Grace Bumbry

Grace Bumbry Desert Island Discs

Vissi d'arte from Tosca

An interview with Ms. Bumbry

Did she know Eric Porter?

R4 FU

Beautiful woman and great mezzo. Especially superb as Sanit-Saens's Dalila--has sung some of the most gorgeous versions I've ever heard of that character's two big arias ("Printemps qui commence" and "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voi").

*Saint-Saens, not "Sanit-Saens"

R6 I agree. The voice of an angel. I love her singing in Brahms Requiem. Unfortunately I cannot find a video of it. One of the most angelic moments of my life.

A great mezzo, but only an ok soprano.

King Charles’s favorite singer (when he was younger, anyway).

R10 Really? She was Jacqueline Kennedy's too

bump

Many years ago, I was backstage, complimenting a counter-tenor after a particularly good performance. He said “ I owe it all to Grace Bumbry”. “Oh”, I said “ did you study with Grace Bumbry?” “No” he replied “ I wanted to BE Grace Bumbry”. Loved him for that.

R13 Wow so true

I love her but she chewed scenery like it was going out of style.

I love Verrett better because she’s just a more nuanced singer.

That was a golden age!

Verrett was a great actress as well as a great singer. Her Lady Macbeth was at the level of Callas's.

But Bumbry's voice was exquisite.

Bumbry was fierce and fearless. Love that in opera singers—sadly missing in today’s crop

[Quote] “ I wanted to BE Grace Bumbry”.

Mary!

I saw Bumbry give a recital at the end of her career.

Still an exquisite interpreter of songs.

I believe her brother was a famous baseball player (dont know anything about baseball).

She was in an all star production of Verdi's Don Carlos

Conducted by James Levine

Mirella Freni

Placido Domingo

Grace Bumbry

Louis Quilico

Ferruccio Furlanetto

and Mr. Nicolai Ghiaurov

R20, watched that Live From the Met when I was a kid!

Mirella Freni.

Swoon.

R21 wow. How was that experience?

R23, sorry, I meant that I watched it on TV as a kid as part of the Live from the MET telecasts

[quote] Covenant Garden

Oh, dear

She is dead to me !!! I will miss her dearly.

Oh fuck no.... She was one of my favourites singers. A sad day.

Is she the one who lashed out at younger singers who are no longer comfortable performing in blackface?

She was the first Black Venus in Bayreuth. Opera has been colorblind since decades!

Greg Guidry's death was ruled a suicide.

Aww, this is saddening to hear. Both my parents were fans. I knew her from recordings and videos. She was beautiful and alluring in those mezzo roles.

R26, this deserves it’s own thread. Please make one.

[quote]R30 Greg Guidry's death was ruled a suicide.

Yuck! Death by burning car cannot be a common choice!

How awful.

R31 What? How is R26 post not related to this thread?

R8, it's hard for me to imagine that Miss Bumbry's soprano ambitions encompassed the Brahms REQUIEM -- doesn't seem like her bag in any way, vocally. Are you thinking of the Verdi?

Great lady and singer. Ms. Bumbry will be missed.

*RIP*

I am going to miss her. She was gorgeous

I let Karajan drive my car

She ain’t no Viola Davis, but in OP’s photo she does look she’s wearing a Raquel Welch wig.

R38 Wanda Sykes

While I liked Bumbry’s fire (Prince Charles said he was her favorite opera singer), I still think Verrett was the superior singer in similar fachs

This is beautiful. One of the best.

lo son l'umile ancella from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur.

O ma lyre immortelle from Sapho

Not many American Catholics became opera singers. We didn’t have church choirs.

1970s “folk masses” didn’t do much to stimulate catholic voices.

R40. Prince Charles thinks he was Grace Bumbry’s favorite opera singer? Remarkable.

She's just a wonderful person