nope.
1. Tonality problems
2. Poor coloratura technique (notes all clung together)
All attempted to hid from a much faster tempo.
She wouldn’t make it to the world stage in modern times.
Please stop having this bias that techniques got worse over time. It’s EXACTLY the opposite.
ROFL. Non of the things you listed are actually right. But let me do an actual analysis of Fleming's performance
1- out of tune
2- no air release
3- vibrato is stuck inher throat
4- knödel frog sound
5- no squillo
6-tiny voice
7- no harmonics
8- no chest voice participation in head vocie
9- no chest voice in low notes ....................
10- her tongue closes of the throat
11- not enough phyrangeal space
12- high larynx
13- spread high notes
14- screamy high notes
15- airy sounds
16- no chiaroscuro
most of what you say is a fundamental lack of understanding of how opera progressed.
How Fleming sang is a technique that utilizes pianissimi coloratura—high notes are sung in pianissimo style, it’s something that was popularized by singers like Caballe, and it is a MUCH harder technique than those of early 20th century—when you go up it’s much easier to go forte to push out the notes than pianissimo. This is why you think Fleming is constricting her larynx, it’s because that is the technique—pianissimo on high notes which requires higher skill and agility. On top of that she sang it with a much slower tempo and longer sustained phrasing, which would compromise “volume” or projection which is why she won’t have a “piercing” opera sound that you like, but it is much harder to do. Another good example of this modern technique is Sumi Jo’s Caro Nome performance. You can also see she utilizes pianissimi on the high notes in the coloratura. Cecilia Bartoli is also somebody who specializes in this modern coloratura technique and is a master at it.
In terms of tonality, perhaps you think she’s out of tune because you got used to listening to out of tune singing of this piece.
the "technique" that you talk about is not an actual technique. This is not real piano singing. Real piano singing still has to have core/ chest voice participation. Also you may not be avere of this but, the singing that you talk about is physiologically based on constriction instead of release. No one will hear fleming/ sumi jo "piano" singing because they don't have core. Old singers had core in the ppp and still were able to be heard
again, nope.
The resonance of piano singing you are referring to is one that was not used in coloratura—no early 20th century singer, not even the great Maria Callas, sang with this technique because it was not developed yet.
If you want to hear the resonance you are talking about you can go and listen to Fleming’s Dove Sono in 1999 Met production of Le Nozze Di Figaro, when she sang the second stanza she used this piano singing with “chest” resonance that you are talking about, and in fact her technique was so good that that the resonance would still be heard when she closes each phrase that she sung in one long breath.
What I was refereeing to is a technique that as you go through the coloratura notes, you go from forte to piano very fast. Each of the coloratura notes are short so you cannot have that resonance you are talking about , this is why it requires quite a lot of control of releasing the sound by quick constricting then release to create a more dynamic singing, all the while still keep to tonality and sustain. It is absolutely not because these singers have “no core.”
i think you should study the anatomy before going around talking ablut improved technique nonsense. Because the stuff you say is physically not possible
I know you would think it’s physically not possible
But that’s how much opera singing techniques have been developed over time for more challenging singing and just better.
But you are free to be stuck in early 20th century as you wish!!
The rest of us have moved on.