Likes: I will not quibble that Callas was likely the gold standard in operatic acting. Varnay, Rysenek and Jones were also riveting actresses. Who gets your vote for today... or any other time if moved?
Callas the Greatest Operatic Actor... BUT there are other great talents. Name them.
I will not quibble that Callas was likely the gold standard in operatic acting. Varnay, Rysenek and Jones were also riveting actresses. Who gets your vote for today... or any other time if moved?
Don't forget the men. Gobbi was phenomenal.
Stratas was a great actress even if she hadn't the greatest voice.
I don't know the men as well and that is where you guys can "edumacate" me as they say down South where I hail from.Originally Posted by Woodduck
I've been impressed with Greer Grimsley on stage. Kauffmann is supposed to be an impressive actor.
Kauffmann is a fine actor as well as singer. Of course, Domingo was a great actor with tons of stage presence. And of course, Jon Vickers in the right role.
Last edited by DavidA; Feb-14-2016 at 21:11.
My vote is for Sena Jurinac.
Tito Gobbi. Best Scarpia ever.
He could make your blood curdle!
Perfectly partnered with Maria Callas.
Last edited by hpowders; Feb-15-2016 at 01:34.
Actors in opera:
Shicoff is a stand-out.
Racette is superb.
Kaufmann is a winner.
Olivero is a consummate actress.
Here are my votes:
Salomea Kruszelnicka
Claudia Muzio
Meta Seinemeyer
Frida Leider
Lotte Lehmann
Marjorie Lawrence
Ljuba Welitsch
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Eleanor Steber
Renata Scotto
Anna Moffo (in her prime)
Beverly Sills
Rosalind Plowright
Teresa Stratas
Waltraud Meier
Patrizia Ciofi
Patricia Petibon (not so much of a voice)
Many of the "oldie" ladies left no video, but their vocal acting abilities are well-preserved by their recordings, and their stage presence is well-documented.
Last edited by silentio; Feb-14-2016 at 21:51.
Still photos tell us something too. I'm thinking of Lehmann's Sieglinde and Leider's Isolde: they simply are those characters. Some photos of Leider can be seen on this remarkable Liebestod from 1933, for my money the greatest performance of it ever caught by a microphone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbK1fDAy_jA
Whatever happened to portamento?
Thank goodness we have huge numbers of Callas photos as partial compensation for the historical tragedy that we have only one substantial piece of her acting on film.
Woodduck, you may have had it already, but I really enjoy Frida Leider Society's cleaning and remastering for that 1933 Tristan:
Btw, speaking of an Italianate and feminine Isolde-the Irish princess (not Isolde-the matronly grandmother of Tristan, as many sopranos make her sound like), Giuseppina Cobelli, the reigning diva at La Scala in the late 1920s, may be a good candidate. Unfortunately, too little of her Isolde is left, and it is in even poorer sound than Leider's:
We may go back even further to Johanna Gadski, who was also known for her great acting:
Last edited by silentio; Feb-14-2016 at 23:54.
I'm not sure if we're talking in this thread about vocal acting, physical acting, or both. If we're talking about vocal acting -- i.e. "interpretation" -- then a soprano who comes to mind is Cheryl Studer. A year ago I discovered her recorded Salome (Strauss), and as I listen to it while following along with the libretto I find her interpretation remarkably detailed -- even (dare I say it?) Callas-like.
Edited to add: As for physical acting, it's my experience that most opera singers are good actors provided they have proper direction. I do, however, think that Jonas Kaufmann is an extraordinarily good actor.
Last edited by Bellinilover; Feb-14-2016 at 23:51.
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I saw Waltraud M.'s Isolde on DVD and she blew me away... totally. She looked the part as well.In G. Jone's league.
Last edited by Seattleoperafan; Feb-15-2016 at 00:04.
Sutherland was not a great actress but became so in Lucia thanks to Zeffirelli.
Edited to add: As for physical acting, it's my experience that most opera singers are good actors provided they have proper direction. I do, however, think that Jonas Kaufmann is an [I
Bellinilover liked this post
Yes, from what I've seen of the Met production from the early 1980's (I'm not sure who directed it), she did "become" Lucia. I tend to think that most opera singers need a good director; if left to their own devices they'd probably tend to "stand and sing." It's understandable, of course, because opera singers are essentially musicians, not actors.
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