Golda Schultz sings an excerpt from Pamina’s Act I aria “Ach, ich fühl’s” during the final dress rehearsal. Production: Julie Taymor. Conductor: James Levine. 2017-18 Season.
@JackSmith: Another great thing is that some opinions are illegitimate because of their underlying bogus rationale. Anyone who knows anything about coloratura singing knows that a singer who fumbles a medium-velocity 8-note ascending scale--the scale Lynch attempted in the Jewel Song--probably can't dispatch the more challenging coloratura in "Rejoice Greatly" with astonishing ease. Which is why your quip about Lynch's Handelian singing inspires only disbelief. And your reason for dismissing the NYT's raving review about Golda's Pamina is a classical logical fallacy. That the NYT works on the MET's dime isn't sufficient proof that every word on its pages about the MET is biased bullshit. One more thing: I question the motivation of anyone who tries to elevate a white soprano with average vocal resources above a younger Black soprano with superior vocal resources. Golda Schultz may not be the second coming. But she's definitely gifted enough to sing Pamina at the Met. Now that I think of it, she reminds me of Soile Isokoski, whose shimmering high notes never harden or gain undue weight--no matter how high she goes. It really is a gorgeous deeply supported sound. Very feminine too. Feel free to hate on Golda all you want. She doesn't need you. She has me and all her other fans.
I don't know any singer from USA/UK, who masteres the German language, except ofcourse Thomas Hampton, who got an extensive training from the best German singer Irmgard Seefried.
Golda Schultz is a fine singer - just not an outstanding one, in my opinion. There is an instability in her voice that I find unsettling. Last season, I happened upon a soprano singing this role, also at the Met - Caitlyn Lynch. I didn't know her singing previously, but what a welcome surprise! The Met needs to cast Ms. Lynch at the Met much more frequently - she has a stunning voice, superlative artistry, and a touching stage presence.
Golda Schultz deserves more than the tepid praise you give her, especially given your comparison to Caitlyn Lynch. While Schultz is still a developing young singer, she is already stunning. Schultz's voice, which pours endlessly and effortlessly out of her, a gorgeous combination of frothy cream and shimmering silver. An arrestingly beautiful sound that suits Pamina's music well. And there's nothing unstable about Schultz's voice. Like the best singers, she never stops phonating. Lynch's voice, on the other hand, is not arrestingly beautiful. It's just pretty. Schultz is a natural vocal actress who seems more concerned about general feeling than conscious underlining of words within each phrase. On this score she yields to Lynch, whose singing I'll admit has a clearer dramatic profile. In terms of techniqal accomplishment, Schultz wins hands down. Her voice is agile. (I've heard her sing lovely coloratura in Mozart's CLEMENZA.) Her soft singing is focused and well-supported. (Her CH'IL BEL SOGNO DI DORETTA is dreamy.) Her high notes are round and free--no shrieking there. Lynch, however, seems just okay. Indeed, the clip of her JEWEL SONG from FAUST showcases very ordinary singing. Her trill is nonexistent. Her voice is not agile--her scale from the B-natural to the G-sharp is clunky and heavy. Her high notes, when sung at forte or louder, lose a little focus--at least in the JEWEL SONG clip. All told, Golda Schultz is an outstanding Pamina. Ask the New York Times. And I expect Schultz's interpretation of the role to grow dramatically and technically as she matures.
@FaustinaBordoni Here's the great thing about opinions - everyone is entitled to their own. Just as you don't agree with my assessment of Caitlyn Lynch, I absolutely don't agree with yours about Golda Schultz. Unless you have heard both singers live (which I have - in the same role - in the same production at the Met), your opinion can't be truly informed. Recordings do not give you a sense of the true scale, scope, color, size, and weight of a singer's voice. Only in live performance can a truly informed assessment be made. I actually have heard Ms. Lynch sing beautiful coloratura (in Handel's Messiah). The voice completely flexible. The recording you watched of Faust is not perhaps Ms. Lynch's most accomplished performance. And, that is fine - no singer has perfect performances all the time - that's simply not possible. Live performance of any kind, is by nature, imperfect - that's part of what makes it vulnerable and exciting. And, "ask the NY Times" about the quality of Ms. Schultz's Pamina? PLEASE. I worked in PR and Marketing professionally in NYC for 5 years. That paper is more corrupt, and has been bought off by more arts organizations - including the Met (and this is not speculation - it is a known fact in the industry) for years. They would be the LAST source I would rely on for any kind of accurate arts-related coverage/opinion.
Based on their RU-vid clips, I disagree on the comparison. Lynch's voice seems a Fach or two heavier then Schultz's. Isn't it more realistic to compare Lynch to other Full Lyric or Full Lyric Coloraturas?
The comparison is accurate in terms of fach. Both are considered full lyric sopranos - Schultz's other rep includes Fiordiligi, Countess, Micaela, Vitellia, Musetta - all roles that Lynch performs/has performed as well.
Wonderful, this awful German language. It needs long training in Germany or Austria. But here this tragic aria needs the gesture of desperation and Genia Kühmeier is one of the rare interpreters. Another subject is the question why did Mozart compose this aria so difficult? The words " der Liebe Glück" are extremely difficult to pronounce in such high notes.
