Joan Sutherland: An Unreliable Opera Coloratura Soprano Singer
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Joan Sutherland was an incredible opera coloratura soprano singer. Although she is classified as a coloratura soprano her voice was very hard to categorize. When she began her career her voice was described as “fresh” and “bell-like” a very bright youthful sound. However, over time her voice darkened and she developed into a coloratura. Her vocal range was from G6 to F6 and she had a very big round sound even at her highest notes. She was also known for her perfectly onset staccatos. Her tonal quality was warm and pure and when she sang higher her tone became bright. On a tonal spectrum she was right in the middle. Joan was known as one of the greatest soprano opera singers of her time because her commanding stage presence and excellent singing, however this did not come without proper training.…show more content… At the same time she also had training at the London Opera School in the late 1940’s early 1950’s. In 1952 she made her opera debut with Royal Opera at Covent Garden. Being the lead soprano in the opera company allowed her to hone her talent and develop her vocal technique. In 1959 sealed her position as the leading soprano and was acclaimed for her role as Lucia in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. She loved this role so much she would do it a thousand times over. After this role she became star in the opera world. After a performance in Venice, Italy she was given the nickname La Stupenda. From 1960 until the earlier 1990’s Joan Sutherland performed in opera houses in Europe, the United Stated as well as other countries across the world. After a long successful career Joan Sutherland retired in 1990. In October 2010 she passed away. To this day she is remembered as one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th