My questions about operas

[wagnernn]

I've read that Hallstein can sing very high notes like Robin and Sack.So,what's this performamce?

[zamyrabyrd]

"Emma Kirkby: quicksilver is the only word to describe her HIP voice."
Good choice my friend.

Harry, so you like at least ONE soprano???

Wagnernn, We have some friends in the Philippines. The classical scene is pretty grim there. Even getting internet connections in outlying areas is difficult.

Did you say 18th & 19th century? Adelina Patti comes to mind who lived and debuted in New York. Verdi admired her artistry very much. One of the first Leonore's, Schroeder-Devrient allegedy met Beethoven himself. And then there was the Swedish nightingale, Jenny Lind. She and Patti racked up quite a lot of money in performance fees.

The Garcia family produced remarkable singers, The pater familias, Manuel, born 1775 had two accomplished daughters: Maria Malibran and Pauline Viardot. His namesake son became a famous singing teacher. Only through the oral tradition of teacher to pupil can we get an idea (however faint) of how the great singers of the past may have sounded.

ZB

[Tsaraslondon]

Did you say 18th & 19th century? Adelina Patti comes to mind who lived and debuted in New York. Verdi admired her artistry very much. One of the first Leonore's, Schroeder-Devrient allegedy met Beethoven himself. And then there was the Swedish nightingale, Jenny Lind. She and Patti racked up quite a lot of money in performance fees.

The Garcia family produced remarkable singers, The pater familias, Manuel, born 1775 had two accomplished daughters: Maria Malibran and Pauline Viardot. His namesake son became a famous singing teacher. Only through the oral tradition of teacher to pupil can we get an idea (however faint) of how the great singers of the past may have sounded.

ZB

And let's not forget Giuditta Pasta (1797 -1865), for whom Bellini wrote Norma, Beatrice di Tenda and La Sonnambula, and Donizetti Anna Bolena. Even at the height of her powers (echoes of Callas here), her voice was not equal throughout its range, but she was renowned for her dramatic interpretation and the poignancy of her singing.
The Spanish soprano Isabella Colbran (1785 - 1845) married Rossini, and he wrote Elisabetta, Regina d'Inghilterra for her. Considered the greatest dramatic coloratura of her day, she also created the leading soprano roles in Otello, Armida, La Donna del Lago, Mose, Semiramide and Maometto II.
There were also the Grisi sisters. Giuditta (1805 - 1840) created Faliero in Rossini's Bianca e Falliero and also created the role of Romeo in Bellini's I Capuletti e i Montecchi, but she was somewhat overshadowed by her sister Giulia (1800 -1869), who created Adalgisa in Norma, later singing the title role, though with less success, according to contemporary reviews. She created Elvira in I Puritani and Norina in Don Pasquale.
It is interesting to note that, when Norma was first performed, the role of Adalgisa went to a lighter voiced soprano, rather than the mezzo we usually hear today. What a shame nobody thought of pairing Callas and Sutherland in the mid to late 1950s. As Callas has often been compared to Pasta and Sutherland to Grisi, it might have brought us closer to Bellini's original intentions.

[wagnernn]

Do you think Hallstein is a famous soprano? I find that she has a beautiful voice with perfect vocal technique:she sings the high notes (for example in Lieder der Nachtigall by Grothe) easily and brilliantly with all of her passions.Her voice is no doubt a best combination of the voices of Sutherland,Schwarzkopf and even Mado Robin!   

[jochanaan]

wagnernn, I had never heard of Ms. Hallstein, and I consider myself reasonably musically aware.  From the comments here, it sounds as if she was a connoisseur's coloratura, the sort of person known to relatively few but adored by those few.  Not "famous," but better than famous.

[wagnernn]

I've got a question about Benakova.Did she sing any role in French or German operas?

[Wendell_E]

I've got a question about Benakova.Did she sing any role in French or German operas?

Yes. There are DVDs available of her as Leonore in Fidelio (Covent Garden) and Marguerite in Faust (Vienna State Opera).  She's also the Leonore in Mackerras's Telarc recording of Fidelio.  She sang Leonore at the Met as well.

[Wanderer]

And who do you think to be the greatest Rusalka (Fleming,Benakova,...)?

I would like to reiterate the question; somehow it went unnoticed back then. So, any suggestions for Rusalka? I have the Cerninkova/Erede recording but I'd also like a rendition in less dated sound.