Lakme Bell Song Battle Royale

What a great comparative video. Some good comments, too. They’re all astonishing, but I think I most clearly heard the bell with Dessay, Mesple, Sutherland and – surprisingly – Callas until the very end, where she strains. Dahl was very good – she sounded like she still had room above that high E. Also enjoyed Pons, which surprised me, and did not much like Sumi Jo, who seemed like she was working too hard.

But then again – this is a tremendously intricate and difficult aria, so any woman who can pull it off respectably is already doing something impressive.