Highlighted comments from the commenters below:
-From Jeffrey Miller:
No high E, alas. That is an E-flat (quite a huge difference for a voice the size of Joan's or Maria's). Here she is singing Semiramide's Bel raggio transposed down a half tone into the key A-flat (that means 4 flats) as she always did "live" (and as she did in the complete Semiramide recording for Decca). She sang this aria in the original key of A major (that would be 3 sharps) and with TWO high E's, only for the Decca set The Art of the Prima Donna. At the Met Gala in 1983, she started in Ab then Mr. Bonynge wrote a very jarring transposition down ANOTHER FULL TONE to Gb (6 flats!!!--the strings were probably not happy) for "dolce pensiero" finale. Not good. At all.

P.S. She sang Lakmé Bell Song in key, with 3 high E's, only for The Art of the Prima also. Complete Decca Lakmé Bell Song is down a half tone. Top E was not one of her favorite notes. The last one (not great either) to ever come out of the Sutherland throat is the Lucia /Enrico duet with Milnes. They trans pose that one UP a full tone.


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