Favourite Tenor

[mahler10th]

Franco Corelli and Mario Del Monaco.
Franco has a deeper timbre to his resonance, and full heroic style.  Mario has a kind of full transparency going on in his tenor, it is strong, appealing,  but it is vulnerable.
Oh aye, and Giuseppe Di Stefano, who could be in two places at once with his voice, in the air around us and in any given womans heart.

Pretty much all from the same era for some reason.   

[Tsaraslondon]

Jussi Bjorlin & Robert Merrell takes some beating

Agreed. Though Merrill was of course a baritone.

[arkiv]

One of my favorites, Francisco Araiza:

https://www.youtube.com/v/VEIoyxDhALU

[Ken B]

Well my sentimental favourite is Edward Johnson, who was to Caruso what Domingo was to Pavarotti : the second most famous tenor of the age. Why? He is from my home town

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Johnson_(tenor)

We also had the world's champion baseball team, Elinor Glyn for silent movie fans, and the author of the poem In Flander's Fields, known more in the Commonwealth than the USA.

Otherwise Bostridge. Wunderlich on a good day.

[Wendell_E]

Edward Johnson, who was to Caruso what Domingo was to Pavarotti : the second most famous tenor of the age.

Really?  Second most famous?  More famous than Beniamano Gigli or Giuseppe Martinelli, just to name two tenors who appeared at the Met during Caruso's final (1920-21) season.

[Ken B]

Really?  Second most famous?  More famous than Beniamano Gigli or Giuseppe Martinelli, just to name two tenors who appeared at the Met during Caruso's final (1920-21) season.

When did Caruso die?

During the last decade or so of Caruso's career EJ was more famous than BG or GM were.  Gigli was not of Caruso's generation, he was more than 15 years younger.
Why don't you cite Mario Lanza? He was more famous than Gigli?

[jochanaan]

When did Caruso die? ...

August 2, 1921.  He was 48, and if not for the illness that took him, he might have had many more years of singing.  He was indeed the most famous singer of his time--for good reason--but by no means the only great one.

[Ken B]

August 2, 1921.  He was 48, and if not for the illness that took him, he might have had many more years of singing.  He was indeed the most famous singer of his time--for good reason--but by no means the only great one.

Umm. Rhetorical question. 

[zamyrabyrd]

One of my favorites, Francisco Araiza

Wow, really impressive control there and soaring over the orchestra from behind, not standing in front of it.
Rossini should have been delighted with his C# in petto. Also Claudio Abbado conducting, great!

ZB

[Xenophanes]

When did Caruso die?

During the last decade or so of Caruso's career EJ was more famous than BG or GM were.  Gigli was not of Caruso's generation, he was more than 15 years younger.
Why don't you cite Mario Lanza? He was more famous than Gigli?

I am grateful that you mentioned Edward Johnson. I knew a little about him but I don't think I had ever heard any of his recordings before, but there are some good things on YouTube. He certainly comes across as a very competent tenor and I enjoy listening to him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SPwUh0hci4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4UGNY1v_Cg

[zamyrabyrd]

During the last decade or so of Caruso's career EJ was more famous than BG or GM were.  Gigli was not of Caruso's generation, he was more than 15 years younger.

To put things straight about Beniamino Gigli, he was born March 20, 1890 and died November 30, 1957.  I don't anyone past or present can top his Pescatori di Perle, then or now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU8FRH0IZXU

It seems he made at least a couple recordings of that aria, the earlier ones are astonishing in their control and lightness. Here's an old chestnut that appears regularly in voice studios: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOLF0NcvZb8

He sounds like he really means "O Mio Dolce Ardor" (swoon by me).
ZB

[springrite]

The third tenor of the three tenors.


Before him, though: Di Stefano. These two are in fact quite similar in the way they caress the lyrics/musical lines.

[zamyrabyrd]

The third tenor of the three tenors.
Before him, though: Di Stefano. These two are in fact quite similar in the way they caress the lyrics/musical lines.

I love Di Stefano in his prime, particularly singing with Callas. However, there seemed to be a trend with the after the war tenors who lost the tradition of floating the tones, and even worse, screeching out high C's. This was a sure liability for some of them who lost their voices rather early in their careers. Fritz Wunderlich was a notable exception but he died at the age of 38 so we don't know what he would have been like say, 20 years afterwards.

ZB

[Xenophanes]

To put things straight about Beniamino Gigli, he was born March 20, 1890 and died November 30, 1957.  I don't anyone past or present can top his Pescatori di Perle, then or now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU8FRH0IZXU

It seems he made at least a couple recordings of that aria, the earlier ones are astonishing in their control and lightness. Here's an old chestnut that appears regularly in voice studios: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOLF0NcvZb8

He sounds like he really means "O Mio Dolce Ardor" (swoon by me).
ZB

There are quite a few excellent performances of the aria from The Pearlfishers on YouTube. That Gigli recording is quite special, but there are beautiful recordings by Alfred Kraus, Nicolai Gedda, Jussi Bjoerling, Leopold Simoneau, Sergei Lemeshev (in Russian, naturally!), and Richard Crooks. No doubt there are others I have missed.

Nobody did the Arie Antiche the way Gigli did.

[mn dave]

I have not heard enough to choose a favorite, but I like this guy in Schubert.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petre_Munteanu

[zamyrabyrd]

I have not heard enough to choose a favorite, but I like this guy in Schubert.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petre_Munteanu

I'm listening to a few recordings and don't hear a true legato. Instead, he seems to be holding back which may be the cause of a rather pinched timbre or its effect.

ZB

[Drasko]

To put things straight about Beniamino Gigli, he was born March 20, 1890 and died November 30, 1957.  I don't anyone past or present can top his Pescatori di Perle, then or now ...
It seems he made at least a couple recordings of that aria, the earlier ones are astonishing in their control and lightness.

Yes! Gigli's youtube Nadir's aria from '25 (in Italian of course) is quite possibly the youtube clip I listened to most times, ever.

Speaking of tenors, I've been listening to Rimsky-Korsakov's May Night a lot lately and that opera has two wonderful tenor arias. Konstantin Lisovsky is perfectly fine on Fedoseyev conducted recording I have, but pales in comparison with Lemeshev at his mellifluous best from late 40s or early 50s under Nebolssin.

http://www.youtube.com/v/0DJU9cnEpKg

http://www.youtube.com/v/zeNxVR08UkE

[André]

There are quite a few excellent performances of the aria from The Pearlfishers on YouTube. That Gigli recording is quite special, but there are beautiful recordings by Alfred Kraus, Nicolai Gedda, Jussi Bjoerling, Leopold Simoneau, Sergei Lemeshev (in Russian, naturally!), and Richard Crooks. No doubt there are others I have missed.

Nobody did the Arie Antiche the way Gigli did.

I'm not in a thrall with Gigli's singing in Les Pêcheurs de perles. He aspirates far too often, a lethal defect in conveying a long line and liquid legato  in that aria. Lemeshev is of course unique, but has little clue to what constitutes the proper style here. Simoneau and esp. Vanzo have the style and voice production down pat. For a liquid gold alternative of surprising provenance, try Tino Rossi's Youtube clips. The quintessential french chanteur de charme, he shows amazing breath control and superb legato in this extremely difficult aria. Of course he was a radio and music hall artist, so his voice might not have carried sufficiently in the 500-1500 seat halls of Bizet's time. I mention these stats to put things in perspective: no singer can do justice to that magical aria in today's concert halls.

[zamyrabyrd]

On the subject of Russian tenors, from about the same period and even somewhat similar in timbre to Lemeshev is Solomon Khromchenko (1907-2002), a major soloist at the Bolshoi in the 1930's. (It could be that the palatalized vowels might have something to do with this distinctive sound.)

The "Song of the Gypsy" from Rachmaninoff's opera, Aleko, was recorded around 1934. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzDGF5gNu4Y

"We Shall Rest" also by Rachmaninoff is a haunting vision of the peace of immortality far beyond the machinations of Soviet life and war that he as a singer managed to transcend, even passing the parlous test of having to sing for the Big S. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQK6Wn-GlqU

Of course I am prejudiced as one of his fans, as I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to study with him for several years. As a person he was an impressive figure of dignity, intelligence and grace.
ZB

[zamyrabyrd]

I'm not in a thrall with Gigli's singing in Les Pêcheurs de perles. He aspirates far too often, a lethal defect in conveying a long line and liquid legato  in that aria. Lemeshev is of course unique, but has little clue to what constitutes the proper style here.

There's nothing lacking in Gigli's breathing in this aria or anywhere else. Magda Olivero talks about his exceptional breath control in "Great Singers of the 20th Century".

Lemishev is perhaps a bit more full voiced in places in this aria than other singers of that era but still very fine and expressive. His fil di voce leaves nothing to be desired:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vb8PdrQsyQ

ZB