# Final Round:Ella giammai m'amò. Reizen, Talvela, Christoff



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I'm very pleased that there was so much participation in these contests.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

If we had any of these three superb basses today, we’d be very lucky indeed. As it is, odious comparisons will be effected in order to declare a preference. 
Reizen just doesn’t attract me, as well as he sings, and I love Talvela but I see him as *Boris *in my mind’s ear (due to the portrayal I witnessed).
Christoff, to me, is the complete Filippo II of the opera, in voice and demeanor that powerful and unhappy ruler.

P.S. As an aside, I wonder if it’s possible to turn off spell-check it wreaks havoc with foreign words and, worse, English words too.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

MAS said:


> I wonder if it’s possible to turn off spell-check it wreaks havoc with foreign words and, worse, English words too.


There appears to be no spell check in my account. I don't know why, since I have that feature in my personal email. It might be worth asking the moderators why you have it and I don't, but I hope inquiring won't prompt them to give it to the rest of us!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I picked Talvela in the last round, but in spite of some reservations I find Christoff winning me over this time. As I stated before, I find Reizen's vocal timbre cloudy and dull, lacking the thrill factor that a voice needs to have at least a little of. Christoff has more of that, and his performance is deeply felt, though if you listen without watching him you realize how much he drags the music; after his poignant opening lines, the whole first section is very slow, and the entire scene takes two minutes longer than Talvela's. Seen as well as heard, Christoff has the acting ability to fill out the time, but purely as a musical offering this distension is unnecessary. I also have a slight personal aversion to the intrusion of throaty, Russian-sounding vowels and inflections in non-Slavic music, though this is less evident here than in some things Christoff sings.

Talvela's rich, smooth timbre pleases me greatly, and he knows what he's singing about, but I feel that both he and his conductor could use the circumstances of live performance to bring out their best.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> There appears to be no spell check in my account. I don't know why, since I have that feature in my personal email. It might be worth asking the moderators why you have it and I don't, but I hope inquiring won't prompt them to give it to the rest of us!


I’ll hold my peace.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

MAS said:


> I’ll hold my peace.


 Thanks. I prefer my own mistakes to those offered by nonexistent spelling police.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I voted for all three of these magnifcent basses in their original rounds, so making a choice here was bound to be difficult as they are all magnificent. 

Ultimately, I suppose, I'm going to go for Christoff because we also get his superb acting and presence on screen and maybe also for sentimental reasons as I actually got to see him in the role, even if it was towards the end of his career.

That said, both Rezien and Talvela are also magnificent and really I wish I could vote for all three.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> Thanks. I prefer my own mistakes to those offered by nonexistent spelling police.



Actually I think some browsers have a spell check written in to their software, usually in American English, which drives me mad. Don't they know it's colour not color and criticise not criticize? 

I use Firefox, which leaves you to make your own mistakes. Far preferable.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Martti Talvela for me although Christoff kept nudging me from behind.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Actually I think some browsers have a spell check written in to their software, usually in American English, which drives me mad. Don't they know it's colour not color and criticise not criticize?
> 
> I use Firefox, which leaves you to make your own mistakes. Far preferable.


What I need help on is opera stars last names LOL.


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## Shaughnessy (Dec 31, 2020)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Actually I think some browsers have a spell check written in to their software, usually in American English, which drives me mad. Don't they know it's colour not color and criticise not criticize?
> 
> I use Firefox, which leaves you to make your own mistakes. Far preferable.


I would be thrilled to have American English -

You should try Irish English - No matter what adjectives I type, everything is automatically changed to either "grand" or "fierce" - Along with the random insertion of the word "indeed".

Aye, like the others, I did indeed choose Christoff - Oh, he was grand...just grand...


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