# BARITONE TOURNAMENT (Finale): Bastianini vs De Luca



## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Ettore Bastianini, Italy, 1922-1967, Defeated Kelsey 15-3, Merrill 9-7.






Giuseppe De Luca, Italy, 1876-1950, Defeated Warren 14-3, Ruffo 8-5.






Who's singing did you prefer and why?


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I can't deny the natural magnificence of Bastianini's voice, but he can't do much with it except sing loudly and fiercely. "Cortigiani" requires exactly that and so he's fine, but the needed legato of "Miei signori" is beyond him, and the bellowing and aspirating is just embarrassing. De Luca, as I'd have expected, provides the singing lesson.

De Luca by a mile.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

I'm 100% with Woodduck on this matchup. De Luca's singing shines a light on just how unrefined Bastianini's singing is. Bastianini is a very exciting singer, but De Luca's artistry leaves him in the dust.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

De Luca wins here hands down. Especially the final part after "tutti contro me!" -- these long legato lines leave Bastianini almost in the dust.

Even the fierce "Cortigiani, vil razza dannata!" (my favorite episode in probably the whole opera) and (unwritten, but somehow expected) top note Bastianini is providing in "dei figli difende" does not help much


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Bastianini is my very favorite baritone and going in I had already convinced myself I was going to tick my vote for him -- no question!
However, things happen, despite that awful choice of recording that was way too quiet of De Luca's, yet somehow never caused me to waiver from my opinion of his performance. That was the way the Cortigiani should be sung, with pathos and longing and he had it all despite the gorgeous and powerful voice of the wonderful Ettore who mostly just sang the words, albeit sans emotion. Much as it surprises me, I shall now run up to cast my vote for De Luca.


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

Bastianini is an Imperial Bösendorfer whereas De Luca is a Clavichord in comparison. I do not rate the sophistication of the latter too highly because I cannot hear much of it. Of course, I`m disregarding the recording quality...


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

I chose Bastianini because I felt that he was a young man singing the part of an older man, and having all the requisite vocal and physical gifts to accomplish the considerable contrasts I thought he provided in doing so. De Luca is admirable in many ways, of course, but I felt he sounded like an older man singing the role of an older man and not having the physicality required for this aria.


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## Dimace (Oct 19, 2018)

Despite I'm not expert in men singers I went easily to Ettore because I like the clarity & power of his voice. Another reason was the sound quality of the videos. Ettore's video quality is much better than Giuseppe's and maybe this us unfair for the second.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

nina foresti said:


> Bastianini is my very favorite baritone and going in I had already convinced myself I was going to tick my vote for him -- no question!
> However, things happen, despite that awful choice of recording that was way too quiet of De Luca's, yet somehow never caused me to waiver from my opinion of his performance. That was the way the Cortigiani should be sung, with pathos and longing and he had it all despite the gorgeous and powerful voice of the wonderful Ettore who mostly just sang the words, albeit sans emotion. Much as it surprises me, I shall now run up to cast my vote for De Luca.





Highwayman said:


> Bastianini is an Imperial Bösendorfer whereas De Luca is a Clavichord in comparison. I do not rate the sophistication of the latter too highly because I cannot hear much of it. Of course, I`m disregarding the recording quality...





Dimace said:


> Despite I'm not expert in men singers I went easily to Ettore because I like the clarity & power of his voice. Another reason was the sound quality of the videos. Ettore's video quality is much better than Giuseppe's and maybe this us unfair for the second.


If the volume of the De Luca recording had any impact on your choice you're not doing this right. That said, if you're aware of a better recording please provide it!


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

De Luca by a mile. Bastianini just powers through with that glorious voice of his (as so often). This is just a different level of artistry. I'd have liked a bit more animal passion in the _Cortigiani_ section, but he is much more moving in the _miei signori_ section.

Just as an aside, has anyone heard this fascinating document? Maybe the world's greatest Rigoletto was a woman :devil:


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

That's amazing! Many thanks for sharing


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Callas should have got her claws into Bastianini and taught him something about legato, portamento, and the other stuff singers are supposed to know how to do.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

There's no competition!

De Luca, for all of the reasons given above.

N.


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## Dimace (Oct 19, 2018)

Bonetan said:


> If the volume of the De Luca recording had any impact on your choice you're not doing this right. That said, if you're aware of a better recording please provide it!


Unfortunately had... Anyway De Luca won easily and my vote changed nothing. I want to see a similar game with women opera singers. With them I can judge also without videos. :tiphat:


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## SanyiKocka (May 6, 2020)

I do like Bastianini a lot however I will vote De Luca (and many others) for this certain aria. Bastianini's Rigoletto is like a young and strong-minded general, not a poor, old and handicapped jester.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

*Giuseppe De Luca is the Winner!! Bel Canto Prevails!!!*

*Quarterfinal* (Il balen)
Merrill defeats Hvorostovsky 16-13
Bastianini defeats Kelsey 15-3
Ruffo defeats Milnes 16-6
De Luca defeats Warren 14-3

*Semifinal* (Eri tu)
Bastianini defeats Merrill 9-7
De Luca defeats Ruffo 8-5

*Final* (Cortigiani)
De Luca defeats Bastianini 11-6

I know this is late, but I wanted to get your thoughts...

Where does De Luca fall in your personal baritone rankings? Any surprises at the way the tournament played out? Any personal favorites who's results disappointed? Is there a singer who wasn't in the tournament, and who had the necessary recordings (sorry Battistini), who could have defeated De Luca?

On a personal note I'm happy with the results as I'm a very big fan of De Luca. If someone asked me what baritone's singing to emulate I would say De Luca for his combination of technique and style.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I'd like to thank Bonetan for taking the time to post these tournaments. I have heard singers and performances that I hadn't heard before and it has been both edifying and interesting. However, I would like to make one observation.

It strikes that in all cases we are talking about isolated arias, which is not really what opera is about. My favourte baritone is probably Tito Gobbi, who would very rarely win prizes for his rendition of a single aria, but whose performance of a complete role, whether it be Verdi (Boccanegra, Renato, Rigoletto, Iago, Amonasro) or Puccini (Scarpia, Schicchi, Sharpless or Schicchi) will often be my preferred version. John Steane put it very well in a review of the Votto *Un Ballo in Maschera*, when he stated that, though he might prefer De Luca's singing of _Eri tu_ and Rethberg's of _Morro, ma prima in grazia_, he still reckoned that the Library Scene in this recording, which features both these arias, was the best on record. It is little incidentals, which go largely unmissed by most singers, that make these performances great. Both Callas and Gobbi would pay as much attention to a single phrase of recitative, even just of a word, as they would to the famous arias. Earlier in this *Ballo* recording, there is one such example that resonates in my mind's ear when Gobbi sings the single word _Amelia_ after his wife is revealed as the woman in Riccardo's tryst. There are more conflicting emotions expressed in that one word than in whole pages of singing by less dramatically attuned baritones. In a single word he gets right to the heart of the character.

Much as I treasure recordings of these great singers from the early days of recording, I do find myself wishing that I could hear them in a compete role for a true picture of what they might have been like.


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