# Franco Corelli



## Diminuendo (May 5, 2015)

A while back I made threads on Di Stefano and Del Monaco. Now I noticed that I missed Franco. A wonderful tenor. He had both the looks and the voice. I just love his voice and I think that he is just what spinto tenor is all about. He could also sing softly, even though he exaggerated it sometimes. He hold some long notes, but they are so exciting that even the harshest critics have to like it. Like the Tosca from Parma. And his Celeste Aida ending, which he did live. Franco did have one weakness. His French is just horrible.

Also it's a pity that he had just so much stage fright. He surely could have sung much longer without it. His voice is just so magnificent.

Here is Franco in magnificent form in a concert from Tokyo in 1971.






I was listening the concert today and had to make this thread. I think that Franco deserves his own thread  It's the least I can do for a magnificent tenor.


----------



## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

An amazing, stupendous, wonderful voice. His singing sometimes lacked subtlety and taste, but there is no doubt that it was a great voice.

N.


----------



## Braddan (Aug 23, 2015)

One of several great tenor voices from a time that included Del Monaco, Gedda, Bergonzi and more. I never tire of listening to him even with the occasional sobbing and sliding. I also don't mind the lisp when it comes as it gives his heroic characters (which he was born to play) a certain vulnerability. Here's a clip from the EMI Unknown Recordings disk:


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

He almost made it to Moor status but at the last minute something occurred that put him off (fear?) and he never got to do it and we lost the privilege of hearing a number one performance of Otello.
One thing about him, his voice may not have been the most beautiful sound (di Stefano/Carreras, Schipa etc.) but man oh man did he ever inject excitement into his roles.


----------



## Braddan (Aug 23, 2015)

nina foresti said:


> He almost made it to Moor status but at the last minute something occurred that put him off (fear?) and he never got to do it and we lost the privilege of hearing a number one performance of Otello.


Now that would have been something- Corelli's Moor at the MET. You could be right, he did suffer from stage fright though that didn't prevent him from displaying that great voice to large audiences of excited fans. I wonder who is Desdemona would have been? Answers on a postcard please....


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Braddan said:


> Now that would have been something- Corelli's Moor at the MET. You could be right, he did suffer from stage fright though that didn't prevent him from displaying that great voice to large audiences of excited fans. I wonder who is Desdemona would have been? Answers on a postcard please....


Why Tebaldi of course!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

One of the few opera stars who could have been porn stars. His singing was soooooo sexy and masculine. No tenor was ever more thrilling.


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Well, Jonas Kaufmann isn't exactly chopped liver!


----------



## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Franco, Franco, I love Franco...........

I know the "forte" tenor style of singer will not sit well with some, but I love his dramatic flair and don't really care if the score was not written that way etc. Many of my very favorite opera performances feature Franco, we are lucky that many of these are in very good stereo sound.

If you want the "ultimate Corelli experience" seek out those Bel Canto Society CDs, he really takes artistic liberties in these making for thrilling performances and manic crowd responses!


----------



## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

I always liked Corelli. From early listening till today. Capable of delivering an enthralling performance.
Go Franco!


----------



## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Doming-who?

N.


----------

