Rating: 
Summary: A jaw dropping collection of the highest caliber
Review: This DVD is phenomenal. Dame Joan never sang that spectacular again. It puts her Lucia DVD and her Lucrecia Borgia DVD to shame. And I love her in those two performances.
Among the many highlight is the Mad scene from Hamlet which is sung even better than one she did in "Art of the Prima Donna". Now that's a statement. Her coloratura here is so free and easy, and her runs are so fast and accurate that I had to rewind and rewind to make sure I'm not dreaming. She goes to a high F above high C in a chromatic scale in superhigh speed without missing even a single half note. And her trills are the last word in the art of bel canto.
Another highlight sees the young Sutherland looking thin and beautiful. She must have been a size 10 when she did her Elvira in I Puritani. And she was so expressive as she glided down the steps ever so gracefully. The "Vien Diletto" cabaletta is definitive.
To show that Dame Joan can act, a 1961 Desdemona is a "see to believe". She is beautiful here too, and her performance is emotional and well acted. As good as any of Callas's.
The Bell song is sung so fabulously that you may want to throw away your other versions of it (the non Sutherland ones, that is). Her staccato is effortless, and her runs are like strings of pearls, each one distinct from its neighbor. While Lily Pon's Bell Song sound like dinner bells, Sutherland's sound like church bells.
The "Sempre libera is the best that Dame Joan has put on tape. The trill before its cabaletta is the best trill that I've ever heard, even from the "Queen of the trill" herself. And the high E flat is both spine tinkling and HUGE. I think that high E flat is the biggest and the best E flat she's put on any of her videos. Of course, you have this DVD, even if it is just to hear that note.
There's also a gratifying Sextet from Lucia and a fab Quartet from Rigoletto. Note how fresh and beautiful her voice was during this period. How powerful and full of ring her high notes are. She was the "Queen of opera".
Of course the high point of the DVD is the mad scene from Lucia recorded in 1962. This is the best "Mad scene" she's ever recorded. Infinitely better than the famed 1983 Met DVD mentioned earlier. (if you have it, I dare you to make a comparison, you will be floored, as spectacular as she was as Lucia in 1983, she is devastatingly electrifying in 1962 -- almost a totally different voice). In fact, this "Mad Scene" is even better than her legendary 1960 complete recording with Cioni first available in LP and now available in Cd. Most notable is her upward chromatic scale at the end of her cadenza of the "Mad Scene"...its definition is so defined that it almost sound like she staccato it, surely it equals that of the flute that preceeded her. Her trill here beats the flute, and the arpeggios and staccati are so dead on that's it's just not human. She also absolutely nails and holds BOTH of her high E flats. Needless to say, no opera lover should be without this Lucia selection.
Another very satisfying scene is from Act 2 of Tosca with Dame Joan singing opposite Tito Gobbi. Her luscious tones are ideal for Tosca, and she sings and acts so beautifully here. Tito Gobbi was said to have ask her to sing it with him on stage. A proposition that the great diva declined. With her recorded Turandot being one of the best selling opera sets for Decca, I can't help but imagine that a Sutherland Tosca with Gobbi would have been a sure hit. She surely shows Callas that she can sing Puccini's most temperamental tragic heroine too.
All in all, this is truly a "must have", not only for Dame Joan Sutherland's fans, but for all lovers of the art of great singing. This is my all time favorite opera video.
Rating:
Summary: Most impressive
Review: This if the single most impressive collection of the most taxing coloratura singing ever compiled in a set of two DVDs. These are recordings of the great Dame from 1960-1968. This is the period when she reigned supreme - easily surpassing the efforts of Callas, Caballe, Sills and every other bel canto diva.
The singing has to be heard to be believe. I personally consider this collection to surpass even her most popular cds including "The art of the Prima Donna". And as a bonus you can watch it as well as listen to it.
I've already bought several sets of these as gifts and for future use. I believe that when you watch these dvds you will immediately be convince that you are watching the greatest display of bravura singing to ever graced a stage - past, present, and future. Bravissima!
Rating:
Summary: Sutherland is the "Voice of the Century for these reasons.
Review: This is especially for the opera fan from San Diego. I admire your passion for Kirsten Flagstad. She is also one of my favorite soprano for all time, along with Dame Joan Sutherland. But I want you to really listen to this collection of Sutherland's live Bell Telephone Hour appearances before you bestow your judgement. By that, I mean I want to listen to it with an open mind. It is in my opinion, the most stupendous display of coloratura singing ever taped.And this may be of interest to you. One of Sutherland's favorite singer happens to be Flagstad. La Stupenda mentioned it in her laserdisc "La Stupenda". She is also a big admirer of the great Maria Callas, whom she mentioned over twenty times in her autobiography "A Prima Donna's Progress". Dame Joan is perfectly aware that without the work of La Divina, 20th Century bel canto would not have been possible. So the many assaults upon her by some Callas fans is not only ironic but uncalled for.
But even more interesting is this...I'm sure you know that the "New York Post" is a very respectable piece of journalism... Here is a direct quote from the famed critic Harriet Johnson's comments about Dame Joan Sutherland's voice in the "New York Post"... "...Her voice - a true, dramatic coloratura - and her effortless use of it are phenomenal. In my experience, I have heard only one singer to compare with her in vocal greatness, the late Norwegian soprano Kirsten Flagstad, whose voice in a completely different genre - a real dramatic soprano - was also miraculously beautiful and effortless. Today, Miss Sutherland has no peer." Even the most ardent Callas and Sills fans have to admit that Kirsten Flagstad's voice is consider one of the wonders of this operatic century. She is consider the greatest Wagnerian soprano to ever grace the operatic stage. To compare Sutherland's voice to her is to state that Sutherland's soprano is not only of the highest order in terms of transcendental beauty, but also of amazing power and size. Yes, La Stupenda could have sung Seglinda, and she could have sung Turandot on stage. She was trained for that as early as 1950. And because of this coaching as a Wagnerian in her earliest days and her later transformation into a bel canto specialist(about 1954, thanks to her husband) she's became the rarest of creatures - the only true dramatic coloratura of this century. THAT's the reason so many people consider her "The Voice of the Century". Within this DVD contains "The Voice of the Century"'s greatest moments. Listen, watch, and marvel at her immense vocal mastery in the art of coloratura singing.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely spectacular...Easy 10 star!
Review: This is the one to get. This is La Stupenda's greatest roles recorded in her absolute prime - which is to say, this is as good as singing could get. If you want to hear the possibilities of the human voice, this is it. The very best.
Rating:
Summary: Joan Sutherland is amazing
Review: This production is remarkable, incredible, out of this world. Sutherland is and will probably always be the best coloratura in music history. Her voice of supreme beaty and agility will make you wonder if she is real. What a vocal perfection. I know, I know... many people say her diction was not good and that she was not a good actress and bla, bla, bla... but this DVD prooves them wrong. Sutherland is a goddess in all the sense of the word.
Rating: 
Summary: What's the big deal? What a laugh!
Review: Yeah, yeah, Sutherland had one of the best set of pipes in the world of coloratura singing, but she was by no means the best as so many professes her to have been. As a singer, yes she was among the best, but as an artist she stunk like skunk, and thus I've never admired her art. A complete artist MUST sing, MUST sing with FEELING, and MUST be able to act. Sutherland was great in only one of these 3 important factors. I'm not so shallow as to be impressed simply by going "ooooh, she trills so well!" or "wow, what high notes, and what golden tones!" There are many more out there who balance their art much better than Sutherland did. Callas and Sills in their prime were DA BOMB! Callas had great acting and her singing in her prime was good too. And Sills in her vocal prime was even better in that she sang just as well as Sutherland, had better fioritura, and a high F sharp to match Sutherland anyday. Plus, she acted with her voice, and physically! So, before you blow [money] on this set, rethink the worth of Sutherland. It shouldn't be [item price]! And just a final note, Sutherland's best work was her Turandot recording. She stank in bel canto, but she would've been stellar in the works of Puccini, Verdi, Strauss, even Wagner. Joan originally wanted to sing Wagner, but who was the idiot who pushed her into doing bel canto? Yeah, I figured. Bad conductors make poor choices in repertoire/vocal match-up too.
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