# Round One: A te, o cara. Pertile, Fleta, Conley, Lauri-Volpi



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

It is a short aria so I hope 4 isn't too many.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

I didn’t like Pertile’s rendition because he abused the use of aspirates to move from note to note. Pet peeve.

While Conley did some nice things, he unfortunately used the double R for single R words (carra for cara, talorra for talora) - second pet peeve - this is important in Italian because double consonants exist and are pronounced,and they need to know the difference.

Fleta more bel canto, gorgeous D, nice diminuendo on high D (?) and use of dynamics. No aspirates. But a flaw in the first _esultar_ followed by a great ascent to the D. Fabulous _diminuendo _on _palpitar!!_

Lauri-Volpi (sigh) gives a lesson on how to sing the piece with varied dynamics, but he also uses aspirates. Forgivable because he does so many gorgeous things. But I felt he was being Lauri-Volpi in his handling of the aria.

I’m giving it to Fleta.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

MAS said:


> I didn’t like Pertile’s rendition because he abused the use of aspirates to move from note to note. Pet peeve.
> 
> While Conley did some nice things, he unfortunately used the double R for single R words (carra for cara, talorra for talora) - second pet peeve - this is important in Italian because double consonants exist and are pronounced,and they need to know the difference.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the singing lesson  I do now know what aspirates are now thanks to an excellent lesson I got on a recent contest by one of my many mentors in this group. I did not know about Fleta but discovered him in my research for this contest, which has many rounds. Glad you liked him. Pertile has done well in other contests I posted so it will be interesting to see how he does here.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Pertile was too forceful so went out at the first hurdle for me. I enjoyed Conley more, but I would have liked a bit more variation in dynamics.

I really liked both Fleta and Lauri-Volpi and I'm finding it hard to make a final choice. Lauri-Volpi does some absolutely gorgeous things, though he possibly draws attention to the singer at the expense of the song. Fleta's approach is perhaps less showy, though he has a fabulous high D (Is it a D? I don't have perfect pitch and didn't check.) Oh, I don't know. I think I'll give it to Lauri-Volpi, but another day it might have been Fleta.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

The difficulty with this one is trying to work out which defects in the sound we hear are due to the singer's technique and which result from the sound of the recording. Did Fleta really have such muffled vowel production or is that the recording? Lauri-Volpi isn't helped by the dreaded Nimbus echo either.

I find Conley underwhelming and don't think he is quite up to the standard of the other three. I don't like Pertile's nasal tone, but it's an attractive and recognisable voice and he sings the aria with feeling. Fleta sounds like he has a potato in his mouth, where are the vowels? (As noted above, that could be due to the recording quality.) I love the style and feeling he brings to the piece and his piano singing at the end makes this a performance to treasure.

That leaves Lauri-Volpi who would no doubt sound better in a different transfer of the recording. Technically this is the best of the four, but I find it a little dull, Bellini by numbers.

I'm giving it to Fleta. That pianissimo!

N.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Being a strong devotee of Pertile I find myself turning my back on him this time, which bothers me. The reason is that I didn't get the depth of feeling from him as I did others. His voice is very much in the mask and isn't exactly the prettiest sound but he normally is such a passionate singer that this time he just didn't cut the mustard above Lauri-Volpe who now I can see why Corelli worships so, there is a distinct Corelli sound to his voice.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> Being a strong devotee of Pertile I find myself turning my back on him this time, which bothers me. The reason is that I didn't get the depth of feeling from him as I did others. His voice is very much in the mask and isn't exactly the prettiest sound but he normally is such a passionate singer that this time he just didn't cut the mustard above Lauri-Volpe who now I can see why Corelli worships so, there is a distinct Corelli sound to his voice.


I thought you might have been a Pertile fan in past performances. Callas was great in everything she sang, but not everyone could be that way. Nilsson did well in Aida, but not in other Verdi with our group. I love Jessye Norman but her act 2 of Tristan didn't work at all, whereas she is often good at other Wagner.


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## Shaafee Shameem (Aug 4, 2021)

Lauri-Volpi sings this difficult aria with great ease. Flawless legato, Excellent dynamic control, crystal clear diction!! This is Bel canto! It’s also incredible how his voice is very resonant and full of squillo even in the softest passages. Fleta too is remarkable.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Fleta's smooth, stylish rendition generally persuades me, though I find the very loud and soft moments stick out a bit as "effects." This goes doubly for Lauri-Volpi's pulling the tempo about. I think tempo modification is a fine art too little cultivated nowadays, but this is musically unhelpful. I'd enjoy Pertile more if he were a mite less intense; what makes him exciting in other music rather overpowers this (although I haven't listened to _Puritani _for so long that I forget what this aria is about. "To you, darling, something something..."). Conley is more than respectable and would be much appreciated nowadays, but not special.

Fleta.


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