Happy Birthday Shirley Verrett
The American mezzo-soprano and soprano is 79 years old today.
La Verrett is heard here in the second act of Il trovatore opposite Luciano Pavarotti in the fall of 1976.
Cher Public
- Camille: Gee, that is bizarre—R 11;I was thinking of you a while back and wanting to let you know I HAD... 4:02 PM
- kashania: I also checked out the second act finale and agree completely. It’s rare that a moment of hysteria... 3:59 PM
- Lucy: Like arepo, I’m seeing Andrea Chenier: 1. Courtroom scene, just before “Si, fui soldato.”... 3:51 PM
- grimoaldo: Hi Camille, you were interested in “Craig’ ;s Wife” with Rosalind Russell.I watched... 3:20 PM
- Camille: “Inno ad Imene”. Sorry. Just had to try it on for size. Thanks, operaguy. 3:11 PM
- lorenzo.venezia: hair-raising. that’s why the tee shirts were so surprising. it has been a while since the... 3:04 PM
- operaguy: Down in the Depths on the 90th Floor is a Cole Porter song from “Red, Hot and Blue” –... 2:56 PM
- Clita del Toro: Cammie, well, Swiffers do make this old lady’s life much easier. You can Swiffer around the... 2:54 PM
colleagues
- A Liberal's Libretto
- AndrewAndJoshua
- Barihunks
- Cafeteria Rusticana
- Capital New York
- Civic Center
- Counter Critic
- Daniel Stephen Johnson
- Family Circle
- Handelmania
- Hugo Alvarez Domínguez
- Intermezzo
- ionarts
- Iron Tongue of Midnight
- Jumping Clapping Man
- Likely Impossibilites
- Mass Culture Mozart
- My Favorite Intermissions
- New York Post
- Opera Arts
- Opera Bouffe
- Opera Cake
- Opera Fresh
- Opera Rocks
- Opera Tales
- Opera Teen
- Operacast
- Operavision
- Out West Arts
- pArts
- Poison Ivy's Wall of Text
- Sandow
- SFCV
- Superconductor
- The Classical Beat
- The Classical Review
- The Opera Tattler
- Una butaca en el paraiso
- Vilane fille
- Wenarto
- Willy or Won’t He?
- Wo bleibt Elektra?
- WQX-Aria
- Yankeediva
- Zachary Woolfe
54 comments
Today's Events
Upcoming Events
Chats
- May 19 at 1:00 PM: I Capuleti e i Montecchi (webcast from Bavarian State Opera)
La Casa della Cieca →
Topics
- anna anna anna
- barihunk
- bel canto
- blind item
- blog bloggity blog
- broadcast
- camp
- cancellation
- chat
- cher public
- contest
- critic
- diva
- dvd
- filth
- gala
- gay gay gay gay gay
- happy birthday
- hd
- jj
- l'evasiva
- la cieca ci guarda
- la scoopenda
- maestro levine
- man of steel
- mp3
- need you ask?
- new york post
- new york times
- nyco
- our own
- our own jj
- peter gelb is...
- regie
- review
- sad
- the met
- unnatural acts of opera
- wagner
- youtube
Her Eboli on the Giulini Don Carlo recording is, for me, as good as it gets, and a complete demonstration of her gifts. But the La Scala Lady Macbeth is thrilling and the only one I’d put on a level with Callas. Plus it lets me imagine what Joan Crawford would have been like as an opera singer (or Faye Dunaway, or Faye as Joan). And then to wind up her career singing eight shows a week of Climb Ev’ry Mountain and You’ll Never Walk Alone. Brava Diva.
That Eboli is superb. My favorite still.
Here’s the best-ever quality that I’ve seen of this stupendous production. You can see the beautiful color-scheme and almost feel the fabric of her gown. The original Italian poster on Utube also lets us hear the complete 2-minute ovation, when all hell breaks loose after the cabaletta. Well, the video had to be cut at 10 mins, so perhaps it goes on even longer!
Mother of god, what a performance–BRAVA!!
Besides, she is the only singer (besides Callas, that is) to really cut through the strings in the very difficult phrase “Pien di misfatti È il calle della potenza” and gives the impression of carrying the orchestra, instead of sounding as if she is struggling to remain in tempo [00:25]. There’s a world of a difference and it has something to do with respiratory technique and innate musicality, instead of just producing the notes. Well, we’ve been blessed in having this memento of a great interpretation.
The live performance from Vienna with Corelli and Janowitz is even better. The Veil Song is glorious, the voice agile and firm – the delicacy of some the melissima are astouding. ODF will change your religion!
Also, I love her Ulrica on the Leinsdorf Ballo. She and Price (and then Bergonzi) are just glorious in the first act ensembles.
Brava Diva, I had forgotten how good she was.
Not a patch on Heather Begg.
Compared to Verrett, Heather Begg is “Patches.” Patches the dog.
Just kidding. I have all his recordings.
She was my first Tosca. No-one has belted out the second act ‘Assassino’ with such fury – and then the love duet in Act Three was all gossamer, and a spine tingling ‘Ecco un’artista’ when Cavaradossi is shot………I was a muddy puddle at curtain fall
I had an audience with Shirley over two years ago here in Ann Arbor, where she teaches. Modesty and graciousness personified, and an endearing woman.
Hehehehehe:
“Modesty and graciousness personified” … just like Grace too.
In “real” life, I always found Shirley to be very modest and sweet and Grace to be nice BUT very imperious.
I should have added a
after my previous comment. Although, to judge by her autobiography, Shirl was not devoid of a little diva temperament now and then.
Speaking of Grace and Shirley. I had the privilege (or misfortune) to see them in a joint concert, I can’t remember how many years ago. It was a wild evening where Shirley was really “on” but poor Bumbry was not. Still, I wonder if we’ll ever see anything like that again.
oh monty, you are such a bitch…
you realize that clip was rehearsed, it’s as fake as your hair extensions.
The reason youtube was invented, period.
My mother says she heard Shirley Verrett sing a recital in Wisconsin in the early 1960′s when her name was Shirley Carter. Is that possible?
Yes, very possible. Verrett started in the late 50s using the name Shirley Verrett-Carter. Maybe it was under the hyphenated name your mother saw her or perhaps Shirley was experimenting with stage names. But she seems to have dropped the name Carter (was it also a husband that got dropped????) in the early 60s.
“At the age of 18, Verrett married a man fourteen years her senior. The marriage lasted only a short time and would have legally ended much earlier had it not been for her church’s ban on divorce. Until 1963, she combined her husband’s name with hers and was known professionally as Shirley Verrett-Carter.”
http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/shirley-verrett-special-voice
And one day later, Saint Frederica von Stade turns 65! Happy birthday!
You ain’t heard or read temperament just wait for my autobiography–it does not matter that I have NO talent.
callasorphan, good to see you back, made me come back to post. you have more talent than many of the wanabees that populate the opera world today (fleming, netrebko, etc.)
Thank you paddy. I am glad to be back and especially to know that you are back too. Hogs and quiches!!