# BARITONE TOURNAMENT (By Request): Tagliabue vs Panerai



## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Carlo Tagliabue, Italy, 1898-1978






Rolando Panerai, Italy, 1924-2019






Who's singing did you prefer and why?


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

I gotta say that Tagliabue now sings my favorite version of this aria. The whole thing is a masterclass imo. His singing is virile, yet elegant. The legato is beautiful and his technique is superb to my ears. I think he's got it all in this aria, but he really had me with what he did from 1:08-1:28. I'll be trying to pull that off the next time I look at this aria, believe that!


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Now we're talking! I love both of these (but then this contest was my suggestion). Panerai has it all (although I personally prefer the darker colour of Tagliabue's voice). Panerai executes the turns and fioriture with greater ease and skill than Tagliabue and there's a touch more character to his singing.

N.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Before this I only knew Tagliabue from his distinctly over the hill Carlo on the Callas *Forza del Destino* so this was a real pleasure and serves as a reminder of just what a great voice it was. That said, I do still prefer Panerai as he brings a little more character to his singing and executes the fioriture more accurately. Indeed it's Panerai's version on the Karajan set that has been in my mind's ear throughout these various versions we've been sampling and his is still my favourite.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Well for me it was no problem.
Panerai has the more powerful baritone voice, a voice I normally prefer, but the bouquet goes to Tagliabue for evoking nuance, soft diminuendos and depth of feeling.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

Very close one, could not decide at fisrt, but I'll agree with Tsaraslondon that Panerai's fiorituri are more defined and the singing is more characterful. Also, I think Panerai here demonstrates better lower register extension (Tagliabue has to darken his voice to achieve the same, I believe) while still maintaining an effortless top.


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## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

Both are very good. I voted for Tagliabue because I liked the shape of his phrases better overall. I still haven't heard anyone I like quite as much as Bechi in this aria though!


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

*Tagliabue* for me; a heftier, darker voice that handles the divisions with more grace, and fewer aspirates, of which *Panerai* makes more use to help him along. Walter Legge brags about signing *Panerai*, "the best baritone in Europe," which the recordings never bore out. I will say, though, that he sounds better in this video than ever.

The use of aspirates is, for some reason, practiced more by male singers, as if it's more acceptable, or more manly. (I did not count how many each of the singers used... it just seemed to me *Tagliabue* had fewer, or disguised them more cunningly )

I also liked Tagliabue's use of _diminuendi_, especially the last note.


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## Handelian (Nov 18, 2020)

Panerai - one of the greatest of all baritones of Italian opera. Just to add Tagliabue is also a fine singer, of course!


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Tagliabue is in the Cetra Cav (with Simionato) and Pag (with a very young Bergonzi), they are among the better Cetra recordings. I've always preferred Panerai and he was in several recordings with Callas (Puritani, Cavalleria and Trovatore for a start). His finest moment was possibly in Berlin in 1955 where he is a blazing Enrico against Callas and Di Stefano as Lucia and Edgardo.

N.


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## Revitalized Classics (Oct 31, 2018)

Bonetan said:


> Carlo Tagliabue, Italy, 1898-1978
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This time, I prefer Tagliabue.

Tagliabue gives an excellent performance. 1:20-1:26 is very tricky but also very effective. I like that he sings with intensity and not just volume: he negotiates 0:55-0:59 and 2:02-2:14 without huffing and puffing. Actually the whole performances is notable for the way he binds phrases together without apparent strain. The attack on that high note at 2:45 is terrific.

Panerai wins for me at the start of the aria (say, the first 30 seconds) thanks to that lovely soft singing and what I think is a very attractive timbre - younger-sounding that Tagliabue. I do love the way Panerai manages the flourishes at 0:58, 1:11 etc. I'm not so keen on Panerai's more extrovert/effortful choices in this scene although he was always communicative and exciting.

As an aside, Tsaraslondon mentioned that Tagliabue was over-the-hill by the 1954 _Forza_: he is distinctly better in the 1941 Cetra set. I'm surprised at how good Tagliabue sounds if this is the 1951 set with Mancini and Lauri-Volpi - he'd be about 53.

I want to check out other Tagliabue records on the strength of this - thanks for sharing!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I'm starting to feel as if I've heard every baritone in history sing this, and that somebody is going to have to do something extraordinary with it to make me want to hear it again before sometime in 2022. In this match I'd say Tagliabue comes closer with his shapely legato phrases and dynamic variety. I'm not sure that the long diminuendo he does at 1:15 proves anything except that he can do it, especially since it doesn't lead to anything, but it helps to give a rather simple aria complexity.

Now I can wait till 2022.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Revitalized Classics said:


> This time, I prefer Tagliabue.
> 
> Tagliabue gives an excellent performance. 1:20-1:26 is very tricky but also very effective. I like that he sings with intensity and not just volume: he negotiates 0:55-0:59 and 2:02-2:14 without huffing and puffing. Actually the whole performances is notable for the way he binds phrases together without apparent strain. The attack on that high note at 2:45 is terrific.
> 
> ...


Love this post.

I wanted to come back to this matchup because I love this pairing and aria, and thought perhaps I could provide a little bit of insight that you might enjoy. I hope that you'll find it interesting because it might be long.

This aria is in my rep. I coached it with one of the top coaches at La Scala. I consider it the most difficult of Verdi baritone arias because of how high it lies in the 2nd half. The last G in the cadenza is for me the most difficult note in the aria. The singing leading up to it is quite high and by the time you get to the cadenza you can find yourself running out of steam if you're not careful, so the exposed G is coming at the worst time. It is optional of course, but what kind of man would I be if I didn't sing the high G? I'd be a coward, that's what!

So when I heard Tagliabue sail that top G out there and hold it like it was nothing, he had won my heart for the third time. I already mentioned what he did with that diminuendo. That was the first time. Add what he does with the 1st high G and I'm head-over-heels. As Revitalized mentioned above, he hits it out of the park! Tagliabue excelled in the areas of the aria that I consider most difficult. Group that with his consistent firmness of tone and wonderful legato that I mentioned and Panerai doesn't stand a chance.

Hearing Tagliabue inspired me to use almost the entirety of my practice time today singing through this aria with his performance in mind. He's lead me to some discoveries within the piece that I hadn't made before. But tell me this! Does he really not take a breath before 'favor' leading into the diminuendo??

This guy was a stud.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> I'm starting to feel as if I've heard every baritone in history sing this, and that somebody is going to have to do something extraordinary with it to make me want to hear it again before sometime in 2022. In this match I'd say Tagliabue comes closer with his shapely legato phrases and dynamic variety. I'm not sure that the long diminuendo he does at 1:15 proves anything except that he can do it, especially since it doesn't lead to anything, but it helps to give a rather simple aria complexity.
> 
> Now I can wait till 2022.


This is partly my fault. I felt there were some key voices missing from the Il balen contest and so I suggested these two to Bonetan.

N.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Bonetan said:


> Love this post.
> 
> I wanted to come back to this matchup because I love this pairing and aria, and thought perhaps I could provide a little bit of insight that you might enjoy. I hope that you'll find it interesting because it might be long.
> 
> ...


A fine story and yes his voice touched my soul. That's the barometer of my choices.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

The Conte said:


> This is partly my fault. I felt there were some key voices missing from the Il balen contest and so I suggested these two to Bonetan.
> 
> N.


I must say I wanted Panerai to be included too. Tagliabue came as a very pleasant surprise.


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