# The sexiest tenor ever: Who?



## Dilettant (Feb 7, 2018)

The mountain of sound of Mario Del Monaco? The combination of erudition and fire of Lauri-Volpi? The heroic masculinity, elegance and intense presence of Corelli? The sublime convergence of perfect physical abilities and lyrical sensibility of Jussi Björling. Or perhaps the hairy-chested, dark-eyed singing of Jonas Kaufman?

_O dolci baci, o languide carezze..._ Which tenor can reach and electrify that dark, inaccessible part of your personality like no one else?


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Massenet: Werther - Pourquoi me réveiller *(Jonas Kaufmann)*
You mentioned him all ready.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

Jonas Kaufmann 

I don't yet know the artistry of Franco Corelli, but he's very handsome


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## Star (May 27, 2017)

I would say Kauffmann. After all, what other singer gets knickers thrown at him!


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## Guest (Feb 7, 2018)

Star said:


> I would say Kauffmann. After all, what other singer gets knickers thrown at him!


I only hope that it is clean.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

Sonata said:


> I don't yet know the artistry of Franco Corelli, but he's very handsome


Corelli's artistry is also very handsome. The most thrilling tenor voice ever, IMHO.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Are we talking visually or vocally? Either way I would probably go with Corelli.

Kaufmann does nothing for me, like Angela I prefer Calleja!

N.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Corelli/Kaufmann/Grigolo

Truth be told: The sexiest was not a tenor but rather a beautiful Russian baritone named Dmitri Hvorostovsky.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Proven again, beauty is in the eye / ear of the beholder.


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## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

Star said:


> I would say Kauffmann. After all, what other singer gets knickers thrown at him!


Tom Jones .. and he's admitted it started as a management publicity wheese. Sorry proves nothing.

Further proof. The Marchioness Belowpar has been known to throw various items of clothing in my direction over the years, sometimes to stop me singing.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

The Conte said:


> Are we talking visually or vocally? Either way I would probably go with Corelli.
> 
> Kaufmann does nothing for me, like Angela I prefer Calleja!
> 
> N.


Who is Angela and where is her post about Calleja?


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

If we're just talking sound, then Fritz Wunderlich. When I worked in a record shop many moons ago, the girls who worked there would literally go weak at the knees, especially when we played some of his popular fare. His recording of Lara's _Granada_, though sung in German, can give any Mediterranead tenor a run for their money.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

^^^ Great to see you again, Greg! :wave:


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

GregMitchell said:


> His recording of Lara's _Granada_, though sung in German, can give any Mediterran tenor a run for their money.


For me, Wunderlich's _Granada_ is the definitive recording of that piece, in any language. His recording of Lenski's Aria is pretty sensational, too, although my personal favourite in that piece is the beautifully plangent voice of Stuart Burrows.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

nina foresti said:


> Who is Angela and where is her post about Calleja?


It's an absolute hoot!

https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/angela-gheorghiu-interview-i-need-applause-like-people-need-water/

N.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

The Conte said:


> It's an absolute hoot!
> 
> https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/angela-gheorghiu-interview-i-need-applause-like-people-need-water/
> 
> N.


Great article but I am glad to realize that she never said Calleja was a sexy man. That's taking things a wee bit too far. He's one fine tenor though. It would be interesting if he were ready to do Otello.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Headphone Hermit said:


> ^^^ Great to see you again, Greg! :wave:


Thanks. I do pop in from time to time.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

nina foresti said:


> Great article but I am glad to realize that she never said Calleja was a sexy man. That's taking things a wee bit too far. He's one fine tenor though. It would be interesting if he were ready to do Otello.


You need to read between the lines...

N.


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## Dilettant (Feb 7, 2018)

The Conte said:


> Are we talking visually or vocally? Either way I would probably go with Corelli.
> 
> Kaufmann does nothing for me, like Angela I prefer Calleja!
> 
> N.


I'd say we're talking a compound quality: A personal magic or charm. At least that was what I hinted at when naming possible candidates in the opening post. And perhaps, with different singers there are different qualities, or varying quality ratios, that can cause the awakening of eros.

I would not suggest I'd find Björling visually attractive, but I'd absolutely say that the amazing unity of lyrical sweetness, Olympian power and learned elegance in his singing is pure pleasure. On the other hand I would also say that Del Monaco's voice has a strong effect on me. Obviously that's neither because of its agility, sweetness, or elegance, but because of its iron-clad, scorched earth-massiveness.

And then there are other issues, that are directly or indirectly extravocal, f.i. dramatic presence while singing and acting, and perhaps also the allure of the public persona and individual biography.


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## Annied (Apr 27, 2017)

Vocally it would be Calleja every time. Visually, there aren't any of them I've ever found especially attractive, although I did get a shock at a record signing at how good looking Carreras was in his early 40s. Photos and film really didn't do him justice, they always put me too strongly in mind of British actor Kenneth Connor.


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

Charles Castronovo is also a very beautiful man, and he has a voice to match. I really liked him as Edgardo. In that ROH production, for once, he didn't come off as "whiny emo tenor who takes forever to die" but a tragic character.

And, of course, Jonas is Jonas 

Corelli was ridiculously handsome, I recently watched that old Forza video. One of my favourite Alvaros. 

Ian Bostridge is also pretty in that "dreamy 19th century poet" kind of way. Why does no one cast him as Lensky?


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