I so much love her mezza voice. She has a kind of almost intoxicating way of singing, when you start to listen to her you just can't get enough of her. Also because she abstains from all kind of cheap tricks, her singing is both aristocratic and human, with pathos and vulnerability. One of the true great Sopranos.
This woman has few equals. I have never heard such a balance of agility, purity of tone and intelligent, sensitive interpretation. Simply unbelievable.
Ho avuto la fortuna di ascoltare Leila Gencer a Verona all'arena negli anni 80 al finire della sua carriera, fu un'Aida straordinaria, i suoi famosi pianissimo straordinari l'interpretazione nella parte e l'estensione vocale eccelsi, sono un ricordo bellissimo di questa grande cantante storica
Grandissima Lady Macbeth, Leila Gencer suprema interprete di questo ruolo, la varieta' degli accenti, l'estensione della voce, l'interpretazione portata a raggiungere traguardi eccezionali nel campo operistico fanno della Gencer uno dei più grandi soprani di tutti i tempi
sentirla parlare della sua carriera ...era molto istruttivo e divertentissimo ...donna di una cultura immensa e molto raffinata anche nei rapporti umani....la conobbi quando ...umilmente venne a firmare l'edizione di ben cinque sue opere dal Vivo....presentate allo Stradivarius di Milano...e alla piccola Scala...
One of the finest examples of Assoluta singing on disc. I sometimes think this 1960 Lady Macbeth from Gencer could serve to sum up an entire vocal tradition.
It may sounds crazy but: when singing she forgets that she is Leyla Gencer, absolute embodiment of the character. We may only guess what sort of life could they had left after such commitment and devotion.
Mai ho sentito e sentirò più una Lady così colma di questo denso distillato di erotismo nero, scintillante, sensuale, ferale ed insano. Una vera superlativa femme fatale, di una sontuosa eleganza dark e con una sensuale ferocia altera ed ipnotica. Una regale pantera, sinuosa e indomita, assolutamente votata al male e all'abisso. Difficilmente una Lady mi ha fatto sentire così appetibile, attraente l'oscurità infera, fin nelle viscere. Mi schianta le ovaie e gli ormoni. Viene voglia di morire (felice) in un amplesso finale, letale, dove non si distingue più luce e buio, bene e male, tra quelle note di velluto e di diamante ... perdizione irresisistibile ed assoluta. Gencer LA LADY PERFETTA 🖤🖤🖤🖤
Come la Callas la Gencer era una straordinaria interprete e significava ciò che cantava....a differenza di altre proccupate unicamente del bel suono e non del fatto che l'Opera è soprattutto Teatro ::))
I love Verret (one can find Verret' s live perfornmances here) and listened to many other sinders but it seems it is the best. Gencer's voice is fantastic.....
WOW, this is AWESOME, she so much reminds me of Callas LA DIVINA in this role! LA SULTANA was really an authoritative, regal and passionate interpreter of all her roles (Norma, Lady, Elisabetta etc.)
A pesar de que es de la misma generación de Callas y Tebaldi, Leyla Gencer supo estar a la altura de ellas, como La Olivero y algunas mas, sopranos que fueron referentes en la historia de la lírica. Hermosa voz, respeto, credibilidad. Ecco una artista!!!
A "small" detail about this performance (and therefore Leyla's first Lady M 'inprint') is that it is conducted my M° V Gui. I mean, like Serafin, Votto, De Sabata, Gavazzeni this is a debut of the highest order.
callas is not intouchable, in many views, specifically in ANY of the performances in which Gencer shows more and superior qualities than her (this is one)
diceva ...la Callas la cantava meglio...ma le cinquanta recite di Macbeth in tutta Italia le ho fatte io...e pagata pure male...che fatica,,,,Che Dio la abbia in Gloria.
Here she has the failure of the orchestra/conductor to keep proper tempo in the middle of the cavatina. Her mastery is shown in how she assumes the leadership of the orchestra by maintaining the tempo in the score forcing them to play the right tempo until the conductor wakes up again.
I completely agree. I am lucky to have the entire 1960 Macbeth performance on CD. Leyla Gencer here offers fearless Assoluta singing of the highest quality. Only Callas, Dimitrova and perhaps Rysanek in their pristine best could possibly compare. Nadja Michael? She is AWFUL, a big fat Zero, as a "singer" she is unable to even sing on pitch and all her high notes are flat. Whose mistress is she to get contracts?
Again and again the eternal war between the Greek Diva and the Turkish Diva. Callas LIVES lady Mac. Gencer SINGS lady Mac. This was the big difference between them. Gencer, with her beautiful voice - and it was really beautiful - never accepted the fact that she was Callas’s understudy. She hated Callas. Unfortunately, she hated almost everybody. She was a good singer but a very unpleasant person. It’s a real pity that she has never recorded her repertory commercially. Again, she NEVER found the conditions and colleagues to her “professional” taste and requirements. It’s a heavy burden to be a …… DIVA !
