The Art of the Prima Donna
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Music CD Cover
Composer: Thomas ArneComposer: Vincenzo Bellini
Composer: Leo Delibes
Composer: Charles Gounod
Composer: George Frederick Handel
Composer: Giacomo Meyerbeer
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Composer: Gioachino Rossini
Composer: Ambroise Thomas
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Performer: Joan Sutherland
Edition: Music CD
Format: Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2000-10-10
Music Label: Decca
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Artaxerxes: The Soldier Tir'd
- Samson: Let The Bright Seraphim
- Norma: Sediziose voci ... Casta diva ... Ah! bello a me ritorna
- I Puritani: Son vergin vezzosa (Polonaise)
- Semiramide: Bel raggio lusinghier
- I Puritani: O rendetemi la speme ... Qui la voce ... Vien, diletto
- La Sonnambula: Care compagne ... Come per me sereno ... Sovra il sen
- Faust: O Dieu! que de bijoux ... Ah! je ris de me voir
- Romeo et Juliette: Ah! Je veux vivre
- Otello: Mia madre aveva una povera ancella ... Piangea cantando
- Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail: Martern aller Arten
- La Traviata: E' strano ... Ah, fors'e lui ... Sempre libera
- Hamlet: A vos jeux, mes amis
- Lakme: Ah! Ou va la jeune Indue
- Les Huguenots: O beau pays de la Touraine!
- Rigoletto: Gualtier Malde ... Caro nome
Free Music Notes for The Art of the Prima Donna
Free Music Review: Great but not the greatest
Hit: 4 Stars
Let me state at the outset: I am a SERIOUS admirer of Joan Sutherland. Not her biggest fan by any means - for reasons which I will explain later - but someone who recognises and takes great pleasure from a truly remarkable voice. No-one would argue (even her critics) that she was one of the most gifted coloraturas in the world. The agility, precision and "speed" of her voice is (probably) unsurpassed. Add to that the fullness of tone so rare with this level of agility (Natalie Dessay and Emma Kirkby are equally nimble but with much thinner, paler tone) and an uncommonly powerful instrument and you have an extraordinary package.
Now, I fully realise that these sorts of review are open to be used as a vehicle for fan raves and I'm afraid that this seems to be the case with many of the reviews here. So this will be an attempt to remain as objective and unbiased as possible.
I have listened to this recital disc many times, both before and since reading the reviews on Amazon. I have no axe to grind in favour of one artist over another but I am always sceptical of statements like "the greatest ever". It is undeniable that Sutherland sang with awesome technical bravura and, in that context, should be seen as one of the most gifted singers on record. Any aspiring coloratura soprano MUST hear her earlier work, however daunting the task of trying to match her might seem, just to see what is achievable. But the voice of the century? Let's not get carried away.
Singing is not just about technical proficiency, however jaw-dropping it is. Singing is about COMMUNICATION. And when it comes to warmth, characterisation or that strangely undefinable term "soul", then Dame Joan I'm afraid comes some way down the list. And if there are those who insist that coloratura singing is not about these things, then I earnestly suggest you listen to Callas, Sills or even Kathleen Battle. True, Callas had many vocal flaws and I am no more an admirer of her than I am of Sutherland, but she proved that coloratura singing could, and should, have a dimension beyond dizzying vocal pyrotechnics and immaculate high notes*.
The bottom line is . . . as with all things, it all depends on what your priorities are. If you are looking for astonishing vocal gymnastics (and I mean that in a complimentary sense), then The Art of the Prima Donna is probably as good as you will find. It is a remarkable show-case of a remarkable talent. My real reservation about it is that there is something slightly mechanical, premeditated and lacking in passion and spontaneity that leaves me hugely impressed but not wholly satisfied. If you're looking for emotional depth, you won't find much here.
*As a footnote, and again in the interests of objectivity, I have to say that even Dame Joan falters technically from time to time. One that makes me wince is her top note at the end of "Vien diletto" - not a pleasing sound. There are other shortcomings, but that is because nobody, but NOBODY, is perfect. I still love her and I would recommend this CD to anyone seriously interested in great singing. But to call her the greatest just proves the old saying that love is blind.
The Art of the Prima Donna Poster
In February 1959, an unknown (well, comparatively) Australian singer appeared at Covent Garden in Franco Zeffirelli's new production of Lucia di Lammermoor and took the world by storm. The following year, Joan Sutherland went into the studio to record this reissued tribute to prima donnas of previous generations, illustrating along the way the bel canto tradition of which she was to become a leading exponent. The 16 excerpts on this digitally remastered double CD include several roles she had already sung or was on the verge of singing, from Gilda in Rigoletto, which she had sung at Covent Garden before her Lucia debut, to Norma. What a performance! The voice is fresh, remarkable in its beauty, and she makes it all sound so effortless, tossing off Handel's "Let the bright Seraphim" or the Jewel aria from Gounod's Faust as if they're the easiest things in the world. This sparkling selection of glorious singing demonstrates just why Sutherland was to remain at the top of her profession for the next 30 years and join those to whom she here pays tribute as one of the great singers of all time. --Richard FawkesClassical Music CDs
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