Birgit Nilsson’s shockingly easy high notes. In questa reggia [Turandot] - 1962

The other upload of this on YouTube only has sound in the right channel. I’ve corrected that for your listening enjoyment! Concert at the Royal Opera Stockholm Swiss Radio Symphony Orchestra Sixten Erling, conductor 1962 ..................................... Yes, the singing is... extra. Trrill™ is about florid passages, improvisatory underpinnings, staccato’d intuitions, and virtuosities even at their most ridiculous. But it’s also about the biggest, boldest form of vocal emission, with aural examples of basically correct singing, correct impostazione—chiaroscuro, vowel clarity, firm and centered pitch, correct vibrato action, absence of throatiness or thickness, sounds free from constriction and from the acoustic noise that accompanies it—with occasional video examples that demonstrate what the body, face, mouth, jaw, and tongue look like when used with correct impostazione—the vocal emission of the one and only Italian school. Caveat: I’m biased in favor of #baritones and baritone literature, but if you want to learn about and listen to all the greatest singers in the old-school tradition, explore this spreadsheet (voice parts are separated by tabs): #Sopranos #HighNotes #Opera