafin who gave Callas the scores of Turandot against her will CAUSE SHE HAD A HUGE DRAMATIC SOPRANO. From 1942 to 1950 Callas sang the role of Turandot on stage over 40 times before she was ever recorded and we also know that Callas always sang in full voice during rehearsals which means had she not had the voice to sing that role she would have lost her voice. To get an idea how Callas Turandot sounded like one has to listen to her early Toscas which a real Tosca = an authentic Turandot. Listen to this: 1) m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-w-VhfncUTiw.html 2) m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-P3lPTJgN6V8.html Neither Nilsson not Dame Eva had a bigger voice than Callas pre 1953. And before you come back to me I would study Callas early Medeas, Toscas and Abigailes which are equally heavy roles if you sing them like the composers wanted them to be sung. All these lyric sopranos singing Toscas are sad creatures as Puccini never wrote that role for them. Tosca is for an authentic real dramatic soprano and not for a Spinto. DRAMATIC SOPRANO!!! Now listen to the high Cs above again and in those same parts listen to Nilsson and you will release that Nilsson compare to Callas’ voice was a soubrette. Listen to the exact same high Cs of Nilsson. Callas was BY FAT the heaviest most metallic voice of history. There is absolutely no comparison! Don’t even bother to listen to Marton’s high Cs in Tosca as she goes flat not by half a tone but by an entire tone. Marton was a very sad vocalist!
I've heard better! Her breaths were not good at all!! Those notes should have been held longer. Listen to Price, Nilson and Callas for a lesson in how to properly sing this aria.
@@SilfredoSerrano Price did not have the pipes to sing this difficult Aria. She's a lyric spinto at best. She lacked squillo yet she had a Beautiful voice. 🇫🇷🍷🎶🎼🎵 Arnold Bourbon Amaral
