La Freni is/was amazing! This obsession with size of voice, too big , too small, wrong casting..etc. She did the work. She put herself out there, She has the talent. She sang the roles, with her voice. She never claimed to be anything. She just did her job. Did it to the best of her ability ( which is quite an amazing amount of ability...). Some days were great, some not so great....just like the rest of us. It's OK to have an opinion, we all do. But remember these performers go onstage and give everything they have/had. They worked hard and put themselves in a very vulnerable position. Just respect it.
+Carlos Archuleta Well yes and no. I personally think Freni does very well here, and I agree that we should respect her and other performers. But I also think the performers have a duty to respect the composers of the music they think - and if someone out of personal vanity or a desire for economical gain or some other reason elects to sing something for which their voice is obviously not suited - such as Netrebko singing both bel canto repertoire that is too light for her and Lady Macbeth which is too heavy - I think it is fair enough to point this out. What I cannot stand in these online debates however is someone critisizing a performer because he or she doesn't sound like someone else. That is just plain ridiculous. Go ahead and critisize, but do base it on what Mr. X or Mme. Y actually DOES, instead of what they DON'T do ( = sound like someone else).
I totally agree with you. Comparing singers will always be absolutely subjective and can never be scientifically justified. Such critics are always comparable to the pedantic Sixtus Beckmesser from Wagner's 'Meistersinger'.
One of the things about Freni - is that if this is what the recording sounded like, this is what it sounded like in the theater. I heard her live twice and that was what amazed me. There wasn't a word or note that you couldn't hear.
The unconscionable bashing of Freni here, is the sort of thing that makes a lot of people think that opera fans are small, stupid and cruel. For myself, I will never forget an evening at the Met in NY for Verdi's DON CARLO. She was Elisabetta, her husband was Phillip, Domingo was Carlo, Milnes was Roderigo, and Troyanos was Eboli. It was one of the most memorable nights of all my opera going. And in all the times I've since seen DON CARLO, no one has given the role the dignity and poignancy of Freni. I'm sure this marks me in the minds of some who've opined here as naive.
wow i absolutely love this opera & this film! could you please please post the end of it?? that'd be great!! thanks so much for the videos you posted already.
Mirella Freni is very good as Desdemona. I have not seen this movie, but I have seen the performance of hers as Desdemona from La Scala in 1976 with Domingo as Othello and I liked her a lot!Can not wait to watch her in some other role (ok, let me confess that I will watch her as Mimi 😂).By the way, I heard that she is amazing as Mimi!❤️
This must have been done for a film? Is it available on DVD? When she sings, "Guarda le primi lagrime" and " Ah io sono l'innocente cagion" It was as if she had ripped my heart out, so wonderfully moving singing and acting from an imcomprable star. The world would be the poorer had this not be captured for all time. I'm still crying over it. Grazie, grazie assai per questo dolce dono Signore.
I forgot 2 other roles that I will see her in: Marguerite in Faust (1975 Paris with Nicolai Gedda as Faust )and as Aida (1987 Houston Texas with Domingo as Radames).
the tosca in 1978 with pavarotti was actually very good.- It would have been a hard role for her on stage. I disagree with your comments regarding stamina. Her performance in Don Carlo in 1983 showed trememdous stamina. Why are we arguing? This woman has had one of the greatest careers any soprano could ever wish for. It lasted over 40 years and spanned many roles successfully and she preserved her voice for a very long time.
she sang forza on recording and it was not very good. I thought she was outstanding in Don Carlo and saw it at the Met twice. Manon Lescaut was good, Adriana Lecouvrer was very good. Her Desdemona was also good although I have heard better. Her recordings of Butterfly and Tosca were very good although those roles would likely not have been suitable live. We seem to agree more than we originally anticipated
i dont understand people who feel the need to bash great artists of this caliber it seems to me they do it to provoque, perhaps they are 12 year old children left unsupervised by their parents, please go back to your mickey mouse cartoons and let us enjoy the finer things in life lol
vickers si conferma uno dei più grandi Otello del secolo passato, la Frani, con un organo vocale assai privilegiato resta distante dalla grande interpretazione della Scotto, ad onta di una linea vocale meno rifinita
+Francesco Ponti 1) Who cares about Scotto when discussing Freni? If you don't like Freni's interpretation, please tell us so based on what she DOES; isntead of what she DOESN'T do ( = sound like Scotto). 2) It doesn't matter how great Scotto may be able to colour this or that phrase when her tortured voice makes her sound like a shrieking cat!
+MadonnaImperia Gentile Signora, 1) questo tono aggressivo lo riservi per le partite di calcio, io non amo i tifosi nel football, figuriamoci nella lirica. 2) ho sufficientemente spiegato, in due post, le ragioni della mia preferenza, può essere d'accordo o meno, ma sicuramente può essere più educata 3) per essere più chiaro: ho detto che la Freni canta divinamente, sicuramente meglio della Scotto, ma la mia preferenza va all'interpretazione, più che alla linea vocale, per identico motivo preferisco la brutta voce di Vickers allo stupefacente organo di Del Monaco 4) Le rispondo in Italiano perchè Lei mi ha scritto in inglese, lingua che conosco ( colpevolmente) poco.
How ridiculous and rude- Her development as a soprano was enormous. Her performances in Bocanegra, Onegin and Don Carlo were outstanding. Granted she was not effective in Aida, Forza and Ernani. You are forgetting Mimi in your list of acceptable roles for her- I cannot imagine that you are not even going to acknowledge her mastery of that role. Who is it that you like so much that leaves you threatened by admitting that Freni was a great star?
what a crazy opinion lol Freni has been the class act of soprano singing for 4 decades, evidently you are a fan of big voiced german singers the type that yell and squack like crazed African Hyenas, to each its own if that is your cup of tea go listen to them, leave us admirers of great singing with our untouchable Mirella, an artist who understands every aspect of the music and doesn't pander to circus freaks fanatics lol
