To the LADY who introduced me to the great pleasures of bel canto and and the glories of mezzo - I wish you so many continuing wonderful years. I have been one of your most grateful fans for about 40 years. How happy we all are for you, Marilyn. Happy Birthday.
When I was singing full-time in the 70s & 80's in new york, I was able to be a masterclass student with a variety of major singers - Sam Ramy, Roberta Peters, Joan Sutherland, Jerry Hadley, Beverly Sills & Marilyn Horne & many more. I was one of Marilyn's regular master class singers - I learned the absolute most from her. We became quite friendly and I knew her more as Jackie. I was fortunate enough to move to Santa Barbara quite a few years ago and have spent as much time as I could with her for the past 30yrs every Summer at the Music Academy of the West. A classy lady, an amazing talent, and one of the most lovely people I've ever known.
I saw Marilyn Horne and Montserrat Caballe plus Samuel Ramey In 1981 in Paris it was a splendid performance since that I fell in love with that great ,charming an awfully talented woman same class of that of Callas,Sutherland Sills !!!
I had the honor of meeting Ms. Horne at the reception following the Met Opera Guild Tribute to Dame Joan Sutherland in 2011. She hosted the event at Town Hall and was most gracious, indeed. Personal reminiscences aside, she was the greatest bel canto mezzo of the 20th century. Today, no one can touch her.
WOW! What a fabulous celebration video. My life has been enriched by the exquisite artistic majesty of Marilyn Horne and the late Joan Sutherland. I have LOTS of your CDs in my opera collection, and they are my traveling music. I tease my wife by designing our trips as an "x-number" of operas. I cannot count the times I've listened to the two of you, especially the aria "Mira, O Norma" which brings tears to my eyes for its soaring beauty; I never tire of listening to it. It has been my privilege to attend two operatic concerts (both in Atlanta, GA), one for Dame Joan Sutherland and one for Luciano Pavarotti. My dream was to attend one for you, Marilyn, and one for Jessie Norman. I haven't managed that, but the CD world has provided wonderful opportunities to hear your fabulous voices. Thank goodness for You Tube videos that allow your fans to see and hear you. Happy belated birthday and I'm rooting for you to make 90, why not 100! God bless you.
My favorite non-operatic soprano ever is Barbara Cook, and my favorite mezzo of all time in Marilyn, whom I met after a concert in St. Paul in the late 70s. She couldn't have been sweeter, and when I got home I realized she had signed my program. I was so starstruck I hadn't noticed she had done that while I was speaking to her. What a delight to see all these great stars saluting Ms Horne. May she live to be 100!
Suth Pav unfortunately she now has an inept assistant who has kept my program I kindly asked to get her autograph for 14 months. Even saw him last night. Promised to get it to me at my hotel the next day. Did he? Nope. Sadly the only copy of that program I had from 1990.
I agree with everything you wrote Diana.....as usual.....except that I might call Marilyn Horne a coloratura CONTRALTO .....but she was absolutely WONDERFUL ..... Of course I admire all of her fabulous Bel Canto singing....(and the Handel)(and many other things she did) but I can't help but remember how DRAMATIC and satisfying her AZUCENA in Trovatore was..... She really could do just about anything....Stravinsky.....Strauss.....Modern works of all sorts and Baroque.....and just about everything in between. How very lucky we all were to have her!!
I met Marilyn Horn at a concert at which she performed, and asked if she would sign my Carmen libretto for a fellow Pennsylvanian. She said she would be most happy to do so. She was very pleasant to meet with grace and courtesy . . . plus she did a most excellent job in the concert; furthermore, as she was leaving after signing all the autographs, she gave everyone a “goodnight” and left the building. The operatic greats left some big shoes for the up and comings to fill. I hope there are some youngsters, who have the drive and dedication to reach their heights and quality of work.
Beautiful video! Happy birthday, Jackie Horne. I'm sure Sutherland and Pavarotti would want to be here if they were still alive. Goodness, your voice sounds like you can still sing Rossini. Horne was the greatest coloratura mezzo of our time. That is well known. She had out sing just about everyone except La Stupenda. And aren't we lucky the two of them are good friends. Two beautiful voices, two wonderful personalities. I only wish Horne had sang some opera in this video. Or at least "Beautiful Dreamer"... I see a lot of people in the audience. And I'm sure they paid a lot of money to be there. So did anyone sing opera in this video? Bravissima!
Great speech by Horne always the cheerful communicator. Very interesting the body language of the opera soloists surrounding her especial when she mentions Sutherland. And what is Barbara Cook nearest sweet. The tears came for Horne when speaking to her sister in the audience.
As an Australian I find it so nice that Marilyn acknowledges Sutherland the way she does. But I have to say that Marilyn Horne is second to nobody and in the mezzo range was every bit as great as Dame Joan. They were one of the great vocal parterships of all time and the way their voices melded in recordings like Norma etc. is simply breath-taking.
Have you ever seen the videos of them in concert together? I think its the 90s, but I'm not sure. I'm also not sure if they are still out there. They did a lot of musical theatre duets. Search for it! You won't be disappointed!
I lost it at the end of this. Such a beautiful tribute to one of the greatest ever, and how nice to see Mr. Ramey gracefully escorting la grande dame off the stage. So touching.
DE LAS MAS GRANDES EN TODOS LOS SENTIDOS........UNA GRAN VOZ.....IMPOSIBLE DE IGUALAR..........EN UNA TESITURA ESPECTACULAR...Y PODEROSA...CON SENTIMIENTOS FUERA DE ESTE MUNDO.......UNA MUJER ARTISTA SUPERVALIOSA.........UNA PASADA......Y OTRO MITO PARA LA HISTORIA.......
I heard a recording of her singing mon coure(sp) s'ouvre a ta voix, hitting the octave leap at the end with much perfection. She was as talented as a soprano as well as a mezzo.
Ms. Horne I happened to meet and feel your voice when I bought a vinyl where you appeared singng CARMEN (DECCA). I still enjoy your way of singing. God bless you Records, CD's, DVD's will remain as a reference for people who do not know you. From Santiago of Chile (July 2014)
Luis Montecinos Oh My God! I found that record at a Salvation Army thrift store. Up until then, the Rise Stevens' version was the only CARMEN I would listen to. But, I can GUARANTEE you that I have played the DECCA Marilyn Horne version way, WAY more times than the person who owned it before me! !SALUD!
Its very sad because Barbara Cook said that she was planning her 90th birthday in this video but it didnt happen because she died two months before her 90th birthday. A very beautiful tribute to two greatest artists Marilyn Horne and Barbara Cook(1927-2017)
One of my buddies just recently was caring for his dying mother. She had a book of opera, which he gave to me because he and his wife are American Idol fans, if you know what I mean! There was note in the book in his mother’s handwriting: “Mezzo Samson and Delilah.” I sent him the Marilyn Horne video, he played it for his dying mom, and she said, “That’s EXACTLY who I was thinking of, but I couldn’t remember her name.”
Barbara Cook is one of the most important Broadway Sopranos of all times the first Cunegonde in Candide and Marian Paroo in Music Man among others. Sghe could have sang in the Met after Candide but chose to stay onBroadway. She and Horne sang together in 2002 in a Carnegie Hall concert andmany other times and they have been friends for decades as Sarah said.Barbara sang at the Met in 2006 and now she is still singing in concerts and Cabares at 86.
I wonder if she knew my uncles, the Salvucci brothers, in Bradford? They owned a food store on Main Street after the war. Bradford was such a great little "Wonderful LIfe" kind of town. Marilyn Horne could sing, and did sing everything, with such innate musicality and astonishing technique that she is on the dais with the Giants. Her Rückert lieder were as stunning as her Händel and Bellini. Everything was on the same stupefying level of artistry!
What happened to Henry Lewis? Is there still a NJ Symphony? Time cannot wither nor custom stale her infinite variety...met her years ago...always "at home ", affable, genuine...redefined the word "grace"
Maybe Renee Fleming but I dont know.When she was young Barbara Cook sang the high E flat but of course she cant sing this now. So Fleming was the soprano there.
SBAdventures The day Deborah sings an E Flat is the day I... I've got nothing. But it's very unlikely that it's Debby Voight. She's never really sung anything above an high C. Renee Fleming, however, has been recorded singing up to a G6.
