Moving associatively sideways repertoire-wise, we bid goodbye for the moment to Daniela Dessi and can barely recall someone whose initials are Andelina Nebtraintrestle. We now spend some time with this aria from Adriana.
First up is Mirella Freni. She has never been one of my favorites but her voice here is really rich and nice. She just fills the tones out so nicely. This is clearly from a MET Gala or a special performance of Die Fliedermaus:
Howzabout that second to last note? Damn she sounds good at the further end of her career and this is singing that would be nice at the beginning too.
Next is a link to Renata Tebaldi singing this aria on some cheesy telephone hour show, but damn she owned this role. Rudolf Bing said that Tebaldi demanded a production of Adriana at the MET as a quid pro quo. He tried to wiggle out of the agreement but she smiling would not let him. If my memory serves, that smile put "dimples of steel" on her face and he had to do the opera. Here is the
Tebaldi link.
And this is a singer I knew more by reputation but now I have both a visual and an audial image. OMG! This is so over the top! But kids, this is opera!! Portentosa, splendida, fucka, yeaha, si si si!!. Drum-roll please! [fanfares] "Ladies and Gents, I give you scenery-chewer extraordinaire...let's give a loud round of applause... to... Marcella Pobbe!!! (now with pearls):
P.S. She is lipsynching of course, as happens in these Italian films of the operas. I wondered if this were an actress playing the part. No, it IS she: 
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Mas de Adriana Blogging
Posted by Mark at 11:21 am
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5 comments:
[REFLEXIVITY!:] This was a lovely post--especially the video of Pobbe-- the way she disappears behind the curtain all afire from and distracted by Poesie and then reappears still in the grips of her character--- what a find!
Yes the Pobbe vid is very luxuriant and she is indeed a fine actress. But the Freni video gets me more excited -- perhaps because she's actually singing and not lip-syncing -- but Pobbe isn't to blame for this. Not only does Freni's penultimate note induce chills, but the enunciation of the whole final phrase reaches right down into the viscera. Pa-pow.
You are right about Freni. I see what all the fuss is about when she does that. In fact, I think I need to revisit my feelings of
"well, she's nice but". I mean WHAT do I want when the soprano can dish THAT up?! F___ng HELL!
Thanks for the comment by the way! I worked hard on this entry and the internets were cold--- but no more!
I had sort of an afternoon free, so I surfed and blogged and replied. Happy to do it.
But there is a book review that I need to write, and the prospectus for my own book is just waiting to be written...
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