Her strength in this performance may in part be due to her own manaagement of her very, very long performing life. She began as a Verdi soprano; when her higher notes started to be difficult, she took a short break then returned to the stage as a great dramatic mezzo; now she using that long knowledge of her own acting/singing prowess to bring superior life to a great Sondheim character. Brava Regina!
Right! She even sang Butterfly (soprano too). She SINGS so effortlessly,and brings the character. Bows to all glorious actresses,but mezzos/altos have conductors and orchestra with them and this makes,well,almost-aria. 🥰
She is the only opera singer on record who sang soprano, mezzo soprano, and contralto during the course of her career. Nothing stops this woman. She was very wise, many sopranos become stronger in their lower registers as they age but they don't train that part of their voice, so as their higher register weakens, they have nothing to fall back on. Regina was smart and continued to train as her voice changed. She went from a beautiful soprano to a brilliant baritone!
Hermione Gingold, who originated this role, was of course sensational... but Resnik makes it her own... and how wonderful to hear Sondheim's exquisite 'Liaisons' actually SUNG!
A magnificent, standard-setting performance, with a real sense of character and period. But there is more. I see not just a survivor--there is that--but someone trapped in memories, mourning a lost world, and at a loss in coping with the present. That is poignant enough, but this is also a character who cannot comprehend her daughter's (or anyone's) pursuit of love over material things. That is this character's tragedy, and it takes consummate skill to convey that, as she did. Dazzling.
Now THIS is an artist!! She knows exactly how to deiver a line for maximum impact. And what a musician, using her (now) baritonal voice subtly. Nothing overdrawn, everything in perfect control. Sings the right notes (!) but doesn't oversing them, and makes you believe, for once, that Mme. Armfeldt really had been a seductive femme fatale. Glorious! Vivat Regina!
Vocally, certainly, and perhaps dramatically, the definitive performance. Resnik's Madame Armfelt is a compelling woman (not girlish): a demanding courtesan of a century ago, certain of her rarefied allure as a polished gem of desire and great price by equally powerful male royals, long gone too. No word muddled or layer lost. Flawless diction, projection and timbre -- true to her character's breeding. Like a fiery diamond, hard . . . surviving . . . heartbreaking to the end. Magnificent.
@Richiesutherland she is the only opera singer on record who sang soprano, mezzo soprano, and contralto during the course of her career. Nothing stops this woman. She was very wise, many sopranos become stronger in their lower registers as they age but they dont train that part of their voice, so as their higher register weakens, they have nothing to fall back on. Regina was smart and continued to train as her voice changed. She went from a beautiful soprano to a brilliant baritone!
Though Hermione Gingold (B'way) and Margaret Hamilton (tour) each put their distinctive style on the role of Madam Armfeldt, I think opera's Regina Reznick trumps them both in terms of line readings and the fact, even in old age, you believe she could have been the mistress of powerful men in her youth and middle-age. Reznick's mature mezzo dovetails beautifully with the wisdom of this character and the lyrics she sings. Such character! Such musicianship! (She was also excellent in the Lotte Lenya role in the 1987 revival of CABARET). RIP, Great] Lady!
LieslJones59 I agree wholeheartedly!! I remember watching this "LIVE" in NY when it aired and had it recorded on VHS! I had the tape for many years and have since lost it. It was treasured and I am so glad that it is on RU-vid. It is amazing how precious a performance can be, to lose the recording and then to watch it again online! I always thought that Mme. Reznick's performance was outstanding and spectacular!
This is my favorite production of this musical - I really wish they would release it digitally / on dvd. Regina Resnik is beyond outstanding and stole the show from this incredibly talented cast. To say I’ve been obsessed with her performance would be an understatement.
For me, despite never seeing the show (something I am going to do one day!) there will never be a Madame Armfeldt that is as strong, grand and so enchanting as Regina Resnik. Beautiful voice and take on this song
Having (just) seen Mary Beth Piel, but also Elaine Stritch's final performance in the Broadway revival, this stands as, I think, the finest document. Because first, while this was filmed for broadcast, Resnik was tasked with singing in a cavernous theater (designed for dance, and it's never really worked well for opera). The texture of her performance is astounding and I am sure she filled the house all the way up and back. Singular.
Repeated from Troy: She is the only opera singer on record who sang soprano, mezzo soprano, and contralto during the course of her career. Nothing stops this woman. She was very wise, many sopranos become stronger in their lower registers as they age but they don't train that part of their voice, so as their higher register weakens, they have nothing to fall back on. Regina was smart and continued to train as her voice changed. She went from a beautiful soprano to a brilliant baritone! Thank you Troy!!!
@@alandavison327 There is a full broadcast also on RU-vid. It has some noticeable audio delay but honestly not that bad and great from start to finish plus an interview with Sondheim during intermission.
There are so many lovely interpretations of this song by great actresses. Resnik is equally wonderful. I love hearing the richness of her voice in the song. And still, she retains the wit and the elongated sensuality that the song requires. Pure elegance.
Resnick was always magnificent, whatever she undertook. A very wise artist! I actually saw Margaret Hamilton as Mme. Armfeldt in Chicago with Jean Simmons in the lead. Hamilton put her own spin on the character and the song, which she performed not seated but before a drawn curtain with an ornate cane. She was riveting! Many years before I met her at the Muny in St. Louis where she was essaying, what else, the Wicked Witch! Before an 11,000 audience nightly! She was so tiny, very much a school teacher in demeanor (she had been a kindergarten teacher), very calm, very sociable and clearly of shining intelligence. What a thrill to meet her and talk with her before she left for her home and a light dinner. Her escort was a very handsome and attentive young man. She was at this point very old. Magic, I decided that evening, does not age.
I would have given anything to see Margaret Hamilton onstage. Truly an underrated talent and personally I think she should have gotten an oscar for the Wizard of Oz.
I too saw Jean Simmons and Margaret Hamilton, but at the late Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles. Both were wonderful, magnificent. Regina Resnik I saw twice, as the Countess in Tchaikovsky's QUEEN OF SPADES, first at the old Metropolitan Opera House and then some years later in San Francisco.
Once in a while you can experience real magic in the theatre. This is one time in this musical. A truly professional and magic performance is played here by resnik
Stunning! I've seen Angela Lansbury and Lila Kedrova give brilliant performances, but this is just so well "phrased". It also reminded me how good Hugh Wheeler's "book" is. Thank you for posting this.
The writing has such economy--short phrases speak volumes about the tensions in their relationship. Also true of "Glamorous Life" (original, not the movie version).
This memorable recording has of course received additional views of late, in the wake of the recent revival of the musical - last public performance tonight, 1/8/10. Soon, later, now, all we will have are such recordings upon which to recollect and attach whatever feelings it brings to us and we bring to it.
Playing around a little with the order. Liaisons comes well before the scene with Desiree and Fredrika; that scene leads into the first act finale, A Weekend in the Country.
I saw Ms. Resnik once live - around 1980 as Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus at San Diego (with Sutherland and Sills - another story). Despite being a noticeably small woman (think Judy Garland), she was absolutely riveting on stage. She had such presence that you could not take your eyes off her - even when she was seemingly doing notice! I have seen several Mme. Arfeldts (including Glynis Johns - the original Desiree) but none have equalled Resnik. She really SINGS the role and, as a former great Carmen, you get the sense that she could really have been the most desired woman in Europe in her heyday. The other one I would have like to have seen is Sian Phillips in London (most well known as Livia in the I Claudius series).
you know, I was friendly with Regina for about 40 years and she was never as tiny as Judy...she was a good sturdy average or better height...although the rest of what you say is absolutely true. One could not take their eyes off her on stage. She was one of the greatest talents of the 20th century. Wonderful.
Repeated from Troy: She is the only opera singer on record who sang soprano, mezzo soprano, and contralto during the course of her career. Nothing stops this woman. She was very wise, many sopranos become stronger in their lower registers as they age but they don't train that part of their voice, so as their higher register weakens, they have nothing to fall back on. Regina was smart and continued to train as her voice changed. She went from a beautiful soprano to a brilliant baritone!
This is a really splendid performance! I adored Herminy Gingold, whom I saw and delighted in in the original production which I saw at least twice. I never thought I would see a better, but I am happily surprised to find I was wrong. Among numerous things that Regine Resnik does so rapturously well, there is the fact that in the formidable remain of her once great voice she finds a way to use her dark, rich chest voice to fill out this haunting melody as no one else ever could. She has a unique ability to keep the words not merely so clearly heard while singing, but so meticulously well-inflected and precise in their meaning, just as much so if she were simply speaking. So in Resnik's performance, you get both Sondheim's evocative tune and his touching and often very funny lyrics, as well.
@scottishphotographer Sondheim asked Resnik to sing the song - she is an opera singer and every other actress who played this part really couldn't sing! Regina Resnik is terrific.
It will sure be a change of pace from the wholesome roles Miss Lansbury is known for. Then again, she debuted in Gaslight as a saucy maid... Can't wait to see it!
Regina is the definition of having stage presence and commanding an audience. Her performance here is magical, at some points even hypnotic. Masterclass work. May she rest in peace !!
How nice to see Miss Resnick and hear her sing this. I think both Gingold and Resnick do good things with this song as their vocal and acting talents compel. (I haven't heard other interpretations to comment on them.) I'm glad that we have both versions.
Wir ander Wiener Staatsoper hatten sie so geliebt. Eben hatte ich im Morgenjounal gehört, dass sie vor kurzer Zeit verstorben ist. Wir werden sie nie vergessen!
