I am proud that Swenson reigned, even if for a short time. She was and is phenomenal. American, down to earth, musical, gorgeous tone, diction, comportment.

Ruth Ann was a fan favorite. She was much loved in San Francisco.

BRAVISSIMA, I love her clean coloratura and perfect legato!! No unnecessary stress and strain on the voice compared to many other singers these days unfortunately... She's a an amazingly elegant lyric coloratura!!

Non seulement la voix est magnifique de même que la technique, mais son français est impeccable. Bravissima!

Just came from a Callas version of this and it's always so interesting how different singers will interpret this song! Maria's version felt like a wild fire; a rambunctious youth that yearned for a grand life changing love. Swenson's on the other hand feels more dreamy; like she has already fallen in love with the idea of love itself. Such amazing and talented singers to take the same song and score, but make me feel such different things about the character they play!

I don't feel any need to compare her to any other singer. She sings beautifully, and in my New York days I loved to hear her at the Met.

She is great!!! Definitely knows how to use her beautiful and rich voice. Netrebko singing this reminds me a train out of control :p

I have just discovered Swenson through this aria and oh my goodness! She makes it effortless. This is why we take our lessons seriously, people. We want to be just as effortless as this performance right here.

Such a lovely version of this aria...so warm, pleasant, smooth, and sweet.

Ruth Ann is so so wonderful

Ruth Ann sang a sublime run of Romeo et Juliette in San Francisco with Alfredo Kraus. Superb singing from both the entire run. Saw every performance

fabulous. that high c at the end gave me chills. what a remarkable performance.

Ruth Ann Swenson is stellar. One of the most unique and beautiful voices of our time as well as a gifted artist and musician. Hearing her live is such a joy. Thank you Ruth Ann for being such an inspiration! :)

An excellent example of Ruth Ann at her best. The piano attack on the final hi C - followed by a flawless crescendo - is worth the price of admission alone!

Her voice is like the richest gold; bright and warm. And her voice also has the smoothness and flexibility of the finest silk. This is one of the best versions of Ah! Jeux Veux Vivre that I've ever heard. Swenson may not be the most brilliant actress, but her angelic voice and genuine enthusiasm while singing more than make up for that.

Ruth Ann Swenson a la voix idéale pour cet air. Magnifique prestation. Bravo !

I know I shouldn't say it, but I will: This is my voice teacher's wife! (He's her voice teacher too) It's a little scary when you're performing a university opera and you know that Ruth Ann Swenson is out in the audience watching you. Lol. Unfortunately, I still haven't seen her perform live yet.

a treasure! Singing like that, she could start her own airline and all the seats would be first class!

Her performance of this is absolutely fantastic!

I listened through half of youtube to get here! She has the most controlled voice from all the singers I heard singing this song! Its not painful to the ear. Bravo!

hers was the first version of this aria i ever heard. it made me happy every time i listened to it and still does! brava

Merveille des merveilles Madame SWENSON.Sa voix est un pur chef-d'oeuvre.Je ne trouve pas de mots assez forts pour dire mon admiration à cette DIVA,tombée du Ciel.Ecoutez toutes et Tous ses AIGUS.Daisy CLER

She is great!

I ve been captivated by Swenson since I first heard her in "L'Africaine" (DVD) ... great performance here once again !!!

She is a very lovely woman in great voice !!! Brava Ruth Ann !!!

she is so fantastic. I"m a new fan!

One of my favorite renditions!

J'adore , c'est divin , l'interprétation est géniale ! Bravo

Wow--people just are just not vanilla on Netrebko--she elicits strong pros and cons all over KZfaq...In the mean time, Ms. Swenson is so professional, sings so cleanly and nails the high note-- and really makes us hanker for those Harry Winston's and Tiffanay's!! Marilyn M. should have sung this!

Stupenda!

Amazing voice!

Yay! Brava! That's my voice teacher's wife!

Bravíssima! Golden tons here ❤💯👏🏻

she makes it sound so easy

No doubt she's better than Netrebko and Fleming combined. A true coloratura repertoire fit for her. Levine's choice to sing this aria.

Loved Swenson. Best Adina I ever heard. But the very best Gilda was Swenson with Leech and Nucci! Wish it were on KZfaq. Nancy

u can tell they've worked together before, lovely to watch on all counts!!!

i like her acting and expressions too

Que maravilla.. no me canso de verlo.. que maravillosa

Unfortunately, I can't hear this very well on my computer...Ruth Ann is wonderful and I actually remember her audition for the Merola Program I think it was 1981 at UT-Austin? I was a student there at the time. It was a jaw dropping audition if I am thinking of the right soprano.

I made the same comment on this video 3 years the last time I listened to it, the high C at the end is very sharp, she often sings big climactic high notes above pitch and sits on them.

Magnificent!

Sublime

Love her....Brava

Beautiful! I'm working on this piece and she's an inspiration for sure!

The definitive coloratura in my opinion... makes me wish I'd continued my training.

bella voz, bella interpretación y bella dama

great!

SO good!! :)

I seriously love her expressions.

Brillinat!

Awesome!!

Perfecta!

Your voice teacher is a very lucky man.

I believe she said in an interview that for some reason they had not rehearsed at all prior to this actual performance.

Wade- you have good taste in music!

Perfect! Bravissima!

Elegant!!!

BRAVA BRAVA

The Met's superb production of Arabella, which is available on DVD with Kiri te Kanawa and Wolfgang Brendel. Thielemann is the conductor.

I saw Netrebko sing the Lucia at HD and I remember thinking what the fuss was all about; then I saw her Sempre Libera video and I got it but I don't think I've heard anything that good since

I think she's fantastic. But so is Anna Netrebko, and Natalie Dessay, and Diana Damrau and...Why choose? I've seen them all live, and they're all incredibly talented, and different, and the world is far richer for the variety.

We also need younger operas, the ones that people play most of the time are centuries old

wow. so talented. her singing is so much better than r. flemings.

So much better than Anna Netrebko!!! I love her!!

@Watchawahha After my rash last comment, I looked at comments in context and better understood your reply. I see your point, and I think you and arpeggio are actually on the same page. I think everyone would agree she looks great here. I think all of us would agree that voice and artistry should be the most important thing in opera not looks. I am not sure btw why she lost roles at the Met, but it came close after she had breast cancer.

Ufff con las justas

@xgianpatrick Your critique is a bit over the top wouldn't you say? You should post a video of yourself performing at the height of your operatic splendor. I am sure it would leave us amazed!

the C is very sharp

I would pay to hear Avril Lavigne singing Madame Butterfly and Paris Hilton in Tosca, hahaha

Where is the crack? Did someone fix it?

que mamon ha ha .... ma certo che l'aria é bella

@classicalgal14 I wasn't being rude, I honestly think she should have covered up more.

I really do think that, as is "beauty in the eye of the beholder", then attributes of a singer is "in the ears of the listener"!! Personally, I love Netrebko's voice, and her choices, most of the the time...but she HAS taken on stuff that was not for her - and, as many other singers who have done likewise, they have been a disaster!!! As for her french diction, well, she's russian, and a lot of other singers, are, apparently, fluent in french (Caballe, Gruberova, Callas, etc.)

most voice better the young women

thats what i said...try reading more carefully

Love her voice...but honestly her chest took a lot of the attention..

now that is someone I'm happy to criticize.

This is so much better than Netrebko ; Netrebko has vibrato you can drive a truck through

i love her voice, but if you cant hear that thats out of tune youre the one who needs your hearing checked, not me.

she is simply perfect! But Her decoltee could be a little bit deeper (-:

the C is beautiful, but its actually strikingly out of tune, its extremely sharp.

her timbre is darker than K. Battle's and much more "womanly" to my ear... I LOVE her crescendo at 3:53! Kbattle has that soubrette girly sound.and Netrebeko should stay away from coloratura/belcanto and stick to spinto stuff like TOSCA forgoodness sakes..NO LUCIA!

@jimmymartinezzz Da sempre sostengo che la Netrebko non ha la flessibilità, la messa di voce, gli arpeggi e le scale cromatiche della coloratura sono raffazzonate, inoltre a parte le facce "d'espressione" che sono altro dal senso artistico interpretativo ha problemi negli acuti spesso lanciati e malamente tenuti "tenuti". Non si tratta di gareggiare, ma solo di stabilire chi é una cantante lirica e chi lo sembra...un po' come Bocelli che é un buon cantante... punto, la lirica é altro.

Asuma anuka rot otkroy, teper skaji aaaa. A be shto delayet? Asuma vi na kakoy stantsii, Ya na stantsii Al Capone. Eto uje Pedik Matematik passajiru, uvajayemomu. Kakiye litsa, kakiye litsa... Asuma vi pochemu meksikov ne lyubite, ne poymyosh. Asuma snachalo ubili Indian Americans, Turkey is ours, potom FBI ubil Che Guevara. Kakiye xoroshiye, pyaterka. Asuma Grex smeyatsa. Vorb en mnatsel. asuma za dvesti let nikagdo ne oshibsya, Eto uje Bill Clinton Narodu. A tebe yest dvesti???

comparing anyone to Netrebko on the point of diction is almost laughable, Netrebko's french is atrocious.

I've heard better (a few, not many), but, then again I've heard a HELL of a lot worse!!

YOU ARE WRONG!!! Netrebko is atrocious(most of the time)

Beautiful voice... fabulous rendition... Brava!Ps. But that hair... GOD!!!... someone should had told her, she wasn't 20 yo anymore. Too much hair, too long and she wasn't precisely a svelt woman. No, No, No!