Anna Netrebko

[knight66]

Ludwig did record the items you suggest, I have heard them and they are fine performances.

Mike

[Maciek]

ZB, Here is Crespin singing Strauss Ariadne.....

This seeming flatness of Crespin is what I hear all the time, can't get to grips with her.

Here is Norman who sounds superb to me.

Well, even to my untrained ear there's not much to compare. Norman brings a lot of drama to the music. She's amazing. Crespin drains it of both drama and music (maybe that's due in part to the sound quality but definitely only in part!).

Or am I once more just flaunting my ignorance here?

Maciek

[Harry]

So great is the beauty of Anna, that I am willing to sit still and listen to her voice.......................

[uffeviking]

But Harry you once told us you don't like the female voice! What made you change your mind? It wouldn't be the physical shape of the owner of those vocal chords? 

[Maciek]

Oxana Shilova, the winner of that Moniuszko Competition is also quite good looking (not really my type but anyway ) and perhaps a bit more technically precise...

(I know you don't do downloads, Harry - so you can at least try watching snippets from the competition at this address - click on the images for the videos to start. These are very short clips surrounded by a whole lot of talk - but if you're patient enough, there's a bit of Shilova at the end of the first clip - perhaps elsewhere as well but that's the only one I've watched.)

[Harry]

But Harry you once told us you don't like the female voice! What made you change your mind? It wouldn't be the physical shape of the owner of those vocal chords? 

Lis, my dear, I never said that I did not like the female voice. A few days ago I professed my love for three Polish sopranos. And all non vibrato, is welcome to my ears.
With Anna its clearly the physical shape, I admit.

[Harry]

Oxana Shilova, the winner of that Moniuszko Competition is also quite good looking (not really my type but anyway ) and perhaps a bit more technically precise...

(I know you don't do downloads, Harry - so you can at least try watching snippets from the competition at this address - click on the images for the videos to start. These are very short clips surrounded by a whole lot of talk - but if you're patient enough, there's a bit of Shilova at the end of the first clip - perhaps elsewhere as well but that's the only one I've watched.)

I will go there Maciek, thank you for your thoughtfulness!

[Maciek]

I belatedly realized that you don't have to watch those streaming videos in their entirety. I've now watched the top 3 (the large top one + the next two). It seems the third (second small one) is the best. Here you get to hear: Shilova singing Massenet (at 8:11), Kapustynska singing Rimski-Korsakov (at 11:39), Markov - amazing baritone! - singing Giordano (18:39) and Gorshunova singing Moniuszko (24:30). I find Gorshunova's looks the most striking but most of the people who have seen all these singers live say Shilova is the most attractive...

Here are the timings for the other 2 videos (I'll watch the rest tomorrow - let me know if anyone wants another set of shortcuts):

For video no. 1 (the big one): Markarova - Verdi (6:58), Shilova - Moniuszko (12:04), Piass - Szymanowski (14:13), Markov - Moniuszko (21:18).

For video no. 2 (the first smaller one): Olejniczak - Mozart (5:30), Bartminski - Puccini - perhaps the slowest Cavaradossi aria you have ever heard (9:02), Gorshunova - Moniuszko (15:18), Kapustynska - Moniuszko (23:58).

Will anyone actually be watching these or is it all a waste of my time?

Maciek

[Maciek]

Gentlemen (and ladies! ), please, curb your enthusiasm! These are just video clips of people singing, nothing more than that!

[Maciek]

Sorry for the commotion. The clips seem to have disappeared since yesterday!

[Maciek]

And now they're there again. What's happening? I have no idea. Maybe it was an alternative, sadder reality...

[Sarastro]

Anna is a great show woman, pretty smart, good singing and glamorous...although she's my countryman, I should admit that her singing is...heartless and all the same. Her Tatiana's letter in Russian album just killed me! Rimski-Korsakov and Glinka fit her voice better...or maybe she fits them. 
I've heard her once here, in LA, it's better live of course.

[knight66]

"heartless and all the same"

An interesting comment. It is what I have felt about her on CD. I feel a lack of variety in the tone. I keep listening as I assume I am missing something. But I think a lot of her success is really about her looks and she can be vibrant on stage. But if I close my eyes, I am not much interested in what I hear.

Mike

[Michel]

I have a CD of hers and I don't like it at all; however I like looking at her.

[knight66]

I think you just said what I said; but rather more economically.

Mike

[Maciek]

There's a wonderful, tasteful video of her singing a Dvorak aria on YouTube - Luke posted it in another thread once. Can't be bothered to look it up right now but if you find it, you'll know why I'm mentioning it!

[Michel]

Funniest and most tacky thing I have ever seen,

Loving the crotch shots and quasi-sex, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iLqXZHO45o

[Tsaraslondon]

Funniest and most tacky thing I have ever seen,

Loving the crotch shots and quasi-sex, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iLqXZHO45o

Oh dear, not sure what Dvorak would have to say about it being turned into soft core porn.

This http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LEWcYhwovEQis better, though she does overdo the portamenti a bit. Still, it's a glorious voice, and the climax is stunning.

[PerfectWagnerite]

I prefer G. Beneckova, the most stunning Rusalka on disc.

OTOH, how many men you guys think Netrebko's been with? THe over/under I think is like 500.

[knight66]

I had mixed feelings about that one.

Mike