best sopranos of last 50 years?

[Tsaraslondon]

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

A beautiful voice certainly, probably one of the most sheerly beautiful of the last 50 years. She had a superb technique and fantastic breath control, with the most fabulous pianissimi ever, which she loved to show off (sometimes at the expense of what was actually written in the score). She was probably at her very best in the 70s, when she was very much at the forefront of the bel canto revival, spearheaded by Callas, a singer she loved and revered more than any. Her greatest studio records are probably the early recitals of bel canto and Verdi, that she did for RCA, the Giulini Don Carlo, the Muti Aida, the Mehta Turandot (as Liu) and the Muti I Puritani, though she doesn't attempt the stratospheric top notes, sung by Sutherland and Callas. She made some notable contributions to the Philips early Verdi project conducted by Lamerto Gardelli and also recorded a fine Elisabetta, Regina d'Inghilerra by Rossini. The role of Turandot herself is best experienced in a live account from San Francisco with Pavarotti. and Leona Mitchell as Liu. Though she did record some of her bel canto roles, the studio recordings are nowhere near as satisfactory as many of the off the air recordings now doing the rounds, particularly a DVD of Norma from Orange (with Vickers as Pollione), sound only recordings of Maria Stuarda, (especially the one from La Scala with Verrett as Elizabeth I), Lucrezia Borgia (I have the one with the superb Alain Vanzo as Gennaro), and Caterina Cornaro. There is also a DVD somewhere of a very fine Adrianna Lecouvreur with a young, and equally fine Carreras. She was a rather large lady, and her acting could best be described as satuesque.

[Anne]

A beautiful voice certainly, probably one of the most sheerly beautiful of the last 50 years. She had a superb technique and fantastic breath control, with the most fabulous pianissimi ever, which she loved to show off (sometimes at the expense of what was actually written in the score). She was probably at her very best in the 70s, when she was very much at the forefront of the bel canto revival, spearheaded by Callas, a singer she loved and revered more than any. Her greatest studio records are probably the early recitals of bel canto and Verdi, that she did for RCA, the Giulini Don Carlo, the Muti Aida, the Mehta Turandot (as Liu) and the Muti I Puritani, though she doesn't attempt the stratospheric top notes, sung by Sutherland and Callas. She made some notable contributions to the Philips early Verdi project conducted by Lamerto Gardelli and also recorded a fine Elisabetta, Regina d'Inghilerra by Rossini. The role of Turandot herself is best experienced in a live account from San Francisco with Pavarotti. and Leona Mitchell as Liu. Though she did record some of her bel canto roles, the studio recordings are nowhere near as satisfactory as many of the off the air recordings now doing the rounds, particularly a DVD of Norma from Orange (with Vickers as Pollione), sound only recordings of Maria Stuarda, (especially the one from La Scala with Verrett as Elizabeth I), Lucrezia Borgia (I have the one with the superb Alain Vanzo as Gennaro), and Caterina Cornaro. There is also a DVD somewhere of a very fine Adrianna Lecouvreur with a young, and equally fine Carreras. She was a rather large lady, and her acting could best be described as satuesque.

Thanks, Ts.  What a beautiful complete answer!  I couldn't have received a better reply.

[longears]

The ones I'm most inclined to listen to on recording: 

Gundula Janowitz -- fabulous creamy voice and knows how to turn a phrase.

If mezzos count then certainly Janet Baker.

I love the light, clear voice and the wit of Barbara Bonney.  Dawn Upshaw, of course, and Barbara Hendricks, and Natalie Dessay.  Leontyne Price for Verdi.  Schwarzkopf, de los Angeles, Tebaldi.

And in the opera house lately I've especially loved Joyce DiDonato (mezzo) and Claudia Mahnke.

[Marc]

Several names came to my mind:

Elly Ameling (esp. for Lieder).
Maria Callas.
Birgit Nilsson (esp. for Wagner).
Nancy Argenta (esp. for 'Old Music').
Joan Sutherland.
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.
Renata Tebaldi.
My own favourite: Lucia Popp (and also a weak spot for Arleen Augér).

But I'm not a real opera animal, so what's my opinion worth?
But I would never mention Bartoli, she's a mezzo, and, when mezzo's are regarded, I prefer other voices of the last decades, like Frederica von Stade, Anne Sofie von Otter, Bernarda Fink and Sara Mingardo. Not to mention Teresa Berganza and Christa Ludwig! Well, anyway .... this is NOT a mezzo thread.

About Renée Fleming: indeed a wonderful voice, but sometimes too much 'plastic' (I have the same problem with Thomas Hampson). That's why I definitely do not think that she can 'beat' Lucia Popp. Listen f.i. to Dvorak's 'Song to the Moon'. Renée Fleming drew worldwide attention with it, but the way Popp's silvery voice is yearning .... 

[....] Upshaw (how is she doing by the way?)

Dawn Upshaw is recovering from breast cancer. Wish her well, she's a nice lady with a beautiful voice. She's scheduled to perform again next year:
http://dukeperformances.duke.edu/programs/essential/premier/upshaw.php

[knight66]

The ones I'm most inclined to listen to on recording: 

Gundula Janowitz -- fabulous creamy voice and knows how to turn a phrase.

If mezzos count then certainly Janet Baker.

I love the light, clear voice and the wit of Barbara Bonney.  Dawn Upshaw, of course, and Barbara Hendricks, and Natalie Dessay.  Leontyne Price for Verdi.  Schwarzkopf, de los Angeles, Tebaldi.

And in the opera house lately I've especially loved Joyce DiDonato (mezzo) and Claudia Mahnke.

We must be listening to a lot of the same recordings as we seem to have similar taste in singers.

Mike

[immanueljoseph]

Hi,

Have you tried listening to: Ann Murray, Kiri Te Kanawa, Edita Gruberova, Barbara Bonney, Yvonne Kenny, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Frederica von Stade, Lucia Popp & Ileana Cotrubas? Thank you so much.

Yours sincerely,
Joseph

[Great Gable]

My favourite - Leontyne Price.

Others include Anna Moffo, Kiri Te Kanawa, Renata Tebaldi, Kathleen Battle, Joan Sutherland, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf

My least favourite - Callas. She may have been a fine actress etc etc but I simply cannot take that level of vibrato. It's my equivalent of listening to someone scrape their fingernails on a blackboard.