best sopranos of last 50 years?

[tomseeley]

Recently, that highly regarded journal of classical music, the Parade section of my Sunday paper, a reader asked about the best sopranos of the last 50 years.  The answer was:  Sutherland, Bartoli, Renee Fleming, Callas, and Astrid Varnay.

I'm not trying to start a brand war, but I'm curious about others' opinions. Esp re Varnay, with whom I'm relatively unfamiliar.

I've heard the first four, and they are all certainly to be reckoned with. 

Comments, anyone? 

[Tsaraslondon]

Recently, that highly regarded journal of classical music, the Parade section of my Sunday paper, a reader asked about the best sopranos of the last 50 years.  The answer was:  Sutherland, Bartoli, Renee Fleming, Callas, and Astrid Varnay.

I'm not trying to start a brand war, but I'm curious about others' opinions. Esp re Varnay, with whom I'm relatively unfamiliar.

I've heard the first four, and they are all certainly to be reckoned with. 

Comments, anyone? 

Well Bartoli is a mezzo, or at least she was, so that rules her out (though these days she seems to sing anything).

I'm curious. Was the list just restricted to 5? If so, I would have included Callas and Sutherland, but can think of dozens of others to take up the other three places. Off the top of my head, I have already come up with the names of Tebaldi, Caballe, Nilsson, Leontyne Price (and maybe Margaret as well), De Los Angeles, Schwarzkopf, Scotto, Freni, and Crespin. I could add loads more (and if we were talking about a top 50, probably would).

Varnay's work I don't know that well, but do know that she is extremely highly regarded by Wagner lovers, some ranking her higher than Nilsson. Her contribution to the recently issued Keilberth  Ring on Testament has been highly and widely praised.

[knight66]

As so often Translondon has just about said it for me, though I am allergic to Crespin and would substituts almost any singer able to open her mouth. Janowitz had a special sound and certainly provided me with enormous pleasure. But if it was just five who were to be allowed, then Leontine Price would have to be there. From my own listening habits and as we would need a good Bach/Handel/Mozart singer, then Arleen Auger would have to appear also. Bye Bye Renee and Bartoli.

Mike

[Que]

Of those not yet mentioned Sena Jurinac, whose art was sadly too little recorded, and Irmgard Seefried come to mind.

Q

[Holden]

I look at who the great conductors use as singers on a regular basis and go by that. The likes of Seefried, Flagstad, Schwarzkopf come instantly to mind. My favourite soprano doesn't make the list but I'm sure she would make many others and that is Leontyne Price.

[knight66]

I could not really get into a top five discussion as there were so many excellent singers and different people connect with specific voices.

I am not a fan, but surely Sutherland would need to be near the top, te Kanawa on a good day, Freni, Tebaldi...and on and on.

Mike

[Tsaraslondon]

I look at who the great conductors use as singers on a regular basis and go by that. The likes of Seefried, Flagstad, Schwarzkopf come instantly to mind. My favourite soprano doesn't make the list but I'm sure she would make many others and that is Leontyne Price.

It may be nitpicking a bit, but Flagstad really belongs to a previous generation, so should not be included in a list of sopranos of the past 50 years. Leontyne Price was mentioned both by myself and Mike.

Also, if we are to take the word of great conductors, then Callas still ranks very highly. She was admired by conductors as diverse as Karajan, Serafin, Giulini, Vittorio Gui, Erich Kleiber and Victor De Sabata. Indeed De Sabata once said to Votto, that if the public could understand, as they did, how deeply musical she was, then it would be amazed.

[val]

In Wagner, Flagstad, Varnay, Mödl, Rysaneck, and Birgit Nilsson.

In Mozart and Richard Strauss, Schwarzkopf, della Casa, Janowitz.

In the italian repertory, Milanov, Callas, Tebaldi, Caniglia, Sutherland, Leontyn Price.

Best french soprano: Regine Crespin.

[Michel]

How the hell has Flagstad not made all your and the original lists?

Had no idea Leontyne Price (check your spelling Mike!) was considered as good as you lot are suggesting; I thought her beautifully deep velvet voice was a personal fetish and a result of my dislike for shrill voices.

[Tsaraslondon]

How the hell has Flagstad not made all your and the original lists?

Because we are discussing sopranos of the last 50 years. Flagstad died in 1962 and made her last public performance in 1954. That counts her out.

[bricon]

Because we are discussing sopranos of the last 50 years. Flagstad died in 1962 and made her last public performance in 1954. That counts her out.

Yet many are happy to include Callas; whose voice was shot to pieces by 1957.

Go figah!!

[Tsaraslondon]

Yet many are happy to include Callas; whose voice was shot to pieces by 1957.

Go figah!!

No you go figah! Do some listening and get your facts right before coming out with such fatuous comments.

Actually her voice wasn't shot to pieces by 1957. If you want confirmation of that fact just listen to the live recordings of Anna Bolena and La Sonnambula made that year and both available from EMI. In the Sonnambula she is even able to hit a rock solid Eb in alt  fortissimo and effect a diminuendo on this stratospheric note before cascading down an absolutely perfect chromatic scale, I can't think of many of today's sopranos who could manage such a thing without the help of a bit of knob twiddling in the studio! Admittedly after 1959, she began to reduce the amount of stage performances she gave, and her voice did start to fail her, but her stage career continued til 1965, and included performances of Tosca at Covent Garden in 1964, that have entered the realms of operatic history. So, although she died 30 years ago this month, that firmly places her amongst the great sopranos of the last 50 years.

On the other hand, as I pointed out, Flagstad's last public performance was in 1954. I have no doubt her name would be near the top of the list, if we were discussing the top 5 sopranos of the first half of the 20th century.

[bhodges]

Having done a little listening to Beverly Sills over the summer, how about her?  Most of her repertoire (e.g., Donizetti) isn't really my cup of tea, but I was mightily impressed with her Giulio Cesare, among other things.

--Bruce

[Anne]

Get her DVD of Roberto Devereux (Donizetti)(Sills, John Alexander, Susanne Marsee, Richard Fredricks) and let us know what you think of her acting skills.  She is phenomenal!  Even when DVD's were almost all out of print, that one was always available.

In CD's she is known for singing The Three Queens: Anna Bolena (Sills, Shirley Verrett, Stuart Burrows, Paul Plishka), Maria Stuarda (Sills, Eileen Farrell, Stuart Burrows, Louis Quilico), and Roberto Devereux (Sills, Robert Ilosfalvy, Peter Glossop, Beverly Wolff).  The 3 can be purchased as a set or maybe individually.

Note that the singers are not the same for the DVD as for the CD.

[longears]

Recently, that highly regarded journal of classical music, the Parade section of my Sunday paper, a reader asked about the best sopranos of the last 50 years.  The answer was:  Sutherland, Bartoli, Renee Fleming, Callas, and Astrid Varnay.

Comments, anyone? 

I'm hardly qualified to determine the "best," but I know my favorites and Callas is the only one of those mentioned who qualifies.  Any "best" list that leaves off Janowitz & Schwarzkopf was clearly compiled by an ignorant nincompoop (the inclusion of Fleming confirms it).

[suomesta]

Mattila, Fleming, Norman, Upshaw (how is she doing by the way?)

[Tsaraslondon]

Mattila, Fleming, Norman, Upshaw (how is she doing by the way?)

Of the last 10 years perhaps...

[CaroNome]

Callas, Sutherland, Fleming, Sills, te Kanawa

Those are my top 5 of the last 50 years.

The BEST?

Callas, Sutherland, Sills, Price, Nilsson/Tebaldi (either or)

Just my opinion

[Mozart]

Anna Moffo

[Anne]

What's everyone's opinion of Caballe's singing?