parterre box

53 comments

• La Marchesa Attavanti says:

  It was definitely a Voice voice as well as being a Kunst voice. I saw her in San Francisco as Desdemona in 1970 and then as the “Forza” Leonora in 1976. Fast vibrato that I didn’t hear as a defect (in fact, I’d say a lot of “spin” in the sound) and register break that almost sounded like a soprano version of Giulietta Simionato; big voice, wide range, lots of color in the sound.

  on November 11, 2009 at 3:25 PM
• operaddict says:

  Sounds like an old lady who used to sing in my church choir…

  on November 12, 2009 at 4:05 AM
  • Regina delle fate says:

    Haha! Unkind, but possibly true.

    on November 12, 2009 at 6:04 AM
• Harry says:

  operaddict; you must realize that Kabaivanska when appearing in that movie, is no longer under any pretense her voice is now well and truly beyond what she was once famous for. Notice though her ‘professional technique’ is still there in spades. Her presence is a dramatic device for the film scene in question – A musical social / soiree’.

  God each year I go to a early December Christmas party. The host, a woman over 60 who had very late vocal lessons and they remained ‘just lessions’.. (get it!) likes to put on her own personal recital for the guests. Perhaps that is the sacrificial ‘given’ for attending. You get massacred soprano versions of everything from Traviata, Faust, Carmen, Lehar -whatever. Wentaro has nothing on her!!! She is what one would call a somewhat mezzo with tortured soprano chords coming out of nowhere – or they just delightfully vanish as she runs out of vocal steam – and the piano just continues on. We smile, and give polite respectful claps for such enthusiasm. One must ‘be gracious’ in someone else’s house.

  on November 12, 2009 at 11:34 AM
  • Sanford says:

    I didn’t realize Florence Foster Jenkins was still giving CHristmas parties

    on November 12, 2009 at 12:09 PM
• Ruxton says:

  Or attending them

  on November 12, 2009 at 7:43 PM