Singers you wish you'd heard in the opera house

[amateur51]

Alexander Kipnis as Boris, please

[Zauberfloete]

What a terrific thread, Zauberfloete.

Frida Leider and Lauritz Melchior in the Ring.

Can't nominate several mentioned already. Saw and heard them!

Indeed, Leider and Melchior would be sensational. Do you think that she would have been better than Flagstad? I'm imagining that their interpretations would have been very different. Apparently, Flagstad was no great shakes in the acting department (physically, I mean) but she let her voice do the acting.

Please do elaborate on the ones you saw and heard; it would be great to know your opinion of them. Fprming opinions from recordings is one thing but first-hand experience is something else - you owe it to us!

[gradus]

Another vote for Kipnis here and for Wunderlich.
Having heard some of the singers mentioned earlier, the one that I found most engaging was Lucia Popp who could charm the birds from the trees.

[Zauberfloete]

Another vote for Kipnis here and for Wunderlich.
Having heard some of the singers mentioned earlier, the one that I found most engaging was Lucia Popp who could charm the birds from the trees.

I agree whole-heartedly. There was something very special about her, wasn't there? Her Susanna on the Solti recording of "Le Nozze di Figaro" (with Te Kanawa, von Stade, Allen, et al) is my favourite interpretation of that role. What I wouldn't give to have heard and seen her sing it on the stage!

It wasn't just her opera recordings which show her extraordinary talents but her Lieder as well. The Hyperion Schubert Lieder recording of her singing "Litanei" is one of the most heart-rending things I've ever heard. I even got to appreciate Berg and Schoenberg Lieder because of her Jugendstil CD. (Must listen to that again.)

RIP, Lucia - still greatly missed.

[Keraulophone]

I'll be forever grateful to have caught Lucia Popp's only London appearance as the Marschallin in Rosenkavalier. Kiri Te Kanawa deputised in the following performance. I'll never forget entering the foyer, together with a girlfriend who had never seen the opera before, and being stopped dead in my tracks by the notice: 'We regret that Felicity Lott is indisposed. For today's performance, the role of the Marschallin will be taken by Lucia Popp.' By the end of Act 1, I was unable to hold back the tears.

[Prommer]

Having heard some of the singers mentioned earlier, the one that I found most engaging was Lucia Popp who could charm the birds from the trees.

She also charmed a certain nuthatch from his tree...!

[Stanley Stewart]

Memories, too, of Lucia Popp as a radiant Eva in "Die Meistersinger" at ROH in the early 80s. Hans Sotin sang Sachs well until his voice cracked badly in the huge demands of Act III. He was obviously discomfitted but when he crossed the stage to a seated Eva, Lucia Popp gently reached out for his hand and held it for a moment. This must be among the most generous gestures of sympathy I have ever seen in a performance. Her instinctive warmth for a fellow artist also relaxed the audience Some years earlier, 1976(?) Lord Harewood also 'charmed her off the trees' with scary short notice to deputise for an indisposed colleague at a Saturday ENO performance of "Idomeneo". At the time, she was rehearsing at the ROH. My abiding memory is of Rita Hunter literally indicating an appropriate stage position throughout as the performance continued. A rousing ovation, of course!

Vivid memories, too, of Linda Esther Gray as Eva in "Die Meistersinger" in Scottish Opera's 1977 production; Alex Gibson conducted with Norman Bailey, repeating his famed ENO performance as Hans Sachs. Ms Gray went on to sing Tosca and Isolde at The Coli but, sadly, her promising career was short lived, much regretted by many.

[John Shelton]

Not really opera house, I suppose, but I would have loved to have heard Francesco Rasi, the first Orfeo in Monteverdi's opera. To hear what the vocal style / embellishment was.

I'd also have liked to hear Handel's divas Cuzzoni and Faustina. Time travelling, of course .

Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld and Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld's Tristan und Isolde would have been interesting.

[Richard Tarleton]

Birgit Nilsson and Wolfgang Windgassen as Brunnhilde/Isolde and Siegfried/Tristan.

Likewise

Walking backwards and forwards along the corridor recently from the Amphitheatre Bar for the Ring (24 times in all) and looking at the black and white photos along the wall of the Solti era made me wish my serious opera going career had started just a few years earlier. Many years ago I helped the aged relative who introduced me to opera transport her collection of ROH programmes to the collector who was buying them - just about everything from the 50s and 60s.

Lucia Popp of course. - her Susanna as mentioned above incomparable. I only read recently that her husband for a few years until her death was the fine tenor Peter Sieffert, whom I've heard as Tannhauser and Walter - not sure how far he's strayed into Siegfried territory.

My additions to the list would be Renata Tebaldi and Carlo Bergonzi, in Verdi, together. La Boheme at a pinch, because I have the record, but I'm not a Puccini fan. I did see Hunter and Remedios, Sutherland and Pavarotti....

[Zauberfloete]

Memories, too, of Lucia Popp as a radiant Eva in "Die Meistersinger" at ROH in the early 80s. Hans Sotin sang Sachs well until his voice cracked badly in the huge demands of Act III. He was obviously discomfitted but when he crossed the stage to a seated Eva, Lucia Popp gently reached out for his hand and held it for a moment. This must be among the most generous gestures of sympathy I have ever seen in a performance. Her instinctive warmth for a fellow artist also relaxed the audience ...

Vivid memories, too, of Linda Esther Gray as Eva in "Die Meistersinger" in Scottish Opera's 1977 production; Alex Gibson conducted with Norman Bailey, repeating his famed ENO performance as Hans Sachs. Ms Gray went on to sing Tosca and Isolde at The Coli but, sadly, her promising career was short lived, much regretted by many.

That's a lovely story about Lucia. She does genuinely seem to have been a warm-hearted person. I think I've got a Philips CD of her singing Faure's Requiem with Sotin.

Linda Esther Grey has recently published a biography of Eva Turner, which is very interesting (despite some horrible spelling mistakes).

[Zauberfloete]

Richard Tarleton has mentioned Rita Hunter and Alberto Remedios. Richard, was it in the Ring conducted by Reginald Goodall? I'd be interested to hear what you thought of his tempi, as he was notoriously slow. From what I've read of him, he could be a bit of a tartar as well; he and Hunter had a few spats. Hunter's voice was extraordinary, wasn't it? I can only imagine her in Wagner but she was apparently excellent as Donna Anna as well.

[Richard Tarleton]

Richard Tarleton has mentioned Rita Hunter and Alberto Remedios. Richard, was it in the Ring conducted by Reginald Goodall? I'd be interested to hear what you thought of his tempi, as he was notoriously slow. From what I've read of him, he could be a bit of a tartar as well; he and Hunter had a few spats. Hunter's voice was extraordinary, wasn't it? I can only imagine her in Wagner but she was apparently excellent as Donna Anna as well.

I was a Wagner rookie in 1973 - I only saw Siegfried - and had very little to judge his tempi by - I was just knocked sideways by those voices. I also heard Hunter in the ENO's Trovatore - twice - both times with sadly underpowered tenors (Tom Swift and Jon Sidney).

The subject of Goodall arouses strong feelings on these MBs and is one I'm not qualified to pronounce on

[Zauberfloete]

I was a Wagner rookie in 1973 - I only saw Siegfried - and had very little to judge his tempi by - I was just knocked sideways by those voices. I also heard Hunter in the ENO's Trovatore - twice - both times with sadly underpowered tenors (Tom Swift and Jon Sidney).

The subject of Goodall arouses strong feelings on these MBs and is one I'm not qualified to pronounce on

Ah, maybe I've opened a can of worms, there! I'm genuinely interested, as I never had the chance to hear them sing. I think that you ARE qualified to give your opinion, as you actually heard the performance! From what I've read, Hunter and Remedios were perfectly suited to their roles. I, too, probably couldn't have cared about the tempi; it's the voices that matter. Hunter was talented in both German and Italian repertoire, from what I've read.

As far as the Ring's concerned, I've only managed to see "Die Walkuere" (at Covent Garden), where Waltraud Meier was fantastic as Sieglinde, and "Das Rheingold" with Opera North, which I confess I found tedious (I was very young at the time!). How I wish that I'd heard Hunter as Brunnhilde, though! There's a famous photo of her as Brunnhilde, where it looks as though she is living and breathing the role. How fantastic that you were there when she sang it! Not really jealous ...!

[David-G]

Richard Tarleton has mentioned Rita Hunter and Alberto Remedios. Richard, was it in the Ring conducted by Reginald Goodall? I'd be interested to hear what you thought of his tempi, as he was notoriously slow.

I saw the ENO Ring with Hunter, Remedios and Goodall twice. This was my introduction to the Ring. It was wonderful in many ways, and with the possible exception of the Friedrich Ring a few years later at Covent Garden, was probably better than any I have seen since. Goodall's tempi were indeed slow, but they seemed entirely natural, and I often felt later that other performances were too fast. Of course it's not just a question of tempo; the overall architecture of the works seemed to be revealed perfectly. There was certainly an excitement at the performances which exceeded anything I have experienced since. This review on Amazon is I think very fair comment.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RHHA1...#RHHA1Q7O8OYV4.

I also saw Lucia Popp as Eva in "Die Meistersinger", and radiant is certainly an appropriate adjective. I have particular memories of her as Agathe in "Der Freischutz" at Covent Garden in the late 70s. She was a particular delight, and the whole production was memorable; I saw it several times. Freischutz, and Popp in particular, were one of the highlights of my early opera-going experience. The occasion when she sang in "Idomeneo" at the Coliseum was unforgettable. She sang in Italian, eveyone else in English; it hardly mattered. I don't remember much about the production, but it was very acceptable. More recent Idomeneos seem to have been very susceptible to murder by producer; Schaaf at Covent Garden and Sellars at Glyndebourne spring to mind.

[Zauberfloete]

Thanks very much, David. I'm definitely going to have to get that recording. I'm not really a fan of opera not sung in its original language but, for the sake of hearing Hunter and Remedios, I think it'll be worth it.

I've never seen "Der Freischutz" or Idomeneo, although I know the music. I don't think that "Der Freischutz" is given very often in this country, is it? Like you, I abhor producers who seem intent on wrecking beautiful works. I saw "Die Entfuhrung" at Opera North a few years ago and it was horrible. Why there had to be a toy train going across the front of the stage, I could not fathom.