Oral presentation: Tips from “La Stupenda”

1) Who's Joan Sutherland?

One of the most prolific sopranos of the last century, Joan Sutherland (1926-2010) sang
almost everything from Haendel to Wagner. During 43 years, she was one of the leading sopranos
and succesfully maintained the quality of her voice. Like some of her colleagues (La Divina, La
Straniera, La Superba,...), she had a nickname: La Stupenda (The Stupendous). She received it after
a performance of “Alcina” in Milan. Indeed, if Maria Callas helped rediscovering the bel canto
repertoire, the Aaustralian singer and her husband, the conductor Richard Bonynge, did the same
thing with Haendel, although she is also considered one of the best bel canto singers of all times.

Today, I would like to introduce you to this marvellous woman to you with an interview she
gave with her husband a few years before she left the stage at 63. years.

2) Interview and afterthoughts

 Do you think that our voices were “always there”? Is it something you knew
about since childhood?
 Richard Bonynge isn't a singer but helped hisher wife into discovering her higher
register=> Do we absolutely need to be a singer to understand and help another?
 What does means “bel canto” mean to you? Do you agree with the point of view
of Bonynge’s point of view? Does the audiencepublic need to see the vocal
technique? (ex: Cecilia Bartoli)
 By travelling a lot and jumping from one repetoire to another, do you think that a
singer can really injure his voice?
 Alagna in Manrico, Florez in Werther, Dessay in Violetta, ... Why do opera
singers attempt to sing roles that aren't for their voice type? Isn't it safier to stay
in your comfort zone for the “stage repertoire” (for example, Sutherland began
her international career with Lucia in 1959 and still sanging it for almost 30
years)?
 In an opera, a concert, t,... the audience seems to beis there mostly to befor being
thrilled by the higher register of the singers. Do you think we might give too
much credit to our high notes? Faith of them being right up there wouldn't be
enough?( What exactly do you mean? Do you mean “wWouldn’t just knowing
that they are there be enough?)
 In a performance, what's the role of an artist? Does the audience want
entertainment or to learn something?

Vocabulary: - A core voice => une voix basique

- Perfect/ relative pitch => oreille absolue/relative
- to essay => essayer, tenter (not common…) (maybe leave this out)
- to shriek => hurler
- Garcia => Manuel Garcia, one of the greatest tenors of the 19th century
- palate => palais