parterre box

70 comments

• mrmyster says:

  Carol Vaness? Holleque?
  In spite of a screechy Bb, she handles the climactic phrase well — “two climaxes,” if not quite three.
  Definitely not Steber; not Kirsten — I note the slight clipping of phrases, and it reminds me of someone – but who?
  Where is Hercule Poirot when we need him. Cieca! Relieve our misery!

  on July 3, 2009 at 1:55 AM
• Earl Koenig says:

  I’ll throw my lot in with those who’ve guessed Steber. The top-most notes are what solidified my guess.

  on July 3, 2009 at 2:14 AM
• mrmyster says:

  It’s a live performance, hence likely a radio broadcast.
  From the Met?
  Well — Hildegard Behrens?
  Vaness and Holleque have already been mentioned.
  Who else has done it?
  My guess now is Behrens, though somethng
  about it still says Vaness.
  Who else has broadcast it from the
  Met — who is NOT Italian and tends to clip
  phrases, and was pushing the top just a tad?
  Marton?
  MARTON!!!

  on July 3, 2009 at 2:16 AM
• La Marchesa Attavanti says:

  Why is Jurinac seeming so unplausible to you guys? She sang Tosca at the ROH and in Vienna multiple times during the 60′s. Several of those would have been broadcast.

  on July 3, 2009 at 2:24 AM
• MontyNostry says:

  The slightly ‘choirboy’ quality of the attack and that little flutter is somewhat reminiscent of Mara Zampieri, but I don’t think that’s who it is.

  on July 3, 2009 at 2:32 AM
• La Marchesa Attavanti says:

  The sound is too steady and the vibrato too even (aside from the flattened out ends of phrases that sound like a deliberate choice) for either Behrens or Marton. Too pretty a sound for Vaness. I saw Holleque do it once upon a time but don’t have a good memory of the voice. More subtle and refined than Steber, but not unlike Steber in terms of basic timbre.

  I stick with Jurinac.

  on July 3, 2009 at 2:35 AM
• Buster says:

  Alessandra Marc?

  on July 3, 2009 at 2:35 AM
• zzzznombula says:

  I still think it’s Miricioiu.

  Chances are that La Cieca wanted to get her hands on a recording because of the Covent Garden announcement this week.

  There are a few Miricioiu Tosca recordings floating around, the most significant, in light of Tosca performances scheduled for London this month, being an in-house recording of her 2004 Covent Garden Tosca.

  That was a beautiful performance and an “event,” in that CG was retiring the Zeffirelli production originally designed for Callas and on that Saturday, there was a Tosca doubleheader with Guleghina singing in the evening performance and Nelly Miricioiu in the afternoon performance.

  on July 3, 2009 at 2:48 AM
• enzo says:

  Miricioiu sings it on youtube. It’s good enough, but not really first-rate.

  on July 3, 2009 at 2:50 AM
• zzzznombula says:

  ENZO:

  Her 2004 CG performance was definitely first-rate!

  I haven’t seen the YouTube clip but I have a recording, which, I’m guessing, is in much better sound than a YouTube clip.

  on July 3, 2009 at 2:53 AM