Dame Joan Sutherland has spoiled me for other sopranos

I was introduced to the wonder that was Joan Sutherland because I was a Marilyn Horne fan boy.  I'd seen the blessed Ms. Horne on The Tonight Show, and on reruns of The Odd Couple, where she had a recurring guest role as one of Oscar Madison's coworkers. Well, on an LP of Marilyn Horne hits, I discovered "Mira o Norma", that duet from the greatest opera of all time (I might be biased here), sung with Joan Sutherland. I soon had to have their complete Norma recording, and their album of Bellini and Rossini duets.

Then I found the 1960 album "The Art of the Prima Donna".  Oh.  My.  Gawd.  Becky!!!!!!!!!  I was in fan boy heaven!  Arias and excerpts from Norma, Semiramide, Artaserse (!!!!), plus hit parade arias from Faust, Otello, La Traviata, etc.  It was on this album I first heard "Son vergin vezzosa" from Mr. Bellini's masterpiece, I Puritani.  Like many lead soprano roles, there's something wrong with this girl.  (The title literally means "I'm a mad maiden".  Keep in mind that in days of yore, the word virgin meant young woman more often than it mean woman who had never.....um.....heard Puccini.)  I used to play this recording for my fellow fan boys and we would squeal with delight. As fan boys are wont to do. I simply adore her completely casual treatment of the many high Bs. 

A television performance of the aforementioned "Mira, o Norma" with Marilyn Horne:

Another television performance, Lucia di Lammermoor on Bell Telephone Hour.  Lucia was the role that brought her international fame in 1959.  (Forgive the makeup.  Color television was new in1962.)

There are many more performances to be found on YouTube, but these are some favorites.

I don't mean to suggest there aren't other very fine sopranos, past and present.  Some I adore, in fact.  But Dame Joan was La Stupenda.  What more can be said?


OK, just one more video: