Callas :roles that she would have sung
TomKauf2
While I have never been a Callas fan (and never will be)--should her
reincarnation appear, I would love to have her do the following operas
with big roles for vindictive (or, at least, spurned) women:
1. Donizetti's Maria de Rudenz
2. Pacini's Medea
3. Pacini's Buondelmonte
4. Gomes' Fosca
I could think of plenty more, but that's a start. BTW three of the four
(all but Buondelmonte) are available on CD already.
Tom
Matthew B. Tepper
In article <33EC84...@kfunigraz.ac.at>,
pramod...@kfunigraz.ac.at was heard to remark...
>
>HI
>i was just wondering if Callas hadn't lost her voice which roles would
>she have sung? Would she have restricted herself (atleast for new
>roles) to belcanto? Two roles come to my mind that she could have done
>real justice to:
>Lucrezia Borgia and
>Semiramide.
>Whenever I listen to Caballe sing La Straniera, I always ahve to think
>of Callas and how she would have sung it?
>But strange enough she didn't even sing a aria from this opera. But I
>think that she would have been a great Straniera.
>So any more ideas and possibilities!
>harvey
How about the Kostelnicka?
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://www.deltanet.com/~ducky/index.htm
My main music page --- http://www.deltanet.com/~ducky/berlioz.htm
And my science fiction club's home page --- http://www.lasfs.org/
Pramod.harvey
Pramod.harvey
Enzo62 wrote:
>
> Pramod.harvey wrote:
>
> >Whenever I listen to Caballe sing La Straniera, I always ahve to think
> >of Callas and how she would have sung it?
> >But strange enough she didn't even sing a aria from this opera. But I
> >think that she would have been a great Straniera.
>
> Huffington) book about Maria Callas, the diva brought the score of La
> Straniera with her on that fateful cruise aboard Aritstole Onassis' ship.
> The author states bluntly: "She did not touch it."
>
> Enzo Bordello
Thanks for the info Enzo
I really never knew about this incident. I wish she had studied this
role instead of Onassis [By the way we in Austria always call him:
O nass ist!!! (O it is wet)]
harvey
AndKorniej
Some other roles that Callas was asked to do or was planning were the
mezzosoprano part in the Verdi requiem (to Schwarzkopf's soprano. Maria's
reply to the invitation reputedly a terse "Secunda Donna?") and the
soprano part was later suggested for some performances in Dallas.
Rudolf Bing asked her to do Queen of the Night for a smaller fee ("only if
you can guarantee that my audience will be smaller") and Walter Legge
wanted her for Olympia in his final recording for EMI of Tales of
Hoffmann, alongside Shwarzkopf and Victoria de los Angeles.
Andrew
AndKorniej
Enzo62
Ed Boxer
She would have been fabulous as/in:
Eboli in Don Carlo
Despina in Cosi (boy I am going to hear it on this one)
Melisand
Helen and Dido in Les Troyens
Roberto Deveraux
Princepessa in Sour Angelica
La Fanciulla del West
The Telephone
Or on Broadway:
Vera in Mame
Ed "Boxer" Jones
"Hypocrisy is the lubricant of a civilized society" - Arianna Huffington
Check out my home page: www.GeoCities.com/WestHollywood/9172
A Guide to Opera on CD; Boxing; my Lego creations; Drum and Bugle Corps; Key West
James Jorden
Ed Boxer wrote:
>
> She would have been fabulous as/in:
[various roles snipped]
>
> Or on Broadway:
> Vera in Mame
Uh, given Callas's almost complete lack of humor, I don't see her as
Vera. Besides, whom did you have in mind to sing Mame-- Joan Sutherland
perhaps?
I think that the closest Callas could come to Broadway would be in a
serious role like Julie in "Show Boat".
--
james jorden
jjo...@ix.netcom.com
http://www.anaserve.com/~parterre
"I'm a great believer in vulgarity. All we need is a splash of bad
taste. NO taste is what I'm against."
--- Diana Vreeland
paolo
Pramod.harvey wrote:
>
> HI
> i was just wondering if Callas hadn't lost her voice which roles would
> she have sung? Would she have restricted herself (atleast for new roles)
> to belcanto? Two roles come to my mind that she could have done real
> justice to:
> Lucrezia Borgia and
> Semiramide.
> of Callas and how she would have sung it?
> But strange enough she didn't even sing a aria from this opera. But I
> think that she would have been a great Straniera.
Didn't Callas study La Straniera? I remember a story from somewhere
about here being on the 'Christina' with the score, Meneghini's book, I
think refers to her bringing it on board. But for what performances it
was intended I cannot recall.
I think Callas could've tackled a lot more roles.
I would've loved to have heard her in the following (please no flames,
I'm dreaming)
Salome
Kundry (again)
Margaurite
Vanessa, Erika & Grandmother in Vanessa
Donna Elvira
Ellen Orford
Leonora (Fidelio)
Isolde (again, but in German)
Verdi Requiem
Olympia, Giulietta, Antonia & Stella
Dalila
Senta
Oh, alright, I would've loved to at least have heard her in everything!
Paolo.
BlueGold7
Callas had one of her greatest roles in Anna Bolena. Would have been
great and she went on to complete the three Queen trilogy with Maria
Stuarda and Roberto Devereux. Beverly Sills recorded the three roles but
she does not come close to what Callas would have done with the roles.
John Lynch
Without reading any of the replies to this question, I looked up the
list of roles that the great Mawrdew Czgowchwz announced: " ... I will
this year sing forty roles, three times each, here and there." It is
followed by a list, slightly edited below:
Violetta Desdemona, Leonora (Trovatore), Azucena, Lady Macbeth, Mistress
Quickly, Amneris, Eboli, Norma, Elvira (Puritani), Donna Elvira, Donna
Anna, the Countess, Queen of the Night, Orfeo, Poppea, the Marschallin,
Octavian, Elektra, Salome, the Dyer's Wife, Sieglinde, Brunnhilde
(Walkure), Elisabeth, Manon, Thais, Louise, Dalila, Carmen, Cassandra
and Dido in the same performance of Les Troyens, Rusalka, Turandot,
Minnie, Cio-Cio-San, Marie (Wozzeck), Jocasta, Emilia Marti, Leonore
(Fidelio) and Romeo in I Capuletti ed i Montecchi.
[From "Mawrdew Czgowchwz," by James McCourt (NY: Farrar, Straus and
Girous, 1975. p. 10-11.]
Top that, Miz Callas!
--
John Lynch
Pramod.harvey
> How about the Kostelnicka?
sorry for being ignorant but what is that?
harvey
paolo
John Lynch wrote:
Czgowchwz announced: " ... I will
this year sing forty roles, three times each, here and there.
... Violetta Desdemona, Leonora (Trovatore), Azucena, Lady
Macbeth, Mistress > Quickly, Amneris, Eboli, Norma, Elvira
(Puritani), Donna Elvira, Donna Anna, the Countess, Queen of the
Night, Orfeo, Poppea, the Marschallin, Octavian, Elektra,
Salome, the Dyer's Wife, Sieglinde, Brunnhilde, (Walkure),
Elisabeth, Manon, Thais, Louise, Dalila, Carmen, Cassandra
and Dido in the same performance of Les Troyens, Rusalka,
Turandot, Minnie, Cio-Cio-San, Marie (Wozzeck), Jocasta, Emilia
Marti, Leonore (Fidelio) and Romeo in I Capuletti ed i
Montecchi.
______
You forgot to mention the night she jumped into the pit and played
trombone for the Tannhauser overture!
Paolo.
paolo
Pramod.harvey wrote:
>
> > How about the Kostelnicka?
>
> sorry for being ignorant but what is that?
The Kostelnicka, is a dance, not unlike the Continental or the Hokey
Pokey or the Macarena! It's got a great song too that's similar to
Come on boys, do the Kostelnicka
Come on gals, do the Kostelnicka
Your name is Jenufa and you've done some fam'ly luvin
Your cousin Steva's unaware it's his bun in your oven
Your other cousin's crazy and he cuts your pretty face
Then Kostelnicka kills your kid to save you from disgrace
Hey Kostelnicka! Kostelnicka Rocks!
Your Stepma Kostelnicka is the strongest broad in town
She's not about to let ol drunken Steva take you down
At the end of this sad tale there's peace throughut the land
But the whole damn thing's in Czech a language no one
understands.
Hey Kostelnicka! Kostelnicka Rocks!
so sorry folks.
Paolo.
Lis K. Froding
In article <33EDDB...@kfunigraz.ac.at>,
"Pramod.harvey" <pramod...@kfunigraz.ac.at> wrote:
>> How about the Kostelnicka?
>
>sorry for being ignorant but what is that?
>harvey
Kostelnicka is a character is Janacek's opera Jenufa; she's Jenufa's
stepmother (soprano).
Lis
Ragbert
In article <33EE0D...@ix.netcom.com>, paolo <gpad...@ix.netcom.com>
writes:
>Hey Kostelnicka! Kostelnicka Rocks!
Dear Paolo,
That was brilliant and hysterical!
(Nice to have you posting again, hope you're happily ensconced in Maine.)
--RAG
paolo
Thanks ... ensconced ... imprisoned ... tomato ... tomahto ... really,
whatever I'm doing here is terrific. Still sitting amid boxes that I
don't want to open, but ...
The weather is just terrfic right now. This morning listened to Magda
Olivero in "Risurrezione" while I sipped coffee and a nice strong breeze
blew through the 16 windows of my apartment (yeah, and I can't wait for
the same thing during winter's chill!)
Paolo.
jfu...@unix.asb.com
Magda Sorel
In article <33EED1...@kfunigraz.ac.at>, "Pramod.harvey"
<pramod...@kfunigraz.ac.at> wrote:
> Ed Boxer wrote:
> >
> > She would have been fabulous as/in:
> >
> > Eboli in Don Carlo
> > Despina in Cosi (boy I am going to hear it on this one)
> > Melisand
> > Helen and Dido in Les Troyens
> > Roberto Deveraux
> > Princepessa in Sour Angelica
> > La Fanciulla del West
> > The Telephone
> Eboli, I understand completely she would have been a good Eboli and
> Amneris as well. Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux would have been a great
> role for her as well. But for the other roles I just don't see the
> reasons why?
> Can u please clarify?
> Harvey
--
Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she had to do it backwards in high heels.
-anon
Pramod.harvey
Lis K. Froding
Musipro
jfu...@unix.asb.com wrote, about roles Callas would have sung:
>Magda Sorel
Yes, someone (can't recall who) actually talked with her about doing
Menotti's _Consul_, although it fell through as did so many other
projects.
Ed Boxer wrote:
> She would have been fabulous as/in:
[snip]
> Despina in Cosi (boy I am going to hear it on this one)
[snip]
> The Telephone
Would have to disagree with these--I can't imagine Callas having the charm
or light touch, either vocally or dramatically, to bring off these comic
roles, though it's true that she could have managed Despina's tessitura
even in her late singing days (Evelyn Lear sang it at least once).
Ed Boxer
>Ed Boxer wrote:
>>
>> She would have been fabulous as/in:
>>
>> Eboli in Don Carlo
>> Despina in Cosi (boy I am going to hear it on this one)
>> Melisand
>> Helen and Dido in Les Troyens
>> Roberto Deveraux
>> Princepessa in Sour Angelica
>> La Fanciulla del West
>> The Telephone
>Eboli, I understand completely she would have been a good Eboli and
>Amneris as well. Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux would have been a great
>role for her as well. But for the other roles I just don't see the
>reasons why?
>Can u please clarify?
>Harvey
Despina - a bit of froth I think she would have had a ball with. She was
a great actress and the chance to perform this little devil would have
been a lot of fun.
Melisand - most Melisands are vocallly fine but dull. I think Callas
would have done her usual, make you forget the notes (and the fact that
their are no real melodies) and be drawn in to her interpretation and
acting.
Cassandra (not Helen) and Dido in Troyens. Two big dramatic parts with
desperate women, what Callas could have done with these two roles
interpretatively would have been phenomenal (sp?). Norman and Verrett and
Horne and others made beautiful music. Callas would have you terrified as
Cassandra and in tears as Dido.
Principessa in Sour Angelica - Callas as a domineering bully would be
perfect.
La Fanciulla - Vocally and interpretatively she would have been excellent.
I'd love to have been able to see her in Act II, especially the card
scene.
The Telephone - for once, in her native language and Callas in a role by
herslef on the stage.
can...@webtv.net
since we're dreamin'....
how about La Marti in "The Makropolous Affair" - (yes, i know they call
it the "Case" now, but if you had seen the City Opera's infamous x-rated
version, it was definitely an affair.)
and how about La Divina as The Marschallin? did she ever sing R.
Strauss?
James Jorden
Musipro wrote:
> Yes, someone (can't recall who) actually talked with her about doing
> Menotti's _Consul_, although it fell through as did so many other
> projects.
That someone was Menotti. He wanted her (still not particularly well
known) to star in the first La Scala production. Ghiringelli, capo of
the theater, protested her, but finally (after much pleading by Menotti)
that she could in fact appear-- but only as a "guest artist", not as a
member of the company. Callas took this attitude as the insult it was
meant to be and refused, noting, "I will sing at La Scala as a member of
the company one day. And I will make Ghiringhelli pay for this insult
for the rest of his life."
Menotti tells this anecdote in a documentary directed by Franco
Zeffirelli made shortly after the death of Callas.
Of the other roles that were mentioned, one thing that is wrong with
many of them is that they are not prima donna roles. Can you imagine
ANYONE taking a curtain call after Callas?
Robert Jones
> Menotti's _Consul_, although it fell through as did so many other
> projects.
In Gian Carlo Menotti's autobiography he tells of the time (very early
1950s) when THE CONSUL was going to receive its Italian premiere at La
Scala. Menotti spoke to Callas about playing Magda, but she told him
that when she appeared at La Scala it had to be as a member of the
company, and in Scala's repertory. Not as a "guest" in a premiere.
Besides, the Scala management couldn't stand Callas in those days (nor
in any OTHER days to come!), so Callas never sang the role at Scala or
anywhere else.
The one role that Callas would seem to have been born to play was Emilia
Marty in Janacek's THE MAKROPULOS SECRET. Of all singers, she was the
one with the physical beauty, the charisma, the acting skills, the
quality of coming from some supernatural non-world, that Janacek's opera
demands. "People are always wanting me to sing it," Callas told one
reporter. But Callas was not interested in such music, which probably
seemed very strange to her, if she ever heard it at all. She was in New
York at the time the MAKROPULOS received its hugely successful
production at New York City Opera (Marilyn Niska had the triumph of her
life in it), but Callas didn't even go to see it. Another case of Callas
throwing her career down the drain.
--Robert T. Jones
jfu...@unix.asb.com
I just got hold of an old Melodram vinyl set, a recital by Inge Borkh and
the big aria from the Consul is
included, sung in German. In English it's "To This We've Come", many of
you will recall Eileen Farrell's
stunning performance of it on disk under Schippers.
In article <19970811133...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
mus...@aol.com (Musipro) wrote:
> jfu...@unix.asb.com wrote, about roles Callas would have sung:
>
> >Magda Sorel
>
> Yes, someone (can't recall who) actually talked with her about doing
> Menotti's _Consul_, although it fell through as did so many other
> projects.
>
> Ed Boxer wrote:
>
> > She would have been fabulous as/in:
> [snip]
> > Despina in Cosi (boy I am going to hear it on this one)
Ragbert
paolo <gpad...@ix.netcom.com> writes:
<< and a nice strong breeze blew through the 16 windows of my apartment
(yeah, and I can't wait for the same thing during winter's chill!) >>
Worry not, Paolo--no breezes during the winter in Maine!
Nor'easters maybe, but no breezes...... ;-)
--RAG
Lis K. Froding
In article <33F005...@ix.netcom.com>,
paolo <gpad...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>Hey Lis ... she was supposed to BE Magda Sorel! (Menotti pleaded with
>her ... she was also Barber's choice for Vanessa, but she preferred "the
>niece" (Erika) which, in truth, is the juciest role in the show.
>(Charlotte Hellekant got raves two seasons ago as Erika)
>
>Paolo.
Oh boy, this is egg-on-face time!!! I was thinking Idia Legray, a
_really_ juicy role ;-) Why the confusion? Beats me. And of course
I know that you know that I know better ;-) Posting in the middle of
the night has got to stop. It will, very soon.
And about Vanessa and Erika - I just happened to see that opera not too
long ago, but need to hear it at least one more time before making any
comments about "juiciness".
Er... Lis
paolo
Musipro
can...@webtv.net wrote:
>and how about La Divina as The Marschallin? did she ever sing R.
>Strauss?
No, Callas never sang in German--she did do Fidelio in Athens during the
war, but presumably it was in Greek.
can...@webtv.net
Callas attending the NYCO's outrageous production of the "Affair" would
have been a real event!
As a recall, the opera was sung in english, and at one point Niska
herself sang the sacred name "Callas", and the audience roared its
approval - oh, if Callas had been in the house....
p.s.: does anyone know the actual line?
p.p.s.: Does anyone remember Niska as "Medea"?
Pramod.harvey
can...@webtv.net wrote:
> and how about La Divina as The Marschallin? did she ever sing R.
> Strauss?
No she never touched Strauss, Richard or Johann for that matter!
But, I htink she could have been a good Elektra or Salome. if she hadn't
switched to belcanto
Harvey
g.f.
In article <5sohg8$b9c$1...@newsd-107.bryant.webtv.net>,
Pure speculation, of course, but I think the Marschallin would have
bored her, and she wouldn't have made much of it. I prefer to dream
of Ariadne and maybe Elektra.
John Lynch
g.f. wrote:
> Pure speculation, of course, but I think the Marschallin would have
> bored her, and she wouldn't have made much of it. I prefer to dream
> of Ariadne and maybe Elektra.
I agree that the Marschallin would have bored her--but because the role
is too subtle. Her strongest outburst is in Act III when she asks Ochs
if he doesn't know when a game is over. There is nothing in the part
that requires Callas's stock in trade snarling-furrowed-brow-fangs-bared
"emotion". I don't think there is in Ariadne, either. A bit of comical
histrionics in the prelude where she could play herself, a bit of
introspection in the first part of the opera, and then the Annie-get-
your-gun competitive singing against Bacchus at the end. This leaves
Elektra, which has enough solo moments to satisfy the biggest ego.
g.f.
In article <33F3A8...@ultranet.com>,
John Lynch <jly...@ultranet.com> wrote:
>I agree that the Marschallin would have bored her--but because the role
>is too subtle. Her strongest outburst is in Act III when she asks Ochs
>if he doesn't know when a game is over. There is nothing in the part
>that requires Callas's stock in trade snarling-furrowed-brow-fangs-bared
>"emotion". I don't think there is in Ariadne, either. A bit of comical
>histrionics in the prelude where she could play herself, a bit of
>introspection in the first part of the opera, and then the Annie-get-
>your-gun competitive singing against Bacchus at the end. This leaves
>Elektra, which has enough solo moments to satisfy the biggest ego.
>
Prima Donna, mind you) as a wildly emotional role. Particularly
the lament. Hey, sudden weird idea: Callas as der Kompositor.
Hmmmm.... I"m hearing her voice wrapped around "O du Knabe, du
Kind, du allmachtiger Gott!" Granted travesti roles don't scream
Callas. Just a whimsical thought.
can...@webtv.net
re nix on the Marchallin
well, I would rather have her wake up with Octavian than that brute
Onassis!
paolo
John Lynch wrote:
>
> g.f. wrote:
>
> > Pure speculation, of course, but I think the Marschallin would have
> > bored her, and she wouldn't have made much of it. I prefer to dream
> > of Ariadne and maybe Elektra.
>
trade snarling-furrowed-brow-fangs-bared "emotion". I don't
think there is in Ariadne, either. A bit of comical
histrionics in the prelude where she could play herself, a bit
of introspection in the first part of the opera, and then the
Annie-get- your-gun competitive singing against Bacchus at the
end. This leaves Elektra, which has enough solo moments to
satisfy the biggest ego.>
> ______
Youch! Callas, of course had an ego (cosi fan tutte) but I think people
forget what an ensemble player she was. She was a pro, a stickler for
learning, rehearsing the music and expected everyone to be at her level
(they often weren't even close) of commitment. I think in her later
years, had she gotten the nerves under control and attempted a "genuine"
comeback, the Marschallain would've been a good choice for her. Callas
surprised once in a while with more subtle, less starry roles, (i.e.,
Andrea Chenier, Poliuto) .
Still, what I'd give to have seen/heard her as Elektra!
Paolo.
David Gable
Callas would have been ideal in the Berlioz operas and in Damnation de
Faust . . . and Les nuits d'ete!!! The role of Didon in Troyens,
particularly, has great spitfire moments that would have suited Callas
to a T, particularly the quayside duet where Dido tells Aeneas that it
wasn't Venus but a hideous she-wolf that suckled him. And the entire
final scene of Troyens would be perfect for Callas. The big aria for
Beatrice in Beatrice & Benedict would be even more perfect for Callas
("Que viens-je d'entendre? . . . Il m'en souvient"), although not even
Callas could have surpassed Josephine Veasey in Davis's first recording
of the opera. And I would love to have heard Callas sing "Le spectre de
la rose" from "Nuits d'ete." I have always felt that Callas was best
suited to Gluck, Spontini, and Bellini, and Berlioz is well within the
orbit of Gluck and Spontini.
- David Gable
Shahrdad
John Lynch <jly...@ultranet.com> wrote in article
<33F3A8...@ultranet.com>...
> g.f. wrote:
> I agree that the Marschallin would have bored her--but because the role
> is too subtle. Her strongest outburst is in Act III when she asks Ochs
> if he doesn't know when a game is over. There is nothing in the part
> that requires Callas's stock in trade snarling-furrowed-brow-fangs-bared
> "emotion".
>This leaves Elektra, which has enough solo moments to satisfy the biggest
ego.
>
John, I agree that the Marschallin would have bored Callas. Actually it
bores me too! But I totally disagree with you on summarizing Callas's art
to "snarling-furrowed-brow-fangs-bared 'emotion'." It is true that she
could portray unfiltered hatred probably better than any female singer this
century. After all, that's what made her Medea and her Norma so
terrifying. But that only constituted about 3% of her artistry. What made
her great was her ability to portray heartbreaking vulnerability in
contrast to the raw fury. Most of her greatest roles had nothing
demanding the snarling fury she could portray so well. Try to think of a
more delicate Amina, or a more vulnerable Violetta, or a more victimized
Lucia, or a more betrayed Anna Bolena.
As for me, I don't tend to recall the furious moments, but , in my mind's
ear, I keep hearing Callas' voice uttering "Annina" at the beginning of the
last act of Traviata, or "Infelice son io" in Anna Bolena, "L'aura e
fredda" in Mefistofele, and "Alfin son tua" in Lucia.
It was her ability to hold a mirror to all our emotions from black hatred
to sublime self-sacrifice that made her great. To just call her a snarling
fury is a great injustice.
S.
Musipro
David Gable <dga...@midway.uchicago.edu> wrote:
>Callas would have been ideal in the Berlioz operas and in Damnation de
>Faust . . . and Les nuits d'ete!!!
She did indeed record a lovely "D'amour l'ardente flamme" in 1963,
re-released on Angel CDC 49059.
paolo
Shahrdad wrote:
> What made her great was her ability to portray heartbreaking
> It was her ability to hold a mirror to all our emotions from black
> hatred to sublime self-sacrifice that made her great. To just call
> her a snarling fury is a great injustice.
_____
Bella, bella! Absolutely on the money Shahrdad! Too often Callas is
dismissed as excelling only in the "hot temper" mood. Your inclusion of
perhaps her greatest role (Violetta) is the perfect case in point. The
qualities of vulnerability and self-sacrifice are heartwrenching. Her
"Alfredo, Alfredo" in Act III can melt a heart of stone.
Paolo.
Bob Morrisey
In message <33F60B...@midway.uchicago.edu>
David Gable <dga...@midway.uchicago.edu> writes:
> Callas would have been ideal in the Berlioz operas and in Damnation de
Regarding the Spontini, her version (a pirate recording) with Corelli
in the fifties is somthing worth tracking down
bob
John Lynch
Thanks, Shadrad. I had forgotten about Violetta.
Manon Lescault
I believe many worshipper of La Divina have imagined she could have sung
Strauss, Bizet, Berg, etc.
Salome
Elektra
the Marscahllin and Octavian (DER ROSENKAVALIER)
Zerbinetta(!) (ARIADNE AUF NAXOS)
Dyer's wife (DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN)
Carmen (alas! she didn't!)
Renata (Prokofiev's THE FIREY ANGEL)
and... Lulu!
Benjamin Rous
Manon Lescault wrote:
>
> I believe many worshipper of La Divina have imagined she could have sung
> Strauss, Bizet, Berg, etc.
>
> Carmen (alas! she didn't!)
So that's not really her on the EMI-recording then ?
Benjamin
(of course you mean sung in the theatre, but I couldn't resist)
Kevin McGowin
On Sat, 6 Sep 1997, Manon Lescault wrote:
> I believe many worshipper of La Divina have imagined she could have sung
> Strauss, Bizet, Berg, etc.
>
> Salome
> Elektra
> the Marscahllin and Octavian (DER ROSENKAVALIER)
> Zerbinetta(!) (ARIADNE AUF NAXOS)
> Dyer's wife (DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN)
> Carmen (alas! she didn't!)
> Renata (Prokofiev's THE FIREY ANGEL)
> and... Lulu!
>
Lulu--that'd be the cat's pajamas! You know, from her recording of it,
I've always thought that the later Callas voice was actually BEST suited
for CARMEN. With the Strauss, well, the ACTING was there, but...
KM>
Kalliban
If only Callas had recorded Tannhauser! Her Elizabeth would have
replaced the Goody-Two-Shoes we usually hear with a flesh and blood
creation. Same goes for Elsa in Lohengrin. As a matter of fact, her
Venus would have been a scorcher!
Richard Wall
You need to listen to Leonie Rysanek's Elisabeth, please. And Grace Bumbry
singing both roles.
paolo
Kalliban wrote:
>
> If only Callas had recorded Tannhauser! Her Elizabeth would have
> replaced the Goody-Two-Shoes we usually hear with a flesh and blood
> creation. Same goes for Elsa in Lohengrin. As a matter of fact, her
> Venus would have been a scorcher!
_____
I agree that Callas would've been a terrific Wagnerian. On the basis of
her Kundry (& her Liebestode) I would have welcomed her in most of the
Wagnerian roles. What a Senta she'd have been! Can you imagine her
jump into the sea. It would have boiled!
Paolo.
Brian Newhouse
In article <341c21ea...@news.earthlink.net>, kall...@earthlink.net
(Kalliban) wrote:
> If only Callas had recorded Tannhauser! Her Elizabeth would have
> replaced the Goody-Two-Shoes we usually hear with a flesh and blood
> creation. Same goes for Elsa in Lohengrin. As a matter of fact, her
> Venus would have been a scorcher!
Wasn't Rysanek filling out Elisabeth and Elsa in that way early in her
career? I remember her priding herself on doing that in an interview.
And I don't blame her--let's face it, though Ortrud may have the greatest
line in diabolical smolderings this side of Jack Palance in _Shane_, Elsa
is the only halfway interesting character in _Lohengrin_.
--
Brian Newhouse
newh...@mail.crisp.net
GregF NC
>Same goes for Elsa in Lohengrin.
Actually, it would have been much more fun to have heard her as Ortrud (or
perhaps Telramund?).
Greg Fitzmaurice
Durham, NC
Tannh
what callas really should have sung and would have been great in are the
following:
Cassandra/Didon : Les Troyens
Lucrezia Borgia/Maria Stuarda/Roberto Devereux
Semiramide/Ermione etc
elvira in ernani/lucrezia in I Due Foscari etc