What is soprano Ruth Ann Swenson up to?

[Minnie]

I was supposed to hear soprano Ruth Ann Swenson in a recital this
spring in NY but she cancelled both of them.

Then I heard that she was in Athens singing Adriana Lecouvreur, which
doesn't seem quite the right role for her.

Does anyone know what she is up to lately?

Thanks.

Minnie

[Valfer]

Singers' voices change with time. A smart singer changes repertoire
according to this reality. This is probably the case. If Ruth Ann
finds herself comfortable singing Adriana Lecouvreur, I see no
problem. It's not a huge stretch from other roles she has sung with
success.

By carefully selecting her repertoire, singer Ninon Vallin managed a
career spanning more than 50 years, in which she evolved from light
lyric soprano to mezzo. I can think of no other singer who recorded
the Marguerite both in Gounod's "Faust" and Berlioz' "La Damnation de
Faust."

Valfer

minnie...@yahoo.com (Minnie) wrote in message news:<e6e1d83.04060...@posting.google.com>...

[Alcindoro]

>I can think of no other singer who recorded the Marguerite both in Gounod's
"Faust" and Berlioz' "La Damnation de
Faust."<

De los Angeles COULD have (and should have) if the logistics of contracts and
conductors had allowed.

[R Kayser]

alci...@aol.com wrote:

But Victoria de los Angeles *did* record Marguerite in Gounod's
"Faust" (with Cluytens, don't know the recording) and in
Berlioz's "Damnation" (Munch's mono recording).

Or did I misunderstand your article? I didn't get the article,
you are responding to.

--
Roland
mailto: vortumnus at gmx dot de

[David7Gable]

>But Victoria de los Angeles *did* record Marguerite in Gounod's
>"Faust" (with Cluytens, don't know the recording) and in
>Berlioz's "Damnation" (Munch's mono recording).

Are you sure there's a Damnation with De los Angeles and Munch? I only know of
the recording with Danco and Munch. De los angeles did record the Summer
Nights with Munch, but that's the only Berlioz she recorded with him that I
know of.

-david gable

[AnMeinKlav]

>I can think of no other singer who recorded the Marguerite both in Gounod's
"Faust" and Berlioz' "La Damnation de
Faust."<

Callas recorded arias from both roles, and probably could have recorded them
complete.

[David7Gable]

>Callas recorded arias from both roles, and probably could have recorded them
>complete.

I've always thought Callas would have been incomparable as Berlioz's Cléopātre,
Marguerite, Didon, and Béatrice.

-david gable

[Mitchell Kaufman]

David7Gable <david...@aol.com> wrote:

David is correct. The Munch Nuits d'Ete is with De los Angeles; the
Damnation is with Danco. (Steber sang the concert performances of the
Damnation, but contractual obligations--she was signed to Columbia,
Munch and the BSO to RCA--prevented her from making the recording.)

MK

[OmbraRecds]

>>>I can think of no other singer who recorded the Marguerite
>>>both in Gounod's
>> "Faust" and Berlioz' "La Damnation de
>> Faust."<

Think Callas. She recorded both arias.

Giuseppe DiStefano

[Ronsdivas]

Ms. Swenson had terrible allergies in NYC and that was the reason the recital
was cancelled..per her doctor's orders.

She recently sang Violetta in TRAVIATA in Athens...NOT ADRIANA. That role is
not her rep.

[R Kayser]

forg...@iaint.disclosinit wrote:

Yes, I was wrong last night.
"Damnation" and "Nuits" are on the same twofer, and I didn't
listen to either for quite a while, so I mixed up the two ladies.
Sorry.

[Valfer]

Thanks for the correction. Sometimes people forget that singers are
human, thus subject to such mundane ailments as allergies and the flu.
I'm sure the audiences at Athens were thrilled. Ruth Ann does a
wonderful Violetta.

Valfer

rons...@aol.com (Ronsdivas) wrote in message news:<20040609215353...@mb-m24.aol.com>...

[Minnie]

Well the allergies in NYC were awful this year. I was sorry to miss
her because I liked her CDs but have never seen her live. Her recital
program looked very interesting. I hope that she is able to do it next
season.

Based on your update below, I searched online and I found that
apparently in addition to the Traviata in Athens, she was listed to
sing the aria Io Son L'umile ancela" from the opera Adriana Lecouvreur
in a concert. So that probably explains the confusion:

http://www.cultureguide.gr/events/details.jsp?Event_id=47275&catA=7

Looks like a terrific concert!

I could not find a website which lists her operas and concerts but a
little web searching and I found that she is going to be singing soon
La Traviata, La Boheme, Faust and Luisa Miller. Does anyone know any
others or if she has a website?

rons...@aol.com (Ronsdivas) wrote in message news:<20040609215353...@mb-m24.aol.com>...

[Sergio H. da Silva]

Trying to sing the notes .... her latest broadcasts have shown a large
vibrato and singing sharp all the time ...
"Minnie" <minnie...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:e6e1d83.04060...@posting.google.com...

[Minnie]

Hmmm, are people noticing the same problems in the theater as well? A
broadcast could tend to emphasize vibrato. I haven't heard her live
but did hear the broadcast of La donna del lago which I thought was
not bad!

"Sergio H. da Silva" <serg...@pobox.com> wrote in message news:<nF_xc.60$X92...@bignews6.bellsouth.net>...

[Ronsdivas]

>Hmmm, are people noticing the same problems in the theater as well? A

No...it is due to the close and compressed micking the Met uses. OONY hangs the
mics over the audience which allows for the natural balance of the voices.