Beverley Sills - Recommendation Required

Commercially available, the Giulio Casare is wonderful singing but a strange
edition (though it hs Treigel as well). If you like Massenet, the Manon is
wonderful, I think, though not de los Angeles. For bel canto, I think the
best is the Anna Bolena, because the softer singing is still out of this
world and the heavier stuff is convincing. I also personally think her
Barber is a lot of fun, but you have to make it through conducting by Levine
which is heavy-handed and Gedda, for whom it's late, and Milnes for whom
it's Milnes and Barbieri which is inexplicable.

As to recitals, I'd go first of all for the Jussi Jalas of French and
Italian arias. The Mozart/Straus recital is also wonderful I think.

For me these are the best (I assume you don't like Baby Doe or you'd have
it) commercially, in that the voice is caught at its height. Once you've
gotten into her, there's lots more, although I think you can and should
safely ignore the Merry Widow excerpts, Up in Central Park, and the album
with Kostalanetz.

I've already given elsewhere here some recommendations as to pirate
recordings.


"Terry Simmons" wrote in message

> In the past, I'd always overlooked Beverly Sills' recordings, probably
> due to my feeling that she had a bit too much vibrato for my taste. Then
> when it came to buying CDs of operas, it seemed that she was always
> pipped on the post by a Sutherland, a Cotrubas or .... etc.
>
> Now, due to her passing, I've seen a little of her on TV, and there's a
> further dimension that "picture plus sound" provide. I can understand
> that she would provoke much affection. This dimension, of course, may be
> missing from a "sound only" recording. However ...
>
> I think I'll acquire some recordings of her work. I seek recommendations
> of recordings of complete operas that show her at her best. Any takers?
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