The solution to the "Ernani involami" quiz
All right, cher public, now that the competion is closed, La Cieca will reveal the 20 singers performing the composite “Ernani involami.” First, you might want to listen to the original clip one more time. Now, ready? Here are our 20 divas, pictured and named. Just click on the YouTube clip to play.
Oooooh, I sucked so bad on this that I will only post anonymously and not admit to being Hans Lick. Price and Callas and Ponselle, but I missed Sills and Caballe and Moffo — on listening again, I realize that the Moffo “sauce” is there (which is not always a bad thing). There are about five I would NEVER have got, including PT and FC and DD and AM. (Muzio too surprised me.)
That’s the late Sutherland recording of the full opera, isn’t it? with brand new ornaments? Her early recording of just the aria is one of the things that got me hooked on stimme when a mere lad.
P.S. And yes of course I got Sutherland — I always get Sutherland and Price — but I never missed Caballe before. – HL
OK, where do I get Sutherland’s version? I have the early one from her debut album, buy I would love to hear how she ornaments this piece. Can someone help?
If you really want to hear this Sutherland version, it’s on the complete recording with Pavarotti, the one that sat on the shelf for such a long time that people assumed it was unreleasable.
There are two things wrong with the thing: 1) Sutherland has no lower voice, so everytime the line starts plunging, she takes it up an octave. I don’t think Verdi would have approved. 2) instead of the tenor-bass duet that ends Act 2, they substitute that tenor vanity scene that Pavarotti (and Mauro) both sang during Met broadcasts. They should have recorded the opera as is and then included this tenor stuff as an appendix.
But nobody ever asks me for guidance, so there we have it.
First off, thank you and bravissima, La Cieca. What a fabulous quiz!
I also never miss Caballe but did here. I think it’s because her singing is so darn spritely. She’s not luxuriating in her warm tone.
I feel good that I got Muzio. But I admit that I hadn’t even heard of 2 or 3 of them. Anyone else mistakenly guess that Deutekom was Miriciou? And I have now officially fallen in love with Moffo from that little clip.
i’m sorry, but in what year was the cossotto clip made??? i mean, when did she ever sound that brilliant? in the cretaceous?????
I too failed BADLY at this quiz. Brava La Cieca! There were definitely ones I should have gotten in there… I mean, Caballe? Maybe because it was so short, I didn’t really get to hear enough of the sound to really grasp anything. And I totally screwed up with Stella and Steber, which I’m sure all you lovers of that era would all see the difference… I had Ponselle picked as number3 too… wow. And poor Sutherland, I now know NOT to ever buy the full opera recording with her in it for sure. I love the lady, but yikes.
Did anyone else laugh like I did when they heard Deutekom finishing off the run with “La la la la la’s?” LOL