# Milnes' Best



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

I've been listening to Sherrill Milnes a lot lately, and I have to say he's really my favorite baritone. Gobbi is better, Cappuccilli and Bruson have more ... I don't know, baritonality?, Hampson has more color, but Milnes just communicates. You don't have to see him to know what he's thinking, he puts it all in his voice. So what's your favorite Milnes recording?


----------



## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

I need an option for "All of the Above." Milnes is my favorite, too, and it's hard to choose which role is his best. I heard him live as Count di Luna back in 1980, and his singing of "_Il balen del suo sorriso_" was so gorgeous, it literally took my breath away. Right now, I'm listening to the Met/Levine _Simon Boccanegra _with him in the title role, and he's magnificent. So do I select Count di Luna? Or his tormented Rigoletto? His fiendish Iago or Scarpia? His truly noble Posa? His complex Macbeth? Or the Jochanaan that makes me wish we'd heard more of him in the German repertoire?


----------



## AndyS (Dec 2, 2011)

That's a really hard one. His Jochanan is tremendous, even more so because it wasn't something I thought he could pull off. But I've never heard him be less than excellent (except perhaps maybe in the Mehta Tosca)


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

MAuer said:


> I need an option for "All of the Above." Milnes is my favorite, too, and it's hard to choose which role is his best. I heard him live as Count di Luna back in 1980, and his singing of "_Il balen del suo sorriso_" was so gorgeous, it literally took my breath away. Right now, I'm listening to the Met/Levine _Simon Boccanegra _with him in the title role, and he's magnificent. So do I select Count di Luna? Or his tormented Rigoletto? His fiendish Iago or Scarpia? His truly noble Posa? His complex Macbeth? Or the Jochanaan that makes me wish we'd heard more of him in the German repertoire?


He was the MAN.


----------



## JCarmel (Feb 3, 2013)

I saw him at Covent Garden in the 1980's (I think...) very impressive in a production of Macbeth, conducted very well by Edward Downes.
His Lady Macbeth was Grace Bumbry... She wore a bright scarlet floor-length costume which during her first aria, became so soaked with perspiration as to be _too_ revealing of Ms Bumbry's figure. But goodness me, along with the perspiration came a fantastic vocal performance, as she filled one of the more demanding Opera Houses, acoustically-speaking...with a reverberating rush of sound. It was so exciting to experience.


----------



## suteetat (Feb 25, 2013)

His Rigoletto is my favourite recording of the opera. Gobbi is probably my favourite baritone in Italian roles but Milnes is also way up there. Unfortunately I saw him live only once close to the end of his career as Michonnet in Adriana LeCouvreur.


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

JCarmel said:


> I saw him at Covent Garden in the 1980's (I think...) very impressive in a production of Macbeth, conducted very well by Edward Downes.
> His Lady Macbeth was Grace Bumbry... She wore a bright scarlet floor-length costume which during her first aria, became so soaked with perspiration as to be _too_ revealing of Ms Bumbry's figure. But goodness me, along with the perspiration came a fantastic vocal performance, as she filled one of the more demanding Opera Houses, acoustically-speaking...with a reverberating rush of sound. It was so exciting to experience.


Ah, the memories ... another reason to prefer the opera house to the cinema! What I wouldn't give to see and hear Shirley Verrett live in the opera. Your choice of baritones, but we must have Sam Ramey as Banquo!


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

suteetat said:


> His Rigoletto is my favourite recording of the opera. Gobbi is probably my favourite baritone in Italian roles but Milnes is also way up there. Unfortunately I saw him live only once close to the end of his career as Michonnet in Adriana LeCouvreur.


That's really my biggest regret ... if I'd become interested in opera sooner, I would have been able to see almost all my heroes and heroines live. Ah well. I saw Natalie Dessay in Lucia and in Traviata ... not Sherrill Milnes but she's not bad. Besides, I'm sure he wouldn't have looked so good in that red dress.


----------



## suteetat (Feb 25, 2013)

guythegreg said:


> That's really my biggest regret ... if I'd become interested in opera sooner,* I would have been able to see almost all my heroes and heroines live*. .


It would be one of the few benefit I could think of to wish that I could be 20 years older than I am now


----------



## suteetat (Feb 25, 2013)

But not sure I would be willing to be 40-50 years older to see Flagstad


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

You just need some of that Makropoulos juice - you'd be set, at least until civilization comes crashing down on our heads.


----------



## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Guess I'm odd man out here.
I don't care for Milnes much at all.
His singing seems overly mannered and peculiar to me.
But to each his own.


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Itullian said:


> Guess I'm odd man out here.
> I don't care for Milnes much at all.
> His singing seems overly mannered and peculiar to me.
> But to each his own.


Hm - we MUST FIX THIS! What have you heard, of his?


----------



## JCarmel (Feb 3, 2013)

I'm was/am a fan of Piero Capucilli. You always felt that he'd got under the skin of the character he was playing and gave a performance of real emotional depth. Not a headline-grabber in any operatic way but someone who could be relied-upon to sing & invest a role with sincerity.


----------



## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

I have to say that overall I prefer Leonard Warren for my favorite Verdi baritone. And my all-time favorite singer, save for La Nilsson. But I voted for Milnes as Rigoletto, even though he tries for some of those tenory, tasteless notes (that final "Ah, ah, la ma-le-di-zi-o, O-o-o, ne" going up to high B, completely out of the tonality (C-sharp minor), strictly a "because I can" style-less vocal choice), and they can sometimes get pretty woofy, more wobble than note. Yes, I know it is a remarkable feat for a baritone. But I do not think he aged well vocally. His debut LP I remember like it was yesterday, 1968 or so, incredible performances of Verdi (Attila, "è gettata la mia sorte"? That high B-flat he knocked out of the park, Handel "See the raging flames arise," probably the "O vin dissipe la tristesse" from Thomas' Hamlet).

Others may differ, and past performance is no guarantee of future results.


----------



## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

JCarmel said:


> I'm was/am a fan of Piero Capucilli. You always felt that he'd got under the skin of the character he was playing and gave a performance of real emotional depth. Not a headline-grabber in any operatic way but someone who could be relied-upon to sing & invest a role with sincerity.
> 
> View attachment 15779


love Capucilli.


----------



## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

guythegreg said:


> Hm - we MUST FIX THIS! What have you heard, of his?


Whatever I've heard, I haven't cared for.
I avoid his recordings, as I do Pavarotti's.
I have the Bonynge Rigoletto with those two because the score is complete.
But I cant really say I care for either one of them in the opera. They're ok.
Much prefer other singers in those roles.


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

JCarmel said:


> I'm was/am a fan of Piero Capucilli. You always felt that he'd got under the skin of the character he was playing and gave a performance of real emotional depth. Not a headline-grabber in any operatic way but someone who could be relied-upon to sing & invest a role with sincerity.
> 
> View attachment 15779


I can't seriously argue with anyone who loves Cappuccilli - great, great voice. But as with Domingo and Pavarotti and everyone else, he had his best roles, too. Your opinion, his best roles?


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Barelytenor said:


> I have to say that overall I prefer Leonard Warren for my favorite Verdi baritone. And my all-time favorite singer, save for La Nilsson. But I voted for Milnes as Rigoletto, even though he tries for some of those tenory, tasteless notes (that final "Ah, ah, la ma-le-di-zi-o, O-o-o, ne" going up to high B, completely out of the tonality (C-sharp minor), strictly a "because I can" style-less vocal choice), and they can sometimes get pretty woofy, more wobble than note. Yes, I know it is a remarkable feat for a baritone. But I do not think he aged well vocally. His debut LP I remember like it was yesterday, 1968 or so, incredible performances of Verdi (Attila, "è gettata la mia sorte"? That high B-flat he knocked out of the park, Handel "See the raging flames arise," probably the "O vin dissipe la tristesse" from Thomas' Hamlet).
> 
> Others may differ, and past performance is no guarantee of future results.


And what do you think Warren was best in, what roles?


----------



## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

His Scarpia with Zinka Milanov is a classic. His Rigoletto is a marvel as well, and tasteful always. Barnaba in La Gioconda, also with Milanov; the dark natural sound of his voice is great for these classic villains. Iago in Otello, a high-tessitura role that he dispatches easily with those incredible, huge high notes. Tonio in Pagliacci. Escamillo.

He could even sing a great Largo al factotum from Barbiere, but the sound is not what one thinks of as bel canto. It's bel Warren.


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Very hard to choose as I like everything he's done. I buy stuff I wouldn't normally be interested in just because it's him.

But of the ones in the poll Macbeth is my favourite.


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

sospiro said:


> Very hard to choose as I like everything he's done. I buy stuff I wouldn't normally be interested in just because it's him.
> 
> But of the ones in the poll Macbeth is my favourite.


Huh - haven't tried his Macbeth yet! I'll have to give that one a go. Thanks for the recommendation. I was sure you were going to go for Rigoletto!


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

guythegreg said:


> Huh - haven't tried his Macbeth yet! I'll have to give that one a go. Thanks for the recommendation. I was sure you were going to go for Rigoletto!


Listening to his Macbeth made me want to see it & I've been going downhill financially ever since!


----------



## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

Il conte di Luna for me, with so much adoration :tiphat:


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

sospiro said:


> Listening to his Macbeth made me want to see it & I've been going downhill financially ever since!


lol that's the spirit ... life without money is better than life without opera, right?


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Il_Penseroso said:


> Il conte di Luna for me, with so much adoration :tiphat:


He put his soul and his whole heart into that performance, didn't he? Made you think he could do anything. I heard his Eugene Onegin a few days ago and it wasn't what I was hoping for - he struggled with the language, I think - but his di Luna was a classic, for sure.


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

guythegreg said:


> lol that's the spirit ... life without money is better than life without opera, right?


You're so right there Greg! Life without opera would be no life at all.


----------



## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

sospiro said:


> You're so right there Greg! Life without opera would be no life at all.


I'll sing to that! Un brindisi, beviamo!

George


----------



## Ritter (Apr 11, 2013)

Do someone know his Nabucco at Paris Garnier with Bumbry? Really impressive. Nabucco has been left out in this poll - it doesn't matter. Well, I go for Macbeth too, the power and darkness of his voice is very suitable for this role. Although, I disagree with those who think that Rigoletto was his best role, as it is one the most difficult verdian characters with a lot of nuances which he couldn't always meet with right style.


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Ritter said:


> Do someone know his Nabucco at Paris Garnier with Bumbry? Really impressive. Nabucco has been left out in this poll - it doesn't matter. Well, I go for Macbeth too, the power and darkness of his voice is very suitable for this role. Although, I disagree with those who think that Rigoletto was his best role, as it is one the most difficult verdian characters with a lot of nuances which he couldn't always meet with right style.


Thanks for the Nabucco recco - but if you're going to dis his Rigoletto, which I love, you're going to have to tell us who's your favorite Rigoletto!


----------



## Ritter (Apr 11, 2013)

guythegreg said:


> Thanks for the Nabucco recco - but if you're going to dis his Rigoletto, which I love, you're going to have to tell us who's your favorite Rigoletto!


Well, I know that my opinion is not very popular according to the result of the poll, but it is just my point of view, I don't intend to offend anyone. Answering to your question, my favourite Rigoletto is...(drumbeats)... the great Cornell MacNeil!


----------



## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Ritter said:


> Well, I know that my opinion is not very popular according to the result of the poll, but it is just my point of view, I don't intend to offend anyone. Answering to your question, my favourite Rigoletto is...(drumbeats)... the great Cornell MacNeil!


I think it's great that there are so many points of view on this forum. After all wouldn't it be sad for the artists if everyone just loved one singer and was all meh about the others.Yay for Cornell McNeill! (though my favourite Rigoletto is John Rawnsley, even though when I saw him live he was singing it in English).


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Ritter said:


> Well, I know that my opinion is not very popular according to the result of the poll, but it is just my point of view, I don't intend to offend anyone. Answering to your question, my favourite Rigoletto is...(drumbeats)... the great Cornell MacNeil!


I've actually been meaning to go back and have another listen to his Rigoletto - so now i've got a bit more !motivation. Thanks!


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

I love Sherrill Milnes -- I absolutely love him. I voted for Rigoletto, because the first time I ever heard Milnes was on the 1971 London/Decca RIGOLETTO recording. I was just getting into opera at the time (1998); a local radio station played the recording. It was my first time hearing RIGOLETTO, and I immediately loved the work and Milnes. So for me, Sherrill Milnes really IS Rigoletto.

However, I also love his Germont (on the DG/Kleiber recording). I personally can't stand overly stodgy, unsympathetic Germonts, and Milnes' audio portrayal is about as sympathetic as you can get.

Enrico in LUCIA (Decca, with Sutherland) is wonderful, too. I love how he lightens his sound for the bel canto music yet still manages to sound malevolent.

And his Macbeth on the EMI recording is a very detailed portrayal. In fact, if you read Volume 3 of J.B. Steane's SINGERS OF THE CENTURY series, Steane talks about it in Chapter 18.

I noticed you don't have LUISA MILLER on your list. I've heard both the Decca recording with Milnes and watched the 1979 Met production on DVD, in which he starred with Domingo and Scotto. I think Miller was one of his greatest roles.


----------



## Hoffmann (Jun 10, 2013)

Hi Greg (or is it Guy?) - Great thread! I voted for Iago - it's a sentimental favorite for me.


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

guythegreg said:


> *That's really my biggest regret ... if I'd become interested in opera sooner*, I would have been able to see almost all my heroes and heroines live. Ah well. I saw Natalie Dessay in Lucia and in Traviata ... not Sherrill Milnes but she's not bad. Besides, I'm sure he wouldn't have looked so good in that red dress.


That's a huge regret for me as well. I'm trying to see as much live opera as I can & have the funds for as I know I'll regret it if I don't.

As for the vote, will think about it some more


----------



## katdad (Jan 1, 2009)

Milnes was superb, one of my favorite baritones ever.

I'd highly recommend that you listen to this YouTube recording of the Largo al Factotum from Barber of Seville. It's the best Largo ever, I think. He really zings it up, even singing with the final musical flourish that completes the piece.


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Bellinilover said:


> I love Sherrill Milnes -- I absolutely love him. I voted for Rigoletto, because the first time I ever heard Milnes was on the 1971 London/Decca RIGOLETTO recording. I was just getting into opera at the time (1998); a local radio station played the recording. It was my first time hearing RIGOLETTO, and I immediately loved the work and Milnes. So for me, Sherrill Milnes really IS Rigoletto.
> 
> However, I also love his Germont (on the DG/Kleiber recording). I personally can't stand overly stodgy, unsympathetic Germonts, and Milnes' audio portrayal is about as sympathetic as you can get.
> 
> ...


Very interesting! I haven't heard his Enrico yet, or his Macbeth, and I watched the Luisa Miller before I was nearly as deep into opera as I am now, so I really owe it a second look. I absolutely agree about Rigoletto - are there any others? I think not - and while his Germont is not my favorite, it's not far from the top either. Thanks so much.


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

katdad said:


> Milnes was superb, one of my favorite baritones ever.
> 
> I'd highly recommend that you listen to this YouTube recording of the Largo al Factotum from Barber of Seville. It's the best Largo ever, I think. He really zings it up, even singing with the final musical flourish that completes the piece.


God in heaven. That was amazing. Levine sure took it up tempo, didn't he? But Milnes kept up with him too. What I wouldn't give to have heard him in the role live. And to think Hoffman actually got KNOCKED OVER by the man. I am GREEN with envy.

Milnes anecdote, from American Aria, his autobiography:

Milnes (after a bad recital, to his accompanist): Can you believe what we just did to Handel?

Accompanist: Handel? That was Schoenberg.


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

sospiro said:


> That's a huge regret for me as well. I'm trying to see as much live opera as I can & have the funds for as I know I'll regret it if I don't.
> 
> As for the vote, will think about it some more


Sospiro, I've liked reading your thougts on Milnes. I've sent you a PM if you'd like to check it out.


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Hoffmann said:


> Hi Greg (or is it Guy?) - Great thread! I voted for Iago - it's a sentimental favorite for me.


Gosh, ANOTHER one I've never seen! For a guy who's one of my favorites, you'd think I'd have seen more of his stuff - but the stuff I have seen is just incredible. I'll put Otello on the list ...


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

guythegreg said:


> Gosh, ANOTHER one I've never seen! For a guy who's one of my favorites, you'd think I'd have seen more of his stuff - but the stuff I have seen is just incredible. I'll put Otello on the list ...


Guythegreg: I just sent you a PM, but I don't know if it went through or not. Anyway, in it I wanted to tell you to google "Louise T. Guinther Discusses Sherrill Milnes Recordings." On the Opera News website is a brief article and audio discussion by Ms. Guinther of Milnes' recorded legacy. I think youll find it interesting.

Also, who is Hoffmann and how did he get knocked over by Milnes?


----------



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Gotcha. I only check my PMs once a day so I probably would have seen it tomorrow. Hoffman is another TC ... lurker ...? who used to work as a super when the Met (I think) went on tour to his town, and he was on stage to prevent Milnes' character from leaving and Milnes' character was determined to leave and before the show Milnes said if you budge an inch before I come through that door I will find you and hurt you. Or words to that effect. Apparently Hoffman stuck the way he was supposed to and wound up with a split lip as Milnes went through the door. :lol:


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

guythegreg said:


> Gotcha. I only check my PMs once a day so I probably would have seen it tomorrow. Hoffman is another TC ... lurker ...? who used to work as a super when the Met (I think) went on tour to his town, and he was on stage to prevent Milnes' character from leaving and Milnes' character was determined to leave and before the show Milnes said if you budge an inch before I come through that door I will find you and hurt you. Or words to that effect. Apparently Hoffman stuck the way he was supposed to and wound up with a split lip as Milnes went through the door. :lol:


Oh, I see! I'm guessing the opera was OTELLO, with Milnes as Iago and Hoffmann as the one of the people at the end who tries to detain him when he is "found out." Well, because Hoffmann writes above that Milnes' Iago is a "sentimental favorite" for him, I gather that means the incident didn't lower his opinion of Milnes very much!


----------



## katdad (Jan 1, 2009)

Yes, greg, that Largo is amazing.

It was definitely the most difficult aria I learned, and never really got it nailed down, as you can easily appreciate. Worst thing is if you screw up you'll get tangled and the whole aria falls apart. Eeek!


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

katdad said:


> Yes, greg, that Largo is amazing.
> 
> It was definitely the most difficult aria I learned, and never really got it nailed down, as you can easily appreciate. Worst thing is if you screw up you'll get tangled and the whole aria falls apart. Eeek!


On the website for Opera News is an audio discussion in which commentator Louise T. Guinther discusses several Milnes recordings, including the "Largo al factotum." Among the things she notes are that Milnes has a lot of fun with the purely technical aspects of the aria, like the high notes and the falsetto, and that his diction is very clean, probably the result of his having "tongued" the words (repeated them over and over again with exaggerated diction) beforehand in order to "get his mouth operating correctly."


----------



## superiornero (Jul 25, 2021)

for me it's either Rigoletto or il Barbiere di Siviglia just for his largo al factotum interpretation. I'd listen to any of his recordings, tho i do prefer the 70s period for obvious reasons. he was still good after anyway


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

How can I vote when this is missing?





So I was forced to vote for my next favorite: Count di Luna (Il balen)


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Good thread. Which years do you think were his peak years? I don't care so much for his later offerings but he is wonderful early on up to his middle years. Do you think he holds his own with the glorious baritones before the 33 era?


----------



## mparta (Sep 29, 2020)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Good thread. Which years do you think were his peak years? I don't care so much for his later offerings but he is wonderful early on up to his middle years. Do you think he holds his own with the glorious baritones before the 33 era?


Yes. I think I choose by role and taste for the color it needs. Milnes voice was (young) bright and clean, and of course he relished that upper extension. But the roles that most sent me over the top with his singing were the Enrico with Sutherland and Pavarotti and Iago. I might revisit that Iago opinion since I imprinted on him with Domingo and Scotto and might find other things in a singer like Gobbi now. When I was younger I wouldn't give two cents for Gobbi because the voice is definitely not beautiful. Now I cannot find another Rigoletto like him, so maybe his art would replace the beauty of Milnes' voice in a role with so much character required.
Milnes lets his vibrato roll with the rhythm at the end of the first scene of Lucia, gorgeous sound and that rhythmic quality is hypnotizing. For sheer singing, hard to match it.
I can't recall his Figaro, sure I heard it long ago.
He's wonderful too, in a live Met Puritani with Sutherland, Pavarotti and James Morris. SInce I think this opera stands or falls more on its lower voices than on the starry highs, this is a favorite recording for me.


----------



## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

I saw Milnes live in his youth, in the 1970s, as a powerhouse *Rigoletto*, and a sexy thigh-baring Athanael in *Thaïs *, as well as many telecasts from the Metropolitan Opera (or simulcasts as they styled them). Later on, he seemed to be chewing his vowels as he distorted the sound for vocal comfort and it became a mannerism. See the *Simon Boccanegra* above for an example of this.

The voice at its best could be volcanic and rousing, high notes hit squarely on and flung out to the audience. Later they became more nasal and strange sounds were in evidence (in the 1980s) as the voice started to decay.


----------



## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

MAS said:


> Later on, he seemed to be chewing his vowels as he distorted the sound for vocal comfort and it became a mannerism.


I think that was a problem pretty early. I find his Iago with Domingo, Scotto, and Levine objectionable for exactly that reason - you can practically hear him twirling his mustache.


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

wkasimer said:


> I think that was a problem pretty early. I find his Iago with Domingo, Scotto, and Levine objectionable for exactly that reason - you can practically hear him twirling his mustache.


I agree that the problems are in evidence early on. The passaggio between his middle and upper registers lost its freedom, and the notes above the staff took on a stiff-jawed, yawning, forced, unresonant quality, unpleasant in itself and different from the rest of his voice. I tend to avoid him for that reason. I wouldn't deny, though, that the basic voice was handsome and that he could be an effective performer.


----------



## Shaughnessy (Dec 31, 2020)

Excerpts from an article written by John Von Rhein of the Chicago Tribune on September 29. 1985 -

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-09-29-8503060066-story.html

"One critic has dubbed him opera`s Incredible Hunk, an apt title for the athletically built, 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound singer. His sex appeal derives as much from his bright, burnished sound--complete with a powerful upper range that allows him to trumpet glorious high A-flats, A naturals and even B-flats like a dramatic tenor--as from his good looks and physique."

In many respects he finds it the most fascinating and complex of the 13 Verdi parts in his present repertory. ''Musically and vocally, it`s Otello`s opera,'' he explained. ''But it`s very hard for an Otello to be great without an Iago to drive and push him. Singing Iago is not as punishing for the voice as singing Rigoletto, because it`s not as sustained. The one dangerous thing about Iago is that you are always having to punch the voice in the top third of your range; you cannot do it with just a beautiful legato line.

Milnes offered capsule portraits of two of his favorite Otellos. ''Placido is a more sensitive and vulnerable Otello than some of his predecessors. Therefore I can be more offhanded, less obvious.'' Jon Vickers: ''A tower of strength, but graceful and stylized. With Jon you feel as if you are chopping down a mighty oak.''

A major vocal crisis threatened Milnes four years ago, just about the time his career had gathered real momentum. He dropped out of sight at the Met because of what were officially called ''health problems.'' Nobody feeds on gossip more voraciously than opera fans, and Milnes` fans devoured every tidbit. Wild rumors flew that Milnes had cancer of the larynx, that he had permanently damaged his vocal apparatus, even that he had severed a vocal cord when a dentist accidentally dropped an instrument down his throat.

''When that one reached me,'' said Milnes, smiling ruefully, ''I didn`t know whether to laugh or swear. It was so ludicrous.''

Actually, Milnes had developed a rupture at the base of one of his vocal cords that went unnoticed by his doctors for months. As he continued to sing, without giving the injured tissue a chance to heal, the inflammation and hoarseness grew worse, until he could hardly talk, let alone sing.

After several months of blood tests and physical exams, his condition was diagnosed as a burst capillary caused by an allergic reaction to aspirin. ''It was an enormous relief to learn that the problem was fixable and not some mystical thing out of left field,'' the baritone said. It took a full year of ''good singing''--at first only recitals, then a gradual re-entry into opera--for the fear to subside and confidence to return."


----------

