# Round 1 of 2: DUET.Otello. Gia nella notte sensa. McCracken and Caballe, Domingo and Scotto



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Remember vote for the team.




*J.McCracken, M.Caballé - Già nella notte densa (duet from Verdi's Otello, 1967)




Già nella notte densa - Otello - R. Scotto P. Domingo 1978, Levine. *


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## ScottK (Dec 23, 2021)

I know you like it when your contests are balanced John but I don't think an occasional lopsided contest is so bad. If you think that's a prelude to saying this is lopsided....it is. I'm glad to see McCracken on here because it was a career of stature and you represented him with his great role. But with Otello, Domingo also found his great role and McCrackens intensity cannot hope to make up, on record, the cavernous gap between them in terms of quality of sound. I thought the only chance would be if Caballe was completely on it and to my ear that is not the case....seemingly arbitrary fluctuations of dynamics and no sense of a character filled with the love that Desdemona is filled with. Domingo and Scotto.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

A that is certainly not McCracken and Caballe in that photograph but it is they singing. I saw McCracken as *Otello *and I can attest he seemed genuinely unhinged in the jealousy scenes.

He is not here, of course, but that’s what made a big impression on me. I saw Domingo play the Moor many times and I am actually quite unwilling to hear him again - he was the Otello for many. 

The pity here is Scotto - she sets my teeth on edge singing certain roles unsuited to the caliber of the voice given her, not to mention the state of that voice: shrill, edgy, wavering - it certainly doesn’t always evoke the _dolce _sound she is supposed to be emitting. Yes, she has some compensatory qualities, but not enough for me.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

MAS said:


> A that is certainly not McCracken and Caballe in that photograph but it is they singing. I saw McCracken as *Otello *and I can attest he seemed genuinely unhinged in the jealousy scenes.
> 
> He is not here, of course, but that’s what made a big impression on me. I saw Domingo play the Moor many times and I am actually quite unwilling to hear him again - he was the Otello for many.
> 
> The pity here is Scotto - she sets my teeth on edge singing certain roles unsuited to the caliber of the voice given her, not to mention the state of that voice: shrill, edgy, wavering - it certainly doesn’t always evoke the _dolce _sound she is supposed to be emitting. Yes, she has some compensatory qualities, but not enough for me.


I included Scotto because T-London loves her so and he and I discussed this in a recent exchange. I try to listen to my friend/ judges to give you guys what you want. He thinks she is a great interpreter. I have the same reaction to her as you and apparently so did a lot of other people from what I have heard. In the past I have only included her from her very early period when she was to my ears a lovely lyric coloratura mainly.
I really value your experience and reactions to hearing people live as I think that is so important when considering the operatic art form as live is the ultimate test for how a person fulfills an operatic role in a theater- the ultimate way to experience opera. Thank you.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

ScottK said:


> I know you like it when your contests are balanced John but I don't think an occasional lopsided contest is so bad. If you think that's a prelude to saying this is lopsided....it is. I'm glad to see McCracken on here because it was a career of stature and you represented him with his great role. But with Otello, Domingo also found his great role and McCrackens intensity cannot hope to make up, on record, the cavernous gap between them in terms of quality of sound. I thought the only chance would be if Caballe was completely on it and to my ear that is not the case....seemingly arbitrary fluctuations of dynamics and no sense of a character filled with the love that Desdemona is filled with. Domingo and Scotto.


You know this opera much more than me. I don't like Otello as I don't enjoy the emotion of jealousy so I am only familiar with Salce, salce... Ave Maria aria. I have included a lot of Otello arias ( and duet) in my contests because many people are so passionate about it. I only knew McCracken was one of the main exponents of the role back when I was first starting out in opera in the 70's and he has lots of people who like him. They used to play him on MetOperaRadio 20 years ago. My one reaction to the role is they always portray him as a black man but Morocco is next to Libya and I have a friend who is Libyan and he is no darker than your average Italian. I figured Caballe would be good as she normally is one of the better Verdi sopranos. Thanks for your honest reaction.


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

Not particularly fond of McCraken, the voice is wavery and the tone is thick. He does at least have a weighty voice, something not possessed by Domingo. Not being a fan of Domingo either it comes down to the two ladies and Caballe easily takes this one. Scotto sounds thin and squally.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Sometimes I think I hear things completely differently from other people. I thought that on musical, dramatic and even vocal terms the Domingo/ Scotto performance was on a much higher level. Domingo, here essayng his first Otello, has the more beautiful voice and his musical manners are excellent. However unhinged McCracken may have been in some of the later scenes, that is not what is required here and Domingo is easily the more romantic hero and also the smoother vocalist.

When it comes to the two ladies, I also think Scotto provides the more musical and touching singing, the voice in better control than it sometimes was. I was surprised to see that the McCracken/Caballé clip was from 1967 because already there is a slightly disconcerting gap between Caballé's slightly glottal middle voice and her almost disembodied pianissimi. Scotto spins a much better legato line and I don't actually here the voice as wavering, shrill or edgy. She is also much more inside the role and she sounds utterly trusting and in love, which is what Desdemona should be at this point. I don't really get any character from Caballé at all. I've always considered Scotto a superb Desdemona. Dramatically she makes more of the role than amost anyone else I've heard, even if there are others who are more entitled vocally.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

What bothers me in some of these arias is when it is done so sl-o-o-owly that it actually takes away the true sadness or beauty of the piece. McCracken and Caballe are so slow I could not enjoy it to the fullest.
I happen to have always liked the sound of Domingo's voice (I guess you either love it or hate it) and his Moor has always been up there as one of the top 3 for me, especially when done with Te Kanawa. Scotto was good here and was careful not to be screechy, however she and Vickers together just ARE Desdemona and Otello.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> What bothers me in some of these arias is when it is done so sl-o-o-owly that it actually takes away the true sadness or beauty of the piece. McCracken and Caballe are so slow I could not enjoy it to the fullest.
> I happen to have always liked the sound of Domingo's voice (I guess you either love it or hate it) and his Moor has always been up there as one of the top 3 for me, especially when done with Te Kanawa. Scotto was good here and was careful not to be screechy, however she and Vickers together just ARE Desdemona and Otello.


I love that video of Vickers with Scotto. It's an absolutely superb performance of the opera.


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## PaulFranz (May 7, 2019)

densa


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Almost down the middle. Something for everyone.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Duet contests are all the more interesting because the best singers may not be paired with an equally good partner.

I'm guessing the Caballe/McCraken is from the live from the Met recording. It was a very good night. I really like McCraken at the beginning (although I expect I will be alone in that as some will find his phrasing too choppy). How wonderful Caballe is with the lush sheen to her voice so early in her career and her soft dynamic effects! McCraken is all about the fiery drama of the character, whereas Caballe is about how beautifully poised a pose she can pull off (and I don't mean that as an insult). Is she not a young girl who is full of her loved up self? In short this is some wonderful singing and very enjoyable. I don't think it will win as I think there will be other versions where a more natural pairing is achieved with the Otello giving somewhat less and the Desdemon giving somewhat more and the whole being less selfconscious than this.

Domingo and Scotto are a classic pairing in this opera, is this the studio recording? (Not that it really matters, although I think Scotto was better live in this opera.) Domingo is much more natural and the singing has more than McCraken who was more demonstrative. Scotto just sounds _right _in this role in a way that others don't. I might prefer Freni at La Scala and De los Angeles at the Met (perhaps all the _best _recordings of this opera are live?) Her sound pours out with an intensity that Caballe with all her clever pianissimo lacks. There's a warmth and committment to what the character is saying rather than a vague idea of who the character is to Scotto's portrayal as well. Domingo has all the strength needed for the role without overplaying the military hero unlike Mc Cracken.

Domingo/Scotto is the easy and predictable winner.

They may not be in the contest, but I wonder how this would compare with Domingo/Freni under Kleiber at La Scala, De los Angeles/Del Monaco at the Met and Muzio/Merli in the studio.

N.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

ScottK said:


> I know you like it when your contests are balanced John but I don't think an occasional lopsided contest is so bad. If you think that's a prelude to saying this is lopsided....it is. I'm glad to see McCracken on here because it was a career of stature and you represented him with his great role. But with Otello, Domingo also found his great role and McCrackens intensity cannot hope to make up, on record, the cavernous gap between them in terms of quality of sound. I thought the only chance would be if Caballe was completely on it and to my ear that is not the case....seemingly arbitrary fluctuations of dynamics and no sense of a character filled with the love that Desdemona is filled with. Domingo and Scotto.


I posted, then voted and then wondered how McCraken/Caballe could be winning! Thank goodness you hear it like me!

Now on to the rest of the comments. What are we missing?

N.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

The Conte said:


> They may not be in the contest, but I wonder how this would compare with Domingo/Freni under Kleiber at La Scala, De los Angeles/Del Monaco at the Met and Muzio/Merli in the studio.
> 
> N.


I would’ve voted for either pairing (even with Domingo) for the sake of Kleiber and Freni, or for del Monaco’s breadth of tone - an *Otello *voice.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Sometimes I think I hear things completely differently from other people.


In this case it's only differently from the other _half _of people. What the other half hears perhaps?



Tsaraslondon said:


> I thought that on musical, dramatic and even vocal terms the Domingo/ Scotto performance was on a much higher level. Domingo, here essayng his first Otello, has the more beautiful voice and his musical manners are excellent. However unhinged McCracken may have been in some of the later scenes, that is not what is required here and Domingo is easily the more romantic hero and also the smoother vocalist.
> 
> When it comes to the two ladies, I also think Scotto provides the more musical and touching singing, the voice in better control than it sometimes was. I was surprised to see that the McCracken/Caballé clip was from 1967 because already there is a slightly disconcerting gap between Caballé's slightly glottal middle voice and her almost disembodied pianissimi. Scotto spins a much better legato line and I don't actually here the voice as wavering, shrill or edgy. She is also much more inside the role and she sounds utterly trusting and in love, which is what Desdemona should be at this point. I don't really get any character from Caballé at all. I've always considered Scotto a superb Desdemona. Dramatically she makes more of the role than amost anyone else I've heard, even if there are others who are more entitled vocally.


I completely agree with your assessment and hear it as you do. I'm neither particularly fond or put off by the sound of Domingo or Scotto's voices or their artistry in general. (I don't have any of their recital albums for example.) However, I don't avoid their complete opera recordings because you always know you are in safe hands and this may have been their greatest work together. Most of the time my hearing accords with other people here, but I have different priorities to others (for example I totally understand the criticisms against Souliotis' studio Macbeth, it's just that a technically even voice is not a priority in that role for me). Like you, I don't hear any screech in Scotto's voice and whilst I enjoyed the McCracken/Caballe performance, it doesn't have the musical fluency and the 'they make it sound easy' touch of the Domingo/Scotto. Nor do McCracken/Caballe express the situation between the two at that point in the drama anywhere nearly as well. Furthermore, I find it baffling that a fairly forgotten recording (other than it having taken place during the opening season of the new Met) is so lauded when put up against one of the most well known and feted recordings of the opera.

Incidentally, when you say Domingo 'essaying his first Otello' I'm guessing you mean his first studio Otello (he had already sung the role on stage).

N.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

The Conte said:


> Incidentally, when you say Domingo 'essaying his first Otello' I'm guessing you mean his first studio Otello (he had already sung the role on stage).
> 
> N.


Indeed I did. In any case this was early in his portrayal of a role that became a mainstay of his repertoire for many years.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Indeed I did. In any case this was early in his portrayal of a role that became a mainstay of his repertoire for many years.


Yes, as with heldentenors, we’ve had to do with lesser mortals as *Otello*. Domingo filled the gap splendidly, but his I instrument was of a smaller caliber.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

MAS said:


> Yes, as with heldentenors, we’ve had to do with lesser mortals as *Otello*. Domingo filled the gap splendidly, but his I instrument was of a smaller caliber.


I would agree his was not really an Otello voice, but his traversal of the role is a prime example of what and intelligent singer can do with a role to which they are not naturally suited. He sang it for a very long time without damaging his voice so I guess he must have been doing something right.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Scotto and Domingo were just each better to my ears than McCracken and Caballe. 
The voice of McCracken was shaking uncomfortably to the point of disturbing me from the music. Caballe was fine, but a little matronly. At what stage of her carrier was she ? 
Domingo was smooth, seductive in a manly way, I would be content to spend that marital night with him if I were Desdemona. And Scotto sounded gentle like her character. No doubts whom to vote for.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I would agree his was not really an Otello voice, but his traversal of the role is a prime example of what and intelligent singer can do with a role to which they are not naturally suited. He sang it for a very long time without damaging his voice so I guess he must have been doing something right.


It’s amazing or even miraculous that he lasted so long - a true freak. Though he rarely oversang. Perhaps his short top is the key to his longevity - he seldom sought very high notes and cancelled when the role‘s _tessitura_ made him uncomfortable. He sang the _première _of *Les Troyens *at the Metropolitan Opera but once the simulcast was done, he left. Parts of the opera were transposed down; fortunately the duet with Didon was not. 
I think the filming was done over a series of performances.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I don't like Otello as I don't enjoy the emotion of jealousy


Same here !


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

I can't believe it's 50:50 !


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

The Conte said:


> Duet contests are all the more interesting because the best singers may not be paired with an equally good partner.
> 
> I'm guessing the Caballe/McCraken is from the live from the Met recording. It was a very good night. I really like McCraken at the beginning (although I expect I will be alone in that as some will find his phrasing too choppy). How wonderful Caballe is with the lush sheen to her voice so early in her career and her soft dynamic effects! McCraken is all about the fiery drama of the character, whereas Caballe is about how beautifully poised a pose she can pull off (and I don't mean that as an insult). Is she not a young girl who is full of her loved up self? In short this is some wonderful singing and very enjoyable. I don't think it will win as I think there will be other versions where a more natural pairing is achieved with the Otello giving somewhat less and the Desdemon giving somewhat more and the whole being less selfconscious than this.
> 
> ...


You are steeling my thunder. Next


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## ScottK (Dec 23, 2021)

The Conte said:


> I posted, then voted and then wondered how McCraken/Caballe could be winning! Thank goodness you hear it like me!
> 
> Now on to the rest of the comments. What are we missing?
> 
> N.


I never remember you caring whether or not you were the lone voice on a given point ! Ahhhh...the subjectivity of the arts!!!

I do think that Domingo has become someone that many afficionados - most of the time, me included - are more than happy to vote against. But if you didn't know who it was, the combination of firm, even, beautiful sound close to top to bottom and his musical sense and he really does bring alot, alot of the time.


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## Revitalized Classics (Oct 31, 2018)

McCracken and Caballe, for me. Otello's character is excessive in love, jealousy, and charisma, and I enjoy McCracken's extrovert performance: idiosyncrasies make each utterance distinctive. Caballe's singing is like balm by comparison, which is dramatically and musically appropriate.


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

MAS said:


> It’s amazing or even miraculous that he lasted so long - a true freak. Though he rarely oversang. Perhaps his short top is the key to his longevity - he seldom sought very high notes and cancelled when the role‘s _tessitura_ made him uncomfortable. He sang the _première _of *Les Troyens *at the Metropolitan Opera but once the simulcast was done, he left. Parts of the opera were transposed down; fortunately the duet with Didon was not.
> I think the filming was done over a series of performances.


Could it be an explanation why some voices are more successful singing Wagner?


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

I've heard live Otello recently, so this contest is just in time. 
Scotto is a voice (from those which remained in history) I can't say I like. Perhaps my subconscious identifies some notes of it with quarrels of primates. 
Domingo is the one I respect rather than like. I heard him once, but too, too late, as Macbeth. Nevertheless he lasted phenomenally long. Obviously he was secure and trustworthy, so he was invited everywhere. Hence the excessive quantity of recordings is. But I don't think he's dull or uncharacteristic, his voice is too widespread and well known to be indistinguishable. 
McCracken does his job well, but I'm not sure if he exceeds Mr. Sunday. 
Caballe is my soft point. For me her Desdemona is a success. (I also think I enjoyed Hibla Gerzmava in the role because of a slight resemblance of the timbres).


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

McCracken was an effective Otello, but I can't say I like his tense vocal production. His partner here, Caballe, is not in her best form, showing some uneasiness and discontinuity between vocal registers. Scotto's voice is better integrated, and she inhabits both the music's contours and the character of Desdemona more convincingly. Domingo, a superb Otello in the theater (even Olivier thought so), has never sounded like an Otello to me - McCracken was more suited vocally - but in this lyrical part of the role he delivers what's needed. Domingo and Scotto for this one.


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