# Top 10 opera singers today



## Yashin (Jul 22, 2011)

I saw this list today on another site. Wondered what people thought about it.

*the top 10 opera singers of today*

renée fleming
anna netrebko
angela gheorghiu
joyce didonato
elina garanca 
juan diego florez
plácido domingo
jonas kaufmann
dmitri hvorostovsky
rené pape

*List revised on June 17th afte thorough deliberations, where waltraud meier and karita mattila from the initial list have been replace by joyce didonato and juan diego florez.*

Opinions? Not much in the heavier roles for both men and women. Popularity contest or really 'the' top 10 singers?


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Yashin said:


> I saw this list today on another site. Wondered what people thought about it.
> 
> *the top 10 opera singers of today*
> 
> ...


The Domingo vote surely is not for current singing ability since the 70+ year old is not capable of singing close to the level of 30 years ago or going toe to toe with JDF, perhaps lifetime achievement vote....

Can't strongly disagree with other choices for overall portfolio of performance strength, Pape and Garanca might get replaced in my top 10 current singers list. Wagner fanatics would generate a much different list as would baroque opera fans


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Yashin said:


> renée fleming
> anna netrebko
> angela gheorghiu
> joyce didonato
> ...


I was kind of surprised at the violence of my opinions on this topic - they left mattila off? how dare they - on the other hand, what has she done lately? Hmm ... and rene pape is at the bottom, when he should be near the top, just under mattila - I hate to include netrebko but she does have an amazing voice - as far as the other names are concerned, eh. None of them really thrills me. I guess my top ten list would have only three names on it :lol:


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

renée fleming
anna netrebko
angela gheorghiu
joyce didonato
elina garanca 
juan diego florez
plácido domingo
jonas kaufmann
dmitri hvorostovsky
rené pape

While I personally prefer other singers to some of those on this list, I do think it generally reflects the reality of the opera "business" today. Domingo may be nearing the end of his career and one may question his forays into the baritone repertoire, but the man is still drawing the audiences as much as he ever did and his recordings are still selling well.


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## principe (Sep 3, 2012)

None of the one in the "list" can really fit the title of a "top" singer, always compared to those of the past, even the immediate one (70s or even 80s). 
Fleming is the closest to a good (or even very good) singer of the past, but not the very best (the "top").
Domingo compared to his own past is just a "shadow" of himself.
Florez is fine, sometimes very fine, but that's all.
Kaufmann has an excellent potential to go further but he is not yet there.
However, there are some excellent voices and superb artists in the field of Lieder, Oratorio and Baroque Opera (few of the "list" have excelled in these fields too).

Principe


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## peeknocker (Feb 14, 2012)

Looks like a popularity contest to me. Where's Vivica Genaux?


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

principe said:


> None of the one in the "list" can really fit the title of a "top" singer, always compared to those of the past, even the immediate one (70s or even 80s).
> Fleming is the closest to a good (or even very good) singer of the past, but not the very best (the "top").
> Domingo compared to his own past is just a "shadow" of himself.
> Florez is fine, sometimes very fine, but that's all.
> ...


You don't get to play this game.


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## principe (Sep 3, 2012)

You are right, somehow, Aksel. I don't like "games" with Classical Music. We have enough to indulge in, research and comprehend.

Principe


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## dionisio (Jul 30, 2012)

principe said:


> None of the one in the "list" can really fit the title of a "top" singer, always compared to those of the past, even the immediate one (70s or even 80s).
> 
> However, there are some excellent voices and superb artists in the field of Lieder, Oratorio and Baroque Opera (few of the "list" have excelled in these fields too).
> 
> Principe


I second that.

My problem is that i choose (most of my) recordings with singers (and conductors) from the past and then i compare with today's. I sure this is not the correct way but...


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

You know, part of the problem with the question is it's awfully hard to separate one's singing ability from one's acting ability - some of the people you think are the greatest singers aren't that great when you're only listening!

I think Thomas Hampson and Natalie Dessay should be on the list, on second thought. Not Renee Fleming, please. I've seen her do ONE THING really well - Eugene Onegin - and everything else, it's just not that good. Plus she doesn't act so well either. Kind of uninvolved, not quite to the point of saying she's wooden, no, but not ... not all there.


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

guythegreg said:


> You know, part of the problem with the question is it's awfully hard to separate one's singing ability from one's acting ability - some of the people you think are the greatest singers aren't that great when you're only listening!
> 
> I think Thomas Hampson and Natalie Dessay should be on the list, on second thought. Not Renee Fleming, please. I've seen her do ONE THING really well - Eugene Onegin - and everything else, it's just not that good. Plus she doesn't act so well either. Kind of uninvolved, not quite to the point of saying she's wooden, no, but not ... not all there.


Seriously, her Strauss is to die for. I saw her as Arabella in Paris this summer. Best operatic experience ever.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

guythegreg said:


> You know, part of the problem with the question is it's awfully hard to separate one's singing ability from one's acting ability - some of the people you think are the greatest singers aren't that great when you're only listening!


I agree & that's why you can only really judge properly when you see _and_ them in the flesh. But Simon Keenlyside is a wonderful actor and a wonderful singer, live or on CD.



guythegreg said:


> I think Thomas Hampson and Natalie Dessay should be on the list, on second thought. Not Renee Fleming, please. I've seen her do ONE THING really well - Eugene Onegin - and everything else, it's just not that good. Plus she doesn't act so well either. Kind of uninvolved, not quite to the point of saying she's wooden, no, but not ... not all there.


Can't quite make my mind up about Fleming, she is superb on the Onegin but not so good on Traviata.


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## principe (Sep 3, 2012)

An Opera singer is, first of all and above all, a _singer_! So, the quality of voice and the singing technique are of paramount importance. Acting comes as a separate feature, necessary tool for the whole performance. However, Magda Oliviero, who was an excellent actress suffered as a singer and never made a big name in the History of Opera, while Joan Sutherland, a mediocre (to say the least) actress, was one of the greatest singers of the 20th century and an example to follow for many aspiring singers. Nilsson (one of the greatest Wagnerian singers) too. 
Finally, in Baroque Operas, acting is practically the least one has to expect. The music is working like an immense...concerto.

Principe


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

principe said:


> Finally, in Baroque Operas, acting is practically the least one has to expect. The music is working like an immense...concerto.


It is quite possible to act in baroque operas, particularly with the recitatives, and in my view enhances the experience immensely.

Some examples of very well acted Baroque DVDs:


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

An Opera singer is, first of all and above all, a singer! So, the quality of voice and the singing technique are of paramount importance. Acting comes as a separate feature, necessary tool for the whole performance.

Of course if you are watching a performance as opposed to merely listening, the acting and the whole visual experience is of the greatest importance. It's hard to envision Joan Sutherland and Pavarotti rolling about as young lovers out of a scene like this:


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## principe (Sep 3, 2012)

...but you'll miss some of the greatest singing (Pavarotti-Sutherland). Visual distraction of the above order can make you a...different Opera "lover". 
Worth enough watching, though (if that has anything to do with a Classical Music genre).

Principe


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## dionisio (Jul 30, 2012)

principe said:


> ...but you'll miss some of the greatest singing (Pavarotti-Sutherland). Visual distraction of the above order can make you a...different Opera "lover".
> Worth enough watching, though (if that has anything to do with a Classical Music genre).
> 
> Principe


That's why i prefer audio recordings to video ones.

But nowadays (in my opinion) Opera must not have statue-like singers. Performance as realistic as possible is as important as singing. The "physique du role" is demanded.

Some singers can be excellent in both areas (like young Peter Hoffman or Netrebko).

Others like Nilsson or Pavarotti, i think that today wouldn't have as much impact as back then. Their voices were unique (for they are my Isolde and Rodolfo/Nemorino, respectively). But seeing a fat Radamés going to war with the Ethyopians is not what one expects to see when one hears such voice.

I had this discussion a couple of weeks before with guythegreg


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## Moira (Apr 1, 2012)

Israel Lozano, a Spanish tenor, recently visited South Africa. I was favourably impressed, but I had never heard of him before. Anyone here know him?


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

sospiro said:


> I agree & that's why you can only really judge properly when you see _and_ hear them in the flesh. But Simon Keenlyside is a wonderful actor and a wonderful singer, live or on CD.


I second that emotion! ... I don't suppose you saw him in The Tempest, did you? I mentioned earlier that there's a ROH recording so presumably you would have had the opportunity ... ??



> Can't quite make my mind up about Fleming, she is superb on the Onegin but not so good on Traviata.


My thought exactly. She CAN sing well, but ... well, I've said enough. Opera is hard hard hard, maybe the hardest thing there is, it's wrong to come down on people just because they don't QUITE live up to your hopes and expectations!


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Aksel said:


> Seriously, her Strauss is to die for. I saw her as Arabella in Paris this summer. Best operatic experience ever.


Really! Well, I trust your judgment. I'll give her more of a chance - Strauss has been difficult for me though. The music doesn't seem to quite catch on the sharp thorns of my imagination. I saw her in Capriccio and spent so much time being astonished at what a good opera it was, that I really couldn't evaluate her performance at all.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

principe said:


> An Opera singer is, first of all and above all, a _singer_!


Well, I hope you will allow me the freedom of my own opinion about that. My feeling is that opera begins as drama, at which music assists - and so its participants are, first and above all, actors.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

mamascarlatti said:


> It is quite possible to act in baroque operas, particularly with the recitatives, and in my view enhances the experience immensely.
> 
> Some examples of very well acted Baroque DVDs:


Just a FEW examples, eh?


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

guythegreg said:


> Really! Well, I trust your judgment. I'll give her more of a chance - Strauss has been difficult for me though. The music doesn't seem to quite catch on the sharp thorns of my imagination. I saw her in Capriccio and spent so much time being astonished at what a good opera it was, that I really couldn't evaluate her performance at all.


Yeah, Strauss can be difficult to get into. I'd actually suggest some of the really heavy early Strauss to start and then do it somewhat chronologically. Elektra (which is what caused my Strauss obsession) is a fairly easy opera to 'get', although by no means is it easy listening.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Moira said:


> Israel Lozano, a Spanish tenor, recently visited South Africa. I was favourably impressed, but I had never heard of him before. Anyone here know him?


Never before, but from his self-published online biography, he's someone to watch for ... !! I have to say, Bruce Sledge made an unforgettable Ferrando in his Met debut as an understudy ... just a soaring, ethereal un aura amorosa ... it was really something.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

principe said:


> ...Visual distraction of the above order can make you a...different Opera "lover".
> Worth enough watching, though (if that has anything to do with a Classical Music genre).
> 
> Principe


I am the kind of opera lover who really prefers opera as it was written, ie for the stage. Most of the composers that I admire of course wrote for opera lovers who attended live *staged *performances, (because of course that was the only way to experience the art form). Because recordings did not exist in the days of Handel or Wagner, neither did opera lovers who only listen to recordings. The visual aspect of opera is not a distraction but an integral part of the genre.

Opera singers perform on a theatre stage, singing words set to music. Of course the singing is paramount, but other visual aspects are also essential and this includes the acting. I even find with lieder that I prefer to watch a performance because the singer can communicate so much more that just the sound.

Of course I acknowledge that people have different ways of appreciating an art form, and some obviously privilege the singing above all else, but that does not make them some kind of paradigmatic opera lover that all should aspire to be. Personally I do listen to audio recordings as well, but that is only part of the pleasure.



> but you'll miss some of the greatest singing (Pavarotti-Sutherland).


And please, yes, allow me to miss this. You have quoted two singers that I can recognise as extremely accomplished but that have no appeal for me whatsoever; their voices don't resonate for me, and in the case of Sutherland in her later years I actively dislike hearing her.


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## principe (Sep 3, 2012)

Opera is theater, where the "actors" _sing_ instead of talking. So, music is the first and primordial question there. That's why the "authors" of the Opera are still called _composers_. So, Opera is not theater "assisted" by music, but rather (great) music supporting or justifying (normally) silly or naive plots, that, without the music would make very little sense in the actual theater (see Beaumarchais' "Figaro" with Mozart's "Le nozze" or who cares for a "theatrical" Cosi fan Tutte without the music of Mozart).

Pavarotti or Sutherland were singing examples and they set some high standards for operating singing difficult even to match. As one wise critic said, they "perform" with their superior voices and their amazing technique (only the _rubato_ of Pavarotti was a performance of the role itself). Theatrical interpretation definitely enhances the theatrical aspect of the Opera, but without solid and _good_ singing, it is like driving a very nice car with a weak engine.

By the way, mamascarlatti, do you think the "interpretation" in Giasone (particularly in the recitatives) enhances an already weak (mediocre) singing performance of a work which is already "thin" as for its actual plot and particularly the way it is handled by its average composer? To me it looks like a "pitiful" effort to cover up a "failed work" in a thin musically performance.

Principe


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

I don't know what the hell you are talking about calling Christophe Dumaux 'mediocre'.


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## principe (Sep 3, 2012)

I'm talking about his singing performance and how his voice quality is serving the already weak work.

Principe


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

principe said:


> By the way, mamascarlatti, do you think the "interpretation" in Giasone (particularly in the recitatives) enhances an already weak (mediocre) singing performance of a work which is already "thin" as for its actual plot and particularly the way it is handled by its average composer? To me it looks like a "pitiful" effort to cover up a "failed work" in a thin musically performance.


The work is rather lovely and great fun, and Christophe Dumaux is an excellent singer. I'll take him over Pavarotti any day. And I don't actually see what is thin about a plot where a rather foolish man is torn between two women. People in this opera behave far more realistically than in, say, most belcanto and early/mid Verdi.

But going back to the original discussion, I certainly agree with you, and said before, that the singing is paramount. No question about that.

All I'm arguing is that opera is MORE than the singing, and to talk about visual "distraction" ignores the nature of an artform which has a strong visual and dramatic element.


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## principe (Sep 3, 2012)

The least I can say about your first paragraph, mamascarlatti, is that I cannot comprehend it. So, I cannot possibly agree with it.
However, I'm quite happy with the last two. I'm not against any theatrical and dramatic elements in the production of an Opera, but, I can live with a medium theatrical presentation of the work concerned, but I cannot possibly stand any work poorly or even adequately sung. 

Principe


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Aksel said:


> Yeah, Strauss can be difficult to get into. I'd actually suggest some of the really heavy early Strauss to start and then do it somewhat chronologically. Elektra (which is what caused my Strauss obsession) is a fairly easy opera to 'get', although by no means is it easy listening.


I enjoyed the Met's Electra, the first season I was here. It was really quite affecting. Not sure why the Greek tragedies seem so much deeper than others, but they do.


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

guythegreg said:


> I enjoyed the Met's Electra, the first season I was here. It was really quite affecting. Not sure why the Greek tragedies seem so much deeper than others, but they do.


The murder and incest, I think.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Aksel said:


> The murder and incest, I think.


Good one. And no TB, either! Really, they were handicapped.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

principe said:


> The least I can say about your first paragraph, mamascarlatti, is that I cannot comprehend it. So, I cannot possibly agree with it.


I am referring to the plot of Il Giasone, which I assumed you had seen as you accused the work of being "already "thin" as for its actual plot", and were dismissive of the principal singer.

In this opera, Giasone has abandoned his wife for a younger woman unencumbered with children. The two women fight over him. He is rather foolish and vain. I think we can see this happening in the world all around us. The characters in this play behave quite realistically, they are weak and full of faults and foibles. I am saying that the plot of this opera is actually less foolish than some bel canto or Verdi plots where people behave in unlikely ways, including dying on the spot for no good reason.


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## principe (Sep 3, 2012)

My point, mamascarlatti, was not about the plot itself, but about how _well_ the music of its average composer as well as the performance itself serves it.
By all means, the plots of belcanto and some Verdi Operas are more than silly, but they are divinely or miraculously well served by their respective (good or great) composers and, often, by the performers too. If you find "Giasone" well served by both music and performance is fine with me, but it does not seem to be the case, as a more general view (reviews, etc.). In the same vein, all these DVDs one may "admire" watching them, as you may see, rarely reach the CD level, since they are not that good as a _musical listening_ experience. Fortunately, "Il Giasone" was released in both formats.
Personally, I didn't find it as a bright score and well served by the performance as, for instance, Haendel's Rinaldo with Jacobs (on HM) or Marin Marais' Semele with Niquet (on Glossa) or Boismortier's Daphnis et Chloe with Niquet again on Glossa too.

Principe


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

principe, you are right that Giasone is not a top-rank listening experience in the same way as, say, Rinaldo.

But then I was never claiming this, only that acting in Baroque operas is possible and can even enhance the experience.

BTW thanks for the suggestions about Semele and Daphnis et Chloe, I will investigate these.


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## nmharleyrider (Sep 12, 2014)

Actually Mattila is still going strong. She recently did Marie in Wozzeck, Ariadne in London, Sieglinde in Die Walkure, all new roles to her. I'd say she is doing as much if not more than other sopranos, all of these after your posting on here.


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## nmharleyrider (Sep 12, 2014)

Out here in New Mexico, we have been very fortunate with the Santa Fe Opera Company which did one of the Strauss operas every season for fifty years. In fact they did all of them with the exception of die Frau ohne Schatten and Guntram. Many of them were the first US performance of these operas and John Crosby who founded the opera company was a terrific Strauss conductor, probably due to the fact that he was his favorite composer. There are so many wonderful thing to hear in every one of them.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I don't go for the notion of placing acting ahead of the vocal quality, or vice versa. Both are essential components.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

nmharleyrider said:


> Actually Mattila is still going strong. She recently did Marie in Wozzeck, *Ariadne in London*, Sieglinde in Die Walkure, all new roles to her. I'd say she is doing as much if not more than other sopranos, all of these after your posting on here.


definitely. I saw her in her debut as Ariadne and she's a very fine Ariadne already.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

principe said:


> So, Opera is not theater "assisted" by music, but rather (great) music supporting or justifying (normally) silly or naive plots, that, without the music would make very little sense in the actual theater (see *Beaumarchais' "Figaro"* with Mozart's "Le nozze"


I read and enjoyed the play many times before ever hearing the opera. I still re-read it on occasion and find it hilarious in itself.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

sospiro said:


> not so good on Traviata.


a pretty terrible Violetta, in fact.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Who compiled that list? _People_ magazine? My God, if these are really the ten greatest opera singers active today, we are living in whatever is the opposite of a Golden Age. A Leaden Age, perhaps? Seventy years ago there were more first-rank sopranos from Germany than singers in all vocal categories in this whole international bunch.

I'm not buying it. Things may be bad, but they aren't _that_ bad.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

looks like a _most recognisable names in today's opera_ list more than anything.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Wooduck:
I respectfully do not agree.
My list is close:

Radvanovsky
Fleming
Netrebko
Gheorghiu
Calleja
Beczala
Kaufmann
Hvorostovsky
Furlanetto
Pape

...and what would yours be?


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> Who compiled that list? _People_ magazine? My God, if these are really the ten greatest opera singers active today, we are living in whatever is the opposite of a Golden Age. A Leaden Age, perhaps? Seventy years ago there were more first-rank sopranos from Germany than singers in all vocal categories in this whole international bunch.
> 
> I'm not buying it. Things may be bad, but they aren't _that_ bad.


For those with longer memories and better taste--- sure.

But I won't hold that against you. _;D_


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

nina foresti said:


> Wooduck:
> I respectfully do not agree.
> My list is close:
> 
> ...


I would not compile such a list.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

These would be my favorites:

Kaufmann
Flórez
Vogt
Finley
Stemme
Netrebko
Fleming
Radvanovsky
Devia
Meier


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> I would not compile such a list.


"Less than all cannnot satisfy man," Blake said.

--- or Divas, or Ducks.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

I would not compile such a list.

Seems like an easy way out. You declare the opinions of others to be a failure, but offer no alternative of your own.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Now seriously... I'd like to hear Marschallin's list. :devil:


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

schigolch said:


> These would be my favorites:
> 
> *Kaufmann
> Flórez
> ...


Some of my favourite singers on this list. I just need to add Mattei.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

If I'm honest I'd be hard pressed to compile a list of 10 great contemporary singers, whereas maybe only 20 or 30 years ago (and post Callas) I wouldn't have a problem.

Of today's singers, I'd include *David Daniels*, the contemporary singer who has afforded me the most pleasure over the last 10 years, *Joyce DiDonato*, better seen and heard live than she is on record, *Jonas Kaufman*, who seems to stand head and shoulders above all other tenors today, *Simon Keenlyside*, a great stage actor as well as singer and *Renee Fleming*, whose sometimes irritating vocal mannerisms are outweighed by the beauty of her voice. Had *Lorraine Hunt Lieberson* not passed away so young, then she would definitely have been on my list. I might have included Gheorghiu at one time, but I find her acting increasingly mannered and distracting.

Other than that, I'm a bit stumped!


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

I've said it before: I don't care much for lists of "the greatest" _anything_ because, really, what are these lists but one individual's opinion? All I can say is who/what _my favorites_ in any given category are.

I first got seriously interested in opera at the end of 1997. Of course, we know which singers were young and in their primes then: Bartoli, Terfel, Fleming, Larmore, Graham, Gheorghiu, Alagna, Cura, Heppner, Vargas, Hampson, Swenson, Voigt, Dessay, Hvorostovsky....And then you had older singers like Furlanetto, Ramey and Domingo who were still going strong. Anna Netrebko was just starting to become well-known outside of Russia; I remember when she sang Gilda at Washington Opera around 1998-1999. Then there was a period from about 2004 to 2010 when I personally was more interested in theatre and film than in opera -- so that when I did get back into opera it took me a while to figure out who Kaufmann, Di Donato, De Niese, etc. were (somehow, I hadn't missed Florez). So what I'm trying to say is that, for example, it's a little hard for me to know if Fleming, who's 55 right now, belongs to "the present" or to "the recent past." People younger than I am (I'm well in my 30's) know who she is, but to me she's basically a singer from the 1990's and the earlier 2000's. The same with Bartoli, Gheorghiu, and even Keenlyside, Terfel, and Hvorostovsky. Of the singers who are young now _by singing standards_ -- 20's, 30's, 40's -- my ten favorites are probably (in no special order):

Ildar Abdrazakov
Quinn Kelsey
Anna Netrebko
Jonas Kaufmann
Lawrence Brownlee 
Rolando Villazon 
Juan Diego Florez
Sondra Radvanovsky
Ruxandra Dunose
Joseph Calleja

But that list was hard to make, since with the exception of Netrebko, Florez, and one or two others, I don't feel I "know" them as well as I know the singers who were very active when I was in my 20's.
It would be much easier for me to make a list of my favorite singers who were "young" when I was an opera novice. I wouldn't want to do it, though, because there are so many that I would have trouble picking just ten.


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

I'd throw Skelton into the mix. Maybe not top 10 (or is he?) but how many _genuine_ heldentenors are there of his calibre?


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I would not compile such a list.
> 
> Seems like an easy way out. You declare the opinions of others to be a failure, but offer no alternative of your own.


There are perfectly good reasons for not wanting to play this particular game. What, for example, does "top 10" actually mean? Most vocally gifted? Most technically accomplished? Most musically refined? Most dramatically convincing? Most versatile? Most charismatic? Best looking? Most in demand? Highest paid? Longest before the public? How does one weigh all the factors that might make someone "top"?

Does "top 10" just mean "favorite 10"? One may or may not have a favorite 10. I don't know who my favorite 10 are and don't care. What I notice about the 10 on the OP list, though, is that they might have been chosen by someone who knows little or nothing about opera, singing, or music. Placido Domingo? Really? The man deserves every success he has had, but he's 73 years old. Rene Fleming is 55. Hvorostovsky is 52. Are there really not three younger singers in their vocal primes whose accomplishments warrant their substitution for these superb but aging artists? If there are, then this list is suspect; if there are not, then opera is in trouble.

I'm not declaring anyone's opinions to be a failure. I'm suggesting that either the poll, or the contemporary state of opera singing, has problems. I happen to think that both are true - and with regard to the second point, I could cite any number of operatic artists from generations past who, head to head with half the people on the OP list, could sing the pants off them.

And that's as near as I'll come to participating here.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> What, for example, does "top 10" actually mean?


one's favourite singers  and out of that larger list only the good-looking ones.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

I'm also leery of such lists, but if I had to come up with the names of 10 singers today who seem to be in their prime and are sought after by the major international houses, it would probably be something like this (in no particular order):

Anna Netrebko
Joyce Di Donato
Jonas Kaufmann
Renée Fleming
Simon Keenlyside
Elina Garanca
Juan Diego Flórez
René Pape
Eva Maria Westbroek
Joseph Calleja

Not all of these are my favorites; many of them aren't. There are also some others who could have just as easily been included, such as Mariusz Kwiecien, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, or Nina Stemme. The OP list was compiled two years ago, and I suspect we'll see some more shifts in another two years. There are some up-and-coming singers like Luca Pisaroni and Peter Mattei who are increasingly in demand at the major houses, and I wouldn't want to overlook Lawrence Brownlee and Bryan Hymel.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> There are perfectly good reasons for not wanting to play this particular game. What, for example, does "top 10" actually mean? Most vocally gifted? Most technically accomplished? Most musically refined? Most dramatically convincing? Most versatile? Most charismatic? Best looking? Most in demand? Highest paid? Longest before the public? How does one weigh all the factors that might make someone "top"?
> 
> Does "top 10" just mean "favorite 10"? One may or may not have a favorite 10. I don't know who my favorite 10 are and don't care. What I notice about the 10 on the OP list, though, is that they might have been chosen by someone who knows little or nothing about opera, singing, or music. Placido Domingo? Really? The man deserves every success he has had, but he's 73 years old. Rene Fleming is 55. Hvorostovsky is 52. Are there really not three younger singers in their vocal primes whose accomplishments warrant their substitution for these superb but aging artists? If there are, then this list is suspect; if there are not, then opera is in trouble.
> 
> ...


_Bravo_.

Thoughts that mirror my own; minus the eloquence of expression and elegance of presentation; which, as we all know, are your crosses alone to bear. _;D_


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## DiesIraeCX (Jul 21, 2014)

I can't possibly make a list, but I'd like to say that I love Juan Diego Florez's voice very much. I think he's a pretty special talent. Here he is performing "Prendi L'Anel Ti Dono" (La Sonnambula, Bellini) with Natalie Dessay. It's now my co-favorite performance of this aria, along with Beniamino Gigli (my favorite tenor).

Juan Diego Florez "Prendi L'Anel Ti Dono" - 




Beniamino Gigli "Prendi L'Anel Ti Dono" -


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I'm just surprised Anna Netrebko makes it on to so many people's lists, and, yes I know I'm opening myself up to all sorts of opprobrium. Ah well! :devil:


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

I guess you see her name in so many places because she has such a rich and burnished sound. And besides, she's a stage animal and has the ability to fill the seats -- no small feat these days. 
Guess she's just a package.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

GregMitchell said:


> I'm just surprised Anna Netrebko makes it on to so many people's lists, and, yes I know I'm opening myself up to all sorts of opprobrium. Ah well! :devil:


you're not alone. Some hear a rich sound, I hear a dull voice.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Among two singers specializing in the Baroque whose names I have not seen, I would surely include Andreas Scholl and Philippe Jarrousky.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Among two singers specializing in the Baroque whose names I have not seen, I would surely include Andreas Scholl and Philippe Jarrousky. I quite agree with Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. A tragic loss. I feel the same about Thomas Quasthoff who sang brilliantly and with such expression and personality. He might have been a great operatic singer if only...


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I am surprised that Radvanovski and Stephanie Blythe are not on there. Lawrence Brownlee is better than Florez but not nearly as photogenic. There is not a single dramatic soprano on the list which is odd since Wagner is still such a big ticket. Voigt is perhaps the most famous in that fach today, though not in Nilsson's league by a long shot.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I am surprised that Radvanovski and Stephanie Blythe are not on there. Lawrence Brownlee is better than Florez but not nearly as photogenic. There is not a single dramatic soprano on the list which is odd since Wagner is still such a big ticket. Voigt is perhaps the most famous in that fach today, though not in Nilsson's league by a long shot.


I strongly disagree that Lawrence Brownlee is "better" than Juan Diego Florez -- rather, I hear their voices as exactly complementary. Florez has that slender, bright, effervescent sound, while Brownlee's voice is rounder and warmer. Florez has greater ease on high (he's more of a natural for the final section of the famous aria from FILLE DU REGIMENT); Brownlee has more richness. Personally, I'm thankful that we have two such gifted -- and complementary -- tenors singing Rossini today. I'm also grateful that Rossini operas like ARMIDA and LA DONNA DEL LAGO have been revived, so that _every_ tenor is not stuck singing Verdi's Alfredo and Duke of Mantua. I mean (as Florez himself has said), Alfredo Kraus was surely great in both parts, but just imagine if the "serious" Rossini operas had been popular when he was in his prime! He would have been ideal for them.

Edited to add: I also loved Voigt's sound in its prime, especially singing Chrysothemis's monologue from ELEKTRA. For me, in fact, that piece of music and Voigt's voice are inseparable.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I am surprised that Radvanovski and Stephanie Blythe are not on there. Lawrence Brownlee is better than Florez but not nearly as photogenic. There is not a single dramatic soprano on the list which is odd since Wagner is still such a big ticket. Voigt is perhaps the most famous in that fach today, though not in Nilsson's league by a long shot.


If you look back on my favorites of today you'll see that the first name on my list was Sondra Radvanovsky


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Among two singers specializing in the Baroque whose names I have not seen, I would surely include Andreas Scholl and Philippe Jarrousky.


good call. We're living in a golden age of the countertenor, recognition is well deserved.


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> Placido Domingo? Really? The man deserves every success he has had, but he's 73 years old. Rene Fleming is 55. Hvorostovsky is 52. Are there really not three younger singers in their vocal primes whose accomplishments warrant their substitution for these superb but aging artists? If there are, then this list is suspect; if there are not, then opera is in trouble.


I couldn't agree more. I have no objection about putting them on a pedestal but they're past their prime. I doubt that opera is in trouble but rather suspect that journalism is growing lazier and being replaced by blog-like top ten lists with little thought or justification. Perhaps this list was from a blog but I've seen similar in the print media as well. What could've made that list interesting is an argument by the writer stating the reasons for each singers inclusion.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

It is always fun for me to state my "faves" but it doesn't mean all that much to anyone else. It's strictly subjective.
However, it annoys me when the "one-mind set" insists that there are no singers today worthy of greatness.
Sondra Radvanovsky and Joseph Calleja have the same kind of sound that echoes those of the golden age.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> It is always fun for me to state my "faves" but it doesn't mean all that much to anyone else. It's strictly subjective.
> However, it annoys me when the "one-mind set" insists that there are no singers today worthy of greatness.
> Sondra Radvanovsky and Joseph Calleja have the same kind of sound that echoes those of the golden age.


Yeah, it's ironic in a way that Calleja recorded that tribute CD to Mario Lanza, because of all the "Golden Age" tenors I can think of, the one his sound most evokes (for me) is Bjoerling.

I'm a Netrebko admirer, but I'm not about to heap scorn on anyone who doesn't like her, or any of my other favorites. This is because I want people to like someone or something because they genuinely like that person or thing, not because they feel they have to. But in return, I'd appreciate it if my own tastes were respected. There's an attitude that surfaces from time to time -- on other sites mostly, but occasionally on this forum -- that goes something like, "The things I like are intrinsically superior to the things you like. If you don't like them and instead prefer the things which _I_ don't like, then you must not be very cultured/mature/intelligent/musical/whatever and are to be pitied." Now that I'm well in my thirties and have been an opera lover for 16 years, it would be tempting for me to take that sort of attitude with fans younger than myself, but I refrain from doing so. The thing that really brought home for me the generational differences was last season's Met EUGENE ONEGIN with Kwiecien, Netrebko, and Beczala. Though I certainly enjoyed it, it didn't move me as much as the performance I saw only six years before, with Hvorostovsky, Fleming, and Vargas -- all older singers whom I've greatly admired since my earliest opera-loving days in the 1990's. Yet online I came across people younger than myself who loved the newer ONEGIN, who were in fact very moved by it. How tempting it would be to tell them something like, "How can you say that! It wasn't nearly so profound as the older performance! Young singers today have small voices, no presence, and are less technically adept. Opera isn't what it used to be." In other words, it would be tempting to say that the older performance was _objectively_ better. But as a matter of fact, it's impossible for me to know how much of that is just my own personal perception stemming from "what I'm used to." After all, "my" singers were all once compared unfavorably to the singers who preceded them, and I have little doubt that today's young singers will someday be judged superior to their successors! I have to have faith that the younger fans' reactions are as valid as mine, and that it's just possible that _I'm_ not as profound as I was in my twenties. (That is, maybe what I'm missing is my former ability to react to a performance spontaneously, totally unconcerned about what others might think of it.) Who knows? In other words, I think that opera, just as it needs suspension of disbelief to accept a fictional story as "real," also needs something similar when it comes to matters of taste -- that is, a willingness to suspend judgment. I'm not arguing here for a lowering of standards, but for humility.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Well I won't have a go at Netrebko then, but I would like to talk about something that bothers me about one of the other singers on the list, who is also in fact on mine. This is someone I have seen live both in concert and in opera, and on both occasions she swept me away. She is an intelligent singer with an excellent technique, who never pushes her voice beyond its natural limits. She chooses her repertoire wisely and has an exciting stage presence. Furthermore she is a natural and accomplished actress. She would seem to have it all, but, and you knew there was a but coming, her records continue to disappoint me. I never get that thrill of recognition that I do with singers of the past, be they Sutherland or Callas, Schwarzkopf or De Los Angeles, or even some of today's singers. Amongst the women, I am pretty sure I'd recognise Fleming or Gheorghiu pretty quickly, Bartoli too, though I don't much like her. But I listen for something individual in this voice, something that makes me go, "Ah, that's ....." and I never hear it. 

It pains me to say it really, because she is a very fine artist, the very epitome of what a modern prima donna should be, and I will continue to seek out her live performances. Her records though do very little for me. 

Can anyone guess whom I'm talking about?


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

GregMitchell said:


> Can anyone guess whom I'm talking about?


Yes, but I'm not telling. I have enough enemies already. :angel:


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

GregMitchell said:


> Well I won't have a go at Netrebko then, but I would like to talk about something that bothers me about one of the other singers on the list, who is also in fact on mine. This is someone I have seen live both in concert and in opera, and on both occasions she swept me away. She is an intelligent singer with an excellent technique, who never pushes her voice beyond its natural limits. She chooses her repertoire wisely and has an exciting stage presence. Furthermore she is a natural and accomplished actress. She would seem to have it all, but, and you knew there was a but coming, her records continue to disappoint me. I never get that thrill of recognition that I do with singers of the past, be they Sutherland or Callas, Schwarzkopf or De Los Angeles, or even some of today's singers. Amongst the women, I am pretty sure I'd recognise Fleming or Gheorghiu pretty quickly, Bartoli too, though I don't much like her. But I listen for something individual in this voice, something that makes me go, "Ah, that's ....." and I never hear it.
> 
> It pains me to say it really, because she is a very fine artist, the very epitome of what a modern prima donna should be, and I will continue to seek out her live performances. Her records though do very little for me.
> 
> Can anyone guess whom I'm talking about?


Is it Joyce Di Donato?

If so, then I'm going to make an observation I made once on Amazon. I think that Di Donato has what J.B. Steane would have called a "centrist" voice. He has a few different definitions of this term. As I understand it, it can mean 1.) that the singer's voice lacks (insofar as this is possible) any eccentricity, 2.) that it sounds so exactly like _what we would expect_ a voice of that category (e.g. lyric soprano, Verdi baritone, coloratura mezzo) to sound like that it doesn't come across as very individual -- that is, it sounds like a "norm" or a "standard", or 3.) that it lacks a truly distinctive "color." The interpretations, too, tend to be standard or "middle of the road" rather than highly individual. Singers he called centrist included De Luca, Rethberg, Tebaldi, and Merrill -- all undoubtedly great singers, but I can hear how they do have that "centrist" quality about them, and I'd add Di Donato to the list. She's an impressive singer, but it's not a timbre I can instantly call to mind as I can with, say, Bartoli or Larmore or Elena Garanca. However, someone else might have a different reaction to Di Donato; I'd be interested to hear a third opinion.

Of course, if it _wasn't_ Di Donato you meant, then I'm going to feel a little silly!


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

GregMitchell said:


> Well I won't have a go at Netrebko then, but I would like to talk about something that bothers me about one of the other singers on the list, who is also in fact on mine. This is someone I have seen live both in concert and in opera, and on both occasions she swept me away. She is an intelligent singer with an excellent technique, who never pushes her voice beyond its natural limits. She chooses her repertoire wisely and has an exciting stage presence. Furthermore she is a natural and accomplished actress. She would seem to have it all, but, and you knew there was a but coming, her records continue to disappoint me. I never get that thrill of recognition that I do with singers of the past, be they Sutherland or Callas, Schwarzkopf or De Los Angeles, or even some of today's singers. Amongst the women, I am pretty sure I'd recognise Fleming or Gheorghiu pretty quickly, Bartoli too, though I don't much like her. But I listen for something individual in this voice, something that makes me go, "Ah, that's ....." and I never hear it.
> 
> It pains me to say it really, because she is a very fine artist, the very epitome of what a modern prima donna should be, and I will continue to seek out her live performances. Her records though do very little for me.
> 
> Can anyone guess whom I'm talking about?


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Bellinilover said:


> Is it Joyce Di Donato?
> 
> The interpretations, too, tend to be standard or "middle of the road" rather than highly individual.
> 
> Of course, if it _wasn't_ Di Donato you meant, then I'm going to feel a little silly!


Yes you both guessed, and you have made good points, but she differs from Tebaldi and others in this "centrist" tradition, in that her on stage portrayals are anything but standard or "middle of the road". Her Dejanira in the Aix-en-Provence *Hercules* was absolutely electrifying, and she presented an extremely complex portrayal of a woman driven literally mad with jealousy. It's the actual voice I find ordinary. Nothing else about her is. Of course it probably wouldn't matter if we lived in an age when pre-recorded music didn't exist, where our only means of hearing a singer were live and in the flesh. We sometimes forget this in today's modern, electronic age.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

GregMitchell said:


> Yes you both guessed, and you have made good points, but she differs from Tebaldi and others in this "centrist" tradition, in that her on stage portrayals are anything but standard or "middle of the road". Her Dejanira in the Aix-en-Provence *Hercules* was absolutely electrifying, and she presented an extremely complex portrayal of a woman driven literally mad with jealousy. It's the actual voice I find ordinary. Nothing else about her is. Of course it probably wouldn't matter if we lived in an age when pre-recorded music didn't exist, where our only means of hearing a singer were live and in the flesh. We sometimes forget this in today's modern, electronic age.


I'm blonde-and-confused on this one.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

Bellinilover said:


> I think that Di Donato has what J.B. Steane would have called a "centrist" voice. He has a few different definitions of this term. As I understand it, it can mean 1.) that the singer's voice lacks (insofar as this is possible) any eccentricity, 2.) that it sounds so exactly like _what we would expect_ a voice of that category (e.g. lyric soprano, Verdi baritone, coloratura mezzo) to sound like that it doesn't come across as very individual -- that is, it sounds like a "norm" or a "standard", or 3.) that it lacks a truly distinctive "color."


Agreed on those points and it saddens me that such a gifted artist does not have an interesting voice. However I disagree about her interpretation (if I correctly get what you mean), even on record. She can convey a character like nobody's business.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

GregMitchell said:


> Yes you both guessed, and you have made good points, but she differs from Tebaldi and others in this "centrist" tradition, in that her on stage portrayals are anything but standard or "middle of the road". Her Dejanira in the Aix-en-Provence *Hercules* was absolutely electrifying, and she presented an extremely complex portrayal of a woman driven literally mad with jealousy. It's the actual voice I find ordinary. Nothing else about her is. Of course it probably wouldn't matter if we lived in an age when pre-recorded music didn't exist, where our only means of hearing a singer were live and in the flesh. We sometimes forget this in today's modern, electronic age.


I agree about her interpretations, and another thing I find distinctive is that in her Rossini singing she seems really to have a lot of fun with the coloratura; my violinist brother also remarked that she has a great legato line. Were J.B. Steane still alive, I could imagine him writing an essay (like those in his "Singers of the Century" books) in which he elaborates on the point that Di Donato's voice may have been "centrist" but what she did with it was not -- something like that.


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## BaronScarpia (Apr 2, 2014)

I am surprised at the Joyce DiDonato comments! To me, her voice is wonderfully nuanced and instantly recognisable (and quite simply a _delight_ to listen to!). I have not yet seen her live, but by next Thursday that will have changed. I shall give my more informed opinion then!

It's so difficult to pick a top ten - I assuming that 'top' means favourite and not 'most famous' or 'most marketable'! I love the indisputably great artists Jonas Kaufmann and Elīna Garanča, the warm and personable Joyce DiDonato, the diva-ish Angela Gheorghiu, the controversial Anna Netrebko and the honey-toned Renée Fleming with equal measure. Željko Lučić, Jennifer Larmore, Juan Diego Flórez, Saimir Pirgu, René Pape, Joseph Calleja, Simon Keenlyside, Piotr Beczala, Christine Rice... the list goes on!

I have a penchant, however, for young talent; Sonya Yoncheva, Elizabeth Watts and Olga Peretyatko are just great. If we can include living singers whose best is (possibly) behind them, then Inger Dam-Jensen, Anne Sofie von Otter and Domingo can both be added to my list.

Late addition: the lovely Susan Gritton.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Well, I just realized that I need to add Mariusz Kwiecien to my list. I just got done listening to part of his "Slavic Heroes" CD...Wow! True, there is an occasionally heavy and wide vibrato that I'm guessing is typically "Slavic," but on the whole the voice is beautiful, like velvet, while the singing and interpretation sound almost effortless. I'm only sorry that I never paid particular attention to him before now.


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## jdcbr (Jul 21, 2014)

Joseph Calleja and Sondra Radvanovsky.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Just come back from seeing *Rigoletto* at Covent Garden. Simon Keenlyside definitely!


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

GregMitchell said:


> Just come back from seeing *Rigoletto* at Covent Garden. Simon Keenlyside definitely!


I'm expecting a full book report, on my desk, Monday morning.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

GregMitchell said:


> Just come back from seeing *Rigoletto* at Covent Garden. Simon Keenlyside definitely!


How did he sound? I ask because I heard someone say his voice is currently in poor shape.


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

Actually I'd love to know who are the top 10 in terms of box office appeal. Who are the 10 that drive ticket sales?

Anyone care to venture a list, or maybe even some hard facts?


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Bellinilover said:


> How did he sound? I ask because I heard someone say his voice is currently in poor shape.


Someone will always say something like that. That same person would probably have said the same thing about Sutherland when she was at her peak. You know what I mean?

Ok, he is not a true Verdi baritone, but he is an extremely intelligent and musical singer, and a consummate performer. The more lyrical sections of the score were sung quite beautifully, and his _Cortigiani_ literally had me in tears, as did the final duet with Kurzak's Gilda. In fact all their duets were just wonderful. After a performance of that stature, what care I if he is not what one would call a Verdi baritone? Neither was Gobbi for that matter, but his Rigoletto still moves me more than any other.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

GregMitchell said:


> Someone will always say something like that. That same person would probably have said the same thing about Sutherland when she was at her peak. You know what I mean?
> 
> Ok, he is not a true Verdi baritone, but he is an extremely intelligent and musical singer, and a consummate performer. The more lyrical sections of the score were sung quite beautifully, and his _Cortigiani_ literally had me in tears, as did the final duet with Kurzak's Gilda. In fact all their duets were just wonderful. After a performance of that stature, what care I if he is not what one would call a Verdi baritone. Neither was Gobbi for that matter, but his Rigoletto still moves me more than any other.


We do have to wonder what Verdi's idea of a "Verdi baritone" was, don't we? Were Battistini and Ruffo both "Verdi baritones"? Apparently they both excelled in Verdi operas, but what a difference in their voices and styles!

Nice to know that Keenleyside can make a fine effect in that repertoire.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> We do have to wonder what Verdi's idea of a "Verdi baritone" was, don't we? Were Battistini and Ruffo both "Verdi baritones"? Apparently they both excelled in Verdi operas, but what a difference in their voices and styles!
> 
> Nice to know that Keenleyside can make a fine effect in that repertoire.


We do the same with Verdi sopranos. Most people would name Leontyne Price or Tebaldi as being true Verdi sopranos, but I'd wager there is no such thing. A true Verdi soprano should surely be able to encompass the demands of Violetta and both Leonoras, Abigaille and Aida, Gilda and Lady Macbeth, Amelia and Elena. I can think of only one singer who could do that, and yet nobody would think of her as the ideal Verdi voice.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

GregMitchell said:


> Someone will always say something like that. That same person would probably have said the same thing about Sutherland when she was at her peak. You know what I mean?
> 
> Ok, he is not a true Verdi baritone, but he is an extremely intelligent and musical singer, and a consummate performer. The more lyrical sections of the score were sung quite beautifully, and his _Cortigiani_ literally had me in tears, as did the final duet with Kurzak's Gilda. In fact all their duets were just wonderful. After a performance of that stature, what care I if he is not what one would call a Verdi baritone? Neither was Gobbi for that matter, but his Rigoletto still moves me more than any other.


That's good to know. I think the person who made that remark was expecting him to sound exactly like he did in his younger days, or something. For me there's no more moving "Per me giunto" (DON CARLO) on record than Keenlyside's. In a day and age in which everyone's complaining about the lack of "true Verdi baritones," it's good to know he's had as much success as he's had with the Verdi repertoire, especially since (according to an "Opera News" article I saw a few years ago) he's apparently a big admirer of the American Verdi baritones, Merrill and Milnes in particular.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

GregMitchell said:


> Just come back from seeing *Rigoletto* at Covent Garden. Simon Keenlyside definitely!


A belated wave from SCA99!


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

sospiro said:


> A belated wave from SCA99!


 I was in Orchestra M1 then M6. Only £37.50 thanks to a Time Out offer.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

GregMitchell said:


> I was in Orchestra M1 then M6. Only £37.50 thanks to a Time Out offer.


Bargain! Well done!!


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

imo, in no particular order

1) Samuel Ramey (no other bass comes close to him)
2) Jonas Kaufmann (he gets too much flack because his voice is dark, so people think he is "faking baritone", but to me, the voice sounds naturally placed with the spinning top notes and powerful chest voice wonderfully balanced)
3) Dmitri Hvorostovsky
4) Dolora Zajick
5) Joyce DiDonato
6) Ewa Podles
7) Denyce Graves 
8) Renee Fleming (though I prefer her earlier work in French lyric roles and similar work. she is a bit...overextended at the moment imo, even though she has been much more careful than a lot of other singers)
9) Peter Mattei
10) Teddy Rhodes


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Are there any singers who have emerged in the last 2-5 years who deserve consideration on such a list?


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Bonetan said:


> Are there any singers who have emerged in the last 2-5 years who deserve consideration on such a list?


In short: YES..............


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

Bonetan said:


> Are there any singers who have emerged in the last 2-5 years who deserve consideration on such a list?


Michael Spyres and Mathias Vidal. Maybe not big names, but on quality of voice - definitely.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Thinking about this topic makes me realize how little I know about today's singers. I couldn't possibly make a list of my own :-(


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Bonetan said:


> Thinking about this topic makes me realize how little I know about today's singers. I couldn't possibly make a list of my own :-(


I am crying, a lot...........


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## russetvelvet (Oct 14, 2016)

Pugg said:


> In short: YES..............


Who would they be in your opinion?


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

10 top stars of the Met stage:
Gheorghiu
Radvanovsky
Netrebko
Grigolo
Calleja
Beczala
Kaufmann
DiDonato
Hvorostovsky
Pape (also ran: Finley)
(I would definitely have included Fleming but she has now retired from the Met stage and is just doing concerts now)


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

russetvelvet said:


> Who would they be in your opinion?


Sondra Radvanovsky, Renée Fleming, Jonas Kaufmann, Joyce DiDonato , Grigolo , Damrau.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

nina foresti said:


> 10 top stars of the Met stage:
> Gheorghiu
> Radvanovsky
> Netrebko
> ...


Almost Nina, still one role left, Rosenkavalier coming May.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I'm not sure who to bump, but Christine Goerke and Jamie Barton should be on that list, and if I had my way, David Hansen.Goerke is now the most sought after Wagnerian soprano today.... bar none.


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## interestedin (Jan 10, 2016)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Christine Goerke and Jamie Barton should be on that list … Goerke is now the most sought after Wagnerian soprano today.... bar none.


Interesting, I wasn't aware of that. Can you elaborate on that? I can't find a single recording of her in a Wagnerian role (or any other role for that matter) and apparently the only Wagner-Wagnerian roles she has ever sung were Brünnhilde in Toronto and Brünnhilde in Houston.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I'm not sure who to bump, but Christine Goerke and Jamie Barton should be on that list, and if I had my way, David Hansen.Goerke is now the most sought after Wagnerian soprano today.... bar none.


Wagnerians seem to get very little love on top singer lists it seems to me. Are they less accessible? They deserve more credit imo, since they sing the most demanding rep.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

interestedin said:


> Interesting, I wasn't aware of that. Can you elaborate on that? I can't find a single recording of her in a Wagnerian role (or any other role for that matter) and apparently the only Wagner-Wagnerian roles she has ever sung were Brünnhilde in Toronto and Brünnhilde in Houston.


There's more than that, though for most sought after, she probably has some competition from Nina Stemme, Catherine Foster, and Evelyn Herlitzius (and possibly others), whatever anyone thinks of their voices.

She sang Ortrud at Deutsche Oper Berlin in 2013 with Runnicles and 2009 for Houston Grand Opera under Summers. She sang Kundry in 2011 at Teatro Regio di Torino.

She's also sung the Brünnhilde roles in concert performances. In 2012 all of _Die Walküre_ with the New Zealand Symphony, then in 2015 selections from _Siegfried_ and _Gotterdammerung_. In May 2016 it was selections from the Ring with the Met Orchestra under Levine at Carnegie Hall (with Stefan Vinke). In December 2016 it was act 3 of _Die Walküre_ with Gergiev and the Concertgebouw (with Tamara Wilson and Michael Volle).

I am sure I am missing some concert performances. She is, of course, is also getting praise for her non-Wagner roles, such as Elektra, Leonore, The Dyer's Wife, Turandot, and Cassandre.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

interestedin said:


> Interesting, I wasn't aware of that. Can you elaborate on that? I can't find a single recording of her in a Wagnerian role (or any other role for that matter) and apparently the only Wagner-Wagnerian roles she has ever sung were Brünnhilde in Toronto and Brünnhilde in Houston.


Part of the problem is that there are very few recordings being made of the Wagner roles. Gergiev's Ring cycle seems to have ground to a halt and when was the last really good studio Tristan recorded? Easier money to be made elsewhere by the record companies.


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## cheftimmyr (Oct 28, 2015)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I'm not sure who to bump, but Christine Goerke and Jamie Barton should be on that list, and if I had my way, David Hansen.Goerke is now the most sought after Wagnerian soprano today.... bar none.


I'll be seeing her soon in Houston Opera's "Gotterdammerung". Her Brunnhilde in "Siegfried" last year was good but not great, IMO. I'm looking forward to hearing another performance of hers and have a better gauge for her Brunnhilde.


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## WildThing (Feb 21, 2017)

cheftimmyr said:


> I'll be seeing her soon in Houston Opera's "Gotterdammerung". Her Brunnhilde in "Siegfried" last year was good but not great, IMO. I'm looking forward to hearing another performance of hers and have a better gauge for her Brunnhilde.


Looking forward to your review! Hoping for a vast improvement to Voigt's Brunnhilde at the next Met Ring.


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

Top 10 singers in no particular order currently around:

Nina Stemme 
Anja Harteros 
Rene Pape 
Jonas Kaufmann 
Joseph Calleja
Sonya Yoncheva
Georg Zeppenfeld 
Catherine Foster
John Lundgren


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## Norma Skock (Mar 18, 2017)

The list is certainly less impressive that it used to be, but it's still ok I guess.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

jflatter said:


> Top 10 singers in no particular order currently around:
> 
> Nina Stemme
> Anja Harteros
> ...


Have you heard Lundgren live? I'm very curious to hear an account of his singing.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Norma Skock said:


> The list is certainly less impressive that it used to be, but it's still ok I guess.


Less the when, the good old days?


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

I am fervently watching Michael Fabiano. So far, looks good but the jury is still out.


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

Bonetan said:


> Have you heard Lundgren live? I'm very curious to hear an account of his singing.


I heard Lundgren at Bayreuth as the Walkure Wotan and Der Wanderer. He was most impressive Wanderer I have heard live. I have seen people like Tomlinson and Terfel in the role before but musically he was much more impressive.


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

jflatter said:


> Top 10 singers in no particular order currently around:
> 
> Nina Stemme
> Anja Harteros
> ...


I am sure that if you could do a top 20, people like Ermonela Jaho, Daniel Behle, Karita Mattila etc would be on the list.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

jflatter said:


> I heard Lundgren at Bayreuth as the Walkure Wotan and Der Wanderer. He was most impressive Wanderer I have heard live. I have seen people like Tomlinson and Terfel in the role before but musically he was much more impressive.


I'm a fan of Tomlinson, but I think Terfel is awful as Wotan. I'm going to hunt for more of Lundgren. I've found a Scarpia snippet which surely doesn't do him justice & a Dutchman monolog in studio. Any recommendations?


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

There is very little out there unless you go hunting for TV or audio recordings of last year's Ring.


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