The World's Greatest Voices!

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Boris Christoff

[val]

Sopranos: Callas, Flagstad, Milanov, Leontyn Price, Varnay, Sutherland.

Altos: Maureen Forrester, Janet Baker, Ferrier, Ludwig

Tenor: Gigli, Melchior, Max Lorenz, Völker, Bjorling, Schipa, Vickers.

Bariton: Ruffo, Gobbi, Fischer Dieskau, Bastianini, Hotter, Souzay.

Bass: Ludwig Weber, Reizen, Christoff, Siepi.

[FideLeo]

Sopranos: Callas, Flagstad, Milanov, Leontyn Price, Varnay, Sutherland.

Altos: Maureen Forrester, Janet Baker, Ferrier, Ludwig

Tenor: Gigli, Melchior, Max Lorenz, Völker, Bjorling, Schipa, Vickers.

Bariton: Ruffo, Gobbi, Fischer Dieskau, Bastianini, Hotter, Souzay.

Bass: Ludwig Weber, Reizen, Christoff, Siepi.

THE MONTEVERDI CHOIR 

[dtwilbanks]

If Enrico Caruso was so great, why doesn't anyone select him? 

[Wendell_E]

If Enrico Caruso was so great, why doesn't anyone select him? 

A lot of people don't want to bother with recordings that old.  I have to admit, I only have one LP with Caruso, and no CDs.  Heck, some folks around here won't listen to anything that's pre-digital. 

Tulio Serafin once famously said:  "In my lifetime there have been three miracles - Caruso, Ponselle and Ruffo. Apart from these there have been several wonderful singers."   I see than Ponselle and Ruffo only are mentioned once each in this thread.  I imagine if there were more "modern" recordings available, they'd be mentioned more often.

Personally, I think it's all been downhill since Caffarelli.   

[longears]

If Enrico Caruso was so great, why doesn't anyone select him? 

Someone did.  I love the story of a young Caruso auditioning for Puccini when he was seeking a tenor for his new opera in progress.  When Caruso finished, Puccini turned to him and said, "Who sent you to me?  God?"

[dtwilbanks]

A lot of people don't want to bother with recordings that old.  I have to admit, I only have one LP with Caruso, and no CDs.  Heck, some folks around here won't listen to anything that's pre-digital. 

Tulio Serafin once famously said:  "In my lifetime there have been three miracles - Caruso, Ponselle and Ruffo. Apart from these there have been several wonderful singers."   I see than Ponselle and Ruffo only are mentioned once each in this thread.  I imagine if there were more "modern" recordings available, they'd be mentioned more often.

Personally, I think it's all been downhill since Caffarelli.   

That's too bad. I will tolerate some noise to hear a legend.

[dtwilbanks]

Someone did.  I love the story of a young Caruso auditioning for Puccini when he was seeking a tenor for his new opera in progress.  When Caruso finished, Puccini turned to him and said, "Who sent you to me?  God?"

I like it! 

[George]

Man - Hotter

Woman - Baker

[Tsaraslondon]

Someone did.  I love the story of a young Caruso auditioning for Puccini when he was seeking a tenor for his new opera in progress.  When Caruso finished, Puccini turned to him and said, "Who sent you to me?  God?"

And as Harry Secombe one quipped, about when he auditioned for a famous conductor, the conductor said "God! Who sent you?" 

[Que]

If Enrico Caruso was so great, why doesn't anyone select him? 

He was great, but in tenors I would opt for Richard Tauber.

But then again: the title of this thread states: "greatest voices" and Tauber was more of a great singer - his voice as such was not that remarkable, his musical instinct/intelligence however was.

For sheer beauty of voice (and plenty of musicality) I would opt for another Romanian: Joseph Schmidt.

Q

[FideLeo]

Man - Hotter

Woman - Baker

Sultry! 

[Tsaraslondon]

But then again: the title of this thread states: "greatest voices" and Tauber was more of a great singer - his voice as such was not that remarkable, his musical instinct/intelligence however was.


Q

True, the title of the thread is "greatest voices". However if it were someone to be on a desert island with me, I'd go for the greater Interpreter. Beauty is all very well, but can get boring after a while. I'd prefer someone who would challenge and hold my interest.

[Que]

True, the title of the thread is "greatest voices". However if it were someone to be on a desert island with me, I'd go for the greater Interpreter. Beauty is all very well, but can get boring after a while. I'd prefer someone who would challenge and hold my interest.

Couldn't agree more!

Q

[dtwilbanks]

By the way, according to my recording--the one I mention in my first post--here are the world's greatest voices:

Carreras
John Charles Thomas
Caruso
Chalipin (I dig this "Song of the Flea")
Richard Tauber
Allan Jones
Gigli
Paul Robeson
Nelson Eddy
Peter Dawson
Domingo
Richard Crooks
Mario Lanza
John McCormack
Bjorling
Pinza
Joseph Schmidt
Lawrence Tibbett
Webster Booth
Pavarotti

[Lady Chatterley]

By the way, according to my recording--the one I mention in my first post--here are the world's greatest voices:

Carreras
John Charles Thomas
Caruso
Chalipin (I dig this "Song of the Flea")
Richard Tauber
Allan Jones
Gigli
Paul Robeson
Nelson Eddy
Peter Dawson
Domingo
Richard Crooks
Mario Lanza
John McCormack
Bjorling
Pinza
Joseph Schmidt
Lawrence Tibbett
Webster Booth
Pavarotti

Surely you mean the worlds greatest male voices?

[dtwilbanks]

Surely you mean the worlds greatest male voices?

Well, I do mention in my first post that it is an all-male roster.

[Que]

By the way, according to my recording--the one I mention in my first post--here are the world's greatest voices:

Carreras
John Charles Thomas
Caruso
Chalipin (I dig this "Song of the Flea")
Richard Tauber
Allan Jones
Gigli
Paul Robeson
Nelson Eddy
Peter Dawson
Domingo
Richard Crooks
Mario Lanza
John McCormack
Bjorling
Pinza
Joseph Schmidt
Lawrence Tibbett
Webster Booth
Pavarotti

That's a rather tenor dominated list, with an anglophone bias.
Webster Booth? Peter Dawson? Who the #% are they?
Surely Richard Crooks and Mario Lanza were reputable singers, but great?

I miss many notable names. Sopranos: Rosa Ponselle, Maria Callas, Conchita Supervia, Ninon Vallin. Already mentioned Tauber, but what about baritone Gerhard Hüsch? Yes, Chaliapin, but what about other basses like Boris Christoff and Alexander Kipnis? And so on and so forth!

Q

[dtwilbanks]

That's a rather tenor dominated list, with an anglophone bias.
Webster Booth? Peter Dawson? Who the #% are they?
Surely Richard Crooks and Mario Lanza were reputable singers, but great?

I miss many notable names. Sopranos: Rosa Ponselle, Maria Callas, Conchita Supervia, Ninon Vallin. Already mentioned Tauber, but what about baritone Gerhard Hüsch? Yes, Chaliapin, but what about other basses like Boris Christoff and Alexander Kipnis? And so on and so forth!

Q

Well, it is somewhat pop-oriented I think. I would have titled it SOME REALLY SWELL GUYS SINGING SOME REALLY FUN SONGS.

[Lady Chatterley]

(they were all male voices, by the way. Hm.).

Ah yes,so you did.