# Round One: Baritone: Rigoletto Cortigiani, vil razza dannata:Amato, De Luca,Merrill



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)




----------



## ScottK (Dec 23, 2021)

The Verdi baritone's "To Be or Not to Be"! The moment to deliver, "if you've got it!"!!! And you started with three legends!

I think Merrill holds up against the old boys pretty well until the final section. I don't think he finds the pathos for this plea much at all and no Cortigianni can truly succeed without it. Also, his top has been heard in better shape than here. Aside from those two, fairly important caveats, I liked his rendition.

The choosing between the old boys is hard....DeLuca's recording sounds down-right modern after Amato! I'd love to know the date of the Amato because it seems that there has been a distinct stylistic change that has occurred between the two recordings. The pervasive rhythmic freedom of Amatos rendition is almost gone by the time we get to DeLuca. I can't say that I find the pauses and lingering to be moving. But his tone and intensity I find to be more powerful than DeLuca's more dignified, and still very effective, rendition. I think both deliver the goods in each of the different sections - that are all so important to the drama of the piece - and I'd love to hear either one(I heard Merrill!) But I feel the father's fear the most in Amato.


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Ever since I first heard Pasquale Amato sing "Eri tu" from _Un Ballo in Maschera_ over 50 years ago, I have thought him one of the supreme vocal artists in the history of sound recording. I know of no baritone capable of finding more expressive colors in his voice, or of applying them to greater effect. His ability to move easily and naturally between open and covered vowels and between full and modulated volume, using these skills to render musical phrases with flexibility of tempo, seamless legato, and seemingly spontaneous and uninhibited feeling, makes the experience of listening to him tremendously moving and satisfying. Among recorded baritones I've heard, only Battistini seems to me as resourceful and interesting. Vocally and interpretively - the two things inextricably bound together in Amato's art - this excerpt from Rigoletto, recorded in 1911, is probably the best rendition I've heard, and neither of the other contenders challenges it.

De Luca is typically impeccable as a singer, but he operates at a much lower emotional temperature in a role which requires as much feeling as a singer can impart to it. As ScottK points out, his approach to musical time is less flexible than Amato's, and I think there's a loss in that; De Luca (1876-1950) was two years older than Amato (1878-1942), but it's Amato who seems able and willing to exploit the wider range of artistic graces I associate with 19th-century Romantic performing practice.

In Merrill we have a completely modern (post-WW II) baritone, which means, in general, a competent and sincere but not very individual or interesting artist, and one without the ultimate technical capacity to engage in the musical graces of an Amato or a de Luca should he even have a conception of how music might be illuminated by them. Merrill is also a little past his best here; I'm guessing the performance dates from the 1960s.


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> Ever since I first heard Pasquale Amato sing "Eri tu" from _Un Ballo in Maschera_ over 50 years ago, I have thought him one of the supreme vocal artists in the history of sound recording. I know of no baritone capable of finding more expressive colors in his voice, or of applying them to greater effect. His ability to move easily and naturally between open and covered vowels and between full and modulated volume, using these skills to render musical phrases with flexibility of tempo, seamless legato, and seemingly spontaneous and uninhibited feeling, makes the experience of listening to him tremendously moving and satisfying. Among recorded baritones I've heard, only Battistini seems to me as resourceful and interesting. Vocally and interpretively - the two things inextricably bound together in Amato's art - this excerpt from Rigoletto, recorded in 1911, is probably the best rendition I've heard, and neither of the other contenders challenges it.
> 
> De Luca is typically impeccable as a singer, but he operates at a much lower emotional temperature in a role which requires as much feeling as a singer can impart to it. As ScottK points out, his approach to musical time is less flexible than Amato's, and I think there's a loss in that; De Luca (1876-1950) was two years older than Amato (1878-1942), but it's Amato who seems able and willing to exploit the wider range of artistic graces I associate with 19th-century Romantic performing practice.
> 
> In Merrill we have a completely modern (post-WW II) baritone, which means, in general, a competent and sincere but not very individual or interesting artist, and one without the ultimate technical capacity to engage in the musical graces of an Amato or a de Luca should he even have a conception of how music might be illuminated by them. Merrill is also a little past his best here; I'm guessing the performance dates from the 1960s.


I wish they offered the same range of reactions as Facebook as like is insufficient to express my reaction to your post.


----------



## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

There seems to be nothing more to say after the above assessments of the three baritones except to note that the emotional temperature is reduced with each video, taken in order; Amato being the highest and Merrill the lowest. Merrill applies emphases at certain points but it doesn’t sound as organic as his predecessors’s.


----------



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I have nothing to add to what has been said in the previous posts. 

Amato, De Luca, Merrill in that order.


----------



## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

I apologise for lack of any input in recent polls but the work snowed me under, but how could I possibly miss casting my vote on one of my favorite scenes!
With the (exceptional) cast of baritones present, my task is probably of personal preference and this time it's quite in concert with what was said before: Amato, De Luca, Merrill - we'd be very lucky to have this kind of singing in opera today. As MAS noticed, Merrill applies some obvious emphases here and there but they sound a bit artificial after having heard other two contestants. Amato's is a towering presence! De Luca is not best served with the low-level recording, smoothing out any emotion peaks, but, keeping this in mind, still Amato impresses me the most.


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Azol said:


> I apologise for my lack on any imput in recent polls but the work snowed me under, but how could I possibly miss casting my vote on one of my favorite scenes!
> With the (exceptional) cast of baritones present, my task is probably of personal preference and this time it's quite in concert with what was said before: Amato, De Luca, Merrill - we'd be very lucky to have this kind of singing in opera today. As MAS noticed, Merrill applies some obvious emphases here and there but they sound a bit artificial after having heard other two contestants. Amato's is a towering presence! De Luca is not best served with the low-level recording, smoothing out any emotion peaks, but, keeping this in mind, still Amato impresses me the most.


I'm still learning about baritones and basses and I am so glad I discovered Amato in my research for this contest. His voice alone is so incredibly beautiful. I'm so glad I hit a bullseye with you guys so far on him. I think I have some serious competition for him in the next round after a mezzo single round.


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

As much as I was really taken with the gorgeous voice of Robert Merrill who did an able job, Amato took my heart with his pleading voice of desperation.
Amato
Merrill
De Luca


----------



## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Amato hands down. I LOVE De Luca but he doesn't have the heft to deliver the Cortigiani I need. I LOVE Merrill's voice and consider it the most naturally beautiful on record among baritones, but he's not a serious enough artist to stand up to Amato, and the histrionics Merrill throws into his performances drive me crazy. Amato never fails to impress and brings everything one could want to the table. When it comes to the heaviest Verdi, I put only Granforte and Ruffo in his class.


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Bonetan said:


> Amato hands down. I LOVE De Luca but he doesn't have the heft to deliver the Cortigiani I need. I LOVE Merrill's voice and consider it the most naturally beautiful on record, but he's not a serious enough artist to stand up to Amato, and the histrionics Merrill throws into his performances drive me crazy. Amato never fails to impress and brings everything one could want to the table. When it comes to the heaviest Verdi, I put only Granforte and Ruffo in his class.


So nice to hear from you, mentor!!!


----------



## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Seattleoperafan said:


> So nice to hear from you, mentor!!!


I'm happy to contribute and super pleased to see the awesome competitions you're putting together!! Keep up the good work!!!


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Bonetan said:


> Amato hands down. I LOVE De Luca but he doesn't have the heft to deliver the Cortigiani I need. I LOVE Merrill's voice and consider it the most naturally beautiful on record among baritones, but he's not a serious enough artist to stand up to Amato, and the histrionics Merrill throws into his performances drive me crazy. Amato never fails to impress and brings everything one could want to the table. When it comes to the heaviest Verdi, I put only Granforte and Ruffo in his class.


Don't forget Stracciari. Rosa and I think he belongs among the Verdi baritone elite.


----------



## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Woodduck said:


> Don't forget Stracciari. Rosa and I think he belongs among the Verdi baritone elite.


I have mixed feelings about Stracciari. I want to like him but there's a throatiness in some of his singing (Warrenesque dare I say) that doesn't sit quite right with me. But I agree he's an absolutely tremendous artist and his 1930 Rigoletto recording is stellar!


----------

