# TENOR TOURNAMENT (Final): Caruso vs Gigli



## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Did I really not complete the tenor tournament??? 

Enrico Caruso, Italy, 1873-1921 (defeated Tucker 15-5, Di Stefano 21-1, Bjorling 12-6)






Beniamino Gigli, Italy, 1890-1957 (defeated Del Monaco 13-12, Bergonzi 22-7, Pavarotti 16-10)






'Vesti la giubba' from Leoncavallo's _Pagliacci_.

Who's singing did you prefer and why?


----------



## BachIsBest (Feb 17, 2018)

A worthy final that indeed makes up for some slight tardiness! 

Although Gigli's recording is very fine, his voice quite beautiful, and he keeps the histrionics (mostly) in check, it is rather a tad slow and I'd prefer a more dramatic voice here. Caruso's intepretation is virtually without flaw: listen to the legato going from "La gente paga e rider vuole qua" to "E se Arlecchin t'invola Colombina"; how he holds the "Ah" for moments longer than indicated before his voice bursts in tragic resignation; the incredible phrasing throughout; the just controlled sob that enters into his voice at the end. I mean, can any tenor really match this, or are they all merely relegated to, like Gigli, the role of, at best, "Caruso Secondo"?


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Gigli's only shortcoming here is that he isn't Caruso. I'm in complete agreement with BachIsBest. It's a treat to have three Caruso recordings of this. They're quite similar, but who cares? There can never be enough Caruso; he really puts the world of tenors into perspective. There have been several sad losses of tenors who died too soon - Bjorling, Wunderlich, Joseph Schmidt - but with Caruso we lost a great Otello (thankfully there's the vengeance duet recorded with Ruffo), and quite possibly some Wagner; supposedly he once sang bits of _Tristan_ for some friends, and it's easy to imagine him in _Lohengrin_ and _Meistersinger._


----------



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Gigli is excellent here, the voice in fine shape and, for once, he doesn't overdo the histrionics, but Caruso is simply _hors concours_. He has such amazing control over his magnificent voice and yet sounds totally spontaneous. Caruso is clearly the winner.


----------



## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Caruso sounds heftier and more “masculine” of tone to my ears, with seamless and authoritative phrasing and unstrained high notes - a marvel to behold. When I first listened to his records, I was expecting something like the most beautiful voice ever recorded owing to how lavishly he is praised, but I’ve come to realize that it’s more about his technique than the sound of his timbre (which is in itself very beautiful, but I would put others like Pavarotti and Björling over him in this regard alone).


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I wish we had tenors like this today. Both had emotionally stirring performances. In the last signature part of the aria that is so famous, Gigli is more effective because of the pacing. Gigli's voice is very very beautiful, but Caruso's is even more impressive and is a real dramatic tenor, which the aria benefits from. Caruso gets the garland, though Gigli would be much better than anyone today.


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Now here come the big boys.
What to do? What to do? It is so close that I wonder if, on another day I'd choose the other one.
I love them both but I think those last minute sobs got to me at the end of Caruso's offering.


----------



## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

With all the posts above it's hard to add anything new. Caruso displays a wide array of emotions, making the rest of the opera much more believable while Gigli is mostly lamenting (the usual way to perform this piece). In a Cav/Pag world I'm firmly in Cav hemisphere, but damn it Caruso makes this (beaten to death and beyond) aria really shine. No one comes close.


----------



## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

In some senses this one is a toughie because, as others have already noted, they are both very good interpretations and it almost seems unfair to vote against one. However, the fact that the both have a similar approach to the aria makes it a lot easier.

Caruso has it all.

N.


----------



## khalan (Jun 4, 2021)

It's very odd as Caruso is actually more loved overseas and what made for him wonders Is the fact of having been the First discographic big success. A lot of old Italians who got to hear him live when I was a child were not so impressed by Caruso stating he was more of a discographic success and that there were a lot more impressive tenors than Caruso.


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

khalan said:


> It's very odd as Caruso is actually more loved overseas and what made for him wonders Is the fact of having been the First discographic big success. A lot of old Italians who got to hear him live when I was a child were not so impressed by Caruso stating he was more of a discographic success and that there were a lot more impressive tenors than Caruso.


That's interesting. I'd like to ask those old Italians what tenors impressed them more than Caruso, and whether there are recordings of them.


----------



## Esclarmonde (May 10, 2021)

Woodduck said:


> That's interesting. I'd like to ask those old Italians what tenors impressed them more than Caruso, and whether there are recordings of them.


This result was unsurprising - but I do not understand the fascination with either singer.

Who knows what they truly sounded like. All we have are these rudimentary recordings as an indicator of their art.

I would therefore defer to the critics of the day - and accept that they were worth hearing.

And on the matter of recordings - I live quite close to Nellie Melba's Australian home. Most Australians know who she was, which is something indeed in a sports-loving oriented culture.

But would any of us choose to listen to her recordings? A trying listening experience.

My late vote - give me Pavarotti recorded by Decca any day.


----------



## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

Esclarmonde said:


> Who knows what they truly sounded like. All we have are these rudimentary recordings as an indicator of their art.


We have plenty of electric recordings of Gigli going into the forties and fifties to know what he sounded like (although modern digital recordings are still often said to not truly represent the voice in myriad ways). While Pavarotti was a good singer, especially early on, I generally strongly prefer Gigli's recordings, on their own merits without recourse to critics or the opinion of Gigli's day. Caruso and Melba suffer more, but many people, including me, listen to their recordings for pleasure.



khalan said:


> A lot of old Italians who got to hear him live when I was a child were not so impressed by Caruso stating he was more of a discographic success and that there were a lot more impressive tenors than Caruso.


The old Italians I know about who heard him live, such as Tetrazzini, Martinelli, Puccini and many more, had rather a high opinion of his singing.


----------

