Sumi Jo and Strauss seem to compliment each other . She's surely one of the greatest sopranos ever . As already said , she knows exactly what her performance is about , regarding her visual appeal .
As you say - great, great singer. But also an accomplished actress. She's using the dress as a prop to support her coquetish style which suits the song to a T. Sumi has rehearsed all this including the dress - it's part of the act & exceedingly effective. Anyway, I love her, I think we all do so what!!!!!
The story is she isn't supposed to be there ...she is in disguise (everyone is pretending to be someone else at this party) ....and she gets caught by her boss (she is just a maid) its a bit like cinderella except the marquis is a drunkard and a dick ruining everything ...she gets the better of him though .....she is clever but here she is laughing nervously ...trying to convince him he is mad ...adele tells her boss the marquis he is obsessed with this girl who is his maid and he is paranoid and drunk...'You see her image everywhere'...and says no one like her could be a chamber maid ...and she scorns him...but she is also quite nervous ...under the spunkiness ...she says 'look at my hands etc' 'look at my pretty face' ...i am a lady! 'your mind is full of her vision ..you see her face in me'. Adele is pretending to be an actress ...and it ends up that she actually gets a rich guy (the prince who held the party) to finance her acting career even tho she never intended to be an actress
Sumi n'avait que 31 ans à cette date, sa sublime voix était déjà établie, sa virtuosité inégalée, sa beauté, sa grâce et son charme de femme Asiatique, tout était déjà présent !!! un vrai trésor, adorable Sumi !!!
I used to sing this aria in that key. Its harder than it sounds. The high ds at the end aren't the hardest its getting the runs just before them clear and even ...then the legato on the 'mein herr marquis'...plus on a lesser note ..the acting ..it has to sound effortless ..a little like laughing fluttery nervous..but still classical legato singing with control ....its hard also if i remember correctly ...TRILLS i think there is ONE ENTIRE RUN IN A TRILL ...gosh i can't believe i did that HOW DID I DO THAT? . I did it for exams. Was fun though :)
oh love the B. some people can hit it but its not pretty. i loved this! and ye, Adele was always fiddling with something, to go along with her jeune innocence. But... the tie? Ah, well, whatever helps her get into character.
I'm with you, it's a distraction, especially when she needs nothing except her voice...wow! Fiddling with her dress coming onto the stage was wierd! I thought she had torn it or something as she walked past one of the instruments!? Her voice needed no fan!
What she's holding in her hands is the cummerbund from some man's tuxedo... I can't imagine why she has it. Maybe the fiddling with the dress was her trying to get it out of some hidden pocket? Very distracting, I agree, but beautifully sung.
She goes on trying to convince him she is a russian countess who is an actress .....but he is also not who he seems so she reminds him ...that he is concealing his identity..its sort of like a german bawdy farce...she gets his opera glasses out ..and makes him look at her its quite a touchy feely performance ...she grabs him a lot ..pushes him about a lot (she is his maid so its funny and role reversal)..also they are all meant to be pissed and confused ..so it maybe represents a wild party
Whos' Monique Brynnel(42 subscribers). There are thousands sopranos singing this tune. My favourites performances by distance are Carla Mafioletti and Patricia janeckova.
@dustangelanderson - it's a pretty strange looking fan (in this video)! But do you know if holding a fan is part of traditional staging, or if it's in the actual performance notes?
Amazing interpretation! Horrible dress! Love Sumi Jo! My first opera was seeing her sing the Queen of the Night Aria at LA opera. She is a consummate diva.
She could perform better! It is not in the excellence, just moderate to be frankly. I feel disgusted to see her facial expression, not natural and not in alignment with the operatic theme.
