# Final Round: Dio di Guida. Stracciari, Gobbi



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Nabucco: Dio di Guida (Recorded 1925) · Ricardo Stracciari · Giuseppe Verdi Riccardo Stracciari (Recorded 1917 - 1925) ℗ 2000 Nimbus Records Limited 




Verdi: Nabucco / Act 4 - Dio di Giuda! · Tito Gobbi · Giovanni Foiani · Chor der Wiener Staatsoper · Wiener Staatsopernorchester · Lamberto Gardelli


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Despite my love for the obsidian gleam of Stracciari's voice, I came prepared to give the palm to Gobbi for his usual interpretive subtlety. But this aria isn't emotionally complex; there isn't much for a great vocal actor to sink his teeth into. This is straight bel canto, the sustained cantilena demanding primarily a steady stream of vibrant and beautiful tone, and there Stracciari has a decisive edge.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

I found myself disconcerted by how many aspirates the great Tito Gobbi uses in his first few phrases of the aria, especially in contrast with Stracciari. As Woodduck says above, _bel canto._


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

After more listening, Stracciari actually plays Nabucco all right. And I understand why peoole admired him.

What did you guys do to me ? I have always facepalmed at people, who listen to these old recordings with weird sound 

@Seattleoperafan you have a typo - it is Dio di Giuda (God of the Jews), not "guida" in the sense of leading. That would be pronounced differently.

Edit: I only now noticed that this is new round. I need to wait for a quiet time.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

This is a little difficult for me, because Gobbi is one of my favourites singers of all time and, if not blind to his vocal shortcomings, I can usually ignore them as I am swept up in his superb dramatic involvement. Like Callas, he is better heard in a complete role than in extracts and this piece, as others have pointed out, asks for little dramatically, but does require a smooth vocal line. This is also late in Gobbi's career and I've no doubt he would have managed a purer line a few years earlier.

As it is, Stracciari does exactly what the aria requires, so I'm really sorry, Tito, but I'm giving this one to him.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> After more listening, Stracciari actually plays Nabucco all right. And I understand why peoole admired him.
> 
> What did you guys do to me ? I have always facepalmed at people, who listen to these old recordings with weird sound
> 
> ...


BBSVK: I am the God of Typos. Spellcheck works well but it doesn't help on foreign names and titles of arias. If you catch me early in a contest I'll gladly change something.
You get to where you can hear past the other stuff to appreciate how differently and better on the whole their singing was in these old recordings. Ponselle, Tetrazzini, Ruffo, Muzio, Pinza. Nothing like them today. There are lots of Callas recordings but for me the best are the early ones with bad sound as her voice was so much better before she lost weight.
I've learned to wait 4 or 5 days after I place an aria contest before I declare a winner as many can't play every day. I hope once a day is not too many for you guys and gals.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Tsaraslondon said:


> This is a little difficult for me, because Gobbi is one of my favourites singers of all time and, if not blind to his vocal shortcomings, I can usually ignore them as I am swept up in his superb dramatic involvement. Like Callas, he is better heard in a complete role than in extracts and this piece, as others have pointed out, asks for little dramatically, but does require a smooth vocal line. This is also late in Gobbi's career and I've no doubt he would have managed a purer line a few years earlier.
> 
> As it is, Stracciari does exactly what the aria requires, so I'm really sorry, Tito, but I'm giving this one to him.


Tito is a nice man and he forgives you.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Well, I haven't voted in the other rounds of this contest, but I don't think that means I'm uneligiable to vote now. Gobbi is my favourite singer of this, but I haven't heard the Stracciari and so this will be interesting. Despite the wretched Nimbus transfer, I now get what all the fuss is about over him. (It's very difficult to find recordings of his on CD - there might be a Pearl release, long out of print.)

I'm left wanting more and whilst there are parts of the role where I can imagine prefering Gobbi's vocal acting, Stracciari's solid and full bodied tone is better in this lyric moment. He has everything and isn't without feeling. We have another Battistini on our hands. Stracciari wins.

N.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Whodda thunk it? Me, the Gobbi nut. But here I am sitting alone up there in my little corner because I just had to vote for that wonderful delivery by Stracciari.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

nina foresti said:


> Whodda thunk it? Me, the Gobbi nut. But here I am sitting alone up there in my little corner because I just had to vote for that wonderful delivery by Stracciari.


You have plenty of company in that corner.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

nina foresti said:


> Whodda thunk it? Me, the Gobbi nut. But here I am sitting alone up there in my little corner because I just had to vote for that wonderful delivery by Stracciari.


Will wonders never cease. I have an entire contingency with me. This never happened before. I hope I have enough brie and pinot noir to offer those with the good taste (in their ears, that is.)


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

What happens when you put wine and cheese in your ears?


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## Shaughnessy (Dec 31, 2020)

What we really need right now is for someone to find something to complain about (preferably bitterly) so that Nina can reply - "Would you like a little cheese to go with that whine?"


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> What happens when you put wine and cheese in your ears?


I can't remember, it's been some time since I've been to see her Nebs live.

N.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

I have studied this aria and love it for the bel canto aspects mentioned. Coincidentally the Stracciari is my reference recording for the aria while I refer to the Gobbi when studying the role. I'm not as in love with Stracciari's voice as some others due to a throatiness I hear in his sound which critics noted live, but he phrases beautifully and the way he connects notes here is absolutely masterful. It reminds me of Amato's 'eri tu' in that way. Beautifully done.

Gobbi is past his best vocally in this recording, as others have noted, so he doesn't stand much of a chance against the great Stracciari, but what he does in the full recording is quite moving. 

Stracciari gets the vote.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Still a preparatory stage for voting - here is a version of Gobbi I can access. I know it is the correct one, I am just putting it here.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

I take back what I took back before  . A deeper barritone is a better fit for Nabucco as I imagine him, so Gobbi wins. He doesn't ruin it by being excessively lacrimose, it is just right.
As for Stracciari, he is still very... attractive. And still sounds more like a barritenor to me, not a pure barritone. Like Mario del Monaco or Bruno Prevedi. Maybe the timbre is changed due to imperfections of the recording technique. It is not the voice to forget.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

BBSVK said:


> I take back what I took back before  . A deeper barritone is a better fit for Nabucco as I imagine him, so Gobbi wins. He doesn't ruin it by being excessively lacrimose, it is just right.
> As for Stracciari, he is still very... attractive. And still sounds more like a barritenor to me, not a pure barritone. Like Mario del Monaco or Bruno Prevedi. Maybe the timbre is changed due to imperfections of the recording technique. It is not the voice to forget.


Rosa Ponselle disagreed with your impression of Stracciari, but of course she wasn't listening to a recording. Her reaction: "Now _that's_ a baritone!"

Try this certifiably insane "Largo al factotum" from 1927:


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Woodduck said:


> Rosa Ponselle disagreed with your impression of Stracciari, but of course she wasn't listening to a recording. Her reaction: "Now _that's_ a baritone!"
> 
> Try this certifiably insane "Largo al factotum" from 1927:


OK, maybe the voice sounds slightly darker here. Closer to Bruno Prevedi than Mario del Monaco  I still want to hear him as Pollione .
And his singing is wonderful, I never questioned that.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

BBSVK said:


> OK, maybe the voice sounds slightly darker here. Closer to Bruno Prevedi than Mario del Monaco  I still want to hear him as Pollione .
> And his singing is wonderful, I never questioned that.


Just turn the tone control knob a little to the left.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Worth a listen imo...


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## Shaughnessy (Dec 31, 2020)

Deleted post - Carry over preview of a post meant for a different thread.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Bonetan said:


> Worth a listen imo...


Yes, a very good voice, both for playing Nabucco and a potential date as well 
Why does this aria get me into this mood ??? I swear it bored me, when I saw Nabucco live  . Do I need a compromised recording quality for male voices to sound attractively mysterious ? 
Anyway, I'll date Stracciari first, but Umberto Urbano is a better fit for Nabucco, to me.


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## PaulFranz (May 7, 2019)

No power in the 'verse could ever make me vote for Gobbi over Stracciari in anything they ever sang.


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## PaulFranz (May 7, 2019)

BBSVK said:


> Yes, a very good voice, both for playing Nabucco and a potential date as well
> Why does this aria get me into this mood ??? I swear it bored me, when I saw Nabucco live  . Do I need a compromised recording quality for male voices to sound attractively mysterious ?
> Anyway, I'll date Stracciari first, but Umberto Urbano is a better fit for Nabucco, to me.


You're not going to want to hear this...but it's because whoever you saw live is about 1/8th as talented as Stracciari, Galeffi, and Urbano.

Since we have 2/3 of the best recorded versions, here's the other one:


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