Adelina Patti - Casta Diva (1906 G&T Record): Patti's Real Voice

Casta Diva. Norma (Bellini) sung by Adelina Patti accomp. by Mr. Alfredo Barili [Patti&nephew, piano] A Victor re-issue of Gramophone & Typewriter Company (the forerunner of HMV) n° (681c) 03082. Recorded at Craig-y-nos Castle, Patti&home in Wales / June 1906 ------------------------------------- Adelina Patti (1843-1919) remains one of the most famous sopranos in history due to the pure beauty of her lyric voice and the unsurpassed quality of her belcanto technique. Giuseppe Verdi was not alone in calling her the greatest vocalist that he ever heard. So remarkable was the spontaneity of her singing and the singular beauty of her voice that terms like "belcanto" and "coloratura" were first generally used to describe her singing. Patti&early acoustic recordings are an important link in the search for an authentic belcanto tradition. Patti&voice is the shadow of what it used to be, anyway the ruins of an exceptional monument are exceptional ruins.......... "Les beaux restes" of her voice... to begin with, she takes breaths where she shouldn&(such as between "Casta" and "Diva"), the turns ("Ca ~ sta") always executed limpidly and in perfect proportions. "Tem _ _ _ pra, o Di _ _ va" (2:02), the extra embellishments in the second stanza (used by Giuditta Pasta herself when she created the role of Norma), quasi jazz...Yes, she was, at her best, La Belcantista, no doubt about it. But she did have her moments, even in Norma, for sure: veristic, declamatory passages, her...