I read quite well, thank you. You claim that Norman cannot understand Wagner because of her race. That statement is purely racist - there is no other interpretation.
She is such an intelligent singer. Many sopranos sing the notes, but with nothing behind the notes. Jessye Norman sings the notes, but she understands what she is singing. She expresses the feelings and emotions of the role wonderfully. And her voice is simply magnificent.
Ms. Norman's voice is unique. Her Sieglinde, a few years ago, was one of the best I have ever seen and heard. Her technique, vocal strength and range are a gift to any opera lover. Her "Oedipus Rex", among so many roles, is no doubt, one of her most accomplished. It's difficult to define Ms. Norman in a few words, we would have to mention Strauss, Brahms, Schubert and many more and still it won't be enough. She is one themost remarkable singers of our time. God bless Ms. Norman.
It doesn't matter what race she is. That person made a stupid racist remark. Jessye Norman is a magnificent Wagnerian soprano. Her Sieglinde is wonderful. And by the way, one of the greatest Verdian sopranos is Leontyne Price.
@candide43201 absolutely. I speak german, and I can guarantee that her interpretation is perfect not only vocually, but textually. she clearly understands the role and the "tone" of the ring in a way only a very few have. long live la norman!
A commanding and exciting performance of music that stretches her to the virtual limits of her endurance. I'm glad she didn't sing this as a regular part of her repertoire. Her voice would have never survived repeated performances of this.
It begins very well...and after 2 mn, she begins to crack a note. I find the first part strikingly beautiful. But to use so much weight and depth in the medium brings that in the second part she is close to the accident, and must uses all her body strength to fight. Happily we can feel what grandeur she wants to carry and send. I think Brunnhilde is a lot like a Falcon, with all those low notes, and suddenly high and large notes. But the end is a tomb if you're not a pure soprano. Sutherland was telling the story of nearly losing her voice just before Casta Diva because she had "cleared" her throat after the recitativ and had cracked her voice just by that..After 50 the voice becomes more and more unpredictable.
Jessye Norman was a wonderful Wagnerian soprano. She sang many Wagner roles, including Sieglinde at the Metropolitan Opera. She also sang the Liebestod with Karajan and the Vienna Philharmonic. This performance of Brunnhilde's Immolation with the New York Philharmonic was magnificent. She was a great dramatic soprano.
What an utterly, utterly incredulous statement. Whatever your thoughts about her Brunnhilde may be (I always thought the role lay a bit too high for her, honestly), she is one of the undisputed Wagnerian masters in roles such as Sieglinde and Elsa. To disregard a singer based on something such as race is, quite frankly, absurd. This is theater, you buffoon.
Your view smacks of pure European elitism, not to mention ignorance! I do however find your comment to be quite ironic because Wagner was convinced that the French were too effeminate and their culture too "weak and decadent" to understand the "pure and superior" German. Of course this is more idiocy! Despite Wagner's narrow racist world view, he did produce powerful art. And Jessye Norman interprets his work beautifully. She performed Wagner for many years and is a highly sought after singer.
why do you attack her race..is it because you have nothing to say about the voice. Except that the voice is flawless no matter what color she is...its ok...I am African and I sing wagner and understand it much better then more then half the white people around me-- understanding music is not about color of skin
Gran cantante y en Wagner me gusta mucho La he oído en el papel de Isolde Sieglinde, y ahora la escucho en Bruhïlde y me gusta tiene una potente voz Maria Angels Molpeceres
Bayreuth doesn't invite Asian and black singers?! Grace Bumbry, Simon Estes, Kwangchul Youn, Gwendolyn Killebrew, Philip Kang, Mihoko Fujimura and Hellen Kwon are just off the top of my head... They do however have a well known policy of not hiring overly obese singers, which is probably why Jessye never appeared there. Along with Debbie Voigt, Jane Eaglen, Ben Heppner, Stephanie Blythe, Rita Hunter and all the rest.
Bedarf, Had he said that, his comment wouldn't be so bad. The reason he said she doesn't understand Wagner is because she isn't white. That's much worse.
@ MastersoftheOpera Norman was not a Wagnerian Soprano. She was a Dramatic Soprano-huge difference even though most cross-rep if suitable in their tessitura and range. Norman clearly said so yrs ago that she was not a Wagnerian Soprano but is a singer who doesn't limit herself to a particular voice type-Huge difference between a Dramatic Soprano and a Wagnerian Soprano who's voice is even throughout all the registers, a potent sound and tremendous projection
wow! how can people be so stupid? just shut up and enjoy this beautiful video! stop spreading hateful comments and opinions that no one cares about. music is amazing!
Kreisleriana80, have you ever attended Bayreuther Festspiele? No asians? LOL, on friday I saw Rheingold in Bayreuth, they had Kwangchul Youn as Fasolt and Mihoko Fujimura as Erda. In yesterday's Walküre Kwangchul Youn sang Hunding... So what's your point? ^^
@simariato "I don't like the fact she's black." Read that aloud to yourself. "I don't like the fact she's black." Read it again. "I don't like the fact she's black." Say it in public, on the street, loudly. What are you? Chris-chan?
@simariato racism is not discussible. You're small minded. I think too, that it is difficult to catch a spirit of a culture, like M.Caballé and Wagner, too alive and unprecises for the Germ. depth. But exactly Jessye is for me the proof of the opposite. No one others caught the the calmness and the eternety like her in Strauss "Im Abendrot", that is a piece where you can explain the German soul: "Im Abendrot Jessye Norman" . That's not my favorite Brühnhilde- but great!
Please listen to Birgit Nilsson's performance (Gotterdammerung Finale) with Georg Solti here on youtube, and you will understand why Norman's performance here is disturbing. She sings flats throughout the aria. She has done some remarkable things, but she should have not have sung this aria.
oh dear.. was she sick during this performance? She is struggling to sing the text over the orchestra... her 1988 performance of this was superb. Here, she struggles to project the required volume needed for this tremendous piece.
Agreed - music is a universal language that transcends ethnicity. Simariato is ignorant, but equally ridiculous statements are often made from the opposite direction about white musicians not being able to understand jazz. I'd enjoy seeing an all-black Ring, for novelty's sake, followed up by an all-white Porgy and Bess. And how about an all-asian Turandot? All of the characters are supposed to be Asian, after all.
Many mezzo sopranos can sing Liebestod. But this scene requires a REAL soprano , not a "Falcon"... that can sing high notes, and on pitch. I have heard Ms. Norman live and while an impressive singer when singing in her vocal range, she was consisently flat above the staff.
@chueca, if you can't stand listening to Jessye, do her fans a favor and DON'T LOOK HER UP ON RU-vid. Why bother even leaving comments about her videos. :You just take up space where her FANS can write somthing worth reading.
Poor Jessye! She was obviously under the weather, but the demands of a telecast more than likely made it necessary to go on anyway. As for pitch problems, I heard her every year between '84 and '93. She never consistently sang in tune, especially as the voice rose from its luxurious middle into the upper regions. As previously mentioned, she is also at the end of a long and distinguished career and no longer in her freshest voice, even in optimal health.
Really? The Walkure Brunhilde? With the HIgh c's and B's .. all over the score? She would have to be goosed to get those out of that throat.. I heard her live about this time of her career.. and sh was flat on most every note above the staff. She was a mezzo. Jimmy levine Wanted her to be something else.. but she was a mezzo. Mezzos do not make good Brunhilde's
She has always sung excellent german, and had a great feeling for the style of Lieder and the German repertoire. More worrying is that she never sang with a perfect vocal placing, which meant she never really had easy high notes, and often sang flat. Many of her recordings I find unlistenable to for this reason. Pity, as she had a great voice
