Top 10 contralto/mezzo-soprano singers

[pastoralguy]

Hiya ferney,

I agree with you about Bartoli. Whilst I admire her talent I can only enjoy her voice in small doses.

Despite having played in an Opera Orchestra for a few years I don't know much about the human voice although I do recognise talent when I hear it. Ms. Bartoli has something that really appeals to me and her CDs are the only real vocal CDs I play on a regular basis. I wish I could quantify her appeal and describe it in words but I can't.

The very first time I heard her voice was when I borrowed a compilation cd of hers from the library to try to find out what all the fuss was about. I intended to listen to the disc on my little kitchen Hi-Fi whilst cooking spaghetti balls but I was so entranced I had to take the disc to the sitting room and listen on my big system. I had my evening meal very late that night! The following day I bought 4 of her recordings and just sat and listened to them over and over. Very soon, I had all her CDs and was lucky enough to hear her in Glasgow shortly afterwards. I met her afterwards and that moment is seared onto my wee brain for ever in a way that no violinist ever has. (Well, apart from Ida Haendel!)

[Richard Tarleton]

Of course, Magdalena Kožena! I've been lucky enough to hear her live three or four times and she's a marvellous singer. Mrs. PG is a big fan and so I purchase all her CDs as soon as they come out.

Well at least we agree there, pg - the Czech love songs with G Johnson and arias by Mozart, Gluck and Myslivecek are two favourites. Only seen her once, in St David's Cathedral with JEG and co. doing Bach cantatas. Long before she was Mrs Rattle

[pastoralguy]

Well at least we agree there, pg - the Czech love songs with G Johnson and arias by Mozart, Gluck and Myslivecek are two favourites. Only seen her once, in St David's Cathedral with JEG and co. doing Bach cantatas. Long before she was Mrs Rattle

We've seen her twice at the Queens Hall in Edinburgh during the Festival where SSR was in the audience. He usually closes his eyes when she's singing, obviously as transported as the rest of the crowd. Mrs. PG saw her in the Usher Hall but it was not really successful due to the size of the Hall and the comparatively small audience.

[Stanfordian]

Well at least we agree there, pg - the Czech love songs with G Johnson and arias by Mozart, Gluck and Myslivecek are two favourites. Only seen her once, in St David's Cathedral with JEG and co. doing Bach cantatas. Long before she was Mrs Rattle

Here are my 4 top Magdalena Kozená albums:
'Love and Longing' - Ravel/Dvorák/Mahler, Berliner Philharmoiniker/Rattle
'Monteverdi' - La Cetra Barockorchester Basel/Marcon
'Mozart Arias' - OAE/Rattle
'Ah! mio cor' Handel Arias - Venice Baroque Orchestra/Marcon

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Here are my 4 top Magdalena Kozená albums:
'Love and Longing' - Ravel/Dvorák/Mahler, Berliner Philharmoiniker/Rattle
'Monteverdi' - La Cetra Barockorchester Basel/Marcon
'Mozart Arias' - OAE/Rattle
'Ah! mio cor' Handel Arias - Venice Baroque Orchestra/Marcon

Magdalena Kožená was the Angel in Rattle's VPO Dream of Gerontius at the Proms, two years ago. A little disappointing in this role, despite her operatic pedigree.

[Stanfordian]

Magdalena Kožená was the Angel in Rattle's VPO Dream of Gerontius at the Proms, two years ago. A little disappointing in this role, despite her operatic pedigree.

"A little disappointing in this role" I can imagine; although Kožená’s English is excellent. I thought Kaufmann was a strange choice in the Berlin Gerontius under Barenboim last year but he cried off in the end. His English is excellent too. Both Kožená and Kaufmann are versatile performers but have little experience in the English tradition.

[Lat-Literal]

10 - Crespin (originally soprano), Ferrier, Price

9 - Callas, Baker, Verrett (later a soprano)

8 - Anderson

7 - Graves, Butt, Thornton

If you want a modern one, Morison (or Bartoli).

Norman would be an 8 but is a dramatic soprano perhaps more than a mezzo - if we are going to do sopranos, Caballe, Fleming and Kirkby, among others.

In fairness, Crespin would naturally have counted as a soprano but her voice changed and she adapted to mezzo-soprano roles.

[Alain Maréchal]

Please add Aafje Heynis somewhere. A true contralto, I heard her sing "Sea Pictures" (in perfect English, as far as I could judge), and seemed far more suited to it than many a mezzo.

[Barbirollians]

I see that in Gramophone this month Tully Potter is huffing and puffing about contraltos having to pretend that they are mezzos and the use of alto male voices in abroque repertoire when they cannot sing all the notes a contralto can .

[jean]

Has anyone mentioned Daniela Barcellona, who is so splendid in Rossini trouser roles?

[Richard Tarleton]

Has anyone mentioned Daniela Barcellona, who is so splendid in Rossini trouser roles?

You've reminded me of another trouser specialist, Susan Graham, jean. She said that being 6ft tall and from Texas rendered her unsuitable for mezzo roles like Suzuki - "Here's your coffee - get your own damn cherry blossom" - I saw her magnificent Octavian, she's very much at home in French repertoire.....

[Nick Armstrong]

You've reminded me of another trouser specialist.

Sorry.

[cloughie]

You've reminded me of another trouser specialist, Susan Graham, jean. She said that being 6ft tall and from Texas rendered her unsuitable for mezzo roles like Suzuki - "Here's your coffee - get your own damn cherry blossom" - I saw her magnificent Octavian, she's very much at home in French repertoire.....

Tailor made for the role?

[Richard Tarleton]

Sorry.

I hope there isn't some obscure metropolitan double entendre here that I've missed I saw her in the WNO's Rosenkavalier in Swansea's Grand Theatre in 1994 (a remarkable performance with top-flight cast), the year of her international début when she did Massenet's Chérubin at the ROH. That performance - or rather the lead-up to it - featured in that notorious series of fly on the wall documentaries about the ROH. She does a lot of French repertoire - something I'm not hugely into , but I did buy her enchanting CD of Reynaldo Hahn songs (La Belle Epoque, with Roger Vignoles) when it came out in 1998.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I hope there isn't some obscure metropolitan double entendre here that I've missed

I thought you were referring to Prufrock:

I grow ol'
I grow ol'
I shall wear my trouser role.