parterre box

70 comments

• 61
  NYCOQ says:

  July 3, 2009 at 8:00 PM

  OMG – Inverterate Gossip. That is indeed a hideous perforamance by Angela Brown. She already had a big fluttery sound with no solid core to began with, but now with the weight loss it seems like she getting a very pronounced wobble.
• 62
  hab mirs gelobt says:

  July 3, 2009 at 8:42 PM

  ah yeah … sena! lovely lovely lovely. so much ‘innigkeit’!

  further to the recordings of her that were already mentioned there is also a jenufa (in german) on myto where she is singing the title role – with martha moedl (’i dont have the hight notes for the part of kostelnicka so i either leave them out or scream them’ … but its intense) as her step mother. and on orfeo there is a complete butterfly from vienna, which i have only heard in excerpts, but sena in the italian repertoire is always intriguing.

  her elisabetta in don carlo live in salzburg under karajan 1958 i think (it used to be on deutsche gramophon) is also a marvel, although karajan makes a very unwarranted cut in tu che le vanita. god knows why?!

  being on a bit of a della casa phase at the moment so jurinac fits right in! a propos lisa, on walhall they recently released a live lohengrin from the met with della casa as elsa and my god its wonderful. only snag is that the sound is really strange in the ‘remastering’ …
• 63
  marshiemarkII says:

  July 3, 2009 at 9:32 PM

  What a pleasure to be back in parterre and see such nice things said about the sublime Hildegard Behrens, mein long-lost gehmal and ITDG, grazie! In the meantime this is what the divine Joyce diDonato has to say about the eternelle Hildegard, from her Yankeediva website:
  “I have to say that from day one of my career, I have always felt incredibly privileged to be in the presence of greatness and to not just see the finished product of that greatness, but to actually see the PROCESS. I’m a firm believer that greatness is achieved in the process, in the journey – not just in the ovation. (My first example of that was in my first season in the Houston Grand Opera Studio – my first production was “Salome” with the astonishing Hildegard Behrens pouring her way through the score as if it was her first time. What an example to start with!)”

  What a gloriously generous diva Joyce!, brava, you have a new adoring fan.
• 64
  iltenoredigrazia says:

  July 3, 2009 at 9:50 PM

  marshie, hate to disappoint you but my comment in no way suggested that Behrens is or was “sublime.” I only said that to me it sounded like the young Behrens. For what is worth, I wasn’t that turned on by the performance as La Cieca and others here were. In any case, Behrens, and even Studer, gave some decent performances early in their careers.
• 65
  CerquettiFarrell says:

  July 3, 2009 at 11:40 PM

  The EMI References compilation is really wonderful. If only they’d re-release it (along with some other things, like the Nazi Welitsch Salome Schlussgesang – her best recording)!

  Jurinac’s Fiordiligi is probably the ultimate incarnation on record, alas only in excerpts (the Busch solo CD on Testament or the arias and 1st duet on that EMI References album). But there’s also her complete Ilia for Pritchard, still the best there is (although Siurina runs her close), her Contessa for Gui (ravishing and more honest than Evil Incarnate), her Elvira for Moralt (not available) and her Anna for Fricsay (though the voice HAS changed from 1959 onwards). These are all complete. Particularly classic are her Octavian (THE Rosenkavalier under Kleiber pere, or the live Karajan on DGG) and Komponist (Leinsdorf, with Peters and Rysanek). There’s also the Rosenkavalier film under Karajan). For a taste of late Jurinac, there’s Everding’s film of Hansel under Solti – she does a delightful witch. There’s also a very interesting german Otello film with Windgassen, where she portrays a Desdemona with much more backbone than usual, closer to Shakespeare rather than Boito.
  I particularly adore this warmhearted, warm-voiced and humble artist. Thanks for the clip!
• 66
  Hippolyte says:

  July 4, 2009 at 6:59 AM

  Actually C-F, there is a complete Jurinac Cosi available on CD, a 1951 Glyndebourne performance has been issued on Guild and is still available on Amazon, etc. There is also a 56 Cosi from Glyndebourne “around” but not commercially available. A live Idomeneo (also Glyndebourne/Busch) was released by Symposium; it’s technically out of print but copies are available (also on Amazon); it features, of course, Birgit Nilsson in her first break-out international performance as Elettra but I believe the source lacks some or all of “D’oreste d’ajace.”

  Myto also has a gorgeous Jurinac Manon (in German of course) with Anton Dermota; there’s a Pique Dame conducted by Rodzinski with Bastianini as Yeletsky (in Italian) “around”; and Youtube has excerpts from a film of “Sour Anglica” (as one of the excerpts describes it) that also features Elisabeth Hoengen as the Principessa.
• 67
  armerjacquino says:

  July 4, 2009 at 9:43 AM

  Don’t forget, too, that our own zinkaposter has highlights of the wonderful Salzburg Don Carlo with Resnik, Fernandi, Bastianini, Christoff and Jurinac on his podcast.
• 68
  Harry says:

  July 4, 2009 at 10:28 AM

  Now we are talking about the era when real essential recordings were either made or live captured. What a contrast with the quality of today’s current output. If someone says we need this or that recording from Lasagne, Rumanian Rumble Balls, Snot, Nettie or some past live capture of Hilly (fractured) BallBearings, I will die laughing.
• 69
  zinka says:

  July 4, 2009 at 9:55 PM

  I found the Jurinac Tosca aria rather bland…..and a few straight tones (Can I say “straight” here?? It is my all-time favorite opera aria…so I admit to being fussy..CH
• 70
  Camille says:

  July 9, 2009 at 1:51 PM

  Don’t know if anyone mentioned — there exists a delightful ‘Countess Maritza’ of Jurinac on the Gala label. Like champagne. Brut, not flat.