# Favorite opera singers in each voice type



## Isabelle

I´m personally only going to name my favorite sopranos, mezzos as I haven´t looked into male voices enough to make a good judgement about them, so I´d rather not until I know more. I´m curious to hear which combinations of singers are favored by other people, because I´m interested in other people´s tastes aswell.

Soprano:
*Joan sutherland* - By far my absolute favorite singer ever. I love everything about her singing, the fast coleratura, the beautiful voice, the sweet sound in the middle and high notes with that incredible weight of voice. Perfection in a human voice.
*Angela Gheorghui* - Probably my favorite ´recent´ soprano, I just like the sound of her voice. I´m also a big fan of her interpretations, she makes the best out of a lot of aria´s.
*Renata Tebaldi* - She just has a lovely voice, one of the more beautiful sounds, somewhat average but never boring, a tone like that can keep me interested.
*Christina Deutekom* - Her voice sounds freezing cold, I like that, her queen of the night is actually the only one I like, so freezing cold, my singing teacher had a masterclass from her!

Mezzo:
*Marilyn Horne *- Again another absolute favorite. I like how her low notes sound nearly male, and very deep, and I like the strength it has, plus I like to hear a real deep mezzo with a big voice.
*Teresa Berganza* - I´m not sure what I like of her voice, I guess the sharp sounding quality it can have, it adds something.
*Jennifer Larmore* - Found her carmen once, she also has a deep tone. I like the deep sounding mezzo´s because I could never sound like that.


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## Elgarian

I'm not sure I could produce a sensible list that's so coherent as yours, partly because my opera-listening, though enthusiastic, is very patchy, and partly because I have absolutely no understanding of the technical aspects, as you do - but I'll have a go (these are in no particular order):

_Soprano_

*Natalie Dessay* Her _Manon_ on the recently issued DVD is astounding, both musically and dramatically, and the CDs she's made of collections of French arias are ravishingly _French_.

*Angela Gheorghiu* Her audio recording of_ Manon_ (with Alagna) is just as stunning as, though very different from, Dessay's.

*Mirella Freni* Her recently issued 4CD box set is like a box of sheer treasure; her Mimi, in _La Boheme_ (with Pavarotti) is close to being unbeatable; and her smile makes me dissolve.

*Teresa Cahill* Her performance in Elgar's _The Spirit of England_, recorded with Sir Alexander Gibson and the Scottish National Orchestra & Chorus, is the most profoundly moving piece of singing I know, and offers insight into the music that no one else can bring.

_Mezzo_

*Frederica von Stade* Her voice is immediately recognisable and like no one else's. I love her recording of Massenet's _Cendrillon_, which, together with Ruth Welting's amazing performance as the Fairy, brings me to tears unfailingly.

*Vesselina Kasarova* There's an almost masculine richness to her voice even though it retains its powerful feminity. Her recorded collection of French arias is beyond words, and her performance on DVD as Marguerite in Berlioz's _Damnation of Faust_ is one of the half-dozen finest performances of _anything_ that I've ever encountered.

*Susan Graham* It was through her CDs of French songs and arias that I first encountered the seductive music of Reynaldo Hahn - which she sings exquisitely well in a beguiling _fin-de-siecle_ sort of way.


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## BobR

Renata Tebaldi was always my late mother's favorite, and I understand why. And she was clever enough to retire in time, unlike Renata Scotto.
Angela Gheorghiu is high on my list, though I have no really recent recordings of her. Lovely to look at.
I once thought of Mirella Freni as "reliable", but I have a DVD of Boheme with her and Pavarotti that I shall use as a coffee table coaster. 
Marilyn Horne - always loved her rich tones.
Frederica von Stade - Great to listen to as well as look at.
Somehow I have thought of Joan Sutherland as more power than warmth, but I may have heard her when she was past her prime.

Just the thoughts of an opera dubber.....


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## Alnitak

as for me:

Sopranos:
Maria Callas, as Tosca;
Renata Tebaldi, as well;
Nathalie Dessay, as Manom;
Bianca Castafiore, as Marguerite (Faust);
Felicity Lott, in French songs.


Mezzos:
Teresa Berganza
Maria Callas, as Carmen 
La Malibran in Rossini.


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## Lestris

Alnitak said:


> Bianca Castafiore...


I peg your pardon? 

Bianca Castafiore? The Castafiore? you mean, "The Milanese Nightingale"?


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## Alnitak

Lestris said:


> Bianca Castafiore? The Castafiore? you mean, "The Milanese Nightingale"?


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## Chi_townPhilly

To mention a few sopranos that others have already cited, I enjoy *Freni*, *Tebaldi* and *Gheorhgiu* (although here I'll have to add that, in spite of her obvious gifts, I hope Angela doesn't go 'Kathleen Battle' on us and ruin it with her on-again/off again discipline and work ethic issues).

Here's a name that's less well-known, a comet from the past... *Dorothy Maynor*, who in her brief career certainly had the measure of some fine French operatic soprano repertoire.

Now, for the sopranos in whose company I can more normally be found (speaking from an audio standpoint, of course)- *Frida Leider*, *Kirsten Flagstad*, *Birgit Nilsson* and *Astrid Varnay*. Love them all, hate to have to choose one- but if impelled, I'd have to say *Flagstad*. Post on mezzos to follow...


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## xuantu

Here I provide a list of very confined dimension (although I try to cover all the major voice types)--since I have just opened up my ears to the art of opera, the singers who I know and love are mostly those I knew from their performances of art songs.

Sopranos: Let me start from the exceptions. *Maria Callas*--isn't her voice the most iconic symbol of opera? Isn't her acting the most intense characterization on records? She might be the only reason why I started listening to Italian operas. Her first studio "Lucia Di Lammermoor" made with Tullio Serafin is among my favorite recordings of the genre.

*Birgit Nilsson*--she is much more than a strong voice. In her Brünnhilde for Solti, one observes the heroine's gradual transformation from a boyishly brisk Valkyrie to a knowing and loving visionary. Her Bayreuth Isolde, however, is a suffering woman in liquid form. She is a great artist who understand her characters well.

*Régine Crespin*--although the size of her voice is remarkable, she has no lack of subtlety or color. Her numerous art song recordings showcase her sensitive diction and mesmerizing music-making. Her Sieglinde (for Solti) is one of the most fresh-sounding interpretations on record.

*Lucia Popp*--her tone is clear and warm; her touch full of sympathy and good will. I can only regret that I don't have more of her opera recordings. Her Rusalka aria is unmatched in purity and sensationally touching.

*Felicity Lott*--she has a bright, colorful voice, which perhaps suits Richard Strauss' lyric roles (what a pity! I have not yet learned to love R.S.). But it is the song repertory that she loves the most (despite being English, she is a major exponent of French song). She can be quite a comedian too; her performances in "La Belle Hélène" and "La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein" turned me into an Offenbach fan.

Mezzo-sopranos: *Christa Ludwig*--such versatility and plasticity in voice may rarely be observed: Christa Ludwig can produce a whole spectrum of facial expressions through her singing! Whether the message being a mischievous smile or an implied frustration, she is never less than convincing. She excels in dramatic roles such as Judith in Bartók's "Bluebeard" and Fricka in "Die Walküre". Her wide vocal range also makes her a famous Leonore!

*Janet Baker*--This is a most intelligent singer equipped with a voice in full bloom. Unlike Christa Ludwig's song performances that are sometimes overblown by her big tone and dominated by drama, Janet Baker is always able to find in her voice the right size for lovely miniatures like "Der Musensohn" or "Heidenröslein". She captures the joyful spirit in lieder singing. Her Dido in Purcell's opera, on the other hand, is much grander in scale.

*Lorraine Hunt Lieberson*--I am being sentimental in including her on this list, for I have only heard one of her recordings, the Neruda songs (dedicated to her by her composer husband Peter Lieberson) made shortly before she died of breast cancer. Voice and soul has truly become one in this heartfelt performance. Within 30 minutes or so, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson expresses joys and losses of a life time.

Another mezzo-soprano who struck me with a single performance is *Elena Obraztsova*, whose achingly moving account of "Field of the dead" in Prokofiev's "Alexander Nevsky" cantata completely won me over. She brought to this piece an authentic Russian tang.

Tenors: *Peter Pears*

*John Mark Ainsley*

*Plácido Domingo*

Baritones/bass-baritones: *François Le Roux*

*Thomas Allen*

*Walter Berry*

Counter-tenor: *David Daniels*


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## Chi_townPhilly

xuantu said:


> *Régine Crespin*--Her Sieglinde (for Solti) is one of the most fresh-sounding interpretations on record.


Some critics seem to think that Solti's _Die Walküre_ is half-a-step back from his other three "Ring cycle" opera recordings, but Regine Crespin's contribution has much to do with why I can't share that opinion!


xuantu said:


> Mezzo-sopranos: *Christa Ludwig*--such versatility and plasticity in voice may rarely be observed: Christa Ludwig can produce a whole spectrum of facial expressions through her singing! Whether the message being a mischievous smile or an implied frustration, she is never less than convincing. She excels in dramatic roles such as Judith in Bartók's "Bluebeard" and Fricka in "Die Walküre". Her wide vocal range also makes her a famous Leonore!


For me, any discussion of mezzos has to begin with the 'hearty perennial,' Christa Ludwig! Perhaps if I ever embark on some Wagner historical recordings, I'll evaluate whether or not _Kirstin Thorberg_ deserves to be mentioned in the same breath.

Let's see if I can extract, from memory, all of the Christa Ludwig renditions I have on CD: Brangäne in Karajan's (and Böhm's!) _Tristan und Isolde_, Venus in Solti's _Tannhäuser_, Waltraute & Fricka, in Solti's "Ring Cycle," and the contralto part in Klemperer's Mahler _Das Lied von der Erde_. I'm probably leaving out a couple... ah- :sigh:

And, speaking of _Das Lied von der Erde_, there *is* Kathleen Ferrier, who otherwise owns that part!


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## World Violist

Sopranos: Barbara Hendricks (the gorgeous warmth of her voice is awe-inspiring to me, as heard in Bernstein's last recording of Mahler's 2nd)
Mezzos/Contraltos: Christa Ludwig (just crazy), Janet Baker (warm and beautiful tone), Maureen Forrester (spectacularly understated drama), Kathleen Ferrier (just thinking about her voice puts a lump in my throat)
Tenors: Fritz Wunderlich (need I say anything?), Jerry Hadley (see Wunderlich)
Baritones: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (amazing, period)
Basses: Martti Talvela (humongous bass voice; I love it)


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## xuantu

Just got to write more on one of my favorite male voices:

Tenors: *Peter Pears*--his voice may sound pale and unpleasantly edgy, but being a man with wide culture and a compassionate mind, he is absolutely free in "story-telling". His Britten recordings are legendary. His Schubert is, nevertheless, highly unconventional and almost has an expressionistic feel. Still, I generally find his readings more intuitive and enduring than those of his modern counterpart, Ian Bostridge, who now seems to have a tendency to sound calculated and philosophical.


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## Sid James

I really like Maria Callas (esp. as Turandot & Lady Macbeth). & Birgit Nilsson as Aida. & I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.

& Christa Ludwig, as mentioned. She was one of the few singers who could sing both as a soprano & a mezzo soprano. A truly unique talent, not many people can do that!


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## Library Bob

Tenors:

Enrico Caruso - King of 'em all!
Placido Domingo
Luciano Pavarotti
Jussi Bjoerling
Roberto Alagna
Richard Tucker

Sopranos:

Joan Sutherland
Maria Callas
Renee Fleming
Anna Moffo
Leontyne Price
Natalie Dessay

Mezzos/Contraltos:

Rosalind Elias
Marilyn Horne
Febora Barbieri
Maureen Forrester
Marian Anderson
Louise Homer


Baritones:

Sherrill Milnes
Robert Merrill
Leo Nucci
Pasquale Amato
Cornell MacNeill
Tito Gobbi


Basses:

James Morris
Boris Christoff
Martti Talvela
Jerome Hines
Nicolai Ghiourov


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## Chi_townPhilly

Interesting, *Library Bob*...

Your list is a "German-free-zone."

Indeed, it would even be a 'Teuton-free-zone," were it not for the presence of Björling.

(Hopefully, this is more to do with your preferences in _repertoire_ than anything else...)


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## kg4fxg

*Fach*

So what is your favorite Fach? (Singers are often grouped by Fach)

The German Fach (pl. Fächer, literally "compartment") (German pronunciation: [ˈfax, ˈfɛçəɐ]) system is a method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, according to the range, weight, and color of their voices.

Often you will see the Fach types for each part in a opera and the opera classifies them as such.

1 Soprano Fächer 
1.1 Lyrischer Koloratursopran / Koloratursoubrette 
1.2 Dramatischer Koloratursopran 
1.3 Deutsche Soubrette / Charaktersopran 
1.4 Lyrischer Sopran 
1.5 Jugendlich Dramatischer Sopran 
1.6 Dramatischer Sopran 
1.7 Hochdramatischer Sopran 
2 Mezzo-soprano and Contralto Fächer 
2.1 Koloratur-Mezzosopran 
2.2 Lyrischer Mezzosopran / Spielalt 
2.3 Dramatischer Mezzosopran 
2.4 Dramatischer Alt 
2.5 Tiefer Alt 
3 Tenor Fächer 
3.1 Spieltenor / Tenor Buffo 
3.2 Charaktertenor 
3.3 Lyrischer Tenor 
3.4 Jugendlicher Heldentenor 
3.5 Heldentenor 
4 Baritone Fächer 
4.1 Lyrischer Bariton / Spielbariton 
4.2 Kavalierbariton 
4.3 Charakterbariton 
4.4 Heldenbariton 
4.5 Lyric Bassbariton/Low Lyric Baritone 
4.6 Dramatic Bassbariton/Low DramaticBaritone 
5 Bass Fächer 
5.1 Basso Cantante/Lyric Bassbariton/High Lyric Bass 
5.2 Hoherbass/Dramatic Bassbariton/High Dramatic Bass 
5.3 Jugendlicher Bass 
5.4 Spielbass/Bassbuffo/Lyric Buffo 
5.5 Schwerer Spielbass/Dramatic Buffo 
5.6 Lyric Seriöser Bass 
5.7 Dramatic Seriöser Bass

My favorite is the coloratura soprano. Some examples are:
Marie Callas
Montserrat Caballe

Another favorite is Lirico Spinto and some examples are:
Aprile Millo
Susan Dunn
Deborah Voigt
Sharon Sweet

Some roles of the Spinto are:
Elisabeth di Valois in Don Carlo
Amelia in Lady Macbeth
Sieglinde in Die Walkure


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## World Violist

Heldentenor!!! hehe 

And basso profundo, but I don't think that readily applies to operatic tradition... still, it's really awesome.

In all seriousness, I love lyric soprano when it's done well. Gundula Janowitz in Karajan's Beethoven 9th gives me goosebumps...


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## kg4fxg

*World Violinist - Thanks*



World Violist said:


> Heldentenor!!! hehe
> 
> And basso profundo, but I don't think that readily applies to operatic tradition... still, it's really awesome.
> 
> In all seriousness, I love lyric soprano when it's done well. Gundula Janowitz in Karajan's Beethoven 9th gives me goosebumps...


I'll have to check out Gundula Janowitz in Karajan's Beethoven 9th - Thanks


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## Library Bob

Chi_town/Philly said:


> Interesting, *Library Bob*...
> 
> Your list is a "German-free-zone."
> 
> Indeed, it would even be a 'Teuton-free-zone," were it not for the presence of Björling.
> 
> (Hopefully, this is more to do with your preferences in _repertoire_ than anything else...)


An oversight I assure you, since I also like Rene Kollo, Birgit Nilsson, Kirsten Flagstad, Sandor Konya, George London, Jess Thomas and Thomas Stewart in the Teutonic/Wagnerian repertoire.

Hope you approved of my choices, though.


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## cultchas

Tenor:
Enrico Caruso
Jussi Bjorling
Placido Domingo

Soprano:
Renata Tebaldi
Leotyne Price

Baritone:
Tito Gobbi

Bass:
Dimitri Kavrakos


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## Lukecash12

Irène Joachim, Giuseppe Di Stefano, and Andrea Bocelli are among my favorite opera singers.


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## michael walsh

Maria Callas
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Anna Netrebko

Luciano Pavarotti 
Rolando Villazon

Dmitri Hvorotovsky


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## Sieglinde

*Sopranos:*

Leontyne Price - THE Leonora in both Trovatore and Forza.
Maria Callas - THE Tosca.
Mirella Freni - best Elisabeth of Valois. Wonderful Butterfly.
Birgit Nilsson - not just the voice, the humour too. 
Astrid Varnay - wonderful.
Nina Stemme - maybe the best contemporary Wagner soprano.
Iréne Theorin - a wonderful Brünnhilde in the Copenhagen Ring.
Gwyneth Jones - also a wonderful Brünnhilde in the Chéreau Ring.

*Mezzos: *

Fiorenza Cossotto - favourite Azucena I've met so far.
Hanna Schwartz - wonderful Fricka.
Frederica von Stade - adorable Cherubino.
Judith Németh - THE Kundry.

*Tenors:*

Philip Langridge - the definitive Captain Vere.
Plácido Domingo - I love him in anything he sings. Maybe best in Un ballo in maschera.
Jussi Björling - the only Manrico I'd prefer over almost any Luna.
Franco Corelli - THE Calaf.
Ian Bostridge - mostly heard him singing Lieder - a wonder.
Peter Pears - do I need to explain?
Neil Shicoff - Vere. Again. And damn, how I want a La Juive dvd with him.
Peter Hoffmann (I almost forgot him!) - Siegmund. MY Siegmund. *sigh* Now this is how Wagner tenors should look and sing.

*Baritones:*

Rodney Gilfry - THE Don Giovanni and THE Billy Budd. Not many singers can do them equally perfect. And he's just super hot.
Simon Keenlyside - brilliant Don Giovanni. And adorable. Oh, and a very good Posa too.
Sherrill Milnes - "the" Posa for me. But like him in any Verdi.
Tito Gobbi - THE Scarpia. THE Rigoletto.
Dmitri Hvorostovsky - Ok, I could write pages about the beauty of this man and his voice.
Ettore Bastianini - if I was Leonora, I'd kick Manrico out.
Piero Cappuccilli - a true Verdian voice, noble, velvety, and always elegant.
Thomas Allen - just give me anything Mozart and him. He can do no wrong. Oh, and Billy. You don't care his age when he begins to sing.

*Bass-baritones:*

Sir Donald McIntyre - THE definitive Wotan.
Hans Hotter - also for Wotan...
James Morris - for Wotan. 
Alan Titus - for Wotan.
Bryn Terfel - again, for Wotan, and for Leporello.
Sir Willard White - for Wotan and for Claggart.
Sten Byriel - the man is simply the most brilliant Alberich I've heard.

*Basses:*

Mihály Székely - ok, I'm Hungarian, but that doesn't make him less incredible. Too bad he died so early. What a Philip, what a Fieco, what an Osmin, Sarastro, Leporello and Boris!
Matti Salminen - THE Hagen. THE King Marke. 
Eric Halfvarson - also a brilliant Hagen, and till now the best Claggart I'e seen. And a great Gurnemanz too. Oh, and the definitive Grand Inquisitor. And Sparafucile.
Andrea Silvestrelli - that voice. That Commendatore. It blows the house.
Ferruccio Furlanetto - A wonderful, sensitive Philip and the funny, colorful Leporello. 
Sir John Tomlinson - I don't know what's his secret, but he makes every evil character sympathetic. And sings like a God.
Walter Fink - you have to hear him live - recordings don't make justice to him. I saw him as Hunding and Fafner, and his voice is simply HUGE. And beautiful.
Stephen Milling - best Fasolt, and one of the best Hundings. Never seen such a naive, lovable Fasolt - and right after that, such a monstrous, scary Hunding.

You can tell I prefer low voices and Wagner.


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## mamascarlatti

Sopranos
Maria Callas - without her, I'd probably never have come to opera. 1980, la Traviata on Radio 3. Hooked ever since!
Kathleen Battle. You don't have to be a wonderful human being to sound delicious.
Barbara Hendricks. I love that silvery quality.
Emma Kirkby. Ethereal purity.
Natalie Dessay. Such a comedienne!
Mirella Freni. What Sieglinde said.
Anna Netrebko. It's not so much the voice, it's the absolute conviction she brings to each part.

Mezzos
Sarah Connolly - Giulio Cesare, need I say more
Frederika Von Stade - Cherubino
Elina Garanza - la Cenerentola. Another lovely young mezzo (Jennifer Rivera) described her in her blog as : "she's like an incredible barbie doll singing robot. What I mean by that is that she's really beautiful and blond like a barbie, and she sings everything so well and so consistently, it's like someone made a perfect opera singing robot who makes no mistakes and never has a bad note. Like not one. Amazing!" http://sestissimo.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html

Tenors
Plácido Domingo - Otello and just about anything else
Jonas Kaufmann - I love his Don Jose and that baritonal quality to his voice
Juan Diego Florez - perfect for Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini

Baritones/Bass baritones
Dmitri Hvorostovsky - Hell, if I was Tatiana I'd fall for his Onegin on first sight too
Ruggero Raimondi - Sexy Scarpia, convincing Escamillo and a great talent for comedy
Bryn Terfel: my favourite Don Giovanni

For me it's got to be more the the voice. I like singer-actors.


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## Sieglinde

Oh - Battle is such a lovely Zerlina. And Pamina. 

And I forgot another tenor (shame on me!) - Christian Franz. He's a strange case - when you look at him, he's not quite what you imagine as "Hero", better a cunning trickster. But when he's onstage, he does magic, be it Loge, Siegmund, Siegfried or Parsifal. Next year I'll see him as Tristan - can't wait. He has a beautiful voice, not the big metallic one (but he can be strong where it's needed). He dares to sing, not shout. For example, he sang Winterstürme like a real Lied - lyric and almost entirely in piano. And it's wise - a woman like Sieglinde had enough of brutal basso machoism, she needs a gentle lover, not a shouting Heldentenor. And in last year's Siegfried, he and Evelyn Herlitzius did an unforgettable final duet - it didn't feel long at all. After it we asked them if they couldn't please sing the next day too? Alas, not. But he can do Loge, Siegmund and Götter-Siegfried in 4 days, with only young Siegfried sung by someone else.

And when it comes to Loge, let's not forget Michael Christensen from the Copenhagen Ring. Funniest Loge ever. I hope he'll move into the Britten repertoire too - definitely _that_ voice type.

And I forgot character tenors - here, hail to Heinz Zednik, aka Mime Incarnate, and another great Loge.

I think I have a thing for Loge... 

Too many good singers to list, apparently. I could also add Giuseppe di Stefano, that lovely Cavaradossi and Riccardo.


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## classidaho

Soprano, For visual, plus voice (I enjoy her a big step above Callas) :


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## emiellucifuge

I dont know much about or many opera singers but I think Cheryl Barker has the best Emilia Marty


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## Grosse Fugue

I agree with many of the post above but I must correct one oversight.
As Rosnia,Angelina and so many other bel canto and Handel roles

Mezzo-Joyce Didonato


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## mamascarlatti

Grosse Fugue said:


> I agree with many of the post above but I must correct one oversight.
> As Rosnia,Angelina and so many other bel canto and Handel roles
> 
> Mezzo-Joyce Didonato


Absolutely. Here she is also as a maddened tragic Dejanira in Handel's Hercules:


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## TWhite

Just a few:
Soprano:
Elizabeth Schwartzkopf
Leontyne Price
Barbara Hendricks 
Cheryl Studer
Annalise Rothenberger

Mezzo:
Frederica VonStade
Christa Ludwig
Teresa Berganza

Tenor: 
Siegfried Jerusalem
Thomas Rolf Truhitte
Rene Kollo
Placido Domingo

Baritone: 
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Thomas Hampson
Hermann Prey
Bernd Weikl

Tom


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## superhorn

There are so many singers I admire greatly,past and present.

Just to name some: Birgit Nilsson, Kirsten Flagstad, Lotte Lehmann,Renata Tebaldi,
Karita Mattila, Angela Gheorghiu, Renee Fleming, Anna Netrebko, Regine Crespin, 
Leonie Rysanek, Lisa Della Casa, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Hildegard Behrens, Marilyn Horne,
Teresa Berganza, Ceceilia Bartoli, Olga Borodina, Regina Resnik, Natlie Dessay, Susan Graham,
Janet Baker, Tatiana Troyanos,Frederica von Stade, Renata Scotto, Galina Vishnevskaya,
Galina Gorchakova, Christa Ludwig, Victoria De Los Angeles, Helga Dernesch,Elisabeth Soderstrom, Evelyn Lear,Jessye Norman, Leontyne Price, Shirley Verrett,Grace Bumbry,
Luciano Pavarotti,Placido Domingo, Nicolai Gedda, Lauritz Melchior, Carlo Bergonzi,Mario Del Monaco, Georges Thill, Juan Diego Florez, Ludwig Suthaus, Jon Vickers, Jess Thomas,James King,
Vladimir Galuzin, Wolfgang Windgassen, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,Hermann Prey, Sherill Milnes, 
Thomas Hampson, Hans Hotter, George London, Nicolai Ghiaurov,Feodor Chaliapin, 
Martti Talvela, Boris Christoff, Tito Gobbi, Ben Heppner, Thoe Adam,Peter Schreier,Fritz Wunderlich, Thomas Stewart, Peter Pears, Thomas Allen,Jose Van Dam, Kurt Moll, Rene Pape,
Matti Salminen, James Morris, Samuel Ramey. 
I could go on.


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## TWhite

World Violist said:


> Heldentenor!!! hehe
> 
> And basso profundo, but I don't think that readily applies to operatic tradition... still, it's really awesome.
> 
> In all seriousness, I love lyric soprano when it's done well. Gundula Janowitz in Karajan's Beethoven 9th gives me goosebumps...


I need to have my head examined, leaving Janowitz out of my favorite Soprano category: An incredible voice. Not only the Beethoven, but her recording of the Strauss Four Last Songs with Karajan is IMO, absolutely unbelievable. That voice is so pure that it almost tears my heart out. Just love her!

Tom


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## Almaviva

*CURRENT singers*

I won't include anybody dead or retired. I'll list *current* singers, that is, those still in activity in opera houses around the world, even though some of them are about to retire.

Lyric Coloratura Soprano - Natalie Dessay

Dramatic Coloratura Soprano - Edita Gruberová, Diana Damrau

Spinto Soprano - Sondra Radvanovsky

Light Lyric Soprano - ? Maybe Dorothea Röschmann?

Full Lyric Soprano - Renée Fleming, Kiri Te Kanawa, Angela Gheorghiu, Anna Netrebko

Dramatic Soprano - Nina Stemme, Karita Mattila, Debora Voigt

Lyric Mezzo - Susan Graham, Sarah Connolly

Coloratura Mezzo - Elina Garanca, Cecilia Bartoli, Joyce DiDonato

Dramatic Mezzo - Olga Borodina

Contralto - Nathalie Stutzmann, Sara Mingardo, Marie-Nicole Lemieux

---

Countertenor - Andreas Scholl

Light Lyric Tenor - Juan Diego Flórez

Lyric Tenor - Ramón Vargas, Rollando Villazón, Joseph Calleja

Spinto Tenor - Plácido Domingo, Jonas Kaufmann

Dramatic Tenor - Jose Cura

Heldentenor - Simon O'Neill, Peter Seiffert, Ben Heppner, Stephen Gould

Baritone - Bryn Terfel, Carlos Álvarez

Bass-Baritone - Bryn Terfel again (he sings both ranges), René Pape, Johm Relyea, James Morris (about to retire)


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## rgz

Almaviva said:


> I won't include anybody dead or retired. I'll list *current* singers, that is, those still in activity in opera houses around the world, even though some of them are about to retire.
> 
> Lyric Coloratura Soprano - Diana Damrau, Natalie Dessay
> 
> Dramatic Coloratura Soprano - Edita Gruberová, Sondra Radvanovsky


I believe Diana Damrau is a dramatic coloratura (lately moving into light lyric territory) and Sondra Radvanovsky is a spinto. Aside from that, excellent choices


----------



## jhar26

Almaviva said:


> is José van Dam still singing?


He gave his farewell performance as an opera singer a couple of months ago (Massenet's "Don Quixote" if I remember correctly). He will continue singing recitals and such.


----------



## Aramis

Soprano: Stratas, Freni, Price

Mezzo: Darnesch

Tenor: Rene Kollo, Jon Vickers, Wiesław Ochman, eventually Jerusalem too, but I'm not really great fan of him. 

Baritone: James Morris (amazing Wotan in Levine's Ring), Hvorostovsky, Fischer-Dieskau, recently also highly impressed by Leif Roar.


----------



## Almaviva

rgz said:


> I believe Diana Damrau is a dramatic coloratura (lately moving into light lyric territory) and Sondra Radvanovsky is a spinto. Aside from that, excellent choices


I stand corrected, then! Thanks for the clarification. Duly edited above.


----------



## Almaviva

jhar26 said:


> He gave his farewell performance as an opera singer a couple of months ago (Massenet's "Don Quixote" if I remember correctly). He will continue singing recitals and such.


Thanks, I have edited the list to exclude him.

The reason I'm focusing on current singers has to do with our ongoing discussions. Yes, we all have our favorites from the past and they are great (and many of them actually better than our current singers will ever be), but it is more productive for the future of the field to uphold and patronize the people who are carrying the traditions forward and keeping opera alive.


----------



## Almaviva

I'll go all Myaskowsky on you and will resuscitate this thread.
It's a nice thread!


----------



## rgz

Soprano
Far and away, *Natalie Dessay* is my #1. In fact, there's times I'm not sure if it's opera I like so much as it is Ms. Dessay. 
Distant second is *Diana Damrau*, who I think could approach my top tier if she could tame a bit of the strident tone that she tends to have. I know it's part of her voice and works very well for her in some roles (love her Martern aller Arten and of course Der Holle Rache), but it works less well in other circumstances.
*Joan Sutherland *- what's not to love about her voice?
*Maria Callas* - not sure if I like her voice because of or in spite of the metallic bite it has.
*Kathleen Battle* - such a vivid counterpoint to most of the above, tone-wise. Perhaps the very definition of a "silvery" tone, lovely to listen to.
(Notice any pattern here .... can probably guess my favorite fach  )

Soprano, to me, is *the* basic vocal type of opera. It all starts here and is by far my favorite to listen to.

Mezzos:
No one in particular stands out for me

Tenor:
*Pavarotti*'s voice is astonishing and I could listen to him sing anything.
*Juan Diego Florez* is another I particularly like.

Baritone: 
*Thomas Hampson *is a favorite, as is *Simon Keenlyside*

Bass-Baritone:
*Bryn Terfel* has the voice of a god

Bass:
*Kurt Moll*


----------



## Aramis

Updated list

Tenors: Vickers, Kollo, Domingo, Corelli, Ochman

Baritones: Andrzej Hiolski (I don't list others as it's the only voice category where I'm totally sure who's my number one)

Sopranos: None, I hate them all, all sopranos suck. Uhm, not really, but I have hard time appreciating individual qualities of sopranos. I don't love any soprano as much as I happen to love my favourite tenors, I get new recordings because of them and stuff while with sopranos I don't care that much. Some that I like would be Schwartzkopf, Callas, Stratas, Price, Janowitz but none of them makes me wet with their individuality and characteristic voices I'M NOT GAY  

Mezzo: Darnesch


----------



## Almaviva

Aramis said:


> Updated list
> 
> Tenors: Vickers, Kollo, Domingo, Corelli, Ochman
> 
> Baritones: Andrzej Hiolski (I don't list others as it's the only voice category where I'm totally sure who's my number one)
> 
> Sopranos: None, I hate them all, all sopranos suck. Uhm, not really, but I have hard time appreciating individual qualities of sopranos. I don't love any soprano as much as I happen to love my favourite tenors, I get new recordings because of them and stuff while with sopranos I don't care that much. Some that I like would be Schwartzkopf, Callas, Stratas, Price, Janowitz but none of them makes me wet with their individuality and characteristic voices I'M NOT GAY
> 
> Mezzo: Darnesch


What about sopranos with cool ****? Do you like them?


----------



## Aramis

Is it some kind of new soprano category? I like the idea, lyrical soprano, dramatic soprano, coloratura soprano, soprano with cool ****... as a composer myself I'll make sure that my first opera's score would openly call for "sopranos with cool ****".


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## Almaviva

Aramis said:


> Is it some kind of new soprano category? I like the idea, lyrical soprano, dramatic soprano, coloratura soprano, soprano with cool ****... as a composer myself I'll make sure that my first opera's score would openly call for "sopranos with cool ****".


Now you're talking! Make sure you let me know about the première, I'll be on the front row!:tiphat:


----------



## World Violist

I'm not going to go all specific like Alma, largely because I still don't know what any of those terms mean.

Soprano: Christiane Oelze, Christine Shafer
Mezzo/Alto: Magdalena Kozena, Nathalie Stutzmann, Monica Groop
Tenor: Just saying "Fritz Wunderlich" and leaving it at that is kinda cheating, isn't it...
Baritone: Gerald Finley, Jose van Dam, Matthias Goerne
Bass: Matti Salminen


----------



## mamascarlatti

Aramis said:


> Sopranos: None, I hate them all, all sopranos suck. Uhm, not really, but I have hard time appreciating individual qualities of sopranos. I don't love any soprano as much as I happen to love my favourite tenors, I get new recordings because of them and stuff while with sopranos I don't care that much. Some that I like would be Schwartzkopf, Callas, Stratas, Price, Janowitz but none of them makes me wet with their individuality and characteristic voices* I'M NOT GAY *


Seeing that you claim to be female I believe you.


----------



## World Violist

mamascarlatti said:


> Seeing that you claim to be female I believe you.


Here we go again with members with good memory skills.


----------



## Almaviva

World Violist said:


> Here we go again with members with good memory skills.


Hehehe, funny. It reminds me of a joke I read yesterday:

From a CV:

"Excellent memory; great math skills. Excellent memory."


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Soprano: *Irmgard Seefried*

Contralto: *Kathleen Ferrier*

Tenore: *Giuseppe di Stefano*

(Baritone: *Ettore Bastianini*)

Bass: *Boris Christoff*

Note: If I have to choose only one of each type at this moment !

Note 2: I think it's impossible to choose the favorite of each voice type. it depends on many things. Each of our favorite singers could be sometimes very auwfull in some arias, lieds, etc... You can not find a singer that could be able to sing everything great.


----------



## Almaviva

Il_Penseroso said:


> Soprano: *Irmgard Seefried*
> 
> Alto: *Kathleen Ferrier*
> 
> Tenore: *Giuseppe di Stefano*
> 
> Bass: *Boris Christoff*
> 
> Note: If I have to choose only one of each type at this moment !
> 
> Note 2: I think it's impossible to choose the favorite of each voice type. it depends on many things. Each of our favorite singers could be sometimes very auwfull in some arias, lieds, etc... You can not find a singer that could be able to sing everything great.


Hey, Il Penseroso, it's good to have you here as a new member who likes opera; welcome. Wouldn't you want to participate of our current project of picking the most recommended DVD/blu-ray versions for each of our top 100 recommended operas? It's going on in the Opera on DVD and Blu-ray subforum. We're currently voting for the most recommended version of Les Troyens.


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Almaviva said:


> Hey, Il Penseroso, it's good to have you here as a new member who likes opera; welcome. Wouldn't you want to participate of our current project of picking the most recommended DVD/blu-ray versions for each of our top 100 recommended operas? It's going on in the Opera on DVD and Blu-ray subforum. We're currently voting for the most recommended version of Les Troyens.


Hi dear Almaviva,

Glad to be there if i have time. Unfortunately *Les Troyens* is not the opera I know about the DVD or Blue-ray Version. I have the *Philips LP* conducted by *Colin Davis* with the Royal Opera House chorus and Orchestra (I'm a fan of old recordings LPs, etc ...) But I surely follow that Thread for the other operas if i can help.


----------



## Sieglinde

Gotta add Peter Rose to basses - just heard him live in Vienna and what a glorious, healthy voice! He's also got impertinently easy low notes - he just went down and made a holiday on them, but never seemed to fight. And his presence... he looks like a bull but he's surprisingly agile and fit. (My mom: "how logical that this skinny baritone guy just pwn'd him like that!")

He's exactly the type who walks onstage and you can feel EVIL overwhelming the theatre.


----------



## Almaviva

Sieglinde said:


> Gotta add Peter Rose to basses - just heard him live in Vienna and what a glorious, healthy voice! He's also got impertinently easy low notes - he just went down and made a holiday on them, but never seemed to fight. And his presence... he looks like a bull but he's surprisingly agile and fit. (My mom: "how logical that this skinny baritone guy just pwn'd him like that!")
> 
> He's exactly the type who walks onstage and you can feel EVIL overwhelming the theatre.


Nice. Another very active Talk Classical member who likes opera. Welcome!:tiphat:
Don't forget to vote in our current project - in the subforum, we're picking the most recommended DVDs and Blu-rays for each of our top 100 operas.

http://www.talkclassical.com/12131-project-list-recommended-dvd.html


----------



## mamascarlatti

Almaviva said:


> Nice. Another very active Talk Classical member who likes opera. Welcome!:tiphat:


You don't know the half of it. Sieglinde writes the best and funniest opera synopses in the business.

Great to have you on the forum, Sieglinde.


----------



## sospiro

Sieglinde said:


> Gotta add Peter Rose to basses - just heard him live in Vienna and what a glorious, healthy voice! He's also got impertinently easy low notes - he just went down and made a holiday on them, but never seemed to fight. And his presence... he looks like a bull but he's surprisingly agile and fit. (My mom: "how logical that this skinny baritone guy just pwn'd him like that!")
> 
> He's exactly the type who walks onstage and you can feel EVIL overwhelming the theatre.


Welcome Sieglinde. Looking forward to reading your unique view of the opera world.

@ Natalie - did you see this?


----------



## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> You don't know the half of it. Sieglinde writes the best and funniest opera synopses in the business.
> 
> Great to have you on the forum, Sieglinde.


Oh, she's *that* Sieglinde? Nice!!!

@ Siegliende: you seem like the ideal person to contribute to this thread (I tried but nobody followed):

http://www.talkclassical.com/12109-companion-thread-opera-one.html


----------



## emiellucifuge

I feel jealous of the opera forum, its by far the most active part of the site, and I have so little to add here.

Soprano: Waltraud Meier, by far the best Tristan Ive seen, and as Tristan is the greatest opera...
Alto: No idea 
Tenor: Most of them are dead (Pavarotti), otherwise Mr Villazon or PLacido
Bass: From what Ive seen I like Matti Salminen's voice but find his acting a little stiff.


----------



## Almaviva

emiellucifuge said:


> I feel jealous of the opera forum, its by far the most active part of the site, and I have so little to add here.


Well, get into it, then! You can start watching more opera DVDs, listening to more opera CDs, and attending live opera when possible, then you work your way through the most recommended operas. Opera can be learned.


----------



## emiellucifuge

Dont worry I am!

I go to a 4 or 5 operas per season, currently have tickets to Evgeny Onegin and Der Rosenkavalier.

The only issue is - Operas are long. DVDs cost a lot of money, and you need to set aside a whole evening to watch one. In terms of just listening, its not something you can listen to while commuting or in your spare hour.
As im in my final year of school Im slightly too busy for this, but in a few months Ill be free to watch hundreds of operas.


----------



## sospiro

emiellucifuge said:


> Dont worry I am!
> 
> I go to a 4 or 5 operas per season, currently have tickets to Evgeny Onegin and Der Rosenkavalier.


That's fantastic. Hope you have a great time



emiellucifuge said:


> The only issue is - Operas are long. DVDs cost a lot of money, and you need to set aside a whole evening to watch one. In terms of just listening, its not something you can listen to while commuting or in your spare hour.
> As im in my final year of school Im slightly too busy for this, but in a few months Ill be free to watch hundreds of operas.


You don't _have_ to listen to the whole opera at one go. I listen to a chunk on my mp3 player as I 'commute', then listen to the another chunk next day. With DVDs, I'll watch an Act each night if I can but sometimes if I'm busy it takes me a week to watch a whole opera.


----------



## mamascarlatti

emiellucifuge said:


> Tenor: Most of them are *dead (Placido*), otherwise Mr Villazon


Whaat? All of these people are going to be severely disppointed

Plácido Domingo Schedule 2011:

Tokyo, Japan 
April 10,2011
NHK Hall
concert with Ana Maria Martinez, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra,Eugene Kohn

Tokyo, Japan 
April 13, 2011
Suntory Hall
concert with Ana Maria Martinez, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugene Kohn

San Juan, Puerto Rico 
April 17, 2011
Coliseo
Concert with Ana Maria Martinez, Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico

Washington, DC 
May 6,9,12,15,17,20,25,28, 2011
Iphigénie en Tauride
Washington National Opera

San Antonio, TX 
June 1, 2011
AT&T Center
Placido Domingo in Concert

Paris, France 
June 20,24,27,30, 2011
Il Postino
Théâtre du Châtelet

Barcelona, Spain 
July 6,9, 2011
Tamerlano
Gran Teatre del Liceu

London, UK 
July 29, 2011
The O2 Arena 
Concert with Angela Gheorghiu, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugene Kohn

Český Krumlov, Czech Republic 
August 20, 2011
City Parking P2
Concert with Ana Maria Martinez, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, E. Kohn
Tickets


----------



## emiellucifuge

mamascarlatti said:


> Whaat? All of these people are going to be severely disppointed
> 
> Plácido Domingo Schedule 2011:
> 
> Tokyo, Japan
> April 10,2011
> NHK Hall
> concert with Ana Maria Martinez, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra,Eugene Kohn
> 
> Tokyo, Japan
> April 13, 2011
> Suntory Hall
> concert with Ana Maria Martinez, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugene Kohn
> 
> San Juan, Puerto Rico
> April 17, 2011
> Coliseo
> Concert with Ana Maria Martinez, Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico
> 
> Washington, DC
> May 6,9,12,15,17,20,25,28, 2011
> Iphigénie en Tauride
> Washington National Opera
> 
> San Antonio, TX
> June 1, 2011
> AT&T Center
> Placido Domingo in Concert
> 
> Paris, France
> June 20,24,27,30, 2011
> Il Postino
> Théâtre du Châtelet
> 
> Barcelona, Spain
> July 6,9, 2011
> Tamerlano
> Gran Teatre del Liceu
> 
> London, UK
> July 29, 2011
> The O2 Arena
> Concert with Angela Gheorghiu, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugene Kohn
> 
> Český Krumlov, Czech Republic
> August 20, 2011
> City Parking P2
> Concert with Ana Maria Martinez, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, E. Kohn
> Tickets


Oops 

did not mean him! meant pavarotti.. will edit to avoid people being confused


----------



## Almaviva

emiellucifuge said:


> Oops
> 
> did not mean him! meant pavarotti.. will edit to avoid people being confused


I was wondering the same thing...:lol:

About opera - During my commute (35 minutes each way) I always listen to opera.
I listen to an average of four full operas per week. But anyway, I'm a little *too* crazy about it. At your age, I wasn't as active, so, you got a big head start already.:tiphat:


----------



## MAuer

I would never be able to compile a list of favorites in each of the catorgies in the exhaustive list of "Fächer" shown in earlier posts! Part of the problem is that I simply don't like the Hochdramatische voice. While I can objectively ackowledge that there are and have been many great singers whose voices would have fit this description, subjectively I just can't find the sound of such voices attractive.

So, with that caveat, here is a lst of some of my favorites:

SOPRANOS:
*Sena Jurinac *(Discovered her by surprise when I purchased a recording to hear another singer, and was just bowled over by the beauty of her "lyric verging on dramatic" -- as one critic expressed it -- voice)
*Camilla Nylund *(who was Jurinac's student. She shares much of the same repertoire as her countrywoman, Karita Mattila, but doesn't seem to be nearly as well known in the U.S. or the U.K. as Mattila. That's unfortunate, because I think she's very much Mattila's equal in vocal quality and dramatic ability)
*Katia Ricciarelli *(How I wish the poor lady had been able to resist Karajan's offers to sing roles -- i.e., Turandot -- that were simply too weighty for her lyric soprano)
*Ileana Cotrubas *(What a Violetta! And so deeply affecting in many other roles.)
*Patrizia Ciofi *(Much the same as Cotrubas)

MEZZOS
*Agnes Baltsa *(Her Amneris actually sounds like an attractive young woman who would have probably won Radames' heart had Aida not come along)
*Sophie Koch*
*Shirley Verrett *(I know she later changed to the soprano repertoire -- but what an incredile Princess Eboli!)
*Teresa Berganza*
*Fiorenza Cossotto*
*Liliana Nikiteanu*

TENORS
Jonas Kaufmann (who else?)
Fritz Wunderlich
Siegfried Jerusalem (High notes were always a problem, but the beautiful, lyrical quality of his singing won me over and persuaded me to explore Wagner's operas)
José Carreras (my favorite of the Three Tenors)
Giacomo (nee Jaime) Aragall

BARITONES
*Sherrill Milnes *(a.k.a. The Baritone God)
*Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau *(With his attractive lyric baritone, still by far the most truly evil Pizarro I've ever heard. Too bad he wasn't allowed to handle the dialogue as well on the recording.)
*Dietrich Henschel *(Sounds uncannily like F-D, and I think he may have been F-D's student. Also one of the most truly vicious Pizarros I've heard, with the range and agility to cope with Beethoven's difficult score)
*Anthony Michaels-Moore*
*Leo Nucci*

BASS-BARITONES
*Bryn Terfel
James Morris*

BASSES
Kurt Moll
Gwynne Howell
Stephen Milling
Franz Crass
Giorgio Tadeo


----------



## Seattleoperafan

Soprano: Sutherland, Nilsson, Milanov, Flagstad, Ponselle, Callas, Varnay, Norman, Price. Mezzo: Verrett, Bumbry, R. Stevens, Janet Baker. Contralto: Ferrier, Podles, Forrester. Tenor: Bjorling, de Stephano, Corelli, Tucker, Pavarotti, Melchoir. Baritone: Warren, Titto Ruffo, Kwiecen ( sp) , Bass: George London, Enzio Pinza, Stephen Milling


----------



## Aramis

Seattleoperafan said:


> de Stephano


comte Jean-Pierre de Stephano (1884-1938), one of my favoruite French tenors as well.


----------



## Seattleoperafan

Aramis said:


> comte Jean-Pierre de Stephano (1884-1938), one of my favoruite French tenors as well.


 I'm sure he is wonderful. Giuseppi in my instance.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Restricting myself to 5 in each voice type, except for those voice types (contralto, male alto/countertenor) for which I can't find enough singers I like.

Sopanos

*Maria Callas* Simply _hors concours_ 
*Elisabeth Schwarzkopf*
*Victoria De Los Angeles* 
*Maggie Teyte*
*Lucia Popp*

Mezzos

*Janet Baker*
*Agnes Baltsa* 
*Frederica Von Stade* 
*Lorraine Hunt Lieberson* 
*Joyce DiDonato*

Contralto

*Kathleen Ferrier*

Countertenor

*David Daniels*

Tenor

*Fritz Wunderlich
Pladido Domingo
Jon Vickers
Nicolai Gedda
Jussi Bjoerling*

Baritone

*Tito Gobbi
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Piero Cappuccilli
Giuseppe Taddei
Dmitri Hvorostovsky*

Bass-baritones and basses

*Boris Christoff
Nicolai Ghiaurov
Nicola Zaccaria
Jose Van Dam
Bryn Terfel*


----------



## schigolch

As of November, 2013:

Sopranos: Rosa Ponselle, Claudia Muzio, Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Joan Sutherland, Magda Olivero, Kirsten Flagstad

Mezzo/Altos: Kathleen Ferrier, Giulietta Simionato, Waltraud Meier, Marilyn Horne, Ebe Stignani, Shirley Verrett, Lucia Valentini Terrani

Tenors: Enrico Caruso, Jussi Björling, Sergei Lemeshev, Beniamino Gigli, Alfredo Kraus, Lauritz Melchior, Luciano Pavarotti

Baritones: Riccardo Stracciari, Mattia Battistini, Pavel Lisitsian, Leonard Warren, Giuseppe de Luca, Heinrich Schlusnus, Giuseppe Taddei

Bass: Alexander Kipnis, Ezio Pinza, Nazzareno de Angelis, Mark Reizen, Tancredi Pasero, Samuel Ramey, Cesare Siepi

Countertenors: Philippe Jaroussky, David Daniels, Alfred Deller, Bejun Mehta, Iestyn Davies, Russel Oberlin, Brian Asawa


----------



## SixFootScowl

I have some favored singers but don't know if they sing opera. I don't recall seeing soprano Elly Ameling in this thread. Also three fine sopranos who sing on the NAXOS' Nabal: Maya Boog, Francine van der Heijden, and Linda Perillo.


----------



## Seattleoperafan

TallPaul said:


> I have some favored singers but don't know if they sing opera. I don't recall seeing soprano Elly Ameling in this thread. Also three fine sopranos who sing on the NAXOS' Nabal: Maya Boog, Francine van der Heijden, and Linda Perillo.


Elly Ameling was a recitalist only, as far as I remember. You must like light lyric sopranos.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Seattleoperafan said:


> Elly Ameling was a recitalist only, as far as I remember. You must like light lyric sopranos.


Indeed I do. Another very good one is Carolyn Sampson. As for opera singers, I have little experience with opera and so probably have no business replying on this thread, but... I did go through the thread in detail and noticed that soprano Lucia Popp was mentioned quite a few times, and think I also saw one mention of soprano Gundula Janowitz, both in the 1978 Bernstein Fidelio that I ordered (both DVD and CD).


----------



## Couac Addict

I don't think I have a favourite for voice types. I have favourites for certain roles but that's for another thread.


----------



## Autumn Leaves

Well, my most favorite singers aren't necessarily the most famous ones… so my list might seem a little odd.

Sopranos:

1. Anna Netrebko (amazing melodic voice, I'm extremely happy to have heard her live twice)
2. Larisa Yudina (an excellent coloratura soprano, makes a wonderful Queen of the Night)
3. Diana Damrau (the same)

Mezzos:

1. Yekaterina Semenchuk (great voice, especially for Verdi parts)
2. Christa Ludwig (sadly, I'm too young to have seen her onstage)
3. Irina Bogacheva (though elderly, she still gives one the shudders as the Queen of Spades)

Lyrical tenors:
1. Roberto Alagna (made me cry in Il ballo in maschera)
2. Vladimir Galuzin (his dramatic skills are as great as his voice)
3. Will Hartmann (the best Tamino I ever heard)

Character tenors:
1. Karl-Michael Ebner (actually inspired me to study German)
2. Andrey Popov (wonderfully touching in any role)
3. Heinz Zednik (a very good actor)

The lower voices are my eternal favorites, so I can't think of any short comments

Baritones:
1. Vladimir Moroz
2. Alexandr Gergalov
3. Simon Keenlyside

Basses:
1. Eduard Tsanga (my most favorite one of all!)
2. Rene Pape
3. Evgeny Nikitin


----------



## Alfredoz

Here are my favorite opera artists:

Sopranos:

1.) Maria Callas
2.) Anna Moffo
3.) Edita Gruberova
4.) Gina Cigna
5.) Dilber Yunus
6.) Lily Pons
7.) Beverly Sills
8.) Shirley Verrett


Mezzosopranos:

1.) Giulietta Simionato
2.) Oralia Dominguez
3.) Minghini-Cattaneo Irene
4.) Elmo Cloe
5.) Dolora Zajick
6.) Ebe Stignani


Contraltos:

1.) Clara Butt
2.) Ernestine Schumann-Heink
3.) Sigrid Onegin

Tenors:

1.) Franco Corelli
2.) Mario Filippeschi
3.) Mario Del Monaco
4.) Gregory Kunde
5.) Alfredo Kraus
6.) Nicolai Gedda
7.) Renato Cioni
8.) Richard Tucker

Baritones:
1.) Sherrill Milnes
2.) Lawrence Tibbett
3.) Robert Merrill
4.) Tito Gobbi


----------



## Bellinilover

Wow, Alfredoz! The first three baritones on your "favorites" list are my favorites as well, and in exactly that order! For #4, though, I'd probably put either Thomas Allen or Simon Keenlyside -- I love them both.

I generally have a hard time listing my favorite singers in any kind of order. But I will say that my favorite sopranos are Rosa Ponselle, Joan Sutherland, Renee Fleming, and Leontyne Price, and that my favorite mezzo is Jennifer Larmore. When all is said and done, Jonas Kaufmann might be my favorite tenor. But it's so hard to choose, because there are so many sub-categories within these main categories: Verdi baritone, lyric baritone, dramatic tenor, Rossini tenor, etc.


----------



## Bellinilover

Oh yes, and I can definitely say that my favorite Rossini tenor is Raul Gimenez. I wonder, does anyone here remember him? He was a bit like Florez only less technically "dazzling" but with more "inner" emotion.


----------



## Alfredoz

Hi Bellinilover, Rosa Ponselle has a dark, velvety tone and is very pleasing on the ears. Her high notes are warm and not grating too. Some speculated that she is actually a mezzosoprano. I'm not much of a fan of Joan Sutherland as I find her trills too light and high notes too thin for my taste but some of her Lucias are well-performed. Do you enjoy singing too?


----------



## Bellinilover

Alfredoz said:


> Hi Bellinilover, Rosa Ponselle has a dark, velvety tone and is very pleasing on the ears. Her high notes are warm and not grating too. Some speculated that she is actually a mezzosoprano. I'm not much of a fan of Joan Sutherland as I find her trills too light and high notes too thin for my taste but some of her Lucias are well-performed. Do you enjoy singing too?


I don't sing much anymore, but I did used to study voice in order to sing Broadway musical theatre repertoire. I never had the potential for opera, but if I had I'd be a mezzo.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Alfredoz said:


> I'm not much of a fan of Joan Sutherland as I find her trills too light and high notes too thin for my taste . Do you enjoy singing too?


I'm not much of a Sutherland fan (for reasons I've documented in posts elsewhere on the site) but surely her trills and incredible high notes are two of the undisputed glories of her voice!


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## Woodduck

There are different ways to enjoy singers. We may admire their musicianship or style, we may respond to their personalities, or we may simply thrill to the sound of their voices. I like different singers for different reasons, and that makes them hard to compare and rank. So I'm going to skirt the problem somewhat and focus on singers who have enlarged my concept of what singing, particularly operatic singing, is capable of, vocally and artistically. It isn't intended to be an exhaustive list, and there are certainly many great singers I've never heard or heard of (or perhaps don't care for), but it will be a good basic overview of my favorites. The fact that these are mostly singers who are no longer active reflects in part my age, in part my tastes, in part my ignorance, and in part my genuine conviction that few present day interpreters of the central operatic repertoire (basically, late 18th to early 20th century) are the vocal peers of the singers whose technical and stylistic approach derived from the age of bel canto, which began with the castrati and ended with the innovations of Wagner, late Verdi, and verismo. A few of the singers I list actually lived and performed while Verdi was still composing operas, and that makes them of particular interest today.

Here are my choices, arranged by vocal range and chronologically by singer.

Sopranos:
Amelita Galli-Curci, Lucrezia Bori, Frida Leider, Lotte Lehmann, Elisabeth Schumann, Graziella Pareto, Claudia Muzio, Kirsten Flagstad, Rosa Ponselle, Mafalda Favero, Maria Cebotari, Magda Olivero, Elisabeth Grummer, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Maria Callas

Mezzos:
Irene Minghini-Cataneo, Conchita Supervia, Cloe Elmo, Irina Arkhipova, Christa Ludwig, Janet Baker

Contraltos:
Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Sigrid Onegin, Marian Anderson, Kathleen Ferrier, Maureen Forrester, Ewa Podles

Tenors:
Fernando de Lucia, Francisco Vinas, Enrico Caruso, Dmitri Smirnov, Alfred Piccaver, Aureliano Pertile, Tito Schipa, Beniamino Gigli, Lauritz Melchior, Antonio Cortis, Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, Aksel Schiotz, Leopold Simoneau, Jussi Bjorling, Cesare Valetti, Jon Vickers. I must also mention three phenomenal cantors: Gershon Sirota (Caruso reportedly would attend temple services just to hear him), Mordechai Hershman, and Berele Chagy.

Baritones:
Mattia Battistini, Maurice Renaud, Mario Ancona, Ricardo Stracciari, Giuseppe de Luca, Pasquale Amato, Joseph Schwarz, Heinrich Schlusnus, Lawrence Tibbett, Pavel Lisitsian, Tito Gobbi

Bass-baritones and Basses:
Pol Plancon, Feodor Chaliapin, Friedrich Schorr, Alexander Kipnis, Ezio Pinza, Mark Reizen, Boris Christoff, Alexander Ognivtsev, Boris Shtokolov


I hope this very personal and incomplete list will be useful especially to possibly skeptical younger opera lovers who have heard old geezers like me talking about the "golden age" of operatic singing and who would like to do some investigating for themselves. Whatever we may think about the artists of the past, there is no question that they have things to teach us. 

There's plenty of material on YouTube. I'd love to hear about your discoveries!


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Woodduck said:


> There are different ways to enjoy singers. We may admire their musicianship or style, we may respond to their personalities, or we may simply thrill to the sound of their voices. I like different singers for different reasons, and that makes them hard to compare and rank. So I'm going to skirt the problem somewhat and focus on singers who have enlarged my concept of what singing, particularly operatic singing, is capable of, vocally and artistically. It isn't intended to be an exhaustive list, and there are certainly many great singers I've never heard or heard of (or perhaps don't care for), but it will be a good basic overview of my favorites. The fact that these are mostly singers who are no longer active reflects in part my age, in part my tastes, in part my ignorance, and in part my genuine conviction that few present day interpreters of the central operatic repertoire (basically, late 18th to early 20th century) are the vocal peers of the singers whose technical and stylistic approach derived from the age of bel canto, which began with the castrati and ended with the innovations of Wagner, late Verdi, and verismo. A few of the singers I list actually lived and performed while Verdi was still composing operas, and that makes them of particular interest today.
> 
> Here are my choices, arranged by vocal range and chronologically by singer.
> 
> Sopranos:
> Amelita Galli-Curci, Lucrezia Bori, Frida Leider, Lotte Lehmann, Elisabeth Schumann, Graziella Pareto, Claudia Muzio, Kirsten Flagstad, Rosa Ponselle, Mafalda Favero, Maria Cebotari, Magda Olivero, Elisabeth Grummer, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Maria Callas
> 
> Mezzos:
> Irene Minghini-Cataneo, Conchita Supervia, Cloe Elmo, Irina Arkhipova, Christa Ludwig, Janet Baker
> 
> Contraltos:
> Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Sigrid Onegin, Marian Anderson, Kathleen Ferrier, Maureen Forrester, Ewa Podles
> 
> Tenors:
> Fernando de Lucia, Francisco Vinas, Enrico Caruso, Dmitri Smirnov, Alfred Piccaver, Aureliano Pertile, Tito Schipa, Beniamino Gigli, Lauritz Melchior, Antonio Cortis, Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, Aksel Schiotz, Leopold Simoneau, Jussi Bjorling, Cesare Valetti, Jon Vickers. I must also mention three phenomenal cantors: Gershon Sirota (Caruso reportedly would attend temple services just to hear him), Mordechai Hershman, and Berele Chagy.
> 
> Baritones:
> Mattia Battistini, Maurice Renaud, Mario Ancona, Ricardo Stracciari, Giuseppe de Luca, Pasquale Amato, Joseph Schwarz, Heinrich Schlusnus, Lawrence Tibbett, Pavel Lisitsian, Tito Gobbi
> 
> Bass-baritones and Basses:
> Pol Plancon, Feodor Chaliapin, Friedrich Schorr, Alexander Kipnis, Ezio Pinza, Mark Reizen, Boris Christoff, Alexander Ognivtsev, Boris Shtokolov
> 
> I hope this very personal and incomplete list will be useful especially to possibly skeptical younger opera lovers who have heard old geezers like me talking about the "golden age" of operatic singing and who would like to do some investigating for themselves. Whatever we may think about the artists of the past, there is no question that they have things to teach us.
> 
> There's plenty of material on YouTube. I'd love to hear about your discoveries!


I haven't heard all the singers on your list, but, of those I have heard, your tastes chime very much with my own.

The one tenor not on your list who is very high on mine is Fritz Wunderlich, who had, to my ears, one of the most headily beautiful tenor voices I have ever heard. He died young, whilst still honing his interpretive skills, but he was already a most musical singer. His Tamino is the best I've ever heard. He sings the tenor songs in *Das Lied von der Erde* with more ease and sheer beauty of tone than any tenor I've ever come across.

I think one of the things I respond to in his singing is its sheer unfettered joy. I have a recording of him singing Lara's _Granada_ (in German), to a splashily vulgar accompaniment, but it never fails to lift my spirits. You know those people whose infectious good spirits have a habit of brushing off on everyone around them? That is exactly the impression I get when I listen to it, and it is sung with a sunny Italianate tone, that some of his Italian coevals would envy.

That he was capable of deeper emotion too is evident from his final Edinburgh concert, where his response to the poetry of *Dicterliebe* has a refinement and depth missing from the commercial recording made a year or two earlier.


----------



## Alfredoz

I adore Irene Minghini-Cataneo! Her middle and lower register are powerful and thrilling. Too bad there isn't many recordings of her.

I love her rendition of O Mio Fernando( I'm a fan of such mezzosoprano voices!):


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> I haven't heard all the singers on your list, but, of those I have heard, your tastes chime very much with my own.
> 
> The one tenor not on your list who is very high on mine is Fritz Wunderlich, who had, to my ears, one of the most headily beautiful tenor voices I have ever heard. He died young, whilst still honing his interpretive skills, but he was already a most musical singer. His Tamino is the best I've ever heard. He sings the tenor songs in *Das Lied von der Erde* with more ease and sheer beauty of tone than any tenor I've ever come across.
> 
> I think one of the things I respond to in his singing is its sheer unfettered joy. I have a recording of him singing Lara's _Granada_ (in German), to a splashily vulgar accompaniment, but it never fails to lift my spirits. You know those people whose infectious good spirits have a habit of brushing off on everyone around them? That is exactly the impression I get when I listen to it, and it is sung with a sunny Italianate tone, that some of his Italian coevals would envy.
> 
> That he was capable of deeper emotion too is evident from his final Edinburgh concert, where his response to the poetry of *Dicterliebe* has a refinement and depth missing from the commercial recording made a year or two earlier.


Thanks for that reminder and reproof. Wunderlich was the best of his kind and I'm ashamed to say that I just haven't listened to him enough. I shall correct that situation. That said, there was another wonderful German lyric tenor, Anton Dermota, who shouldn't be forgotten. He did a beautiful Tamino on an old Karajan _Zauberflote_ and a great David on somebody's _Meistersinger_ (Kna's?)

I could have included quite a few more singers, either because they're good or just because I'm fond of them in some way or other. There are a few present day people I might mention, but given my premise, or my limited experience of them, I feel the jury in my brain is still out on their achievements. Maybe I'll do a shorter list of purely personal favorites and talk about why I love them.


----------



## Woodduck

Alfredoz said:


> I adore Irene Minghini-Cataneo! Her middle and lower register are powerful and thrilling. Too bad there isn't many recordings of her.
> 
> I love her rendition of O Mio Fernando( I'm a fan of such mezzosoprano voices!):


I know about her only because I found her on your list! Thank you. One of the best mezzos I've ever heard.


----------



## Rhythm

*All of it, but especially this*.


Woodduck said:


> ...Whatever we may think about the artists of the past, there is no question that they have things to teach us. ...


I'm so planning to read this entire thread today! These most recent posts have enthused me again to listen especially to sopranos. Since around the mid 1980s I think, I began failing to keep up with some of the best in North America, understanding how their choices for moving away from the stage changed the directions of their lives. Alas.

Thanks for keeping this thread what it is.

R.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> There are different ways to enjoy singers. We may admire their musicianship or style, we may respond to their personalities, or we may simply thrill to the sound of their voices. I like different singers for different reasons, and that makes them hard to compare and rank. So I'm going to skirt the problem somewhat and focus on singers who have enlarged my concept of what singing, particularly operatic singing, is capable of, vocally and artistically. It isn't intended to be an exhaustive list, and there are certainly many great singers I've never heard or heard of (or perhaps don't care for), but it will be a good basic overview of my favorites. The fact that these are mostly singers who are no longer active reflects in part my age, in part my tastes, in part my ignorance, and in part my genuine conviction that few present day interpreters of the central operatic repertoire (basically, late 18th to early 20th century) are the vocal peers of the singers whose technical and stylistic approach derived from the age of bel canto, which began with the castrati and ended with the innovations of Wagner, late Verdi, and verismo. A few of the singers I list actually lived and performed while Verdi was still composing operas, and that makes them of particular interest today.
> 
> Here are my choices, arranged by vocal range and chronologically by singer.
> 
> Sopranos:
> Amelita Galli-Curci, Lucrezia Bori, Frida Leider, Lotte Lehmann, Elisabeth Schumann, Graziella Pareto, Claudia Muzio, Kirsten Flagstad, Rosa Ponselle, Mafalda Favero, Maria Cebotari, Magda Olivero, Elisabeth Grummer, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Maria Callas
> 
> Mezzos:
> Irene Minghini-Cataneo, Conchita Supervia, Cloe Elmo, Irina Arkhipova, Christa Ludwig, Janet Baker
> 
> Contraltos:
> Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Sigrid Onegin, Marian Anderson, Kathleen Ferrier, Maureen Forrester, Ewa Podles
> 
> Tenors:
> Fernando de Lucia, Francisco Vinas, Enrico Caruso, Dmitri Smirnov, Alfred Piccaver, Aureliano Pertile, Tito Schipa, Beniamino Gigli, Lauritz Melchior, Antonio Cortis, Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, Aksel Schiotz, Leopold Simoneau, Jussi Bjorling, Cesare Valetti, Jon Vickers. I must also mention three phenomenal cantors: Gershon Sirota (Caruso reportedly would attend temple services just to hear him), Mordechai Hershman, and Berele Chagy.
> 
> Baritones:
> Mattia Battistini, Maurice Renaud, Mario Ancona, Ricardo Stracciari, Giuseppe de Luca, Pasquale Amato, Joseph Schwarz, Heinrich Schlusnus, Lawrence Tibbett, Pavel Lisitsian, Tito Gobbi
> 
> Bass-baritones and Basses:
> Pol Plancon, Feodor Chaliapin, Friedrich Schorr, Alexander Kipnis, Ezio Pinza, Mark Reizen, Boris Christoff, Alexander Ognivtsev, Boris Shtokolov
> 
> I hope this very personal and incomplete list will be useful especially to possibly skeptical younger opera lovers who have heard old geezers like me talking about the "golden age" of operatic singing and who would like to do some investigating for themselves. Whatever we may think about the artists of the past, there is no question that they have things to teach us.
> 
> There's plenty of material on YouTube. I'd love to hear about your discoveries!


---
There plenty of corroborative evidence on You Tube, yes; but also get a leg-up with Steane's insights-- and then go to You Tube, and see how right he is. Ha. Ha. Ha.:









I'm constantly referencing and cross-referencing this book of his; and all of his other books on singers as well. Just about the most sympathetic and searching criticism on singing that can be imagined in a single volume.


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## MAuer

Bellinilover said:


> Oh yes, and I can definitely say that my favorite Rossini tenor is Raul Gimenez. I wonder, does anyone here remember him? He was a bit like Florez only less technically "dazzling" but with more "inner" emotion.


He recently sang the Abate in David McVicar's production of _Adriana Lecouvreur_ at the Vienna State Opera.


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## Woodduck

Marschallin Blair said:


> ---
> There plenty of corroborative evidence on You Tube, yes; but also get a leg-up with Steane's insights-- and then go to You Tube, and see how right he is. Ha. Ha. Ha.:
> 
> View attachment 39051
> 
> 
> I'm constantly referencing and cross-referencing this book of his; and all of his other books on singers as well. Just about the most sympathetic and searching criticism on singing that can be imagined in a single volume.


Everybody can't be wrong! I'm sold! I'm sold!


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## BaronScarpia

My love of precision and categorisation tempts me to order my favourite singers by Fach... I may have to do so!

SOPRANOS
Dramatic coloratura - Joan Sutherland; the perfect opera singer, wonderful and indescribable (also Damrau, Moser, Deutekom, Gruberova and Devia)
Lyric coloratura - Anna Moffo; a voice like warmed-up honey (also Auger, Dessay, Serra, Hallstein and Battle - sorry!!)
Light lyric - Cotrubas and Popp are equal!
Full lyric - too many to choose from! My favourites are Fleming, Gheorghiu, Caballe, Te Kanawa and Freni, though I also like Anna Netrebko and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Lirico spinto - either of the two great Renatas (Scotto or Tebaldi) - but I have a penchant for Leontyne Price too
Dramatic - favourites are probably Birgit Nilsson, and, though she's actually a mezzo, Waltraud Meier

MEZZO-SOPRANO
Lyric - Janet Baker and Elina Garanca
Coloratura - Joyce DiDonato and Teresa Berganza
Dramatic - Maybe Christa Ludwig? Perhaps Ebe Stignani? Not too sure...

CONTRALTO
There are so few of them, there's no point in categorising them further! Ewa Podles, and, to be controversial, MARILYN HORNE! Marie-Nicole Lemieux is also pretty great.

COUNTERTENOR
James Bowman, Philippe Jaroussky, Andreas Scholl

TENOR
Leggero - Florez and Brownlee
Lyric - so many! Beczala, Gedda, Villazon, Bjoerling, Alagna, but favourite probably Pavarotti - sorry!
Spinto - Jonas Kaufmann
Dramatic - Enrico Caruso
Heldentenor - maybe Ben Heppner?
Mozart tenor - Fritz Wunderlich - a flawless sound, a truly great instrument

Out of interest, what Fach would you say Placido Domingo fits into? He's my favourite tenor, but what is he? I'd say spinto...

BARITONE
Lyric - Thomas Allen, Thomas Hampson; two overall favourites are Fischer-Dieskau and Simon Keenlyside (oh, and Robert Merill!)
Verdi - Probably Tito Gobbi or Sherrill Milnes
Dramatic - Louis Quilico

BASS-BARITONE
Bryn Terfel, Luca Pisaroni, Tom Krause, John Shirley-Quirk RIP 

BASS
Ferruccio Furlanetto (what a VOICE!), Kurt Moll, Rene Pape, Samuel Ramey, Matthew Rose


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## Woodduck

"In my lifetime there have been three vocal miracles: Caruso, Ruffo, and Ponselle." - Tullio Serafin

Rosa Ponselle in 1918, age 21: 




Rosa Ponselle in 1926, age 29: 




Rosa Ponselle in 1936, age 39: 




Rosa Ponselle at home in 1954, age 57: 




"The rest is silence." - Hamlet


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## schigolch

We devoted a thread to Rosa Ponselle here at TC some years ago:

http://www.talkclassical.com/14611-first-thread-singer-depth.html


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## Marschallin Blair

Woodduck said:


> "In my lifetime there have been three vocal miracles: Caruso, Ruffo, and Ponselle." - Tullio Serafin
> 
> Rosa Ponselle in 1918, age 21:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rosa Ponselle in 1926, age 29:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rosa Ponselle in 1936, age 39:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rosa Ponselle at home in 1954, age 57:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "The rest is silence." - Hamlet


_Danke schon Herr Direktor._


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## Woodduck

schigolch said:


> We devoted a thread to Rosa Ponselle here at TC some years ago:
> 
> http://www.talkclassical.com/14611-first-thread-singer-depth.html


Thanks! Can't have too much of her.


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## Woodduck

TITO SCHIPA (1888-1965) - Tenore di grazia

Of my several "favorite" tenors, here is the one I love the most.

All the great tenors paid tribute to this beautiful man and artist. His unmistakeable, plaintive timbre, exquisite diction, and sensitive musicality made him beloved wherever he performed. With a voice of smallish size and range which could nonetheless be heard clearly to the back rows, he was very successful in lyric tenor roles from Donizetti to Massenet, and gave numerous solo recitals of opera and song. As heard on his many recordings, Schipa sings easily and naturally, with aristocratic style, without artifice, and with such warmth, clarity and intimacy that we feel as if he were speaking to us personally.

Here he is singing "E la solita storia del pastore" from Cilea's _L'arlesiana_:






Some lighthearted, elegant Verdi:






And here's a song by Tosti. The Italian language has never sounded so beautiful!






Every singer should listen and learn from this guy. So:


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## Alfredoz

I think Placido domingo is more of dramatic/helden tenor? He has a baritonal timbre, his notes above Ab4 sounds pinched and lack the characteristic shimmer that one would normally associate with tenors . Still, he instills life into the character and his middle/lower register is virile!


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## Alfredoz

@Marschallin Blair : It seems that most of your favourite opera artists reign over the period between 1910s to 1940s?


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## Alfredoz

@Woodduck: Thanks for sharing the beautiful voice of Tito Schipa! It seems that he seldoms go above high B4/C5 in many of the recordings I heard on Youtube?


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## schigolch

Tito Schipa was a miracle. After listening to some of his performances, sometimes it's difficult to believe that we have actually hearing a singer, instead of just dreaming it.

There are many examples of the above. Let me mention now this wonderful "Duetto delle ciliegie", sung with Mafalda Favero, from Mascagni's _L'amico Fritz_.


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## Woodduck

schigolch said:


> Tito Schipa was a miracle. After listening to some of his performances, sometimes it's difficult to believe that we have actually hearing a singer, instead of just dreaming it.
> 
> There are many examples of the above. Let me mention now this wonderful "Duetto delle ciliegie", sung with Mafalda Favero, from Mascagni's _L'amico Fritz_.


I can't thank you enough for posting this duet. Simply glorious! What a demonstration of the expressive power of the human voice, not to mention the eloquence of the sung word. Schipa said that singing must be like speaking, only with music. Here is the ultimate validation of that. You are right, it is like a dream. Did I really just hear it? I must repeat it just to be sure.

No. No. We do not hear such singing now. I love this with all my soul. Grazie. Grazie.


----------



## Woodduck

Alfredoz said:


> I think Placido domingo is more of dramatic/helden tenor? He has a baritonal timbre, his notes above Ab4 sounds pinched and lack the characteristic shimmer that one would normally associate with tenors . Still, he instills life into the character and his middle/lower register is virile!


Domingo began as a baritone. Obviously he will end as one too! But his career as a tenor has been a fine one. Other voices may have more brilliance and ease at the top, but his technique has served him well for almost 50 years. Not bad.


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## marcbusquet

Domigo 
Panerai
Zajick
Milnes
Ramey


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## marcbusquet

MAuer said:


> I would never be able to compile a list of favorites in each of the catorgies in the exhaustive list of "Fächer" shown in earlier posts! Part of the problem is that I simply don't like the Hochdramatische voice. While I can objectively ackowledge that there are and have been many great singers whose voices would have fit this description, subjectively I just can't find the sound of such voices attractive.
> 
> So, with that caveat, here is a lst of some of my favorites:
> 
> SOPRANOS:
> *Sena Jurinac *(Discovered her by surprise when I purchased a recording to hear another singer, and was just bowled over by the beauty of her "lyric verging on dramatic" -- as one critic expressed it -- voice)
> *Camilla Nylund *(who was Jurinac's student. She shares much of the same repertoire as her countrywoman, Karita Mattila, but doesn't seem to be nearly as well known in the U.S. or the U.K. as Mattila. That's unfortunate, because I think she's very much Mattila's equal in vocal quality and dramatic ability)
> *Katia Ricciarelli *(How I wish the poor lady had been able to resist Karajan's offers to sing roles -- i.e., Turandot -- that were simply too weighty for her lyric soprano)
> *Ileana Cotrubas *(What a Violetta! And so deeply affecting in many other roles.)
> *Patrizia Ciofi *(Much the same as Cotrubas)
> 
> MEZZOS
> *Agnes Baltsa *(Her Amneris actually sounds like an attractive young woman who would have probably won Radames' heart had Aida not come along)
> *Sophie Koch*
> *Shirley Verrett *(I know she later changed to the soprano repertoire -- but what an incredile Princess Eboli!)
> *Teresa Berganza*
> *Fiorenza Cossotto*
> *Liliana Nikiteanu*
> 
> TENORS
> Jonas Kaufmann (who else?)
> Fritz Wunderlich
> Siegfried Jerusalem (High notes were always a problem, but the beautiful, lyrical quality of his singing won me over and persuaded me to explore Wagner's operas)
> José Carreras (my favorite of the Three Tenors)
> Giacomo (nee Jaime) Aragall
> 
> BARITONES
> *Sherrill Milnes *(a.k.a. The Baritone God)
> *Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau *(With his attractive lyric baritone, still by far the most truly evil Pizarro I've ever heard. Too bad he wasn't allowed to handle the dialogue as well on the recording.)
> *Dietrich Henschel *(Sounds uncannily like F-D, and I think he may have been F-D's student. Also one of the most truly vicious Pizarros I've heard, with the range and agility to cope with Beethoven's difficult score)
> *Anthony Michaels-Moore*
> *Leo Nucci*
> 
> BASS-BARITONES
> *Bryn Terfel
> James Morris*
> 
> BASSES
> Kurt Moll
> Gwynne Howell
> Stephen Milling
> Franz Crass
> Giorgio Tadeo


It's good to see your baritone' list! 
Sherrill Milnes is for me a god too and I can't understand why a lot of people don't like Mr. Milnes !!


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## BalalaikaBoy

Isabelle said:


> I´m personally only going to name my favorite sopranos, mezzos as I haven´t looked into male voices enough to make a good judgement about them, so I´d rather not until I know more. I´m curious to hear which combinations of singers are favored by other people, because I´m interested in other people´s tastes aswell.
> Soprano:
> *Joan sutherland* - By far my absolute favorite singer ever. I love everything about her singing, the fast coleratura, the beautiful voice, the sweet sound in the middle and high notes with that incredible weight of voice. Perfection in a human voice


^preach!

my favorites? 
*Soprano*​*Lyric Coloratura/Soubrette:* Barbara Bonney
*Dramatic Coloratura Soprano:* Dame Joan Sutherland
*Lyric Soprano:* Annick Massis
*Spinto Soprano:* Leontyne Price
*Dramatic Soprano:* Kirsten Flagstad

*Mezzo Soprano*​*Lyric Mezzo:* Joyce DiDonato
*Dramatic Mezzo:* Milla Edelman

*Contralto*​*Contralto:* Ewa Podles

*Tenor​**Leggiero Tenor:* none! lol
*Lyric Tenor:* Nicolai Gedda
*Spinto Tenor:* Anatoli Solovyanenko
*Dramatic Tenor:*Ramon Vinay

*Baritone​**Lyric Baritone:* Robert Merrill
*Verdi Baritone:* Sherrill Milnes
*Dramatic Baritone:* Renato Bruson
*Bass-baritone:* Thomas Quastoff

*Bass*​*basso cantante:* Samuel Ramey (he is like Joan Sutherland as a bass. no one else comes close)
*basso profundo:* Paul Robeson (even though he was a communist pig lol)

*"Mystery Voices"*​1) Maria Callas
2) Shirley Verrett


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## nina foresti

Soprano-Magda Olivero
Tenor- Neil Shicoff (Mario Lanza first, if you count non opera tenors)
Baritone- Ettore Bastianini
Mezzo- Giulietta Simionato
Bass-Baritone- Samuel Ramey
Bass- Cesare Siepi


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## BalalaikaBoy

this is worth a bump 
update:

my favorites? 
*Soprano*​
*Lyric Coloratura:* June Anderson
*Dramatic Coloratura Soprano:* Dame Joan Sutherland
*Lyric Soprano:* Annick Massis
*Spinto Soprano:* Martina Arroyo
*Dramatic Soprano:* Kirsten Flagstad

*Mezzo Soprano*​
*Lyric Mezzo:* Jennifer Larmore
*Dramatic Mezzo:* Christel Lindstat

*Contralto​
Contralto:* Ewa Podles

*Tenor*​
*Leggiero Tenor:* still none! lol
*Lyric Tenor:* Nicolai Gedda
*Spinto Tenor:* Anatoli Solovyanenko
*Dramatic Tenor:* Ramon Vinay

*Baritone*​
*Lyric Baritone:* Hakan Hagegard
*Verdi Baritone:* Mykola Kondratyuk
*Dramatic Baritone:* Robert Merrill
*Bass-baritone:* Willard White

*Bass​
basso cantante:* Samuel Ramey 
*basso profundo:* Boris Shtokolov

Edit: I feel extremely stupid for ever considering Robert Merrill a "lyric" voice of any kind. he is a mighty, commanding dramatic baritone if there ever was one.


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## BaritoneAssoluto

My favorite(s) are the in-between voice types. The operas that were composed for their voice types were to demonstrate powerful, declamatory singing with a balanced sound from the high end to the low end, powerful and dramatic acting to complement the singing and most importantly the immense use of the coloratura and fioritura abilities. Those singers that represents that are:
1. Maria Callas
and.
2. Shirley Verrett

I first fell in love with Maria Callas and it was off of her "Later" career period. I received an autobiography of her story released by Sony and I listened to the 2 CD tracks that were in the back of the book. Her interpretation of the Mezzo-Soprano role of Dalilah, in the aria of "Printemps qui commence", was more than enough to get my artistic blood boiling. That one aria demonstrated her wonderful usage of rubato, mezzo di voce, strong chest tones and even stronger lower notes. Despite reading the lining and it talked about how they had to retake because her low notes were muffled, I laughed because if those low notes sounded "muffled" or even bottled, they were some of the best muffle sounds in the world. That was just the beginning of my fascination and love for this wonderful artistic and musical genius. She belongs in the ultimate guild of powerful interpretaters and the real movers and shakers of this world.


----------



## BalalaikaBoy

BaritoneAssoluto said:


> My favorite(s) are the in-between voice types. The operas that were composed for their voice types were to demonstrate powerful, declamatory singing with a balanced sound from the high end to the low end, powerful and dramatic acting to complement the singing and most importantly the immense use of the coloratura and fioritura abilities. Those singers that represents that are:
> 1. Maria Callas
> and.
> 2. Shirley Verrett
> 
> I first fell in love with Maria Callas and it was off of her "Later" career period. I received an autobiography of her story released by Sony and I listened to the 2 CD tracks that were in the back of the book. Her interpretation of the Mezzo-Soprano role of Dalilah, in the aria of "Printemps qui commence", was more than enough to get my artistic blood boiling. That one aria demonstrated her wonderful usage of rubato, mezzo di voce, strong chest tones and even stronger lower notes. *Despite reading the lining and it talked about how they had to retake because her low notes were muffled, I laughed because if those low notes sounded "muffled" or even bottled, they were some of the best muffle sounds in the world*. That was just the beginning of my fascination and love for this wonderful artistic and musical genius. She belongs in the ultimate guild of powerful interpretaters and the real movers and shakers of this world.


I remember laughing at this too. Maria's lower register was amazing. Actually, this reminds me of the clip that got me into her, which wasn't even a clip of her singing an aria. XD


----------



## Tuoksu

*Sopranos:*

*Dramatic Coloratura:* Maria Callas, Rosa Ponselle, Joan Sutherland, June Anderson, Alexanderina Pendatchanska, Cristina Deutekom
*Lyric Coloratura:* Natalie Dessay, Mado Robin, Lily Pons, Beverly Sills
*Spinto:* Raina Kabaivanska, Leyla Gencer, Sondra Radvanovsky, Renata Tebaldi, Claudia Muzio, Montserrat Caballé
*Dramatic Soprano:*Anita Cerquetti, Ghena Dimitrova 
*Wagnerian Soprano:* Birgit Nilsson

*Mezzo-sopranos:*
*Coloratura mezzo: * Cecilia Bartoli, Joyce Didonato
*Dramatic mezzo:* Fedora Barbieri, Fiorenza Cossotto, Giulietta Simionato, Ebe Stignani, Dolora Zajick, Elena Obraztsova, Shirley Verrett

*Tenors:* Franco Corelli, Placido Domingo, Enrico Caruso, Mario Del Monaco, Giuseppe di Stefano

*Baritones:* Renato Bruson, Piero Cappuccilli, Sherrill Milnes, Rolando Panerai, Leo Nucci, Zeljko Lucic, Thomas Hampson

*Basses:* Samuel Ramey, James Morris


----------



## JosefinaHW

*Mikhail Petrenko*, Shostakovich, _Symphony No. 13 B Flat Minor_, Berlin Philharmonic, Males of Rundfunkchor Berlin, Performance June 23, 2016 (Today)

I cannot say if he is my favorite Bass--_I searched the forum for current male singers, favorite Bass', etc., but I didn't find such a thread_)--but I heard him sing for the first time today in the above performance on the Digital Concert Hall and I *very* much liked his voice and presence on the stage.

He performs in two other pieces in the archive of the DCC, _Die Walküre_ (May 2012) and Rachmaninov's _Kolokola/The Bells _(November 2012); I plan to watch them next. I would like to hear other's opinion on his voice and other performance recommendations.

(P.S. For any of you who are aware of the_ Leo Nucci Thread_, I have not forgotten him; I will need to do more study before I reply and continue to post in that thread.)


----------



## BaritoneAssoluto

I often joke around a lot and say that if she had a life to live over again, she could've been a great female "baritone" or "bass-baritone". I could easily see her bossing Samuel Ramey, Nicholai Ghiuarov around with her splendid chest tones and chesty coloratura!

Such a fantastic display that regardless of what voice type you are, you must must MUST have chest tones! It is essential to every operatic singer to have! Just because you are bass or contralto, doesn't mean you just sing low notes all the time. Just because you're a tenor or a soprano, still doesn't mean you have to just sing high notes all the time either. Being biased as a baritone, I feel mezzos and Baritones (and in-between voices,) have it so much easier than the rest. You can be casted in multi-faceted roles that were originally given to voices that were rigid and "obscuro".


----------



## BalalaikaBoy

adding clips

Soprano

Lyric Coloratura: June Anderson





Dramatic Coloratura Soprano: Dame Joan Sutherland





Lyric Soprano: Annick Massis





Spinto Soprano: Martina Arroyo





Dramatic Soprano: Kirsten Flagstad





Mezzo Soprano

Lyric Mezzo: Jennifer Larmore





Dramatic Mezzo: Shirley Verrett





Contralto

Contralto: Ewa Podles





Tenor

Leggiero Tenor: still none! lol

Lyric Tenor: Nicolai Gedda





Spinto Tenor: Anatoli Solovyanenko





Dramatic Tenor: Ramon Vinay





Baritone

Lyric Baritone: Hakan Hagegard





Verdi Baritone: Mykola Kondratyuk





Dramatic Baritone: Robert Merrill





Bass-baritone: Willard White





Bass

basso cantante: Samuel Ramey 





basso profundo: Boris Shtokolov


----------



## BaritoneAssoluto

Reading Sherrill Milnes, he's described Merrill as a "one of a kind lyric baritone", Jerome Hines also stated that his voice was very lyrical and combined the theatrics of a dramatic baritone but the lyricism/musicianship of a lyric baritone.


----------



## Seattleoperafan

Soprano: Sutherland, Ponselle, Flagstad, Varnay, Nilsson, some Callas, Milanov, Steber, Tetrazinni, Tebaldi, Caballe. Sutherland is the best . Fleming is my favorite contemporary singer.
Mezzo/ Contralto: Horne, Verrett, Podles, Larmore, Stignani, Dallas, and Rise Stevens, Forrester ( one of the most beautiful voices of all time) the best Carmen and Dalila, Baker
Tenor: Bjorling, Caruso, Alexander ( LOVED his voice), Tucker, Vinay, Melchoir, Windgassen
Baritone: Leonard Warren ( my favorite), Kwiecen ( so gorgeous to look at!!!!), Merrill, Gobbi
Bass: I LOVE George London. Pinza, Chaliapin, Milling
Countertenor: MY FAV is David Hansen, but also Daniels, Jaroussky and Fagioli


----------



## Seattleoperafan

BalalaikaBoy said:


> adding clips
> 
> Spinto Soprano: Martina Arroyo
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> m/watch?v=UQY5GKdUxzU[/url]


I find Arroyo to be a boring singer BUT she had one of the most beautiful soprano voices ever!!!! The color of her voice was just gorgeous. She was much more entertaining on TV talk shows. My sister knew her in Switzerland. Said she was very nice and funny. Martina's voice was bigger than Price, especially at the top. She would have been a bigger star if she had been less ugly. She was built for singing, though.


----------



## BalalaikaBoy

Seattleoperafan said:


> Soprano: Sutherland, Ponselle, Flagstad, Varnay, Nilsson, some Callas, Milanov, Steber, Tetrazinni, Tebaldi, Caballe. *Sutherland is the best* . Fleming is my favorite contemporary singer.


head and shoulders above the rest



> Tenor: Bjorling, Caruso, *Alexander ( LOVED his voice)*, Tucker, Vinay, Melchoir, Windgassen


TREMENDOUSLY underrated!



> Countertenor: MY FAV is David Hansen, but also Daniels, *Jaroussky* and Fagioli


he is adorable. can't say I much enjoy the rest :lol:


----------



## BalalaikaBoy

Seattleoperafan said:


> I find Arroyo to be a boring singer BUT she had one of the most beautiful soprano voices ever!!!! The color of her voice was just gorgeous. She was much more entertaining on TV talk shows. My sister knew her in Switzerland. Said she was very nice and funny. Martina's voice was bigger than Price, especially at the top. *She would have been a bigger star if she had been less ugly. *She was built for singing, though.


lmao! I was thinking the same thing (didn't want to say it though XD)

as for Price, she is wonderful when I'm in the mood, but is not an every day cup of tea the way Sutherland, Kondratyuk or Ramey are.


----------



## graziesignore

Soprano- Anna Moffo 

Tenor- Giacomo Aragall, Ugo Benelli, Placido Domingo (out of respect for his wide repertoire)

Baritone- Giorgio Zancanaro

Bass- Cesare Siepi (Sam Ramey a close second)

Mezzo- Viorica Cortez (Fiorenza Cossutto)


Those are all performers of the 1960s through 1980s. Current singers today who I will watch/listen to in anything:

Soprano- Joyce DiDonato, Sonia Yoncheva

Tenor- Saimir Pirgu, Matthew Polenzani

Baritone- Zeljko Lucic

Bass- Haven't found a great bass of today yet :-(

Mezzo- ditto, just haven't come across any who jump out at me.


----------



## Lensky

Here are some of my favorite singers for a few years now 

_Soprano_: Maria Callas/ Teresa Stich-Randall / Régine Crespin / Monserrat Caballé

_Tenor_: Carlo Bergonzi / Franco Corelli / Giuseppe Di Stefano

_Baritone_: Nicolae Herlea / Ettore Bastianini/ Giuseppe Taddei

_Bass_: Nicolaï Ghiaurov / Martti Talvela / Zoltan Kelemen

_Mezzo_: Shirley Verrett / Viorica Cortez / Fiorenza Cossotto


----------



## graziesignore

(Dang it, I meant Fiorenza Cossotto; I always misspell her name because I keep mixing it up with Carlo Cossutta, the tenor...)


----------



## Pugg

graziesignore said:


> (Dang it, I meant Fiorenza Cossotto; I always misspell her name because I keep mixing it up with Carlo Cossutta, the tenor...)


I do think we all understood.


----------



## LouisMasterMusic

classidaho said:


> Soprano, For visual, plus voice (I enjoy her a big step above Callas) :


Tremendous, full of fire!


----------



## LouisMasterMusic

classidaho said:


> Soprano, For visual, plus voice (I enjoy her a big step above Callas) :


Tremendous, full of fire!


----------



## huntsman

I have no idea what _Coloratura Mezzo _and the like even means but I do know that Elina Garanca is one and I love her voice, along with that of Luciano Pavarotti and Roberto Alagna. A name I have not seen here is Kathleen Cassello, who sadly died in April...Loved her voice.

Here's to the future and all the wonderful experiences still to be had as a complete novice to the world of opera...thanks Mom!


----------



## Pugg

huntsman said:


> I have no idea what _Coloratura Mezzo _and the like even means but I do know that Elina Garanca is one and I love her voice, along with that of Luciano Pavarotti and Roberto Alagna.
> 
> Here's to the future and all the wonderful experiences still to be had as a complete novice to the world of opera...thanks Mom!


See this link, it's all there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezzo-soprano




Marilyn Horne - "Che disse?" / "Addio miei sospiri" - Gluck
And a example.


----------



## Sound Of Silence

Sopranos:
Maria Callas
Leyla Gencer
Carmen Monarcha
Renata Tebaldi
Anna Netrebko
Montserrat Caballe

Mezzo Sopranos:
Elina Garanca
Cecilia Bartoli

Tenors:
Pavarotti
Placido Domingo
Roberto Alagna
Andrea Bocelli
Jonas Kaufman


----------



## MarioDelMonacoViva

Sopranos:
Maria Callas
Joan Sutherland
Renata Tebaldi
Victoria de los Angeles
Renata Scotto
Mirella Freni
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Kiri Te Kanawa

Mezzo-spranos:
Janet Baker
Regine Crespin (later in her life)
Dolora Zajick
Christa Ludwig
Fiorenza Cosotto
Giuletta Simionato

Tenors:
Enrico Caruso
Jussi Bjorling
Mario Del Monaco
Giuseppe Di Stefano
Carlo Bergonzi
Placido Domingo
Beniamino Gigli
John Vickers
James McCracken

Baritones:
Dietrich-Fischer Dieskau
Tito Gobbi
Giuseppe Taddei
Robert Merrill
Sherill Milnes
Ruggero Raimondi
Samuel Ramey

Basses:
Gottlob Frick
James Morris
Gwynne Howell
Robert Lloyd


----------



## SixFootScowl

PlacidoDomingo said:


> Sopranos:
> Maria Callas
> Joan Sutherland
> Renata Tebaldi
> Victoria de los Angeles
> Renata Scotto
> Mirella Freni
> Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
> Kiri Te Kanawa
> 
> Mezzo-spranos:
> Janet Baker
> Regine Crespin (later in her life)
> Dolora Zajick
> Christa Ludwig
> Fiorenza Cosotto
> Giuletta Simionato
> 
> Tenors:
> Enrico Caruso
> Jussi Bjorling
> Mario Del Monaco
> Giuseppe Di Stefano
> Carlo Bergonzi
> Placido Domingo
> Beniamino Gigli
> John Vickers
> James McCracken
> 
> Baritones:
> Dietrich-Fischer Dieskau
> Tito Gobbi
> Giuseppe Taddei
> Robert Merrill
> Sherill Milnes
> Ruggero Raimondi
> Samuel Ramey
> 
> Basses:
> Gottlob Frick
> James Morris
> Gwynne Howell
> Robert Lloyd


Nice list. I suggest you check out mezzo Brigitte Fassbaender.


----------



## MozartsGhost

Heldentenor - Lauritz Melchoir


----------



## BalalaikaBoy

PlacidoDomingo said:


> *Baritones:*
> Dietrich-Fischer Dieskau
> Tito Gobbi
> Giuseppe Taddei
> Robert Merrill
> Sherill Milnes
> Ruggero Raimondi
> *Samuel Ramey*


not a bad list by any means, but...Samuel Ramey isn't a baritone. he has a wide range for sure, but he is a booming bass voice if there ever was one.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

GregMitchell said:


> Restricting myself to 5 in each voice type, except for those voice types (contralto, male alto/countertenor) for which I can't find enough singers I like.
> 
> Sopanos
> 
> *Maria Callas* Simply _hors concours_
> *Elisabeth Schwarzkopf*
> *Victoria De Los Angeles*
> *Maggie Teyte*
> *Lucia Popp*
> 
> Mezzos
> 
> *Janet Baker*
> *Agnes Baltsa*
> *Frederica Von Stade*
> *Lorraine Hunt Lieberson*
> *Joyce DiDonato*
> 
> Contralto
> 
> *Kathleen Ferrier*
> 
> Countertenor
> 
> *David Daniels*
> 
> Tenor
> 
> *Fritz Wunderlich
> Pladido Domingo
> Jon Vickers
> Nicolai Gedda
> Jussi Bjoerling*
> 
> Baritone
> 
> *Tito Gobbi
> Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
> Piero Cappuccilli
> Giuseppe Taddei
> Dmitri Hvorostovsky*
> 
> Bass-baritones and basses
> 
> *Boris Christoff
> Nicolai Ghiaurov
> Nicola Zaccaria
> Jose Van Dam
> Bryn Terfel*


To my original list I would like to add.

Sopranos

*Rosa Ponselle
Claudia Muzio
Frida Leider
Montserrat Caballé
Renata Scotto
Katia Ricciarelli*

Mezzos
*Conchita Supervia
Shirley Verrett* Yes, I know she also sang soprano roles, but I always preferred her as a mezzo.
*Christa Ludwig
Giulietta Simionato
Fedora Barbieri*

Tenors

*Enrico Caruso
Tito Schipa
Georges Thill
Richard Tauber
Beniamino Gigli*

Baritones

*Tita Ruffo
Gérard Souzay
Rolando Panerai
Eberhard Wächter
Alexander Kipnis*

Basses

*Feodor Chalipin
Ezio Pinza
Gottlob Frick
Cesare Siepi
Samuel Ramey

*


----------



## The Conte

GregMitchell said:


> To my original list I would like to add.
> 
> Sopranos
> 
> *Rosa Ponselle
> Claudia Muzio
> Frida Leider
> Montserrat Caballé
> Renata Scotto
> Katia Ricciarelli*
> 
> Mezzos
> *Conchita Supervia
> Shirley Verrett* Yes, I know she also sang soprano roles, but I always preferred her as a mezzo.
> *Christa Ludwig
> Giulietta Simionato
> Fedora Barbieri*
> 
> Tenors
> 
> *Enrico Caruso
> Tito Schipa
> Georges Thill
> Richard Tauber
> Beniamino Gigli*
> 
> Baritones
> 
> *Tita Ruffo
> Gérard Souzay
> Rolando Panerai
> Eberhard Wächter
> Alexander Kipnis*
> 
> Basses
> 
> *Feodor Chalipin
> Ezio Pinza
> Gottlob Frick
> Cesare Siepi
> Samuel Ramey
> 
> *


Lots I agree with here, however Kipnis was a bass.

I would also add Battistini and Milnes to the baritones and I notice a few singers I don't know very well (Georges Thill and Gerard Souzay) so I will have to have a YouTube listen some time.

N.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

The Conte said:


> Lots I agree with here, however Kipnis was a bass.
> 
> I would also add Battistini and Milnes to the baritones and I notice a few singers I don't know very well (Georges Thill and Gerard Souzay) so I will have to have a YouTube listen some time.
> 
> N.


Of course. Don't know what I was thinking. I'd agree with Battistini and Milnes too.


----------



## IgorS

Tenors:
Enrico Caruso
Franco Corelli
Jussi Bjorling
Giuseppe Di Stefano
Beniamino Gigli
Mario Del Monaco
Lauritz Melchior
Nicolai Gedda
Luciano Pavarotti

Baritones:
Titta Ruffo
Mattia Battistini
Riccardo Stracciari
Tito Gobbi
Apollo Granforte
Pasquale Amato

Basses:
Jose Mardones
Nicolai Ghiaurov
Ezio Pinza

Sopranos:
Maria Callas
Rosa Ponselle
Amelita Galli-Curci
Claudia Muzio
Emmy Destinn
Kirsten Flagstad
Birgit Nilsson
Anna Moffo
Renata Tebaldi
Montserrat Caballe
Luisa Tetrazzini
Nellie Melba

Mezzos:
Elena Obraztsova
Fedora Barbieri
Giulietta Simionato
Christa Ludwig
Fiorenza Cossotto
Agnes Baltsa
Oralia Dominguez

Contraltos:
Kathleen Ferrier
Clara Butt
Ernestine Schumann-Heink


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Basses:


Ferruccio Furlanetto
Kurt Moll
John Tomlinson
Samuel Ramey
Cesare Siepi
Baritones:

Hermann Prey
Richard Stilwell
Aldo Protti
Sherrill Milnes
Ruggero Raimondi
Tenors:

Beniamino Gigli
Luigi Alva
Jerry Hadley
Luciano Pavarotti
David Rendall
Contraltos:

Marijana Mijanovic
Ewa Podles
Delphine Galou
Sonia Prina
Sara Mingardo
Mezzo-Sopranos:

Anne Sofie von Otter
Rinat Shaham
Teresa Berganza
Risë Stevens
Frederica Von Stade
Sopranos:

Edda Moser
Kiri Te Kanawa
Mirella Freni
Felicity Lott
Renata Tebaldi


----------



## nina foresti

Sopranos: Olivero/Callas/Steber/Freni/Gheorghiu/Radvanovsky(Netrebko)
Tenors: Shicoff/Bjorling/DiStefano/Corelli/Tucker/Kaufmann(Alagna)
Mezzos: Simionato/DiDonato/Barton/Rachvelishvili/Garanca/Verrett(Blythe)
Baritones: Bastianini/Hvorostovsky/Lucic/Battistini/Finley/Mattei(Kelsey)
Bass/Bass-Baritones: Siepi/Pape/Ghiaurov/Pinza/Christoff/Ramey(Owens)


----------



## Meyerbeer Smith

Countertenors:
Max Emanuel Cencic
Franco Fagioli
Philippe Jaroussky
(Valer Sabadus isn't bad either.)

I'm normally more interested in the opera and the composer than the singer, and don't normally buy recital discs unless I want to get an obscure aria - BUT I've become addicted to countertenors, and buying recitals of Porpora or Hasse's arias for Caffarelli or Farinelli.


----------



## BalalaikaBoy

5 of each, in no particular order. I'll make an exception for sopranos because they vary so much (in tessitura by almost an octave and in timbre and weight from exceedingly bright/agile to formidable and dark)

Coloratura and Lyric Sopranos
1) Joan Sutherland
2) Ingaborg Hallstein
3) June Anderson
4) Edda Moser
5) Montserrat Caballe 

Spinto and Dramatic Sopranos
1) Kirsten Flagstad
2) Elena Souliotis
3) Ghena Dimitrova
4) Martina Arroyo
5) Helen Traubel

mezzos and contraltos 
(difficult to tell them apart at times, so I'll just combine them and go for 10. there are like 2 singers in all of opera who anyone can agree is a "real contralto")
1) Fedora Barbieri
2) Elena Obraztsova 
3) Tamara Sinyavskaya 
4) Elena Cernei
5) Eula Beal
6) Shirley Verrett 
7) Jennifer Larmore
8) Claramae Turner
9) Irene Minghini Cattaneo 
10) Agnes Baltsa*

*in all fairness, she really shouldn't be here as she has even admitted herself that she is actually a dramatic soprano in disguise, which I agree with after hearing her work as Lady Macbeth and Queen Elisabetta. even looking back on other pieces she's sung, the voice blooms at the top far more than I would expect from a true mezzo, even if she also has a respectable lower voice 

countertenors 
NONE!  

tenors
1) Giuseppe Giacomini
2) Anatoly Solovyanenko 
3) Set Svanholm
4) Ramon Vinay
5) James King

baritones
1) Apollo Amfortas
2) Robert Merrill
3) Cornell MacNeil 
4) Peter Glossop 
5) Nicolai Kondratyuk

basses/bass-baritones
1) Samuel Ramey
2) Boris Shtokolov 
3) Evgeny Nesterenko 
4) Giorgio Tadeo 
5) Giulio Neri


----------



## nina foresti

Oops! Change my baritone Mattei for a Merrill. (How could I have skipped you, Robert?) My bad.


----------



## IgorS

BalalaikaBoy:
Apollo Amfortas?
Do you mean Apollo Granforte? Amfortas is somebody from Parsifal as far as I remember.


----------



## BalalaikaBoy

no! I forgot Oralia Dominguez! We shall switch out Agnes Baltsa for her.


----------



## BalalaikaBoy

IgorS said:


> BalalaikaBoy:
> Apollo Amfortas?
> Do you mean Apollo Granforte? Amfortas is somebody from Parsifal as far as I remember.


oops. dyslexic moment


----------



## Bonetan

BalalaikaBoy said:


> countertenors
> NONE!


I strongly agree with this choice :lol:


----------



## adriesba

Here we go (subject to change/probably forgot someone obvious/kinda sorta but not exactly ranked):

*Soprano* (too many, I know, but I mostly like the first three): 
- Birgit Nilsson
- Gundula Janowitz
- Lucia Popp
- Montserrat Caballé
- Renata Scotto
- Kirsten Flagstad
- Maria Callas
- Joan Sutherland
- Éva Marton

(Please don't be mad that I didn't put you-know-who )

*Mezzo-soprano* (my mind is going blank. I know someone's missing):
- Christa Ludwig
- Waltraud Meier (is she a mezzo? )
- Shirley Verrett

*Contralto* (really want to add more, but I'm not familiar with many):
- Jean Madeira

*Tenor*:
- Jon Vickers
- Wolfgang Windgassen
- Franco Corelli
- Luciano Pavarotti
- Sándor Kónya
- Jess Thomas
- René Kollo (I think he gets just a bit too much criticism.)

(Please don't be mad that I didn't put Plácido Domingo. I think he's overrated.)

*Baritone* (I won't even try to rank them. It's too hard!):
- Bernd Weikl
- Sherrill Milnes
- Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Tito Gobbi

*Bass-baritone*:
- Hans Hotter
- Gustav Neidlinger
- Walter Berry
- Thomas Stewart
- Ruggero Raimondi

*Bass*:
- Kurt Böhme
- Gottlob Frick
- Nicolai Ghiaurov
- René Pape
- Kurt Moll

Well, there you have it.

Does anyone have any recommendations for contraltos that I should listen to?


----------



## Tsaraslondon

adriesba said:


> Does anyone have any recommendations for contraltos that I should listen to?


Kathleen Ferrier.

And for mezzos

Janet Baker 
Agnes Baltsa
Lorraine Hunt Lierberson
Giulietta Simionato


----------



## adriesba

Tsaraslondon said:


> Kathleen Ferrier.
> 
> And for mezzos
> 
> Janet Baker
> Agnes Baltsa
> Lorraine Hunt Lierberson
> Giulietta Simionato


Thanks. 

Maybe I was thinking of Agnes Baltsa.

The thing that confused me about mezzos is that there is often a lot of switching around. Sometimes sopranos will sing mezzo roles or mezzos will sing contralto roles or mezzos will sing soprano roles. I just went with what Wikipedia said the person's voice type was.


----------



## vivalagentenuova

*Coloratura Soprano:*
Amelita Galli-Curci
Luisa Tetrazzini
Nellie Melba
Blanche Arral
Adelina Patti
Selma Kurz
Alma Gluck
Felicie Huni-Mihacsek
Elvira de Hidalgo
Ada Sari

*Lyric Soprano*
Eide Norena
Elisabeth Rethberg
Claudia Muzio
Rosanna Carteri
Clara Petrella
Dorothy Kirsten
Tiana Lemnitz
Maria Muller
Elisabeth Schumann
Eleanor Steber
Frances Alda
Lotte Lehmann
Yvonne Gall
Virginia Zeani
Geraldine Farrar

*Spinto Soprano*
Renata Tebaldi
Giuseppina Baldassare-Tedeschi
Lina Bruna Rasa

*Dramatic Soprano*
Dusolina Giannini
Kirsten Flagstad
Helen Traubel
Frida Leider
Iva Pacetti
Maria Caniglia
Rosa Ponselle
Celestina Boninsegna
Rosa Raisa
Marta Fuchs
Germaine Lubin
Rose Pauly
Nanny Larsen-Todsen
Lilli Lehmann

*Mezzo-Soprano*
Bruna Castagna
Irene Minghini-Cattaneo
Oralia Dominguez
Armida Parsi-Pettinella

*Contralto*
Louise Kirkby Lunn
Sigrid Onegin
Margarethe Arndt-Ober
Emmi Leisner
Ernestine Schumann-Heink
Clara Butt
Louise Homer
Kerstin Thorborg

*Leggero Tenor*
Giovanni Malipiero
Luciano Pavarotti
Tito Schipa
Leonid Sobinov

*Lyric Tenor*
Beniamino Gigli
Andre d'Arkor
Georges Thill
Fernand Ansseau
Giuseppe di Stefano

*Spinto Tenor*
Galliano Masini
Daniele Barioni
Aureliano Pertile
Flaviano Labo

*Dramatic Tenor*
Lauritz Melchior
Mario Del Monaco
Enrico Caruso
Renato Zanelli
Richard Schubert
Helge Rosvaenge
Italo Righi Briani
Bernardo de Muro

*Baritone*
Riccardo Stracciari
Mattia Battistini
Gino Bechi
Apollo Granforte
Domenico Viglione-Borghese
Mario Basiola
Heinrich Schlusnus
Joseph Schwarz
Pavel Lisitsian
Umberto Urbano
Hans Reinmar
Titta Ruffo
Ettore Bastianini
Lawrence Tibbett
Hans-Hermann Nissen
Friedrich Schorr
Dinh Gilly
Richard Bonelli
Eugenio Giraldoni
Tito Gobbi
Renato Capecchi

*Bass*
Mark Reizen
Jose Mardones
Alexander Kipnis
Emanuel List
Ezio Pinza
Ivar Andresen
Wilhelm Tisch
Lev Sibiriyakov
Giulio Neri


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## Woodduck

I love singers with superb technique, unmistakable timbres, and CHARACTER! Not one of these singers could be mistaken for anyone else, and each contributed something irreplaceable to music. Apologies to today's big name singers, none of whom made the cut.

SOPS

Adelina Patti
Salomiya Krushelnytska 
Amelita Galli-Curci
Rosa Ponselle
Frida Leider
Elisabeth Schumann
Kirsten Flagstad
Claudia Muzio
Maria Callas
Renata Tebaldi
Elisabeth Grummer
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

M-SOPS

Conchita Supervia
Irene Minghini-Cataneo
Margarete Klose
Christa Ludwig
Irina Arkhipova
Janet Baker
Shirley Verrett

CONTS

Ernestine Schumann-Heink
Sigrid Onegin
Louise Homer

TENS

Enrico Caruso
Tito Schipa
Antonio Cortis
Lauritz Melchior
Jacques Urlus
Jussi Bjorling
Sergei Lemeshev
Leopold Simoneau
Cesare Valletti
Jon Vickers

BARS

Mattia Battistini
Pasquale Amato
Riccardo Stracciari
Joseph Schwarz
Lawrence Tibbett
Pavel Lisitsian
Jorma Hynninen
Thomas Allen

BS-BARS

Friedrich Schorr
Hans Hotter
Hermann Uhde
George London

BSS

Pol Plancon
Alexander Kipnis
Ezio Pinza
Gottlob Frick
Boris Shtokolov


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## Seattleoperafan

Kathleen Battle. You don’t have to be a wonderful human being to sound delicious. Mamascarlatti!
I have time on my hands. I loved this!!


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## Seattleoperafan

Duplicate post. Sorry/////


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## adriesba

Oh my, I think I must add Elisabeth Grümmer to my list.


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## Blutskarhud

Soprano: Elisabeth schwarzkopf, Kirsten flagstad, Birgit nilsson, Joan sutherland, Renata tebaldi, Lisa della casa, Sena jurinac. 
Mezzo: Christa ludwig, Janet baker, Marilyn horne, Giulietta simionato.


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## adriesba

Blutskarhud said:


> Soprano: Elisabeth schwarzkopf, Kirsten flagstad, Birgit nilsson, Joan sutherland, Renata tebaldi, Lisa della casa, Sena jurinac.
> Mezzo: Christa ludwig, Janet baker, Marilyn horne, Giulietta simionato.


Those are some great singers. 

By the way, welcome to Talk Classical. :tiphat:


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## MAS

*Sopranos* who have given me pleasure
María Callas

Kirsten Flagstad
Margaret Price 
Montserrat Caballe'
Joan Sutherland
Birgit Nilsson
Kiri Te Kanawa
Jessye Norman
Valerie Masterson
Anneliese Rothenberger
Kathleen Battle
Bidu Sayao
Julia Varady
Regine Crespin
Anita Cerquetti
Netania Davrath
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

*Mezzo-sopranos* who have given me pleasure
Fiorenza Cossotto
Marilyn Horne
Helga Dernesch
Christa Ludwig
Anne Sophie von Otter
Frederica Von Stade
Giulietta Simionato

*Tenors* who have given me pleasure 
Franco Corelli

Giacomo Aragall
José Carreras
Fritz Wunderlich
Laurence Dale
Roberto Alagna
Rolando Villazon
Luciano Pavarotti
Georges Thill
Alain Vanzo
John McCormack

*Countertenors* who have given me pleasure
Max Emanuel Cencic
Philippe Jaroussky
David Daniels
Iestin Davies
David Hansen

*Baritones* that have given me pleasure 
Ettore Bastianini
Tito Gobbi
Cornell MacNeil
José Van Dam
Matteo Manuguerra
Sherrill Milnes
Robert Merrill
Giuseppe Taddei

*Basses* who have given me pleasure 
Cesare Siepi
Matti Talvela
Nicolai Ghiaurov
John Tomlinson
Boris Christoff
Samuel Ramey


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## adriesba

I didn't put Lauritz Melchior on my list!!! 

He must be added on!


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## adriesba

My old list is very outdated. So here's my new one, subject to change. In particular, I'm trying to find more mezzos and contraltos I like. The more I listen, the more I'll probably add to those categories.

Soprano:
- Birgit Nilsson
- Gundula Janowitz
- Lucia Popp
- Elizabeth Grümmer 
- Ursula Schröder-Feinen 
- Astrid Varnay 
- Helen Traubel 
- Montserrat Caballé
- Renata Scotto
- Kirsten Flagstad
- Maria Callas

Mezzo-soprano:
- Christa Ludwig
- Waltraud Meier
- Shirley Verrett
- Regina Resnik 

Contralto:
- Jean Madeira
- Kerstin Thorborg
- Ewa Podleś

Tenor:
- Jon Vickers
- Lauritz Melchior
- Wolfgang Windgassen
- Franco Corelli
- Luciano Pavarotti
- Sándor Kónya
- Jess Thomas
- John Mitchinson 
- René Kollo

Baritone:
- Bernd Weikl
- Sherrill Milnes
- Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Tito Gobbi

Bass-baritone:
- Hans Hotter
- Gustav Neidlinger
- Walter Berry
- Thomas Stewart
- Ruggero Raimondi

Bass:
- Kurt Böhme
- Gottlob Frick
- Nicolai Ghiaurov
- René Pape
- Kurt Moll


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## damianjb1

*Soprano*
Maria Callas
Birgit Nilsson
Montserrat Caballe
Mirella Freni (early)

*Mezzo Soprano*
Olga Borodina (one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard)
Fiorenza Cossotto (when she's behaving)

*Tenor*
Jon Vickers

*Baritone*
Peter Mattei
Guiseppe Taddei

*Bass*
Nicolai Ghiarouv


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## Green pasture

Soprano
Maria Callas
Elisabeth Grümmer 
Sena Jurinac
Lotte Lehmann
Frida Leider
Claudia Muzio
Giannina Arangi-Lombardi
Rosa Ponselle
Victoria de los Angeles

Mezzo soprano
Janet Baker
Conchita Supervia

Contralto
Ernestine Schumann-Heink

Tenor
Fritz Wunderlich
Franz Völker

Baritone
Mattia Battistini
Tito Gobbi 
Riccardo Stracciari

Edit: Victoria de los Angeles and Conchita Supervia added


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## Tsaraslondon

I thought I'd already done this but I can't find a contribution. Maybe I missed it. Anyway, here goes.

Sopranos

Maria Callas

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Victoria De Los Angeles
Maggie Teyte
Rosa Ponselle
Claudia Muzio
Frida Leider
Renée Fleming
Montserrat Caballé
Renata Scotto

Mezzo-sopranos and contraltos

Janet Baker
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
Kathleen Ferrier
Agnes Baltsa
Giulietta Simionato
Conchita Supervia
Christa Ludwig

Tenors

Fritz Wunderlich
Jon Vickers
Tito Schipa
Enrico Caruso
Nicolai Gedda
Jussi Bjørling
José Carreras
Placido Domingo
Georges Thill

Baritones

Tito Gobbi
Charles Panzéra
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Rolando Panerai
Titta Ruffo

*Basses and bass-baritones*

Feodor Chaliapin
Boris Christoff
Nicolai Ghiaurov
José Van Dam
Nicola Zaccaria

I know it's a bit top heavy, and there are probably loads I've forgotten, but this will do for now.


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## Hele

*Sopranos*
Barbara Bonney
Mirella Freni (my favorite Butterfly, Elisabetta)
Renata Scotto
Montserrat Caballé (Margherita in Boito's "Mefistofele", also Elisabetta, Norma)
Éva Marton (beautiful Turandot and Gioconda)
Anna Tomowa-Sintow
Martina Arroyo
Birgit Nilsson

*Mezzozopranos/contraaltos*
Agnes Baltsa 
Elena Obraztsova
Irina Arkhipova
Anne Sofie von Otter
Christa Ludwig

*Tenors*
Plácido Domingo (Don Carlo, Otello, Dick Johnson, also Calaf ... sorry!)
José Carreras (young)
Nicolai Gedda
Franco Corelli (Calaf)

*Baritones*
Bryn Terfel
Sherrill Milnes
Dmitri Hvorostovsky

*Basses*
Nicolai Ghiaurov 
Boris Gmyria
Boris Christoff
Cesare Siepi


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## wkasimer

Hele said:


> Boris Gmyria


I'm thrilled to see that someone else appreciates Gmyria, one of the greatest of Soviet-era basses, who is virtually unknown in the West.


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## nina foresti

Sopranos:
Olivero
Steber
Callas
Gheorghiu
Zeani
Radvanovsky
Freni
Ponselle
Muzio
Netrebko
Soviero
Stratas

Tenors
Shicoff
Tucker
Bjorling
Corelli
DiStefano
Bergonzi
Carerras
Pertile
Calleja
Beczala
Villazon
Vickers
Alagna
Vinay
Gigli

Mezzos
Simionato
Verrett
Blythe
DiDonato
Zajick
Garanca
Borodina
Barton
Goerke

Baritones
Bastianini
Hvorostovsky
Merrill
London
Quilico
Battastini
Warren
Finley
Mattei
Gobbi
Lucic
Bechi

Bass-Baritones
Pape
Ramey
Terfel
Christian van Horn

Basses
Siepi
Pinza
Treigle
Furlanetto
Talvela
Ghiaurov
Nesterenko
Christoff
Abdrazakov


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## The Conte

I've been putting off doing this (not sure whether I posted an entry earlier in the list or not). However, seeing as some of the venerable TC posters have contributed I can save time by copying, pasting and editing a bit.

*Sopranos*

Adelina Patti (Sorry DavidA!)
Rosa Ponselle
Claudia Muzio
Maria Callas
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Victoria De Los Angeles
Magda Olivero
Joan Sutherland
Montserrat Caballé
Cheryl Studer
Angela Gheorghiu
Lisette Oropesa

*Mezzo-sopranos and contraltos*

Ernestine Schumann-Heink
Conchita Supervia
Kathleen Ferrier
Agnes Baltsa
Giulietta Simionato
Christa Ludwig
Jennifer Larmore
Waltraud Meier
Joyce DiDonato

*Tenors*

Enrico Caruso
Giovanni Martinelli
Tito Schipa
Giuseppe di Stefano
Franco Corelli
Fritz Wunderlich
Jon Vickers
Luciano Pavarotti

*Baritones*

Mattia Battistini
Titta Ruffo
Tito Gobbi
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Sherrill Milnes

*Basses*

Pol Plancon
Feodor Chaliapin
Ezio Pinza
Alexander Kipnis
Mark Reizen
Boris Christoff
Nicolai Ghiaurov
Bryn Terfel

N.


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## VitellioScarpia

Limited myself to 8 per voice category (except for the _Wotans_)... I made it awfully hard...

_Sopranos_:
Rosa Ponselle 
Giannina Arangi-Lombardi 
Eleanor Steber 
Renata Tebaldi 
Maria Meneghini Callas 
Renata Scotto 
Renée Fleming 
Sondra Radvanovsky

_Mezzos_:
Irene Minghini-Cattaneo 
Ebe Stignani 
Giulietta Simionato 
Oralia Dominguez 
Christa Ludwig 
Fiorenza Cossotto 
Janet Baker 
Frederica Von Stade

_Tenors_:
Giacomo Lauri-Volpi 
Beniamino Gigli 
Lauritz Melchior 
Mario del Monaco 
Giuseppe di Stefano 
Franco Corelli 
Luciano Pavarotti 
Joseph Calleja

_Baritones_: 
Apollo Granforte 
Gino Bechi 
Tito Gobbi 
Ettore Bastianini 
Robert Merrill 
Sherrill Milnes 
Gerald Finley 
Peter Mattei

_Bass-Baritones_: 
Hans Hotter 
James Morris

_Basses_: 
Ezio Pinza 
Mark Reizen 
Gottlob Frick 
Giulio Neri 
Cesare Siepi 
Nicolai Ghiaurov 
Kurt Moll 
Rene Pape


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## adriesba

These are interesting, and I enjoy looking at everyone's choices. There is a lot of variety here, but Tito Gobbi seems to consistently appear on almost every list.


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## Baritono1995

Soprano - Maria Callas, Lina Bruna Rasa, Renata Tebaldi, Leyla Gencer, Montserrat Caballe, Emmy Destinn, Claudia Muzio, Rosa Ponselle, Zinka Milanov, Lilli Lehmann... etc.
Mezzo soprano/Contralto - Louise Kirkby Lunn, Oralia Dominguez, Elena Obraztsova, Ebe Stignani, Fedora Barbieri, Giulietta Simionato, Shirley Verrett... etc.
Tenor - Franco Corelli, Mario Del Monaco, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Enrico Caruso, Aureliano Pertile, Giovanni Martinelli, Helge Rosvaenge, Galliano Masini, Hermann Jadlowker, Beniamino Gigli, Giacomo Lauri Volpi... etc.
Baritone - Ettore Bastianini, Leonard Warren, Sherrill Milnes, Cornell MacNeil, Robert Merrill, Titta Ruffo, Giuseppe Taddei, Apollo Granforte, Giuseppe Danise, Lawrence Tibbett, Antonio Scotti, Giorgio Zancanaro, Gian Giacomo Guelfi, Tito Gobbi, Gino Bechi, Cesare Bardelli... etc.
Bass/Bass baritone - Cesare Siepi, Giulio Neri, Samuel Ramey, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Bonaldo Giaiotti, Ezio Pinza, Evgeny Nesterenko, Feodor Chaliapin, Hans Sotin, Alexander Kipnis, Nicola Ghiuselev, Raffaele Arie, Norman Treigle... etc.


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## adriesba

/\ Welcome to Talk Classical! Nice list by the way.


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## Dim7

I think I just found my favorite tenor.


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## adriesba

/\ Kónya is one of my favorites. Honestly I think he was underrated and under recorded, especially since there isn't really any substantial amount of recordings of him in Italian operas. He's in an obscure Deutsche Grammophon vinyl set of _Tosca _in German. Not much though.


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## Agamenon

Oh my God, I was missing this topic.

*Sopranos*

1.Caballé
2.Flagstad.
3.Tebaldi.
4.Nilsson.
5.Price L.

Mezzos

1.Ludwig
2.Horne.
3.Berganza.
4.Bumbry.
5.Meier W.

*Tenors*

1.Bergonzi.
2.Wunderlich
3.Vinay.
4.Pavarotti.
5.Windgassen

Baritones

1.Fischer Dieskau
2.Stewart.
3.Van Dam
4.Mc Neill
5.Merrill

Basses

1.Talvela.
2.Moll.
3.Hotter.
4.Ghiaurov
5.Pape.

Contralto: Ferrier.

:angel:


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## Aerobat

Oh, where to start!

Sopranos:

Gheorghiu
Zeani
Anna Moffo
Price
Aida Garifullina
Sutherland (obviously)
Studer
Schwarzkopf
Freni
Fleming
Oropesa

Mezzos:

Garanca
Bartoli
Von Stade 
Waltraud Meier
Podles (although some class her as more contralto)
Von Otter
Lezhneva - I'm watching her with interest as she develops further.
Kasarova

Tenors:

Florez
Corelli
Gedda
DiStefano
Alagna
Villazon

Baritone:

Hvorostovsky
Gobbi (the ultimate Scarpia?)
Merrill
Fischer-Dieskau
Milnes

Terfel
John Tomlinson

And I'm sure there are plenty I've forgotten.


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## Yes Luciano

Sopranos: Sutherland, Tebaldi, Caballe, Freni, de Los Angeles.
Mezzos: Simionato, Berganza, Horne, Stignani, Cossotto.
Tenors: Pavarotti, Bjorling, Gigli, Lauri-Volpi, del Monaco.
Baritones: Gobbi, Cappuccilli, Merrill, Milnes, Manuguerra.
Basses: Pinza, Siepi, Christoff, Ghiaurov, Chaliapin.

And special mention for Shirley Verrett!


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## AliOpera

Soprano - Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, Leontyne Price, Kirsten Flagstad, Anita Cerquetti, Astrid Varnay, Birgit Nilsson, Sarah Agler 

Mezzo - Dolora Zajick, Marilyn Horne, Jennifer Rivera 

Tenor - Enrico Caruso, Luciano Pavarotti, Jussi Bjorling, Benamino Gigli, Fritz Wunderlich, Nicolai Gedda, Jerry Hadley, Ian Bostridge

Baritone - Sherrill Milnes, Rolando Panerai

Bass - Kurt Moll, Pol Plancon 

Countertenor - Andreas Scholl & David Daniels 

Castrato - Alessandro Moreschi & Farinelli (I wish I heard him)


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