The lovely Joan Sutherland performing the aria "Où va la jeune Hindoue" (known as Bell Song)from Delibes' Lakmé. Henri Wilden as Gerard and Clifford Grant as Nilakantha, Sydney Opera, conductor Richard Bonynge, 1976
I was onstage with her in this one. I am the one up the back with the basket of oranges. I was also her undertsudy. Joan`s voice would make the hairs stand up on end. A magical pure sound. These recordings dont do her voice justice at all. Phenomenal power over a full orchestra. I was very lucky to have been there to hear her in person and to know her.
This was the first opera production I ever saw - I was 14. I remember the opening of the opera where Sutherland sings the prayer off stage. The moment she came past the proscenium arch was amazing - this beautiful voice filled the whole theatre . A pure powerful sound with a distinctive tone. I still remember this moment. And treasure it.
+topazinoz. I should have replied to you before. You must have been very gifted to have been entrusted with the position. Thank you for sharing the memory
Someone mentioned "The Art Of The Prima Donna" as being faultless, which of course is, but this is a live performance we are watching not studio recording done in ideal surroundings with a mistake being done again if a mistake occurs. Consider this- Dame Joan had to get to the theatre at least an hour early. Get into costume, make up and wig. Warm her voice, often fight illness and in one tragic instance go on stage the night her mother died. Make allowance, please and don't expect a re-run of a studio performance. This is a human being you are listening to, a great one, so listen and feel privileged.
+Barbara Northwood Thank you for expanding my understanding and appreciation. I know nothing.......just enjoying the beauty. Best wishes and thanks from San Diego, CA.
Stop making excuses for her. All that special pleading gets us nowhere. The faults she displays here are not unique to this performance. They define the consistent failings of her "art."
I was at this very performance when it was recorded. Before the start of the opera the manager came on stage to say that Joan had a throat infection but she was still going to sing and she asked to be excused if her performance was not up to her usual standard. Even with that the performance did not disappoint. It's amazing she can still sound that good with a bad throat. Bravo Joan. Sadly missed.
I love this version. Most ones I have heard stop at the 5 minute mark. You don't get to hear the ending where here key keeps dropping presumably as she is being questioned about something and she is getting less and less secure about herself. Dame Joan is truly amazing and can be compared to no other. The best Bel Canto singer every, better than everyone, even Callas. I just wish I was old enough to see her live.
Oh Wow.... Rest In Peace Dame Joan... Thank you for making life more beautiful with your voice, spell-bindingly sublime.... Just wonderful... La Stupenda indeed!
And on it goes. Again all great artists are unique, and will have people loving them and hating them. It goes with the job. They are all wonderful and we are blessed to have had them in our lives, all of them!
Joan Sutherland sings this far better in her 1960 cd "The Art of the Prima Donna". In the cd, the young Joan sings it a 1/2 tone higher with far better coloratura and soaring high notes. She holds the high notes much longer than in this vid.
Oh Wow... watching this just made my day! Dame Joan you really are stupendous! at 49-50 years old to be able to do this. PHEW!! THANK YOU for posting! This is one of the many reasons I love You Tube!
Joan Sutherland was a godess. I wouldn't know what an amazing soprano would sound like if it wasn't for Dame Joan Sutherland. Here the high e's might not be as brilliant as earlier in her career, but to hear a dramatic soprano like, Sutherland or Callas sing it and give it justice is incredible.
I suppose it was the arrangement, but the last note of the main aria was noticeably truncated. Joan's technical mastery on the runs and trills is absolutely stunning.
I for one disagree: she is the most overrated soprano of the twentieth century. Not only is the timbre of her voice unremarkable, and her interpretations unexpressive and stale, but her low and middle register has always sounded intubated. As to beautiful, well, that is risible.
you can type this on google thetoptens greatest female opera singer of all time. 5,000 folks voted on a poll which tracks your ip, so you can only vote once. dame joan wins.
Liu Cheang Ah well, if random people voted on Google for the "greatest soprano of all time", notwithstanding that there were a just a few (!) singers before recorded history, the poll must be right.
it's not a small poll, over 5,000 folks voted on it. and that site absolutely allows only one vote per ip addy. so it is impossible to vote over and over as in utube. the fact she is so ahead in that poll means she is greater than you think. if you don't like her, that is fine, you opinion. but since her death, her popularity have ran up 10 times. maria got that about 5 years after she died. Joan has not reached her peak yet after her death yet. and most of the vids before joan died were all of her passed her prime when she was in her mid 50 years old. you look like a young person, if you want to hear her voice in her prime, google santo di patria, sutherland. i think you will be shocked.
lightwardblue N A Well let me give you a wise lesson... if it lets you annoy you, then they win. Of course you can disagree, so do I. However I chose to not let it annoy me for I know anything a person says, says all about their believes, values, and little about what they talk about ;-)
To fully appreciate opera, it is necessary to critique individual performances - especially those of a dramatic coloratura. (Obviously some of the comments below have nothing to do with good-faith critique.) The very best deserve the most scrutiny, even when we know they are past their prime; it's part of documenting and understanding operatic history. Their voices live on the stage and die on the stage.
The lovely Joan Sutherland performing the aria "Où va la jeune Hindoue" (known as Bell Song)from Delibes' Lakmé. Henri Wilden as Gerard and Clifford Grant as Nilakantha, Sydney Opera, conductor Ric...
I heard her sing this at the Music Center in Los Angeles about 1970. No recording can equal hearing a live performance, but it is good to have such fine recordings!
I know this is about Joan but watch the dude in the blue behind Joan, on the right side of the screen.. He keeps dozing off or something. How could anyone sleep through THAT? lol @4:37, his head snaps up and he looks around to see if anyone saw lol Love Joan though!
A CHI NON PIACE LA SUTHERLAND? UNA DELLE POCHE GRANDI CANTANTI CHE RIMARRA' NELLA STORIA COME BELCANTISTA E DALLA VOCE SOAVE CHE VA VERSO IL CIELO , SI VEDE CHE SIETE SORDI E CHE NON AMATE IL BELCANTO, ELLA E' UNA GRANDISSIMA CANTANTE, ECCELSA DEL 900-
I think she did a great job for a live performance. I don't think it's altogether fair to compare a live performance, where the singers have only one go (as it were) with a studio recording, where they can (and do) record several versions before deciding which one makes it onto an album.
Now you know (if you didn't already) why they called her "La Stupenda" ... I can't believe how effortlessly she hits the high notes, as if anybody could do it ...
I think people who bash Dessay are just too stubborn to accept that opera is a growing and evolving art form. To put it very bluntly, people liked natalie dessay and she got famous. That it the same way Sutherland got famous, and its the same way Maria Callas got famous. (and to the die-hard callas fans out there, please, for the love of god, understand I am not bashing callas and therefore don't respond with your goddamn "callas is the greatest" speech. enough already)
To be fair to Sutherland, thank you for clarifying that point. I totally believe her to have been able to do that (nail the singing in the first take in the studio and at recitals). But there had to be a little bit of a trade-off in live staged operas for the very reasons you mention. Over the years I find that I enjoy recordings of live performances with all their little 'imperfections' better than studio recordings, which over time may become a little dull (but just a little). :)
Knowing the fact that this song wasn't written for her type of voice, she does a great job with it despite that fact. This song is supposed to be one of the more heavy coloratura pieces, and she gets the heavy part perfectly, but the higher notes are not as bouncy as a true coloratura could make them. Dessay and Pons are my favorites, but I like her interpretation anyway.
@geduld0 I do think so. I've to tell you that I'm more a Callas' fan than a Sutherland, but I have to tell that Sutherland's high notes were clear as cristal, the same than with Battle. About the agility, well, I won't say anything comparing because I don't want to start something here. And I don't remember what I said on my last comment here, so I won't say anything else =). BTW, I love Sills, if that reffers to my first comment.
*** Joan Sutherland- Lakmé. Où va la jeune Indienne ?(Bell Song/ Air des clochettes). ... Mais où va la jeune Indienne, Fille des Parias, Quand la lune sereine, Joue dans les grands mimosas? ... Elle court sur la mousse Et ne se souvient pas Que partout, on repousse La Fille des parias. ... Le long des lauriers roses, Rêvant de douces choses, Elle passe sans bruit Se riant de la nuit. ... Mais la-bas dans la forêt plus sombre, Quel est ce voyageur perdu? Autour de lui, féroces et invaincus, Mille yeux brillent dans l'ombre, ... Inconscient, "Il" marche au hasard, éperdu, Car Sarasvati, Il l'a vu et entendu ! Mais déjà les fauves rugissent de joie, Ils vont se jeter sur leur proie, .... Mais la jeune fille accourt Et des fauve brave las fureur : Elle tient dans sa main la baguette Où tinte la clochette des charmeurs! ... L'Etranger la regarde, Elle en reste éblouie. Il est plus beau que mille Rajahs! Lui aussi rougirait, s'il savait qu'il doit Sa vie, à la fille des Parias. ... Mais lui, l'endort dans un rêve, Et jusque au Ciel, il l'enlève, En lui disant: 'Viens! La belle aux mimosas: Ta place est là, près de Moi!' ... Mais oui, c'était Vishnu, fils de Brahma! Et depuis ce jour au fond des bois, Le voyageur égaré, entend encore parfois Un bruit léger de clochettes Qui tinte joyeux sous la baguette !" ... Translated by Elise Curran/ MSK. (found on www.aria-database.com) Titre : Lakmé (1897 : Où va la jeune indienne (Bell Song). Maria Callas, Philharmonia Orchestra, Tullio Serafino. *** Le chef d'oeuvre absolu !
No this is really something for real coloraturas. Nothing for big voices, no Callas, no Sutherland. Who can sing all is not the best specialist. What a difference to a vivid, fast Pons or an etheric Hallstein. On the other side. That age and still a vocal power. Respect.
LAKMÉ (presque en récitatif) Où va le jeune Indoue, Fille des Parias, Quand la lune se joue Dans les grands mimosas? Quand la lune se joue Dans les grands mimosas? Elle court sur la mousse Et ne se souvient pas Que partout on repousse L’enfant des parias. Elle court sur la mousse, L’enfant des parias; Le long des lauriers roses, Rêvant de douces choses, Ah! Elle passe sans bruit Et riant à la nuit à la nuit! Là-bas dans la forêt plus sombre, Quel est ce voyageur perdu? Autour de lui des yeux brillent dans l’ombre, Il marche encore au hasard éperdu! Les fauves rugissent de joie, Ils vont se jeter sur leur proie La jeune fille accourt et brave leurs fureurs, Elle a dans sa main la baguette Où tinte la clochette, où tinte la clochette Des charmeurs. (imitant la clochette) Ah! ah! ah! L’étranger la regarde, Elle reste éblouie, Il est plus beau que les Rajahs! Il rougira s’il sait qu’il doit la vie A la fille des parias. Mais lui, l’endormant dans un rêve, Jusque dans le ciel il l’enlève, En lui disant: ta place est là! C’était Vishnou, fils de Brahma! Depuis jour au fond des bois, Le voyageur entend parfois Le bruit léger de la baguette Où tinte la clochette, Où tinte la clochette Des charmeurs. (imitant la clochette) Ah! ah! ah!
"...fue muy querida por la critica mundial, como una soprano ligera maravillosa. Asi la recuerda todo el mundo de gente que sabe de canto y de Opera, los demás comentarios estan de más" JAJAJAJA thumbs up! PD: iwalmente no es de sus actuaciones más remarcables ;) still good anyway
Sutherland did each of the arias in "The art of the Prima Donna" in one take as I've read. Those are the hardest arias in the Bel Canto repertoire. She was known for only having one take in almost all of her earlier studio recordings. What makes Sutherland go out of tune in a LIVE opera is because she has to act and move around. If you listen to her recitals when there is music in front of her and she does not act, she almost always nails the singing.
@ezayi Completamente de acuerdo contigo, La Stupenda canto hasta vieja, (otras consideradas divas a los 50 años no cantaban ni la cucaracha) la critica mundial la idolatro, y vivio en la cima mundial por mas de 40 años, la gente habla solo porque el aire es gratis.
I love this...but remember so fondly recordings with Monte Carlo opera,and of course Art of the Prima Donna...She's getting a bit heavy here,but great rendition!
as much as i admire joan sutherland, this role was not for her. this aria here is called bell aria for a reason. already around 1960 her voice was actually to massive for this role. although she did a pretty splendid recording of it in 1960, which sounds stellar. she still hat the brilliance and brightness in her voice back then. but at this point of her career, it was just too monumental and warm sounding. i dont mean to say of course that this is BAD. but just not for her.
She is, to me, the greatest coloratura of all time. So, I'm only putting Sutherland to the highest standards just as I do with Callas. She is indeed phenomenal here. But she is more bell-like in the 1960 recording and the staccato more staggeringly precise. The trilling and high notes of the 1960 "Bell Song" is the standard for all Lakmes forever. And she destroys all of the Lakme's who come after her. Any of today's Lakme's will be thrilled to be even mentioned along with La Stupenda!
C'est admirablement bien chanté, et la voix de Joan Sutherland est, comme toujours, somptueuse...méme si la note finale de l'Air des Clochettes (baissé d'un demi-ton) est un peu courte...Mais est-elle vraiment le personnage fragile (du moins en apprence) de la toute jeune Indoue, sous le joug d'un pére autoritaire et fanatique?...Personnellement, je ne le crois pas, ce qui n'est bien sur que mon humble avis...Ceci dit, on ne peut qu'admirer cette grande chanteuse, cette Diva, autrement plus convaincante dans d'autres opéras, notamment blelcantistes, et qui malheureusement nous a quitté.
la voz de sutherland era mas alla de las exigencias vocales de soprano vulgar y corriente......en ella estaba el alma de los grandes autores del siglo xvIII y xIx.....la gloria total y absoluta del pensamiento vocal.....hecho realidad.....un gusto exquisito por la vida y el arte.....una vida entera querida y deseada para cantar....nacio ..se crio y desarrollo por el amor por la voz humana......lo llevaba en los genes....y coincidio con la influencia familiar.....toda una cuestion matematica
Of course she is good here. But the best recording of the "Bell Song" is in her "Art of the Prima Donna" dvd when she sings the aria with three high E's, instead of the three high E-flats here. Obviously high E naturals are much harder to hit than E-flats.
