tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20357275926055489382014-08-02T15:01:40.820-07:00OPERA DIVASThis blog is dedicated to the most beautiful voices of opera.FLGnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035727592605548938.post-67266099677859465372012-01-10T15:38:00.000-08:002012-01-10T15:55:18.434-08:00Cristina Deutekom<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-piamNCK4968/TwzOmDIt5TI/AAAAAAAA0WY/i8VMrdhexKg/s1600/1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 303px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-piamNCK4968/TwzOmDIt5TI/AAAAAAAA0WY/i8VMrdhexKg/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696154781789054258" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Cristina Deutekom (born Christine Engel, in 1931) is a Dutch opera singer. Renowned for her coloratura technique, she is also known as Christine Deutekom and Christina Deutekom.<br />Her voice was that of a dramatic coloratura, although lirico spinto with an incredible coloratura technique would probably be more accurate.<br /><br />She sang with virtually all the leading tenors of her time: Franco Corelli, Richard Tucker, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Alfredo Kraus, Carlo Bergonzi and Nicolai Gedda.<br /><br />Deutekom was born in Amsterdam. After some smaller roles, her breakthrough came in 1963, portraying the Queen of the Night in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte at De Nederlandse Opera. She then sang the same role at all major European opera houses and also at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1968. In 1974 she opened the MET season next to Plácido Domingo as Elena in I vespri siciliani.<br /><br />Meanwhile she had been extending her repertoire. Besides the Queen of the Night, her Mozart roles included Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) and Vitellia (La clemenza di Tito). She also scored triumphant successes in Italy in the great bel canto roles of Rossini (Armida), Bellini (Norma, I puritani) and Donizetti (Lucia di Lammermoor).<br /><br />She went on to achieve international fame in a repertoire that also embraced the great dramatic Verdi roles (Abigaile in Nabucco, Lady Macbeth, Leonora in Il trovatore, Amelia in Un ballo in maschera, Elena in I vespri siciliani and the roles that were captured in commercial recordings: Giselda in I Lombardi and Odabella in Attila).<br /><br />Finally, she went on to sing the title role in Puccini's Turandot.<br /><br />Cristina's stage career ended in 1986, when she suffered a heart attack. She turned to giving master classes internationally. As of 2001, she was a guest teacher at the Royal Conservatory of the Hague. After suffering a stroke in 2004 she retired from public life.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HUdBcoRd5cM/TwzOprlMIKI/AAAAAAAA0Wk/zR8feLh2WXA/s1600/2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 235px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HUdBcoRd5cM/TwzOprlMIKI/AAAAAAAA0Wk/zR8feLh2WXA/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696154844185501858" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zBqNx4Z9hYQ/TwzOvQzo1OI/AAAAAAAA0Ww/FLihD8k_Mo4/s1600/3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 394px; height: 394px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zBqNx4Z9hYQ/TwzOvQzo1OI/AAAAAAAA0Ww/FLihD8k_Mo4/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696154940077561058" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8trS1D4eJKs/TwzO2PWwKDI/AAAAAAAA0W8/5bToGGCzxNw/s1600/4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 236px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8trS1D4eJKs/TwzO2PWwKDI/AAAAAAAA0W8/5bToGGCzxNw/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696155059947055154" border="0" /></a><br />Here is her Magnum Opus (filmed in 1971). Enjoy!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-2970b2fb3081f62d" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D2970b2fb3081f62d%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D98B166BAE676C179C985F42EBB17F5406B413071.6777A329BA964E40CC21CBA84C2E90388B2EFE51%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D2970b2fb3081f62d%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DujbDSnpKjZLHvzYHEOvhY7I4PLo&autoplay=0&ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D2970b2fb3081f62d%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D98B166BAE676C179C985F42EBB17F5406B413071.6777A329BA964E40CC21CBA84C2E90388B2EFE51%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D2970b2fb3081f62d%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DujbDSnpKjZLHvzYHEOvhY7I4PLo&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div>FLGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035727592605548938.post-15218563763207148252007-12-06T12:38:00.000-08:002011-11-14T15:58:12.073-08:00Martti Talvela<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a6m-7J2Qj5Q/TsGrBidfQkI/AAAAAAAAykw/2F_vRyieeGk/s1600/talvela9.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 232px; height: 333px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a6m-7J2Qj5Q/TsGrBidfQkI/AAAAAAAAykw/2F_vRyieeGk/s400/talvela9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675005048382243394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/R1heLLoVvYI/AAAAAAAAAlk/4zXz779AUoY/s1600-h/ODE_945-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/R1heLLoVvYI/AAAAAAAAAlk/4zXz779AUoY/s200/ODE_945-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140962520836980098" border="0" /></a><br />Here is a Finnish lied ("Jänkä"), written by Kilpinen, one of Finland's greatest composers, and performed by Finland's greatest opera singer, the formidable Martti Talvela. Martti Talvela (1935 – 1989) had a Wagnerian bass voice of uncommon power and richness. He made his operatic debut in Helsinki in 1960. At 6 ft 7 in (201 cm), he was the tallest singer of his century. He was especially acclaimed as the hero in Boris Godunov and as Pimen from the same work, as Paavo Ruotsalainen in Viimeiset Kiusaukset, as a Wagner singer (King Marke, Hunding, Fasolt, Fafner and Titurel), as Sarastro and as Prince Gremin. As his final record he left, terribly thinned out by illness, a warm and heartfelt version of Schubert's Winterreise. He had one of the most remarkable bass voices in opera history: the combination of depth and timbre made him stand out in every part he sung, and his bass seemed to extend effortlessly without the "break" that most basses have to resort to hit their low notes.<br />Enjoy the talent of Martti Talvela, the greatest singer of the beautiful Finland!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-ed88c50e2a70ed3e" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3Ded88c50e2a70ed3e%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D364459724230300E500DAB206F15EE8F626B7B23.6039C83EDFB0CF0F48D7B24ABC268A02A72EEBE8%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Ded88c50e2a70ed3e%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3D7LMazQ8kGRNWpFL7GWisx4Bamk8&autoplay=0&ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3Ded88c50e2a70ed3e%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D364459724230300E500DAB206F15EE8F626B7B23.6039C83EDFB0CF0F48D7B24ABC268A02A72EEBE8%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Ded88c50e2a70ed3e%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3D7LMazQ8kGRNWpFL7GWisx4Bamk8&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div>FLGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035727592605548938.post-74926172249984579172007-11-14T15:33:00.000-08:002011-11-14T15:55:51.043-08:00Russian Basso Profondo: The Lowest Voices<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/RzuGCxygCrI/AAAAAAAAAkc/3FVnfcHFveE/s1600-h/RUS288158.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/RzuGCxygCrI/AAAAAAAAAkc/3FVnfcHFveE/s200/RUS288158.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132843582601824946" border="0" /></a><br />Here are two short extracts of an exceptional record of Russian choral work (which includes anonymous ancient liturgical chant, popular folk songs, and music by well known Russian choral composers, such as Tchesnokov and Gretchaninov), introducing some of the lowest voices in the world. The two singers here are Vladimir Pasuikov and, with an even lower voice, Viktor Wichniakov, one of the most famous Basso Profondo, who are unique to Russian singing. Their vocal range is at least one octave below the normal bass range (think Paul Robeson). In the first extract the bass hits the low Ab1; in the second the bass hits a G1. Not only do they possess the lowest notes of any choral singer, but the soloists have such full voices that the effect is immediately striking.<br />Enjoy those exceptional samples of the magnificent Russian choral art!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-6dc7f6e559c9f5b7" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D6dc7f6e559c9f5b7%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D3207491249D0C8774091F570A44CD5C34AFD3669.9D1B3952179A0C2FF0E75BC4404E2BD7CE7E98BB%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D6dc7f6e559c9f5b7%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3Dl_k-pkwr08YsySEM8lvgrAJUyII&autoplay=0&ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D6dc7f6e559c9f5b7%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D3207491249D0C8774091F570A44CD5C34AFD3669.9D1B3952179A0C2FF0E75BC4404E2BD7CE7E98BB%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D6dc7f6e559c9f5b7%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3Dl_k-pkwr08YsySEM8lvgrAJUyII&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div>FLGnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035727592605548938.post-22538601284181943772007-07-10T18:22:00.000-07:002011-11-14T15:54:54.887-08:00Mario Lanza<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U9mj6ZvT7Ys/TsGqQm1cwbI/AAAAAAAAykk/882vkluB2FA/s1600/pst3994.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U9mj6ZvT7Ys/TsGqQm1cwbI/AAAAAAAAykk/882vkluB2FA/s400/pst3994.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675004207742894514" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/RpQxOg7p0ZI/AAAAAAAAAhk/ZdkX_q8RJcQ/s1600-h/K1709_01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/RpQxOg7p0ZI/AAAAAAAAAhk/ZdkX_q8RJcQ/s200/K1709_01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085744004636201362" border="0" /></a><br />Here is a beautiful song magnificently performed by the great Mario Lanza.<br />Mario Lanza (born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1921 – 1959) was an American tenor and Hollywood movie star who enjoyed success in the late 1940's and 1950's. His voice was considered by many to rival that of Enrico Caruso, whom Lanza portrayed in the 1951 film "The Great Caruso". Lanza was able to sing all types of music. While his highly emotional style was not always universally praised by critics, he was immensely popular and his many recordings are still prized today.<br />He was exposed to opera and singing at a young age, and by the age of 16 his vocal talent became apparent. His operatic debut won him critical acclaim, with Noel Straus of The New York Times hailing the 21-year-old tenor as having "few equals among tenors of the day in terms of quality, warmth, and power". His operatic career was interrupted by World War II, when he was assigned to Special Services in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He resumed his singing career in October 1945 on the CBS radio program "Great Moments in Music", where he made six appearances singing various operatic selections. He then embarked on an 86-concert tour of the United States, Canada and Mexico between July 1947 and May 1948. A concert at the Hollywood Bowl brought Lanza to the attention of MGM's Louis B. Mayer, who signed Lanza to a seven-year film contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer. This would prove to be a turning point in the young singer's career. His first two films, "That Midnight Kiss" and "The Toast of New Orleans", were very successful, as was his recording career, and Lanza's fame increased dramatically. In 1951, Lanza portrayed Enrico Caruso in "The Great Caruso", which proved to be an astonishing success. Lanza then moved to Rome, Italy, in May 1957, where he worked on the film "Seven Hills of Rome" and returned to live performing in a series of acclaimed concerts throughout Britain, Ireland and the European Continent. In early 1958, he auditioned for the management of La Scala in Milan, and was immediately offered a minimum two-year contract to sing at that theatre. At the same time, however, his health began to decline. He died in Rome in October of 1959 at the age of 38. Maria Callas would later say of him: "My biggest regret is not to have had the opportunity to sing with the greatest tenor voice I've ever heard". Lanza's short career covered opera, radio, concerts, recordings, and motion pictures. He was the first artist for RCA Victor Red Seal to receive a gold disc. He was also the first artist to sell two and half million albums. A highly influential artist, Lanza has been credited with inspiring the careers of successive generations of opera singers, including Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras, as well as those of singers with seemingly different backgrounds, and influences, his RCA Victor label-mate Elvis Presley being the most notable example. When Frank Sinatra described the first time he heard Mario Lanza he said: "Talking about people swooning when I sing, the tables were turned the other day when a young chap came on my set and started to sing. There's no exaggeration in stating that for once in my life I really swooned".<br />Enjoy Mario Lanza's fantastic voice!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-44f85378ec1252d9" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D44f85378ec1252d9%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D2A2132BD356B3904F22C78BE8FC5111FB480B65D.4D919C52DFC39347EC8F30B5C70DFF28662D1BA5%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D44f85378ec1252d9%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DLXfRAa5fwqibEMVmWeinyQKHFlU&autoplay=0&ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D44f85378ec1252d9%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D2A2132BD356B3904F22C78BE8FC5111FB480B65D.4D919C52DFC39347EC8F30B5C70DFF28662D1BA5%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D44f85378ec1252d9%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DLXfRAa5fwqibEMVmWeinyQKHFlU&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div>FLGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035727592605548938.post-23961076673822741402007-05-04T15:39:00.000-07:002011-11-14T15:52:49.388-08:00Erna Sack & Mado Robin: The Highest Notes<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/Rju25iE9yoI/AAAAAAAAAJA/hpsIsPYCZog/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/Rju25iE9yoI/AAAAAAAAAJA/hpsIsPYCZog/s200/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060839705797315202" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/Rju25yE9ypI/AAAAAAAAAJI/eVGsB4OTF6s/s1600-h/6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/Rju25yE9ypI/AAAAAAAAAJI/eVGsB4OTF6s/s200/6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060839710092282514" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Outside the "Peruvian nightingale" Yma Sumac and her unique and phenomenal "double-voiced trill" (in "Chuncho"), the "highest" singers were "the German nightingale" Erna Sack, and the French "stratospheric colaratura" Mado Robin. Both sopranos could reach easily C above high C, but the latter could emit even higher and incredible notes, and always clearly and powerfully. Listen to those extracts from "Frühlingsstimmen" ("Voices of spring") and "Carnival of Venice" and prick up your ears!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-6fb6832733518b1a" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D6fb6832733518b1a%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D241684C06CC772D2CD767E8A2982B35964242B22.4C82F0091AF1ED745738C65F721065AAE2B661D4%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D6fb6832733518b1a%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3Dlyj4FIfGAtAsobw767n1TccbPSw&autoplay=0&ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D6fb6832733518b1a%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D241684C06CC772D2CD767E8A2982B35964242B22.4C82F0091AF1ED745738C65F721065AAE2B661D4%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D6fb6832733518b1a%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3Dlyj4FIfGAtAsobw767n1TccbPSw&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div>FLGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035727592605548938.post-61512548794077612282007-05-04T15:34:00.000-07:002011-11-14T15:50:42.113-08:00Kathleen Ferrier<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qEYmft62CQI/TsGpOVAIgwI/AAAAAAAAykY/YJmIJQWD5N8/s1600/ferrierofficial.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qEYmft62CQI/TsGpOVAIgwI/AAAAAAAAykY/YJmIJQWD5N8/s400/ferrierofficial.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675003069084500738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/Rju1YCE9ynI/AAAAAAAAAI4/Pk3KZOmkL5c/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/Rju1YCE9ynI/AAAAAAAAAI4/Pk3KZOmkL5c/s200/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060838030760069746" border="0" /></a><br />Here is a song from Haendel's Messiah, performed by the great English contralto Kathleen Ferrier.<br />Kathleen Mary Ferrier CBE (1912 – 1953) was born in Blackburn, and later moved with her family to Higher Walton, Lancashire. She left school at 14 and worked as a telephone operator in Blackburn. She married a bank manager in 1935, and moved to Silloth and later to Carlisle, in the north of England. It was in Carlisle that her husband bet her that she would not take part in a singing competition. She entered and won in two categories - singing and piano. It was this which brought her talents to public attention, and was a significant factor in her deciding to pursue a career in singing. During the early days of the war she gave concerts for the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts and then moved to London in 1942, where her main career began. She studied with Dr Hutchinson in Newcastle and later with baritone Roy Henderson, who was a well known singing teacher at the time. The unique timbre of her voice was in part due to a medical anomaly: her throat was exceptionally wide. Ferrier excelled in the music of Mahler, in Bach and in Handel. Her recitals often included songs by Schubert, Schumann and Brahms and towards the end of her career she sang Chausson's "Poème de l'amour et de la mer" - her only major work from the French repertory. Ferrier is well remembered for interpretations of British folk songs, including the lovely "Blow the wind southerly". Much in demand throughout the UK, she also sang regularly in the Netherlands, where she was extremely popular, and in France, Germany, Italy and in Scandinavia. She paid three visits to North America (1948, 1949 and 1950) and sang at each of the first six Edinburgh International Festivals - a fact of which she was justifiably proud.<br />Benjamin Britten wrote several parts specifically for her, including Lucretia in "The Rape of Lucretia", "Abraham and Isaac" (also written for Peter Pears), and part of the "Spring Symphony" (1949). Among other composers who wrote specifically for her were Lennox Berkeley, Arthur Bliss and Edmund Rubbra. She worked with many famous conductors, including Bruno Walter, John Barbirolli, Malcolm Sargent, Clemens Krauss, Herbert von Karajan, Eduard van Beinum and also with Benjamin Britten. She also worked with other famous singers such as Isobel Baillie, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Julius Patzak and Peter Pears. Her final role was as Orfeo in Gluck's "Orfeo ed Euridice" at Covent Garden in February 1953. She had previously sung this role at Glyndebourne in 1947 and in the Netherlands in 1949 and 1951. A recording of the latter was found in the archives of the Dutch National Opera and released on vinyl in the early 1980's, but the Royal Opera House performance was sung in English. Already seriously ill with cancer, she got through the opening night of "Orfeo" successfully, but at the second performance a bone in her leg broke while she was onstage. She managed to finish this performance, and left the theatre in a stretcher. It would be her final performance. Ferrier died in October 1953.<br />Enjoy Kathleen's extraordinary voice!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-5d866ead45e34ccd" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D5d866ead45e34ccd%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D24B03550A1EFFA374612BB5701416F7668593D13.016A02DF48D9A5A420F19CE99DC139879A297D6F%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D5d866ead45e34ccd%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DQ7XUytwQ6EW1BFBWmpw_grfvt68&autoplay=0&ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D5d866ead45e34ccd%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D24B03550A1EFFA374612BB5701416F7668593D13.016A02DF48D9A5A420F19CE99DC139879A297D6F%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D5d866ead45e34ccd%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DQ7XUytwQ6EW1BFBWmpw_grfvt68&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div>FLGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035727592605548938.post-20887336365510569672007-05-04T15:28:00.000-07:002011-11-14T15:48:16.610-08:00Victoria de los Ángeles<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Amth65jd-fI/TsGotVauBNI/AAAAAAAAykM/lkr20vidMsE/s1600/Untitled.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 253px; height: 341px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Amth65jd-fI/TsGotVauBNI/AAAAAAAAykM/lkr20vidMsE/s400/Untitled.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675002502260327634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/Rju0cyE9ymI/AAAAAAAAAIw/mqqp5Dr457k/s1600-h/55+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/Rju0cyE9ymI/AAAAAAAAAIw/mqqp5Dr457k/s200/55+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060837012852820578" border="0" /></a><br />Here is a wonderful song ("The maids of Cadiz") written by Léo Delibes and performed by the fabulous Victoria de los Ángeles.<br />Victoria de los Ángeles (1923 - 2005) was a Catalan Spanish operatic soprano whose career began in the early 1940's and reached its height in the mid 1970's. While she later made fewer appearances in opera, she continued to give recitals, focusing on mostly French and Spanish lieder, into the 1990's. She sang at the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992. Born Victoria Gómez Cima into a poor Catalan family in Barcelona, she studied at the Barcelona Conservatory, graduating in just three years in 1941 at age 18. That year, she made her operatic debut at the Liceu, but then resumed her musical studies. In 1945, she returned to the Liceu to make her professional debut as the Countess in "The Marriage of Figaro". After winning first prize in the Geneva International Competition in 1947, she sang Salud in Falla's "La Vida breve" with the BBC in London in 1948. In 1949 she made her first appearance at the Paris Opéra as Marguerite. The following year, she debuted in Salzburg and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Mimi, and the United States with a recital at Carnegie Hall. In March, 1951, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in New York as Marguerite, singing with the company for ten years. She also sang at La Scala in Milan from 1950 to 1956. In 1957 she sang at the Vienna State Opera. After making her debut at the Bayreuth Festival as Elisabeth in 1961, she devoted herself principally to a concert career. However, for the next twenty years, she continued to make occasional appearances in one of her favourite operatic roles, Carmen. Though Carmen lay comfortably in her range (she was perhaps a natural mezzo-soprano), she nevertheless sang major soprano roles. Like Montserrat Caballé, she was a true exponent of bel canto singing. Victoria de los Ángeles performed regularly in song recitals with pianists Gerald Moore and Geoffrey Parsons, occasionally appearing with other eminent singers, such as Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. In 2005, Victoria de los Ángeles died in Barcelona at age 81. Those close to her said her voice was still beautiful to the end.<br />Listen to her flamboyant version of this famous song and enjoy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-6433fa9ae7cab1c0" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D6433fa9ae7cab1c0%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D550F8A2006E16C786912353D29334FF141B33C67.2D4B4327C98E3B3A00CB751EE28B5ECD27B9C8F6%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D6433fa9ae7cab1c0%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DTthOGQNnHG8mKERNpDL8rSlWGDg&autoplay=0&ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D6433fa9ae7cab1c0%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D550F8A2006E16C786912353D29334FF141B33C67.2D4B4327C98E3B3A00CB751EE28B5ECD27B9C8F6%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D6433fa9ae7cab1c0%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DTthOGQNnHG8mKERNpDL8rSlWGDg&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div>FLGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035727592605548938.post-58374477306863981082007-05-04T15:24:00.000-07:002011-11-14T15:46:01.784-08:00Montserrat Caballé<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4ThyB0ubI4/TsGoJNxJJUI/AAAAAAAAykA/i1-afYrx9nI/s1600/Big%2Bblau_quer.jpg"><span><span></span></span></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y5zKRrirIuo/TsGn69kWXhI/AAAAAAAAyj0/zLXq6K07SVw/s1600/caballe.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y5zKRrirIuo/TsGn69kWXhI/AAAAAAAAyj0/zLXq6K07SVw/s400/caballe.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675001636864810514" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/RjuzCSE9ylI/AAAAAAAAAIo/d7IDcE_Ntp4/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/RjuzCSE9ylI/AAAAAAAAAIo/d7IDcE_Ntp4/s200/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060835458074659410" border="0" /></a><br />Here is a Spanish song from the zarzuelas ("Pensar en él" [Marina]), performed by one of the greatest sopranos, Montserrat Caballé.<br />Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepción Caballé i Folc, better known as Montserrat Caballé (born in 1933), is a Catalan Spanish operatic soprano renowned for her bel canto technique and her interpretations of the roles of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. Caballé was born in Barcelona. After studying music at the Liceu Conservatory and singing technique under Eugenia Kemmeny teaching, she was awarded with the gold medal; then she joined the Basel Opera in 1956, where she made her professional operatic debut in 1957 as Mimi in La Bohème. For the 1960–61 season, she was engaged by the Bremen Opera, where she developed the foundations of her wide repertoire. In 1962 Caballé returned to Barcelona and made her debut at the Liceu, singing the title-role in Richard Strauss' Arabella. Caballé's international breakthrough came in 1965 when she substituted for an indisposed Marilyn Horne in a semi-staged performance of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia at New York's Carnegie Hall. While she had to learn the role in less than one month, and considering this was her first engagement in a bel canto score, her performance created a sensation and made her famous throughout the opera world. The day after the New York Times quoted "Callas + Tebaldi = Caballé". Later that year, Caballé made her debut at Glyndebourne singing her first Rosenkavalier and at the Metropolitan Opera as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust. In December 1965 she also returned at Carnegie Hall for her second bel canto opera, singing the tremendous part of Queen Elizabeth I in Donizetti's recently rediscovered Roberto Devereux. In 1966 she made her debut at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Trovatore (and Pirata in 1967) and in 1969 she produced an astonishing performance as Elisabetta of Valois in an all-star cast at the Arena di Verona; in these performances she had to act on crutches because an accident occurred earlier that year in New York City, and her la on the final "ah" at the very end of the opera has become famous, lasting for more than 20 bars up to the final accord from the orchestra, driving mad an audience of more than 10.000. In the same period she also appeared in one of the most remarkable recitals of her career at the Teatro Corallo, also in Verona. In 1970, she made her delayed "official" La Scala debut in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia and in 1972 her Covent Garden debut as Violetta in Verdi's La traviata. 1974 was probably the year when Caballé reached her peak, with a number of astonishing performances: Aida at Liceu in January, Vespri at the Met in March, Parisina d'Este at Carnegie Hall in March, 3 Normas in one week at the Bolshoi in Moscow with La Scala, Adriana Lecouvreur in April, Norma in Orange in July, the recording of Aida under Muti in July and the Duets recording with Giuseppe di Stefano in August.<br />In September she underwent major surgery. She recovered quite well and was again on stage for Norma in early 1975. Although best known for her bel canto roles, Caballé eventually sang over eighty operatic roles, from baroque opera to Verdi, Wagner, and Puccini, including the Marschallin in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier and the title role in Salome. Caballé is also a noted recitalist, particularly of songs of her native Spain.<br />Her voice is noted for its purity, precise control, and power. She is admired especially for her superb technique, vocal shadings, and exquisite pianissimos. Caballé does not appear to have retired from the stage. She continues to assume new roles: in 2002, Catherine of Aragon in Saint-Saëns's Henri VIII; in 2004, the title role in Massenet's Cléopâtre, both at the Liceu. At the age of 73 (2006), she still maintains a busy schedule of recitals and concerts, mainly in Germany. She is due to appear as The Duchess of Crackentorp in La fille du régiment at the Vienna State Opera in 2007. Her daughter, Montserrat Martí, is also a soprano and the two occasionally perform together.<br />Enjoy Montserrat's superb voice and virtuosity!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4ThyB0ubI4/TsGoJNxJJUI/AAAAAAAAykA/i1-afYrx9nI/s1600/Big%2Bblau_quer.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4ThyB0ubI4/TsGoJNxJJUI/AAAAAAAAykA/i1-afYrx9nI/s400/Big%2Bblau_quer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675001881731605826" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-51aea7c145027a6f" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D51aea7c145027a6f%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D71F0CF8AEEA25BCDBFE182433365340B3948440D.3A09B1457004930347A3A9302861FADC5A91DE9F%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D51aea7c145027a6f%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3D_slqNGGtRGUXLhoNr9aFpX3l_WE&autoplay=0&ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D51aea7c145027a6f%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D71F0CF8AEEA25BCDBFE182433365340B3948440D.3A09B1457004930347A3A9302861FADC5A91DE9F%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D51aea7c145027a6f%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3D_slqNGGtRGUXLhoNr9aFpX3l_WE&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div>FLGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2035727592605548938.post-12786631354531676812007-05-04T15:19:00.000-07:002011-11-14T15:40:42.387-08:00Marian Anderson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FWYIkZtp8r4/TsGm5wZDEGI/AAAAAAAAyjo/KNVwBj5lODI/s1600/3867.jpg"><span><span></span></span></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cfU08ClOXoQ/TsGm1-8QL_I/AAAAAAAAyjc/qfr7LnwgdRo/s1600/2776.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cfU08ClOXoQ/TsGm1-8QL_I/AAAAAAAAyjc/qfr7LnwgdRo/s400/2776.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675000451822530546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/Rjux8yE9ykI/AAAAAAAAAIg/y-nZSpMIK84/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-Wjc2NhMAU4/Rjux8yE9ykI/AAAAAAAAAIg/y-nZSpMIK84/s200/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060834264073751106" border="0" /></a><br />Here is a great spiritual by the legendary diva Marian Anderson.<br />Arturo Toscanini claimed that contralto Marian Anderson had a voice that came along "once in a hundred years". But because she was black, Anderson's prospects as a classical singer in this country were initially quite limited. Eventually, however, the magnitude of her talent won her broad recognition in the United States. When she began touring regularly in this country in 1935, she was quickly acknowledged as the world's greatest contralto. Marian Anderson (1897 – 1993) is perhaps best remembered for her performance on Easter Sunday, 1939 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., which, commencing with a dignified and stirring rendition of "America", attracted a crowd of more 75.000 of all colours and was a sensation with a national radio audience. Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She joined a junior church choir at the age of six, and applied to an all-white music school after her graduation from high school in 1921, but was turned away because she was black. Consequently, she continued her singing studies with a private teacher. She debuted with the New York Philharmonic on August 26, 1925 and scored an immediate success, also with the critics. In 1928, she sang for the first time at Carnegie Hall. Her reputation was further advanced by her tour through Europe in the early 1930's. In 1939, the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius made a new arrangement of the song Solitude and dedicated it to Anderson. On January 7, 1955, Anderson was the first African-American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera. In 1958 she was officially designated delegate to the United Nations, a formalization of her role as "goodwill ambassador" of the U.S. she played earlier, and in 1972 she was awarded the UN Peace Prize. After an extensive farewell tour, she retired from singing in 1965. Her achievements were recognized and honored with many prizes, including the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978 and a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1991. In 1993, Anderson died at age 96 in Portland, Oregon. She is interred at Eden Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On January 27, 2005, a commemorative U.S. postage stamp honored Marian Anderson as part of the Black Heritage series.<br />Enjoy Marian Anderson's deep, magnificent voice!<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FWYIkZtp8r4/TsGm5wZDEGI/AAAAAAAAyjo/KNVwBj5lODI/s1600/3867.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 305px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FWYIkZtp8r4/TsGm5wZDEGI/AAAAAAAAyjo/KNVwBj5lODI/s400/3867.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675000516636250210" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-d7e66fcf9619b777" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3Dd7e66fcf9619b777%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D39636BFD821B6728BE7F7EED8FB306215244D45A.925FF442E00F5156664A4CB911F8AA7371BF0305%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Dd7e66fcf9619b777%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DmHIbFe1yF3B8vi2PXvCda5WwvMU&autoplay=0&ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3Dd7e66fcf9619b777%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1409183221%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D39636BFD821B6728BE7F7EED8FB306215244D45A.925FF442E00F5156664A4CB911F8AA7371BF0305%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Dd7e66fcf9619b777%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DmHIbFe1yF3B8vi2PXvCda5WwvMU&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div>FLGnoreply@blogger.com0