Great suicide aria

[Lilas Pastia]

There is a Brünnhilde Immolation thread, which prompted me to ponder how particularly moving and effective the sacrifice of life becomes when accompanied by gorgeous melody and high drama.

Some are deservedly famous and popular, such as Norma's own immolation scene, Aida's live entombment, Gioconda's bitter farewell to life, Butterfly's hara-kiri and Tosca's leaping from the ramparts, but there are also more obscure ones that deserve a mention. A particular favourite is Gounod's Sapho, where the heroine tragically renounces life after being abandoned by her lover Phaon. As the opera ends she sings the great aria Ô Ma lyre immortelle, at the end of which she jumps offf a cliff and drowns in the raging sea below (beautiful sea imagery by Gounod).

Once popular and regularly heard, this gorgeously melodic piece has more or less vanished from the concert scenes. Marilyn Horne championed it throughout her long carreer. Recently, bulgarian mezzo Veselina Kasarova has made the piece her own, singing it in concert and on disc on many occasions. Great exponents of the part include Régine Crespin, Rita Gorr, Caballé, Grace bumbry and Viorica Cortez. Those familiar with voice types and the names I mention will notice what a diverse assemblage this seems to be. With good reason. Sapho was written by Gounod for Pauline Viardot, daughter of Manuel garcia and sister of Marie Malibran. Viardot was one of the greatest exponents of the falcon voice. The role's wide tessitura sits mostly in the medium, but calls for a particularly wide range. Viardot created the roles of Fidès (Le Prophète), Orphée in Berlioz' reworking of Gluck's tenor role, as well as Saint-Saens' Dalila. That kind of dark coloured dramatic soprano voice seldom finds good exponents. Callas would have been a natural for the role but alas, she never sang it. Younger artists such as Marion Seidl and Janka Jovanovic have given it a go, but the results are mixed, to say the very least. I doubt that emulating the glories of yore or of today was the intent behind these curious efforts. Still, it gives the ol' warhorse some welcome exposure.

It's a slow aria. The melodic line is continuous. Perfect breath control and impeccable legato are indispensable to bind the long arches of melody and wide leaps seamlessly. Orchestration is simple yet eloquent. Listen how effectively harp, oboe and timpani create mental images to supply the needed context. As the aria progresses and Sapho's despair grows, harmonies change and some amazing dissonances and chromaticism invade the musical texture.

The text is particularly beautiful. It's of course hard for non-french speaking artists to articulate cleanly, but that almost becomes secondary to the outpouring of glorious melody and high drama of the music. To hear it sung perfectly over a beautifully enunciated text, Régine Crespin has no equal. Still, I find her slightly too regal. Sapho was a poetess, a passionate woman, not a queen like Dido or Cleopatra, but the sheer creaminess of the voice is impossible to resist. (Caveat: there's another Crespin clip, from 1958 where she is not as good and the sound is distorted). Whatever your interest is for textual awareness, here's a link to the words (French with English translation as well as verse by verse analysis) that will make the aria easier to follow: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1947994/saphos_o_ma_lyre_immortelle_soaked.html?cat=33 .

There are some good samples on Youtube. The classic account is Crespin's under Jesus Etcheverry (1961), and there are other quite remarkable ones. Horne under Lawrence Foster is much more involved and dramatic if less smoothly vocalized than in her previous rendition under Henry Lewis. This much later one shows some loose ends in the vocal armoury, but slightly frazzled Horne still qualifies as singing of the first magnitude. To my ears it's one of the best. Kasarova and Viorica Cortez are also worthy of attention. The latter in particular is sung with extraordinary vocal beauty. Of special interest is Caballé' clip. Everything is distorted, the whole thing becoming a perversely fascinating vocal portrayal of perfervid intensity. Given the dramatic context, it works even though it shouldn't. Kasarova immerses herself in the heroine's plight with alarming fervor - to the point where vocal beauty is willingly sacrificed. Mirella Freni once said that some roles should be avoided, because extreme emotional involvement is a danger to the voice. Kasarova almost seems to pose for the gallery, but I detect real love for this extraordinary music, not just the standard diva stock posturing. Another very moving example is a belgian TV clip featuring the great Rita Gorr (belgian mezzo). Lousy picture quality, but setting the singer on a beach (where the opera's last scene actually takes place) was an obvious choice. That it's a windy, barren North Sea beach instead of a sun-drenched Aegean one doesn't really make a difference. Gorr sings splendidly. Her acting is simple and effective. As could be expected, the orchestral support is routine. One of Gorr's most memorable perfomances, on a par with her Ortrud and Isolde.

Here are those I recommend listening:

- Horne http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkE_lzXI6sM&feature=related

Horne http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkE_lzXI6sM&feature=related:
Kasarova: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB75tcVKd48
Crespin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRN4zCsi9yk
Caballé: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtLky5rUb3o&feature=related
Cortez: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoIrpTKLutM&playnext=1&list=PLD021AE014CACD4A7
Gorr (with video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNTNl3WICGs&playnext=1&list=PLF3666B9DBA0E8612

On cd, those that are readily available include Kasarova (better sung than in the above video, with particularly impressive exploitation of the numerous changes in voice registers, always a treacherous hurdle for less that perfectly trained voices) - Bumbry (very good), Kozena on DG, in a superb program which has more appeal as a whole than in its individual part - Ô ma lyre is emotionally watered down and slightly underpowered vocally (compare with Gorr's glorious expansion of volume in the high range and voluptuous descents in the contralto range). I haven't heard Denyce Graves, an underrated, beautifully endowed and tasteful mezzo who seems to have had a rather brief carreer. The Crespin - Etcheverry disc is also available and a must for fans of the singer or of little-known french opera arias.

[knight66]

Andre, a very interesting write-up. I have Bumbry, she is good, but a bit generalised and unvaried in tone. I like the Gorr, though she can be rather formidable in her approach. I have her in a Cluytens French recital and her Delilah would have Samson hiding under the bed. In this Gounod however she does sing with some tenderness. But, Crespin is on another level of expression. I don't usually enjoy her singing, but did very much here, so thanks for linking it.

It is a pity that Francoise Pollet did not record this aria when she was in good voice. I have her Erato disc of French arias and this would have fitted her exceptionally well.

Turning to a different suicide piece: cantata rather than aria. Berlioz's scène lyrique 'La mort de Cléopâtre'. For a long time I have enjoyed Janet Baker, adding Jessye Norman. But for an exceptional frisson, here is Ewa Podles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lasa3OfxaPQ

All three videos are now available to complete the piece. For a long time only part one sat on Youtube.

Right from the opening phrase she grabs attention. A voice with a lot of chest tone; she does attain the top notes. Two weeks ago I heard Anna Caterina Antonacci sing the piece live under Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She simply did not have the heft to penetrate the orchestral textures, though they conspired to bring it to an arresting conclusion; the struck double bases savagely drilling their sound out to us. There is a disc of this combination of artists and closely miked, Antonacci may well deliver rather better on her good intentions.

The sheer scale of Podles' voice gives her a little trouble in negotiating some phrases, but she packs a punch. Norman is all regality and Baker inhabits a passionate womanly approach with elements of fury and disdain. 

Here is the first half of that Baker performance with Gibson, a very able accompanist here. In the second part, she pulls off a wonderful effect with her final phrase as she empties out her tone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jyh1PNZXr4

How do they compare in terms of their French Andre?

Mike

[Lilas Pastia]

Mike, this is especially interesting. I was there at the Lanaudière festival when Podles sang - that night was a Rossini recital though. She was a great favourite of Montreal audiences and conductor Dutoit. Which brings me to reflect with much melancholy to those Dutoit years when real music was made. The video clearly shows how every player was attentive and playing with huge commitment. What a decline since then. The interregnum of almost three years was enough to discomfit  audiences and adversely affect the level of playing.

Back to Cléopâtre. I have a problem with the work, and as in many Berlioz vocal works, it's the text that's at fault. Berlioz the firebrand, the modernist revolutionary was an arch-conservative at heart. He invariably chose pompous, flowery prose of the kind that gives a bad name to theatre and poetry. Reading this today is very difficult to understand, let alone appreciate. It's like reading the King James Bible, even though the texts are some two centuries younger !

My favourite Berlioz aria is Marguerite's famous D'amour l'ardente flamme. If you know french, even just a little, you'll have trouble making any sense of that first phrase. That's because the structure used is that of the old, classical declamation familiar from the Racine and Corneille plays. The habit of inverting phrase sections, as in: "D'amour l'ardente flamme" is maddening. Litterally it reads "Of love, the consuming fire consumes my fine days" instead of the more comprehensible "The consuming fire of love burns my youth away". And so on and so forth. Cléopâtre is littered with such flowery, antiquated phraseology.  Victor Hugo, who was a Berlioz contemporary was incredibly modern and direct in comparison, even though he became famous for writing novels of rather extraordinary lengths, rarely under 500 pages of dense descriptions and inordinately long asides (as in Les Misérables, his most famous tome). Even today though, people read Hugo's prose with relish. In comparison, two pages of stuff like Vieillard's text to Berlioz' great Scène lyrique are hard to swallow.

The music, of course is an entirely different proposition. One of Berlioz' unique outpourings of high romanticism allied to amazingly effective expression, it is a direct link straight from the spirit of Gluck. I've compared Podles and Baker (thanks for the links) but will wait until I have heard Véronique Gens, Yvonne Minton, Jessye Norman and Kasarova before commenting further. Hint: Baker and Podles couldn't possibly be more different ! 

[knight66]

André,

Thanks for that. The Berlioz piece is a great favourite of mine and I imagine my less than rudimentary French is almost an advantage here. To my ear a lot of the flowery phrases are grateful to sing, as set by him, including what lies in that Faust aria. I had connected to the hieratic declamatory tradition of Racine. I have read and heard him in translation and then heard part of Phedre in French. It was fine in English, but certainly that declamation worked much better in French. I know no Corneille.

Although I have read nothing that confirms it; I also feel that style was fed through by Cocteau into the narration within Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex. It never works as well in English. Indeed as the rest of the text is in Latin, why else insert the narration in French unless it is to savour the declamation of it? I know the Latin was a distancing technique, but comparing the French and then English versions, the French wins hands down by the way it can be flung out to the audience.

Back to Berlioz. Right through my younger life, so many texts provided various problems; so I had no trouble swallowing the Berlioz by the time I got to it. But as a native French speaker, I take your point. With reference to Racine, Norman catches that, so does Podles. But Baker takes the character and ensures she comes across as human rather than mythic. I enjoy all three approaches.

In its turn, what Berlioz wrote grew out of both Gluck and Handel. The latter's Lucrezia cantata or scena allows a similar 20 minutes of monologue as the character goes through a range of emotions, then commits suicide. There is a famous Baker recording of this piece; here is Hunt Lieberson, also superb. I am not clear the entire piece is on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEQIwK0pSws&feature=related

Kozena has also recorded the piece, with Minkowsky; as may be supposed, they shave a minute or two off the timing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jr8qjdOQO8&feature=related

That does not mean it is more dramatic. Hunt Lieberson uses the extra elbow room intelligently.

Mike

[Lilas Pastia]

Great follow up, Mike ! There's nothing like developing and branching out into what is, after all, communal territory. No composer was ever an absolute original. When researching this, I read "originality is the art of concealing one's sources". Very clever and very true.

Back to Sapho: here's a clip that simply defines perfect enunciation and diction allied to a flowing singing line: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io9cFkFnqWI: hear how perfectly clear Anne-Sophie Schmidts' consonants come out in this clip - even better than Gorr or Crespin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io9cFkFnqWI . Schmidt - despite her last name is French, and her diction is above that of her illustrious peers - although there's no doubt denying that hers is a lighter voice. Which brings me neatly to the comparison betwen Podles and Baker 

Both ladies are marvellously endowed, with a totally different vocal equipment. It's well known that Podles - unique since Horne ? - is that rare bird that happily  inhabits the rarified deep contralto range and the the true falcon territory where much of Rossini's coloratura lies. Indeed, Podles and Horne's repertoire often overlap, and much of the difference lies in timbre and vocal. When it comes to comparisons to s;ightly mpore agile and lighter voices (Janet Baker), it  mostly comes down to vocal 'face', and stylistic (composer) adequation. Forget about chest voice, low or high range. Both ladies can enthrall audiences in their performances. At this point of extraordinary  level of personality, it all becomes personal and subjective.

In terms of their french language proficiency, both divas sound good enough, but there's no denying that Podles' french is better-schooled and more proficient than Baker's. Sometimes it's a matter of real understanding of the text, sometimes it's those semi-vowels that come out better with Podles,. At other times the text articulation sounds more natural with Baker. In short: in terms of sound, the text comes out better with Baker. In terms of feeling and articulation (phraselology), Podles has no peer. Watching Podles keep close eye contact with Dutoit at crucial moments, while absolutely inhabiting the text at other times, makes me feel Cléopâtre has found a particularly 'human' interpreter. In comparison Baker, though lighter in voice, sounds more regal - even though supremely feminine.

It's a close call. But as a review, I'd keep Baker for the long term, 'true reflection of the composer and his era' , and Podles for a more individual, modern incarnation of womanhood. Eventually, one comes to terms with one's own evolution between these two poles. Traditionally, the motherly conception has held   sway (most famously Frickas's moral dominance over Sieglinde and Brünnhilde). Nowadays, one feels free to express a personal opinion in the subjecr.

At this stage of my life I can appreciate the virtues and mores of both. The trend vers towards Podles but,  as more entries are factored in,  the rarity of Podles'
very special endowment and artistry wil  make themselves felt.
(*)

(*) Skata, - sh..t - merde ! I can't figure out how to insert an url into another word. It used to be second nature. Now I feel so obsolete 

[zamyrabyrd]

Thanks so much for these posts and links. With the libretto and analysis on screen, all there was to do was sit back and enjoy!!! Caballé is astonishing in the "O ma lyre", like it was written for her. (I wonder if Gencer recorded this.) Someone had complaints about Horne's pitch but I didn't hear anything amiss, also very convincing. I am a known fan of Crespin, "not in spite of her sometime faults but because of them". What comes through is the integrity of the aria together with individuality of each singer.

Suicide arias must be fewer for men than women in opera, as it implies an admission of weakness. Only Othello comes to mind here.  I was always fascinated by the correlation of this portrayal of women in films of the 1930's-50's - the descent into madness (Sunset Boulevard) or suicide (Waterloo Bridge, Red Shoes).

ZB

[knight66]

Andre,

Again, thanks. I am about to go off for a few days, I will listen to the links when I get back. YouTube is such a gift in bringing us so many otherwise hard to nail performances.

Nice to get a French speaker's take on non-French singers. I always get the impression that Norman and Barbara Hendricks both do well in the language, but of course, it is merely an impression for me.

There is the Britten cantata Phaedra. I don't know it at all well or whether it was specifically influenced by Racine. For sure it is in that Handel..Haydn..Berlioz line.

I think anyone following the discussion will gain insight into at least why some of us do end up with 10 versions of specific works. Is it heretical to suggest that there is more variation likely in vocal works than in non-vocal? I am probably quite safe suggesting that here, so few of the Mahler/Shosta guys pass by here.

I have not a clue how to hide a URL behind a word. When one of us finds out, let's tell the other.

ZB, Interesting point over male suicide arias, despite it being more common amongst males in real life. I will have to scrape the bottom of that barrel I call a brain to think of more.....ah....Peter Grimes. I will keep thinking.

Mike

[zamyrabyrd]

Having just listened to Kasarova and Cortez in "O ma lyre", I feel that there is a considerable gap separating them from Caballé, Crespin and Horne with Gorr somewhere in the middle. In spite of her intense facial expressions Kasarova lost me when she flipped the page of the score in front of her shortly before the end. Her vocal quality, not to mention the diction, was very uneven. Cortez had a noticable vibrato that was distracting enough to take attention away from the music.

Of more than curiosity value, Ernestine Schumann-Heink, a true contralto, recorded this aria in 1909.  As for most singers of that era, records were only a dim reflection of what they must have been in concert, but here enough expression comes through the haze of years as a testament to her artistry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOp7ZQ8LoLE

ZB

[Lilas Pastia]

I didn't think much of Schumann-Heink, although the voice is indeed very strong. I thought even less of the antediluvian recording (1909, the same year as Schumann-Heink's) by the french contralto Jeanne Gerville-Réache (1882-1915). Apparently she was a big succcess. The Wiki article mentions that "she possessed a remarkably beautiful voice, an excellent singing technique her voice".  Well, if anyone thinks what one hears on that clip is 'remarkably beautiful', I give up. She inserts breaths all over the singing line, making for a very, very choppy line - the opposite of what is required. And she doesn't take the (written) high B flat at the end. No excuse for declining abilities: she was only 27 at the time. So much for golden age, authenticity and all that.

ZB, I agree that Kasarova's performance may seem cheaply emotional and the singing less than perfectly clean. I was of two minds about that one. In the end I was convinced by her intensity. I have her disc of french arias where she sings Ô ma lyre very cleanly. It's altogether more elegant, although even there one notices an unusual level of emotional involvement. It was her rendering on that disc that alerted me to the fact that this aria is an absolute gem. I then realized I had 3 other versions (Kozena, Bumbry and Crespin) which hadn't left such an impression. Revisiting them before starting this thread, I could appreciate their  individuality, both vocal and histrionic. This is a very seldom heard aria, even though it's by one of the more popular opera composers. It has its share of difficulties (tessitura and language). If a singer performs it - and Crespin, Horne and Kasarova dit it on a regular basis -  it's an indication she cares for the work.

As Mike mentions, you can have 10 takes on a piece of music and it comes out different each time. I haven't come across any reference of Gencer singing it, but if she did, methink she would have had a grand old time with it. Janet Baker would have been great in it too, I think. The tessitura would have been right for her except in her last years.

[zamyrabyrd]

ZB, I agree that Kasarova's performance may seem cheaply emotional and the singing less than perfectly clean. I was of two minds about that one. In the end I was convinced by her intensity. I have her disc of french arias where she sings Ô ma lyre very cleanly. It's altogether more elegant, although even there one notices an unusual level of emotional involvement. It was her rendering on that disc that alerted me to the fact that this aria is an absolute gem. I then realized I had 3 other versions (Kozena, Bumbry and Crespin) which hadn't left such an impression. Revisiting them before starting this thread, I could appreciate their  individuality, both vocal and histrionic. This is a very seldom heard aria, even though it's by one of the more popular opera composers. It has its share of difficulties (tessitura and language). If a singer performs it - and Crespin, Horne and Kasarova dit it on a regular basis -  it's an indication she cares for the work.

As Mike mentions, you can have 10 takes on a piece of music and it comes out different each time. I haven't come across any reference of Gencer singing it, but if she did, methink she would have had a grand old time with it. Janet Baker would have been great in it too, I think. The tessitura would have been right for her except in her last years.

I didn't imply that Kasarova was cheaply emotional. On the contrary, she comes through as very sincere. Maybe in this clip her voice is less than in other recordings she may have made , but here it is not really up to the task. And that is the trouble with "good intentions" in singing.  They don't matter if you don't have the cash at hand.

I also have multiple versions of the same vocal music, like 10 different recordings of Madame Butterfly. Unlike with some instrumental music, I don't settle for a unique respresentative performance.

ZB

[Lilas Pastia]

I know you didn't imply that (re: Kasarova). But I did ! After watching and listening 3-4 times, mentally comparing with the commercial disc, I decided that the facial expressions were genuine and vocal inequalities were the product of concert circumstances.

In the youtube list of singers doing O Ma lyre immortelle, there's a few that are piano-accompanied. Presumably starters and budding concert singers. One of them pleads "be indulgent: it was the last item in the concert". I take that to mean that vocal condition will vary during an evening, and inevitably decline toward the end. Another thought followed: programming is of the essence. I wondered if that singer - (and by extension, Kasarova in this live Athens clip - had programmed their recital intelligently. Certain arias are extremely demanding. I would imagine that this is one of them, with its constant alternation between strong high and low registers demands. Musically it imitates the billowing waves - listen to the alternation between high winds (foaming waves?)  and rolling timpani (the watery abyss?).  Impossible to figure if the composer intended (thought of) the connection, but it's the magic of opera to suggest such links to the listener.

Were you not a bit harsh on Cortez? I thought it perfectly sung - although the high notes perforce sacrifice verbal acuity - a fault Crespin and Gorr avoid.

In the numerous comments on the various You Tube "Ma lyre" clips, the topic of what constitutes 'correct' french singing alternate between shameful displays of ignorance and prejudice, and ur-snobbery. A singer needs to enter the character (first), the language (second), the style (third), the performance practice (if needed) in that order, and everything will be fine. Singers with the requisite vocal endowment (actually a prerequisite)  who can't master the language use translations. I'd rather hear a great russian-language Habanera than an inadequate sui generis one. For the record, French is my first language and I identify fine pronunciation and language projection as primary attributes in singing, whatever the language at hand is. That's why I particularly value the Crespin version as it illuminates the music from within. IMO Horne, Kasarova and Cortez provide good alternatives that, perforce, rely on vocal character and the singer's experience and personal culture.

Mind you, I suppose that could be said of opera singing in general, and in opera singing in a foreign language in particular. Hopefully, that will not detract the curious from the magic of this aria (from Gounod's FIRST opera !!).

[knight66]

Schmidt strikes me as having good intensions, but the vibrato in the upper voice spoils it for me. Her second note, for example, is a shocker. But she knows just what to do with the aria. As I listen to it, I appreciate it more and rather as with you Andre, I had passed over it as sung by Bunbry and Kozena.

I enjoyed listening to, rather than watching, Kasarova. Possibly the camera was too close.

Mike

[Lilas Pastia]

Hi, Mike ! Indeed, Britten's Phaedra is a striking work, a modern day replica to Berlioz' scène dramatique (La mort de Cléopâtre). The only version I've known - for the last 30 years - is Janet Baker's arresting portrayal. In a totally different aesthetic, Jules Dassin's film adaptation with Melina Mercouri and Anthony Perkins strikingly captures the tragedy's essence.

I'm of two minds about Britten. I admire a lot of his music, but there are elements in his musical language I fiercely question - makes my hair stand on end. To my hearing his writing for strings is too often glassy, and his writing for voice strident.

Coincidenttally, today I bought an ATMA disc of Les Illuminations, one of the best song cycles of the last century. Here it'sung by the excellent Karina Gauvin. I used to have it sung by a tenor. I can't recall who, but it was on EMI or Virgin IIRC. I admired the music, but the accumulation of those glassy sounds, coupled with a personal loathing of french symbolist poetry (Rimbaud in particular) made me sell it after a few hearings. Gauvin's disc happiply provides variety by coupling Illuminations with string orchestra works (Prelude and Fugue for 18-part string orchestra, and the lovely Variations on a theme of Frank Bridge).

Phaedra is one of Britten's major opuses. I hope Baker's supremacy will be challenged by other artists. It certainly deserves added exposure.

[Tsaraslondon]

If we are talking of suicide arias then surely Suicidio! from Ponchielli's La Gioconda has to be the one that comes to mind, and especially Callas, who somehow makes the music seem a lot greater than it is. She made 2 recordings, the first, in thrilling voice, in 1952

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NIqNmVtCAc

though I marginally prefer the second, made in 1959, where, in remarkably good form for this period in her career, the voice is better integrated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAXJ8pAQUns

As is her wont, Callas makes this aria, which can sometimes seem just tawdry, something almost Shakespearian in scope.

Before Callas, Ponselle was the mistress of this music. The voice is of course firm and solid as a rock, in a way we rarely hear nowadays, with a rich velvety sheen that never deserts her at either end of her range. It does not have the immediacy of Callas, but still works dramatically, if on a slightly less epic scale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTiunVdMtAE

Then there is Caballe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsY03rBWA18, who never really quite convinces me this aria is right for her, though she does of course float the e un di leggiadre section quite beautifully. As a lyric soprano in dramatic territory she copes extremely well, but it's not quite the genuine article.

[zamyrabyrd]

I know you didn't imply that (re: Kasarova). But I did ! After watching and listening 3-4 times, mentally comparing with the commercial disc, I decided that the facial expressions were genuine and vocal inequalities were the product of concert circumstances.

Were you not a bit harsh on Cortez? I thought it perfectly sung - although the high notes perforce sacrifice verbal acuity - a fault Crespin and Gorr avoid...
In the numerous comments on the various You Tube "Ma lyre" clips, the topic of what constitutes 'correct' french singing alternate between shameful displays of ignorance and prejudice, and ur-snobbery. A singer needs to enter the character (first), the language (second), the style (third), the performance practice (if needed) in that order, and everything will be fine. Singers with the requisite vocal endowment (actually a prerequisite)  who can't master the language use translations. I'd rather hear a great russian-language Habanera than an inadequate sui generis one. For the record, French is my first language and I identify fine pronunciation and language projection as primary attributes in singing, whatever the language at hand is. That's why I particularly value the Crespin version as it illuminates the music from within. IMO Horne, Kasarova and Cortez provide good alternatives that, perforce, rely on vocal character and the singer's experience and personal culture.

My top three picks for "O ma lyre" are Caballé, Crespin and Horne. Even though Caballé is a bona fide soprano, she has enough richness and depth to flesh out the most important parts of the aria in the lower middle range. This I didn't find the case with Anne-Sophie Schmidt. For the same reason, I would not reach for Mirella Freni as a first choice for listening to Aida or Cortez for this aria. (Wouldn't it be great to find a Callas recording? That would be gold!!)

You wrote that the voice is a prerequisite - almost like an afterthought. But for me, the voice is primary, the right kind of timbre and fach, before language or character. In fact, entering the song through character, as it were, seems backwards to me. I've had enough people around me who "feel" the character but don't have the means to project it. The expression is embedded in the music, a concept in Western music dating at least from the Baroque era with the Theory of the Affects.  Maria Callas herself admitted that she does everything in the score when asked what her "secret" was, in other words, mining the music first for interpretation.

Enough expression came through for me in Jeanne Gerville-Réache's recording of 1909 in the dark colors of her contralto. I read somewhere that some modern singers tried to record themselves in the manner of 100 years ago and their voices were practically unrecognizable. On this recording and others from that time, the orchestra sounds like a collection of toy instruments and this certainly was not the case.  So we can just assume that all the colors of her voice and other singers were not amply reflected in this new medium.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v6iJuMWwLM
Maybe this is one reason why the dancer, Pavlova, was not enthusiastic about making films of herself back then.

ZB

[zamyrabyrd]

If we are talking of suicide arias then surely Suicidio! from Ponchielli's La Gioconda has to be the one that comes to mind, and especially Callas, who somehow makes the music seem a lot greater than it is. Then there is Caballe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsY03rBWA18, who never really quite convinces me this aria is right for her, though she does of course float the e un di leggiadre section quite beautifully. As a lyric soprano in dramatic territory she copes extremely well, but it's not quite the genuine article.

Here is Tebaldi to add to the collection of Gioconda, very convincing indeed (coming from a prejudiced Tebaldi fan). The last high note is really thrilling (seems like a B) and the low notes are sinister sounding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LshGQYfg7eU&feature=related

Compared to Callas and Tebaldi, Caballé seems rather tame, but in fine voice.

ZB

[Tsaraslondon]

Here is Tebaldi to add to the collection of Gioconda, very convincing indeed (coming from a prejudiced Tebaldi fan). The last high note is really thrilling (seems like a B) and the low notes are sinister sounding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LshGQYfg7eU&feature=related

Compared to Callas and Tebaldi, Caballé seems rather tame, but in fine voice.

ZB

Tebaldi is certainly impressive here, making Caballe seem underpowered.

There is an interesting story attached to the Tebaldi recording. I'm pretty sure it is a role she never sang on stage, and when she came to record it, the producer suggested she listen to the Milanov recording. However when he went to visit her at home one day, he found her listening to the Callas recording. "Why didn't you tell me Maria's was best?" she said.

[Guido]

I adore Phaedra - it very rarely gets an outing, but then hardly anything in late Britten gets regular play in concert. Haven't heard Baker - I have a great version on Naxos, with Ann Murray but maybe I should invest in the Baker too...

[knight66]

It was a long time since I had listened to the Britten. I found it a 'difficult' piece. Clearly my listening has moved on a fair bit as I did not understand what I had found difficult. It is a great piece and like Guido, I find it odd how little it ever gets a mention. I don't recall ever seeing it on a concert bill. Baker is superb. On Youtube, so is Hunt Lieberson. Just the kind of piece that plays to each of their strengths.

I don't find Britten's soundworld glassy Andre. Early on he seemed to have an affinity for French music and poetry. Les Illuminations possibly gets its best outing from Heather Harper. She savors the words and manages the quicksilver of the piece.

Mike

[Wendell_E]

Tebaldi is certainly impressive here, making Caballe seem underpowered.

There is an interesting story attached to the Tebaldi recording. I'm pretty sure it is a role she never sang on stage, and when she came to record it, the producer suggested she listen to the Milanov recording. However when he went to visit her at home one day, he found her listening to the Callas recording. "Why didn't you tell me Maria's was best?" she said.

She did sing the role before recording it, first at a new production at the Met in 1966 (it was the second opera to be done at the "New" Met, after the world premiere of Barber's Antony and Cleopatra).  She also sang it at the Opera Company of Philiadelphia that year.  The Decca recording was made in 1967.  Which isn't to say that the "Maria's was best" story, which I've heard elsewhere, isn't true. 

According to one website, she sang the role a total of 39 times (32 with the Met, over just two seasons).