Mac_the_Nice Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Even if this may be better suited to Passover/Easter--ask me, I don't discern a difference! Christmas or Hanuka, Passover or Easter, it's all about one thing: Joy! Here's the Naughty Girl of the Met, Kathleen Battle who according to a critic at Time Magazine, is the greatest coloratura soprano in the world. Back in the day of Johann Strauss Jr. this is what mankind had for its "movies". This was Cinerama in 3-D, with stereophonic sound . . . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaytonf Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Thanks. Sublime. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Happy holidays to you, too. Year round! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laffite Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Even if this may be better suited to Passover/Easter--ask me, I don't discern a difference! Christmas or Hanuka, Passover or Easter, it's all about one thing: Joy! Here's the Naughty Girl of the Met, Kathleen Battle who according to a critic at Time Magazine, is the greatest coloratura soprano in the world. Back in the day of Johann Strauss Jr. this is what mankind had for its "movies". This was Cinerama in 3-D, with stereophonic sound . . . I adore Kathleen Battle. I don't know the full story of her meltdown with the Met (ca1991) but it's a sad event. She never sang in another staged opera after that. There are a number DVDs of opera performances from earlier times, notably her Rosina in The Barber of Seville where she is positively adorable, making us wonder how she could have ever behaved the way she did that got her in such trouble with the Met, quintessentially prima donna behavior taken to yet further extremes. Thank heaven for those available DVDs of her that came before. She is a treasure to hear and watch. Happy Holidays! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scsu1975 Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 I prefer this version of the Voices of Spring. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpDtrBx38Lo Merry Christmas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac_the_Nice Posted December 24, 2014 Author Share Posted December 24, 2014 I adore Kathleen Battle. I don't know the full story of her meltdown with the Met (ca1991) but it's a sad event. She never sang in another staged opera after that. There are a number DVDs of opera performances from earlier times, notably her Rosina in The Barber of Seville where she is positively adorable, making us wonder how she could have ever behaved the way she did that got her in such trouble with the Met, quintessentially prima donna behavior taken to yet further extremes. Thank heaven for those available DVDs of her that came before. She is a treasure to hear and watch. Happy Holidays! Who knows what happened there, eh? Could it have been the influence of those wild and wicked jazz musicians she started to tour with in those days? She had always been the perfect image of the good girl from Portsmouth, Ohio. Probably it was just the strain of maintaining such a crammed schedule as one of the most in demand divas on the planet? Bound to wear on anybody after a while. But anyway . . . This time of year, I can never get enough of these Strauss waltzes evoking frosted windowpanes and sugar plum fairies. Came upon this today from another soprano of nearly unfathomable talent . . . And for those who, like me, may find they can't get enough of that kind of splendor, there is at YouTube, also this . . . "Heia in den Bergen sung by Carla Maffioletti" On top of all that, she is a Samba guitarista! "André Rieu, Carla Maffioletti, Carmen Monarcha and Susan Erens -Manhã de carnaval" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGayDivorcee Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Just glorious. In 1987 or so I saw her perform with the San Diego Symphony--quite a treat! Thanks for this, and all good holiday wishes to everyone. (Not to mention Festivus--for the rest of us!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laffite Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Who knows what happened there, eh? Could it have been the influence of those wild and wicked jazz musicians she started to tour with in those days? She had always been the perfect image of the good girl from Portsmouth, Ohio. Probably it was just the strain of maintaining such a crammed schedule as one of the most in demand divas on the planet? Bound to wear on anybody after a while. But anyway . . . This time of year, I can never get enough of these Strauss waltzes evoking frosted windowpanes and sugar plum fairies. Came upon this today from another soprano of nearly unfathomable talent . . . And for those who, like me, may find they can't get enough of that kind of splendor, there is at YouTube, also this . . . "Heia in den Bergen sung by Carla Maffioletti" On top of all that, she is a Samba guitarista! "André Rieu, Carla Maffioletti, Carmen Monarcha and Susan Erens -Manhã de carnaval"[media] Thank you for that, an entertaining albeit truncated version of the "Doll's aria" from Tales of Hoffman by Offenbach. (apologies if you all knew that already). Here is the magnificent Luciana Serra in a version as it would appear in an actual opera. I don't include this video to downplay Carla, she is quite the thing in her own right. As far as Kathleen Battle is concerned, she doesn't normally get a pass for just being a busy diva, there are many of those who go their whole careers with getting fired from the Met (not good Kathy, not good at all) ... in fact Ms. Battle is probably the only major star of her stature to have that happen to. No, she was simply being an insufferable, spoiled brat. Here is Luciana: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr6666 Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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