# BASS TOURNAMENT (Round 1, Match 6): Kipnis vs Moll



## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Alexander Kipnis, Ukraine, 1891-1978






Kurt Moll, Germany, 1938-2017






Who's singing did you prefer and why?


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Bass voices are not really my speciality but I enjoyed both performances enormously and find it really hard to say which I prefer. The interpretations are quite different really, Kipnis is sterner whilst Moll is more comforting. I suppose it depends on your view of Sarastro. I think I'll go with Kipnis.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

I prefer deep velvety tones of Kipnis to Moll's slightly grainy sound. Moll is audibly strained hitting lowest notes while Kipnis just keeps going without sacrificing any details. This is one of the reasons I used to prefer Hans Sotin over Kurt Moll as "my" Gurnemanz: sometimes Moll was audibly struggling with some part of the score not quite comfortable for his voice.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

This is out of my comfort zone as I am not familiar with these singers so I let my ear take over and Kurt Moll wins by the beautiful bass sound of his voice.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I like both, but there was only one Kipnis. (I was thinking of him when listening to the Mardones/Navarini contest.

N.


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## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

I basically agree with what Tsaraslondon and Azol have already said. Moll is good but Kipnis is great.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

vivalagentenuova said:


> I basically agree with what Tsaraslondon and Azol have already said. Moll is good but Kipnis is great.


When I first listened to Moll, I was slightly swayed by the way he started the aria. He sounded so comforting and benevolent, but once the really low notes kick in there is no doubting Kipnis's superiority. The voice is just so rich and firm in the lowest parts of the aria, where Moll tends to lose power. As you say, Moll is good, very good even, but Kipnis is one of the greats.


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## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

Kipnis has such a nice "presence" in his voice. His vocal production sounds freer to me. Azol brought up Gurnemanz. Kipnis is probably my favorite (vocally) Gurnemanz, judging from some of the excerpts in the 1920s and a live performance with Fritz Busch.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Yup. Kipnis. I note, though, that the pitch of his recording is slightly high. This is a not uncommon problem with 78s. It ought to be fixed when 78s are transferred to more modern recordings.


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