That sounds like it was an incredible experience! I would have liked to see her live. The other part of this question is that Scotto doesn't seem to possess a lot of physical qualities typical of dramatic/spinto sopranos - as far as I'm aware most of the physically short sopranos are the coloraturas. Scotto I think was 5'2 or shorter, and she did start her career doing coloratura rep.I only heard her once live - at the Barbican Hall in London, already quite late in her career. She was singing a Mozart programme, which is repertoire not usually associated with her. I think it would have been Vitellia's Non piu di fiori (she sang the role at the Met in 1984) and Exsultate Jubilate, as well as maybe some concert arias. I can't quite remember. I do remember that the voice sounded quite large in the hall, but this might have been more down to the fact that it had great penetration and sounded as if it would cut through much heavier orchestration.
What kind of soprano would you consider Netrebko to be? I'm also curious to if you've heard her live because I've only heard her on recordings so far, and that probably distorts things quite a bit.I think you can make a voice big by pushing it, like Netrebko has with consequences. Eaglen, Podles and Blythe all had voices that were default full and easy to hear over an orchestra always. Renee Fleming could make a big sound, but was sparing with that gear and it served her well as she ended her career with a still healthy voice just recently after a long career.
I've definitely heard from a lot of people that Blythe's voice is absolutely huge - I need to see her live at least once (argh covid!)Blythe had the biggest voice I ever heard when she did Amneris. She did a lot of Handel which was restrained.
Netrebko had a lovely lyric voice. I think it grew some but not enough for many of the roles she is doing. It is not beautiful like it was when she was in her heyday 20 years ago.
Quick question - would for Sills, say, the challenge be projecting over denser orchestra or just conveying the dramatic intensity? I'm inclined to think it's a combination of both, but I've also heard slightly, slightly different things from pros.Singers have always eyed heavier roles, wishing they had the equipment for them, and often trying them on for size. Nellie Melba famously attempted the Siegfried Brunnhilde, promptly lost her voice (temporarily), and admitted she'd been a fool. Beverly Sills joked that she was born with the voice of Beverly Sills and the mind of Birgit Nilsson, and although it shortened her career to take on Donizetti's queens and other dramatically satisfying parts, she and her audiences had no regrets. Netrebko's audiences seem happy too; those who can't tolerate what she's done to her voice are probably not paying to sit in those audiences. All of which leads up to pointing out that, although Freni and Scotto moved into what's considered spinto roles with essentially lyric voices, they had a better sense of their limits than Netrebko, who seems not to acknowledge any limits when she takes on Turandot and Isolde (I'm not sure whether she's sung the whole of Isolde yet, but her dreadful Liebestod is on YouTube). Scotto's voice gradually became strident on top, but she had the artistic sense not to turn herself into a wobbling foghorn like Netrebko.
I mean from a purely vocal persepctive, which of these roles would require the largest voice. Hope this helps!I never heard Sills live, so I don't know how audible she was.
What do you mean by "heaviness"?
Yes, Netrebko is now a wobbling foghorn.
