Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Alberto Erede, Berthold Goldschmidt :: Margherita Grandi sings Verdi

The Greatest Lady of all time!!!!

Impostazione | New York City Area | 06/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When one thinks of great Lady Macbeth interpretors these days, usually Callas or Verrett come to mind first. In my estimation, Mara Zampieri was one of the best for her scary reading of Lady. I heard Margherita Grandi first on Preiser's Viva Verdi set singing her studio version of Una macchia, and crowned it with a glorious high Dflat. At that time, I felt that hers was really the best I had heard. but not one to claim "the greatest" until appropriate observation and research, I waited and waited. I even read how spectacular Grandi had been at Glyndebourne in the role.



Whatever the case may be, this recording proves that Grandi was without peer. What power, ringing timbre, freedom, range, and diction. She had the most magnificent pianissimi. If I said that I had never heard such qualities all united in one singer, and therefore she is one of the very greatest vocalists of all time, I'd sound biased. Oh, but no! This is it, and to try to compare Callas' youngish Lady favorably to this one, especially in a vocal way is a joke - a complete farce, and ridiculous. In fact, the only Lady I've heard to compare vocally to Grandi is Amy Shuard's compelling and icy portrayal.



This truly seems to be the Lady interpretation to match and likely surpass all the others until that bright day when another one arrives."