The World's Greatest Voices!

[dtwilbanks]

I bought a recording with this title (they were all male voices, by the way. Hm.). Anyway, you've probably played this game before, but I'd like to know if you could choose only one singer to perform for you on the proverbial desert isle, who would that singer be?

Thanks, opera and vocal folks!

[AnthonyAthletic]

Jussi Bjorling

[dtwilbanks]

Jussi Bjorling

Hey, he's on my recording singing "I Dream of Jeannie." A great voice!

[bhodges]

At the moment (since I have tons of singers I like) I'd hear Karita Mattila in just about anything.  In the universe of male singers, I'd probably choose Ramón Vargas.

Edit: favorite CDs by each:



--Bruce

[dtwilbanks]

At the moment (since I have tons of singers I like) I'd hear Karita Mattila in just about anything.  In the universe of male singers, I'd probably choose Ramón Vargas.

--Bruce

Thanks, Bruce. I'd like to check them out.

[AnthonyAthletic]

IMO, no tenor touches Bjorling.

Others held in high esteem are Corelli, Bergonzi, early Di Stefano, Domingo, Pavarotti, Schipa, Wunderlich, Vickers & Del Monaco.

Baritones (BB) I very much admire are De Luca, Merrill, Ruffo, Schlusnus, Tibbett, Dieskau, Gobbi and Ezio Pinza for the Desert Island (BB)  

Ladies:  Tebaldi, Baker, Schwarzkopf, Popp & Kirkby

[dtwilbanks]

Tony, I didn't realize you listened to so much vocal music. Wow!

Have you heard the tenor Petre Munteanu? Larry turned me on to him. If you like Schipa, I guess you'd like Munteanu as well.

[Mark]

Lynne Dawson or Carol Sampson.

Nice to look at, too.

[Lady Chatterley]

Teresa Stratas.

[Mark]

I'm tempted to add Eloise Irving, who sings soprano with the Oxford Camerata. Heard her sing live - incredibly 'pure' quality to her young voice.

[FideLeo]

Elly Ameling.

[AnthonyAthletic]

Tony, I didn't realize you listened to so much vocal music. Wow!

Have you heard the tenor Petre Munteanu? Larry turned me on to him. If you like Schipa, I guess you'd like Munteanu as well.

I don't know Munteanu, is he Romanian with a name such as?

I have quite an array of tenor/sop/mez singers but not as much in the way of Basses or Baritones.  One of my favourite basses was Maarti Talvela, who died so young.  An immaculate voice, the equivalent to the Corelli of tenors!!  Just to hear him sing the vocal on the CSO Solti Beethoven 9 is outstanding in every way.

Giuseppe Sabbatini too is one of my favourite tenors, not a huge discography.  He sings Rodolfo admirably and his Bellini/Donizetti cd with Bruson/Aliberti and Paternostro is IMO a classic, but hard to come by.

[dtwilbanks]

Elly Ameling.

Definitely a contender!

[dtwilbanks]

I don't know Munteanu, is he Romanian with a name such as?

Yes, I believe so.

[FideLeo]

Definitely a contender!

And she sings only Lieder and oratorios.  No Italian stuff. 

[Tsaraslondon]

Callas - though she'd obviously need a full orchestra, chorus and several other singers, because Callas is only heard at her best in a complete opera and not in isolated excerpts.

But actually I would find it impossible to choose just one.

Other than Callas, amongst sopranos I'd find it difficult to choose between Schwarzkopf, De Los Angeles, Teyte, Ponselle and Muzio.
Amongst mezzos Baker, Hunt Lieberson, Baltsa and Ferrier (though she was of course a contralto)
Amongst tenors Wunderlich, Bjoerling, Gedda, Domingo, Vickers
Amongst baritones and the lower voices Gobbi, Fischer-Dieskau, Hvorostovsky, Terfel, Pinza and Van Dam

But maybe I should take a living singer, or at least one who is still singing, and so maybe I'll take David Daniels.

[BachQ]

[Don]

I'll only say this once - Sandrine Piau.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Jennie Tourel

[Bogey]

............& Kirkby

0:)