Il Principe Gualtiero (Suor Angelica-Puccini): Ewa Podles 

+smmurden I wish someone would have coached her Italian....

+stefanodepeppo I'm not a native speaker of Italian, but I understand her just fine (I speak Spanish and French).

smmurden I am sure you can understand her. That doesn't take away the fact she has a bad Italian diction

Well, whatever she did in that performance worked for her and for the performance as a whole. I'm not a singing expert, but I do fluently speak a few languages, and I can only imagine how hard it can be for non-native singers to sing in a language that is not their own. From my own linguistic experience, speaking (let alone singing) in another language that has differing dictions and cadences than my own, is difficult. As a result, I'm not a critic when it comes to singing in a language (unless I completely do not understand what is being sung - I mean, put forth some effort); when I listen to people sing, I listen for as long as my ears can deal with it. There are some opera singers (and singers in general) I just will not listen to because they hurt my ears. Ewa and Patricia do not fall into that camp.

smmurden Of course you are entitled to like whatever you want. Ewa Podles is a fantastic performer and vocalist. Personally, as I am a singing expert I expect from an internationally famous singer nowadays not to do very basic diction mistakes when singing in another language. I know it's hard, nevertheless it's a singer's duty. Of course you cannot expect perfection from a non native singers singing in another languages, but some mistakes are too evident for a singer of her caliber, especially in a realistic opera by Puccini like this, where words are so intrinsic part of the music and action. And she is so effective both vocally and as an interpreter/actress as the Aunt, that it's for me a pity that she overlooked the important aspect of diction.

They are amazing! I am just 23 years old and discovering it!

Homoclassicus There was. Renata Scotto as Angélica

Ha ha! I sympathize. Some of it must sound dreadful to you. But don't you feel like you're pissing in the wind a bit, given this problemk opera wide. I mean Joan Sutherland's Australian-Italian was painful even to my ear and Beverley Sill's Traviata in Brooklyn-Italian break me up everyu time. But then you should hear the converse: Italians singing Benjamin Britten. .....

Can you tell us where exactly are those mistakes? Thanks.