# SOPRANO TOURNAMENT (By Request Teacher-Student): Melis vs Tebaldi



## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Carmen Melis, Italy, 1885-1967






Renata Tebaldi, Italy, 1922-2004 (tied, then lost to Ponselle 13-18)

https://www.talkclassical.com/69875-soprano-tournament-round-1-a.html

https://www.talkclassical.com/69996-soprano-tournament-round-1-a.html






'Vissi d'arte' from Puccini's _Tosca_.

Who's singing did you prefer and why?


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## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

Tebaldi gives a typically rather staid interpretation, but I don't mind that, given that opera is a stylized art form and this aria is very much an "emotion/thought expanded into music" sort of piece. (If you're going to "hold up the action", you might as well savor the moment.) The voice is incredible, and fuller and steadier than Melis's. Tebaldi gets flack for her top, sometimes justified, sometimes not, but here it is rock solid and the high note on "Signor" Flagstadesque. The transfer (or is it the recording?) also contains none of the shrillness and harshness that afflicted some of her Decca complete opera recordings. Melis does a very good job, but I did not find this difficult. Tebaldi earns her reputation with this one.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I've had to listen to both of these three times, and still don't find the choice easy. Part of the hurdle was getting past the sheer sensuous beauty of Tebaldi's voice in modern sound. The Melis recording isn't bad but still puts what is obviously a fine voice at a disadvantage. Tebaldi sings sympathetically but doesn't really convey to me Tosca's desperation, and the sob she inserts at the end rather sticks out as a last-ditch effort to deepen the emotion. Ultimately I seem to find Melis a little more touching, but can't point to anything specific to explain why. Maybe I'll prefer Tebaldi tomorrow.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

You can hear similarities in phrasing and somewhat in the vibrato between student and teacher. I would like to have heard Melis in a better recording. She seemed a fine singer with a beautiful voice. Tebaldi pales emotionally to some others in this aria, but wins here by virtue of that steel wrapped in velvet tone she has. Tebaldi always was comfortable up to an A# so the high note here was optimal for her. I find her much more emotionally involved in other arias than this particular one. She can be shattering at times. The core of her voice was so beautiful to me.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

This is really tricky. Tebaldi has the more beautilful sound, I think, but Melis also has a very lovely voice and seems more emotionally involved. Tebaldi sings all the little grace notes Puccini wrote, where Melis misses some of them, though Tebaldi doesn't sing them particularly gracefully and has to introduce a little aspirate in order to execute them. Swings and roundabouts, I suppose. I don't much like the sob tacked on at the end of Tebaldi's performance, but the voice really is glorious. I did a comparative review of five of Decca's Tosca recordings a while back and the first thing I said about the Tebaldi recording was, "At last a real Tosca voice". (This was after having listened to Te Kanawa, Freni and Nilsson). I have a four disc set of early and live performances by Tebaldi, which has performances by both Tebaldi and Melis on the final disc. It was the first time I'd ever heard Melis and I was very impressed.

I think I'm going to go for Melis, but just by a whisper.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Both have lovely voices -- neither one has passion. Unless it is the poor recording equipment or not I do not know but Melis' voice doesn't havr that Tosca "rich" sound.
I find Tebaldi's rendering pleasant with her usual rich sound but nothing out of the ordinary UNTIL ... until she got to "Perche, perche signor, perche bene rimuneri cosi" and her delivery was absolutely spot on and extremely special.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

I'm a bit weary of these contests, but I'll play one more time.

Tebaldi uses rather more aspirates to help her negotiate the notes than Melis (both she and Melis: _sempre con fe-he sincera _ but the pupil uses them throughout). I like Tebaldi's voice better, as it sounds fuller, richer, and of a bigger caliber than her teacher's. Melis has a very quick vibrato on the high note on _signore!_, not unattractive as it gives the impression of vulnerability, very apt at this point. Tebaldi applies a lovely pianissimo to the final _cosi_. Hard to choose, but I'll plump for the Tebaldi version with its modern sound and bigger voice.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

MAS said:


> I'm a bit weary of these contests, but I'll play one more time.
> 
> Tebaldi uses rather more aspirates to help her negotiate the notes than Melis (both she and Melis: _sempre con fe-he sincera _ but the pupil uses them throughout). I like Tebaldi's voice better, as it sounds fuller, richer, and of a bigger caliber than her teacher's. Melis has a very quick vibrato on the high note on _signore!_, not unattractive as it gives the impression of vulnerability, very apt at this point. Tebaldi applies a lovely pianissimo to the final _cosi_. Hard to choose, but I'll plump for the Tebaldi version with its modern sound and bigger voice.


You may be tired of them but what you write is smart and fun to read!


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> You may be tired of them but what you write is smart and fun to read!


Agreed. Please keep playing! I learn from you.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Seattleoperafan said:


> You may be tired of them but what you write is smart and fun to read!


Aww shucks, thank you, Seattleoperafan!


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

nina foresti said:


> Agreed. Please keep playing! I learn from you.


Thanks, nina foresti, I'm touched. I think we all learn from each other.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

Once again, late to the party, you all can guess who is my Tosca of preference, head over both contestants.
I guess I'll have to go with Melis: Tebaldi offers much bigger voice and here she sounds really beautiful (not yet strained on top) but beauty is not all that I am looking for in this aria. You-know-who made me and my wife actually burst in tears simultaneously after which my wife (not an opera fan by a long shot) declared Puccini was her favourite composer and Tosca was her favourite opera.
Case closed.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Who is it you’re talking about? Is it Nilsson? I agree, she is a brilliant Tosca.


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