Classical music [Youtube Clips]

[teledata]

I agree with parucci

 

[Sinnerr]

Something from 20th century:

 

[HettoreConti]

A gorgeous piece by Tchaikovsky:

Valse Sentimentale

​

Beautifully wistful. Reeks of moments of solitude and rotting flowers.

 

[bafm]

Big Luciano singing Nessun Dorma (Turandot) - G. Puccini

 

[bafm]

Montserrat Caballé singing Casta Diva - Norma - V. Bellini



This is probably the best performance of Casta Diva I've ever heard, this is an angel singing, this is just perfection.

 

[BigBenni]

Aww, thanks for sharing the great Callas with Norma, bafm :heart:

I also want to share another incredible soprano voice singing the famous "Casta Diva" from Bellini's "Norma"

Maybe some of you know the incredible Edita Gruberova who is THE female soprano voice when it comes to Belcanto singing and what is so incredible about her is that she sings all these roles while she turned her 60ies!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, you all are reading right and in the following clip - a recording from 2006 - she is 60!!!
Just imagine that while listening to. And damn, she can work so very well with her "instrument" and how she goes from loud to silent is just breath-taking.

I especially dedicate this clip to my dear friend XMan101 cause I know "Norma" is one of his favourite pieces

Miss Gruberova really brought the Belcanto to me and she is so incredible also with Donizetti and I will try to find this special aria from one of my favourite operas of the other great Belcanto composer Donizetti.

Enjoy :heart:



P.S. Edita, I hope you will have the gift to bring pleasure to us for many many more years!!

 

[loretta]

Cherubini: Medea Neris' aria "Solo un pianto" sung by Miriam Pirazzini is in my ears the most wonderful aria i ever heard, she was not so brilliant as Maria Callas (nobody was or will ever be) but the colour of her voice and her timbre made this aria perfect.
Next to this is the duetto "oh rimembranza - io fui cosi" with the divine Callas and Ebbe Stignani from Norma

 

[pipfly]

I'm a big fan of Anderson & Roe (for several reasons ). One of my favs is their interpretation of Rhonda Alla Turca, which they call 'Ragtime Alla Turca'...

 

[bafm]

Here's another great aria sung by Maria Callas, Madama Butterfly (Puccini).

Well in my opinion She is Madama Butterfly, I can't believe she thought to have a ugly voice!
Her voice wasn't probably perfect but unique and not a note here is out of place.

Sorry if my opinion isn't objective, it can't be so because I think she is simply the best, la Divina

 

[gorgik9]

Here's another great aria sung by Maria Callas, Madama Butterfly (Puccini).

Well in my opinion She is Madama Butterfly, I can't believe she thought to have a ugly voice!
Her voice wasn't probably perfect but unique and not a note here is out of place.

Sorry if my opinion isn't objective, it can't be so because I think she is simply the best, la Divina

I totally agree with you bafm ! I´ve also heard that comment from a certain kind of musical Besserwissers, that Callas had "an ugly voice"...

The only thing I can say to that is - if her voice was ugly, then musical beauty is non-existent, at least not in opera...

 

[BigBenni]

Well, Maria Callas has really everything BUT NOT an ugly voice.

I have to say you can take every singer you like
and just have to say that not every singer can sing EVERYTHING.

I listened to so many different singers and recordings. Yes, also Miss Callas had times when she maybe wasn't on her usual high level and her voice sometimes has this little coldness.

BUT, is that really a bad thing??

I have to say that many people would do better to estimate the technique of singers because this is such a wide topic and so exciting even to explore.

In my opinion the singers in former times were just NOT as pushed as today and forced to sing roles that are just too hard and difficult and ONLY for the sake of business :butslap:

In our times the singers are not given enough time to let the voice REALLY develop and so the voice is damaged BEFORE it even has its full ability and beauty.

I especially discovered that in case of Wagner but also in general.

And to come back to Miss Callas, I actually like her timbre and she is not singing too sharp in the higher range because this is something what I always describe as "Torture for my Ears" :rofl:

I will not write a whole essay here about voices. I will finally close with the following statement:

If there were more singers like Maria Callas nowadays, then the opera scene would be much better and we wouldn't see tragedies like with Rolando Villazon or Jonas Kaufmann who had a voice crisis very early. Both are back on stage but not with the abilities they had before and damn, in case of Jonas Kaufmann, I already dreamed about possible Parsifal's or maybe even Tristan's

His latest performance at the Metropolitan as "Siegmund" in the "Valkyrie" was a big surprise but in a good way and I wish he can continue and bring all the pleasure to us for a long time

:heart:

Ben

 

[gorgik9]

@ BigBenni

Amen to that, brother Ben, amen!!!

 

[XMan101]

Here's another great aria sung by Maria Callas, Madama Butterfly (Puccini).

Well in my opinion She is Madama Butterfly, I can't believe she thought to have a ugly voice!
Her voice wasn't probably perfect but unique and not a note here is out of place.

Sorry if my opinion isn't objective, it can't be so because I think she is simply the best, la Divina

Beautiful beautiful beautiful !! Thank you

This is my favourite thread here now, everytime I come on there is something so good to listen to and thank you to all the contributors, great reading and great listening

 

[BigBenni]

:agree: :agree: :agree:

I couldn't have said this better and I just love all the different tastes of all you guys and this is already my daily pleasure to check out!

I encourage all of you to continue as this slowly becomes even a whole collection of classical music pieces and when you have a look on the wideness how many epoches are already involved, this is just so wonderful and I will even try to bring in some maybe more seldom heard pieces.

 

[bafm]

Ok since we were talking about Maria Callas I thought to post this aria Vicino a te s'acqueta- Andrea Chénier - (Giordano) sung by her eternal rival Renata Tebaldi, great duet with Mario del Monaco.

Let me say she is just wonderful, she was probably at her very best during these years (early 50s), velvety voice in this duet, one of the most difficult lyric duet in my opinion but.. let me add my poisonous comment, her wonderful voice comes from the diaphragm but Mrs Callas sings with her heart, it's just imperfect perfection. Ok I did it again!

Ben this piece of art is especially dedicated to you since you told to love Andrea Chénier very much, hope you'll enjoy it

 

[BigBenni]

Dear bafm,

Thank you so very much for bringing this wonderful duet to me :heart:

This comes so right to the point and is probably one of the best recordings I ever heard.
(My ears are very spoiled )

You are very right, this piece is very lyric and has just a beautiful orchestration.

I just think this is an outstanding example in regard what I meant when I talked about singers in former times. Aww, I am so very close to cry right now as it really reaches my heart and soul! There is just this calm flow and both singers are harmonising so wonderful together!

There is definitely NO poison in your comment.
I think Miss Callas and Miss Tebaldi have just their own qualities and I wish so much we had singers with these abilities in our times!

Thank you so much for bringing some joy in my day.
This is just a wonderful start in the evening and as you said already so true - I love Andrea Chénier and you gave me a bright smile with that :heart:

 

[BigBenni]

Franz Schubert: Impromptu op. 90/3

Today I want to share some gentle tones and I did choose a piece for piano solo of Franz Schubert.

Schubert was always underestimated when he was still alive and even after he died it took ages until his whole work became popular.

In case of the piano works, I strongly have to name Sir Alfred Brendel because this English pianist even was like a "lawyer" and he cared that the piano works became well known as they are now.

But for my post I have chosen another amazing pianist who I love so much.
This is Krystian Zimerman, a Polish musician and he has just such a lyric way to play and without sounding philosophic but you can notice even the piano taking breaths.

Zimerman is just wonderful and it is a real treasure that all Impromputs are available on CD because all of these pieces are little treasures and I strongly recommend them!

For your interest, here are 4 Impromptus op. 90 & 4 Impromptus op.142.

I will give an insight to you with the one I have chosen.

Finally after listening there is nothing more to say and in my case,
I love to enjoy the silence afterwards to let the effect of the piece work for me.

Hope you all enjoy as well :heart:

 

[gorgik9]

@ BigBenni
:heart::heart::heart:

YES YES YES YESSSSSS

While Wagner might not be my cup of tea, Schubert most certainly is!

 

[ihno]

No, no Wagner, no, God have mercy on us

 

[ihno]

I don't mind the length of his operas, I don't care about the Jodelschnepfen and Winselstuten (female singers), the problem is not the age of the language and I know some works but his music in general just doesn't really get me.

I hold it with Johannes Brahms, I like the Overture to the Meistersänger.

Some flotter Brahms: