# Pick the Winner: Cortigiani vil razza: Amato, Ruffo



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)




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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

After doing the back and forth bit, it didn't take me too long this time, I am convinced that the one who touched me the most was undoubtedly Amato. It was most apparent that he wore his heart on his sleeve.


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## ScottK (Dec 23, 2021)

I just don't respond to this old stuff the way so many of you guys do. I need to hear more of the singers voice than these very old recordings can give. For me, assessing them is an intellectual exercise and for that reason I'll leave the voting to the many of you who clearly have strong personal responses. I love reading every last thing you have to say. And for the intellectual record...I know they are giants and my vote would have been that on this day, Amato towered a little higher!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

ScottK said:


> I just don't respond to this old stuff the way so many of you guys do. I need to hear more of the singers voice than these very old recordings can give. For me, assessing them is an intellectual exercise and for that reason I'll leave the voting to the many of you who clearly have strong personal responses. I love reading every last thing you have to say. And for the intellectual record...I know they are giants and my vote would have been that on this day, Amato towered a little higher!


Is this what's called not having your cake and not eating it too?


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

I wish technology existed that could truly improve the sound of these ancient recordings.

Ruffo has the advantage of a swifter tempo, which helps in the portrayal of urgency in the "_cortigiani_ section of his video. The last section is so slow that it seems impossible that he'd get to the end of it. But the voice is stellar.

The Amato version everything seems to be slower which conversely robs it of the urgency it needs. But it also hampers his breath control somewhat, though he ends the final "_pietà_" with a nice _diminuendo_.

I think I'll have to give it to Ruffo this time around.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

ScottK said:


> I just don't respond to this old stuff the way so many of you guys do. I need to hear more of the singers voice than these very old recordings can give. For me, assessing them is an intellectual exercise and for that reason I'll leave the voting to the many of you who clearly have strong personal responses. I love reading every last thing you have to say. And for the intellectual record...I know they are giants and my vote would have been that on this day, Amato towered a little higher!


What do you consider old? Lots of the best male performances were from the 50's and 60's. I try not to have many contests when most of the talent is 30's and before. This time both winners were from then.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I'm finding it really hard to choose between these two major voices and I'm still not sure which one to choose.

I would just say though that neither of them moved me in the way Gobbi does. He may not have their vocal richness or reserves, but he really makes me feel Rigoletto's pain, his utter desolation. Gobbi's name doesn't come up much on TC in discussions of favourite baritones, but he's absolutely one of mine and Rigoletto was one of his greatest roles and I wonder why you didn't include him, John. He'd be my winner.


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## ScottK (Dec 23, 2021)

Woodduck said:


> Is this what's called not having your cake and not eating it too?


:lol: Yeah I guess it is!!! Lets say "not having your Tiramisu and not eating it too!":tiphat:


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## ScottK (Dec 23, 2021)

Seattleoperafan said:


> What do you consider old? Lots of the best male performances were from the 50's and 60's. I try not to have many contests when most of the talent is 30's and before. This time both winners were from then.


No, NO, NO....you can't change a thing. I was expressing an individual take but you have the perfect group for these singers. You can hear it in the responses. You put in old and new (at least, new enough) and the old were preferred.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Amato is a more interesting artist than Ruffo, whose singing I find impressive but never moving. No hesitation here.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I can't find my advice about the contest thread so I will take a chance and ask here. Some people don't like mixing videos with audio selections, and so far I have been successful, but on one contest of a piece I love for basses there is so little choice. Could I mix two former artists in audio against a current artist, who are almost exclusively only available in video form.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I can't find my advice about the contest thread so I will take a chance and ask here. Some people don't like mixing videos with audio selections, and so far I have been successful, but on one contest of a piece I love for basses there is so little choice. Could I mix two former artists in audio against a current artist, who are almost exclusively only available in video form.


People who object to video can simply listen without watching. I do that on the first listen in order to make an unbiased assessment of the singing, and then decide whether the video would be of interest.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Now THAT'S funny! I do the same thing. I thought I was the only one who did that.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

My vote goes to Amato. The way he connects notes is miraculous to me. Connecting notes sounds so simple, but doing it the way Amato does is extremely difficult. I wish he had taken the high G as Ruffo does, but I can't fault him for that especially when some conductors won't even allow such things. As Woodduck stated, Amato is simply more interesting, and Ruffo's built-in megaphone can't overcome this.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Bonetan said:


> My vote goes to Amato. The way he connects notes is miraculous to me. Connecting notes sounds so simple, but doing it the way Amato does is extremely difficult.


A singer's insight. Yes, yes, yes.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

I can safely cast my vote for Amato, as I don't connect as much with Ruffo's Rigoletto - probably the reason I was hesitating choosing between him and Bastianini in the previous round. Amato is just towering in this scene!


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