What a wonderful performance, such passion, such joy in her voice. It's still wonderful after over 30 years. Bubbles, We'll miss you! You were a glorious nightingale of the stage and a beautiful person. You were also MY inspiration to sing, I grew up on your incredible voice! I don't know if you hear us or not, but if you can know that we love you and appreciate your effervescence! You will bring a bright new voice to whatever stage is over "there".
This make me SO long for the "good ole days". Sills is the yeardstick by which other Rosinas must be measured. The joy with which she sung was overwhelming.. ..the voice a gift from God. We love you Bubbles !!
Fantastic! She was one of the best. My favorite for sure. Her high notes and coloratura give me the chills. And it's so wonderful to see someone perform who was so obviously in love with what she was doing.
Whatever issues I have with Sills' voice, although I'd be entirely under qualified to have any, she certainly makes it up 10 fold with her wonderful personality. Similar joy and passion of Diana Damrau today.
Would you be very offended if I told you that your observations are not quite correct? Estelle Liebling's death had nothing to do with Beverly's vocal decline whatsoever. Beverly underwent cancer surgery in 1974 and admitted that her stamina never returned afterwards. She also reassured EVERYONE that undertaking Roberto Devereax shortened her singing career but she was happy to take that risk! She said she would rather have 10 exciting years as a singer than 25 boring ones.
My heart has been broken since her passing. I keep coming back to RU-vid, but I hope more of work gets released on quality commercial DVD. If you haven't seen her 3 visits to the Muppet Show here, find them!
So natural, everything comes out spontaneously as it were easy. there need to be italian blood all through this aria. she doesn't have and cannnot put it in, but creates nonetheless a convincing caracter. Supreme technic, and a voice that i miss alot
With a comment like that you only show your ignorance. Sills was considered by critics the greatest singing actress of her generation. Her performances always created a lot of expectation not only for her incredible singing but also for her truly unique interpretations. Crap actress indeed!
Wait...okay, so can someone explain to me Beverly's jaw action. I was looking at another clip in her much younger days and it seemed as if she didn't have that problem...is that just a bad habit that she developed later in life?? I know she sounds amazing, but how did she get away with that jaw for so long without doing anything about it?? Just a question...
By 1976, Estelle Liebling, Beverly's voice teacher for many years, was long dead and Beverly never found a successor (there could never be a "replacement") for her. The result of that was that slowly the voice degenerated as more and more bad habits crept in. That is the reason that she retired from singing in 1980 -- I was at her final performance, which was Die Fledermaus -- and moved on to her next fabulous career as the managing director of the NYC Opera Co., her long-time stage home.
This jaw action is caused by basal-tongue or jaw tension. With as much sub-glottal pressure as it takes for a such a large voice to sing so high, unless one maintains impeccable support this wobble of the jaw slowly creeps in over time. The slower and wider vibrato (than her earlier recordings) are a bi-product of this tension, which is one reason by Ms. Sills retired a little earlier than some opera singers did.
@saxamaphoneguy1 I was about to say the same thing. Her voice is, IMHO, very good, but not great. Her acting skills are very good, but not great. But with that smile and her overall expression of her personality (which I have heard was overwhelmingly attractive offstage as well) the whole thing is wonderbar. For those who, during her career, were actively following her opera company it is no wonder they grew to love her so much.
