Round One: Don Carlo- Tu Che La Vanita:Stoyanova and Yoncheva

Both of these were fairly unpleasant to listen to so I gave them a minute or two each. Stoyanov has a fuller tone and a fuller chest register but her voice is still rather thin and there‘s not even an attempt at girare when going above the stave making the sound harsh. She‘s also a bit wobbly, especially in the upper half of her voice. Yoncheva has the exact same problem but twice as bad so I’ll vote for Stoyanova but with zero enthusiasm.

Seattleoperafan said:

I see people talking about these here so I try to please. Yoncheva wobbles like a woman close to 60. I have some really good contestants for the rest of the rounds. You are sweeter than me but I kind of enjoy reading people getting bitchy about singers except for you know who I don't know why and I wish someone would tell me but a different crop of singers sing this role than your typical Aida or Amelia.

Click to expand...

It's a little bit of a lighter role, a well developed lyric can get through it fine if they're sensible even though ideally you'd want a bit more weight. I like Janowitz as Elisabetta very much, surprisingly, as well as Eleanor Steber. Aida and Amelia are both more firmly in the dramatic repertoire though a sensible spinto can be just as effective. Elisabetta is also not really the most interesting of roles, I would say there are three or four other roles in that opera with better music, not that hers is bad, but it's not really the vehicle for a star singer.

Seattleoperafan said:

Ever the fount of knowledge. That is certainly what the French singers looked like- not heavy Verdi singers. This aria is really beautiful as is the intro.

Click to expand...

I think there were plenty of large voiced from singers back then but I get where you're coming from. The French school was the first to die. There are some wonderful recordings of Italian rep into the 70s, some wonderful Wagner in the 60s but there's not a great deal of great recordings of French rep past the 40s/early 50s.

Seattleoperafan said:

I saw Callas recorded it but it looked rather late for her and I knew she never recorded the role. She can sound really good up till 56 or 57 in my opinion. There are of course exceptions like Arrigo... , Carmen, and the Delilah arias where she sounds really wonderful and they are I think after 60.

Click to expand...

It is a bit late. It’s a good reading, and dramatically interesting, but not a favourite, there is a need for a degree of vocal purity in this aria. She could sound amazing still in 1958 though, the Dallas Medea is superb. Cerquetti’s version of the aria in the live recording is very good, I realise I’ve not heard many historical recordings of the aria, presumably because it’s long.

Seattleoperafan said:

I have often found the opposite to be true. I have found Slavic singers often have faster vibratos, which I tend to like such as Weltisch, Dimitrova, young Milanov,etc. Singers all over the world who don't take care of their voice can get a wobble.

Click to expand...

hmmm, on a lot of old suprahon records I seem to remember some singers having a slower vibrato. Solid voices but more noticeable vibrato than in Italian and German singers of the time.

Seattleoperafan said:

You are a third my age but much much more knowledgeable than me. I never listened to suprahon. I just know mainly Milanov and Dimitrova. Dimitrova had a much slower vibrato when she was in her 50's but both has fast vibratos in their 30's.

Click to expand...

You should check them out! Their old catalogue includes many of the best performances of czech operas on record.