# The Top 10 Greatest Opera Singers



## peeyaj (Nov 17, 2010)

Our friends in Listverse published a list regarding the 10 Greatest Singers in the opera repertory. It's a nice, quick read and some of the choices I don't agree with (Where is Tebaldi??!).

Here they are:

*10. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

9. Nicolai Gedda

8. Leontyne Price

7. Fritz Wunderlich

6. Kirsten Flagstad

5. Luciano Pavarotti

4. Joan Sutherland

3. Plácido Domingo

2. Maria Callas

1. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau*

Honestly, much I admire Herr DFD Lieder singing (DFD and Demus' Winterreise is the greatest ever), I am not very much familiar of his opera works. This may be attributed to my love and hate relationship with the opera. Some of the names in the list, I am familiar to because of their Lieder singing.

Here is the list:

http://listverse.com/2012/04/08/top-10-greatest-opera-singers/

What do you think? Any objections?


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## AndyS (Dec 2, 2011)

Any list is going to be subjective, and it is controversial in a list of opera singers to have DFD at the top

And any list is going to be as much about the omissions as who are in there - no Nilsson, Tebaldi, de Los Angeles, Crespin, Caruso, Melchior, Corelli etc

Also no mezzos (Ludwig, who would certainly be in mine, Horne), and DFD the only baritone/bass (no Hotter, Gobbi, Milnes)

But DFD aside it's hard to argue with the majority of that list. Personally like Gedda but think he is a big high. The only person on there I don't care for is Schwarzkopf


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Personally I have always thought that Nilsson comes out positive in comparisons with Flagstad but I know a lot of people would disagree with me, and Flagstad's recorded legacy is far less and technologically inferior. And I heard Nilsson live, as I reminisced on today.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

AndyS said:


> Any list is going to be subjective, and it is controversial in a list of opera singers to have DFD at the top
> 
> And any list is going to be as much about the omissions as who are in there - no Nilsson, Tebaldi, de Los Angeles, Crespin, Caruso, Melchior, Corelli etc
> 
> ...


This is pretty much my take on such lists, as well. Although some of the singers listed are not among my personal favorites, I can't argue with their inclusion. And as much as I'm a fan of Fischer-Dieskau, I wouldn't place him at the top of the list. I'd also agree that there are other baritones/basses equally worthy of inclusion -- perhaps even more so.


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

Had a look at the methodology-

It's _one person_'s perspective.

I don't know how many serious opera fans would make such a list and omit Caruso AND Melchior.

To me, Mechior's a more stunning omission than even Caruso.

Quoting myself:


Chi_townPhilly said:


> The position of Lauritz Melchior at the apex of the Heldentenoren is one of the easiest things for which to document support in the entire world of Classical Music (let alone opera) performance. It's obvious enough to be heard by tyros listening to old scratchy Parlophone shellac discs. It's a simpler and more obvious conclusion than arguing for the primacy of Heifetz on the violin, or Horowitz in the Romantic piano repertory. For most, simply to hear him is to appreciate him. Those who have any kind of interest in this sort of repertoire are urged to do so, with my highest recommendation.


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## sabrina (Apr 26, 2011)

I place *Maria Callas* and *Franco Corelli* high in the stratosphere. But they are not alone. 
I can't do any ordering, other than alphabetic.


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## Moira (Apr 1, 2012)

I was thinking about this the other evening in context of South African opera singers. Sometimes we have attachments which really have nothing to do with 'greatness' yet they influence our thinking a great deal.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

peeyaj said:


> Our friends in Listverse published a list regarding the 10 Greatest Singers in the opera repertory. It's a nice, quick read and some of the choices I don't agree with (Where is Tebaldi??!).
> 
> Here they are:
> 
> ...


I strongly object that I don't find Rosa Ponselle on the list as she is held by many vocal critics as having the most perfect voice of all time in term of size, timbre, flexibility and perfection of style. Even after 90 years her recordings astound one. Her only flaw was a short top. From the C below middle C to B6 she had perfect vocal blending, power and an unusually beautiful dark resonant tone. Check her out. She was called the female Caruso. Here are a couple of selections:



 Ponselle in her 20's singing Casta Diva. 



 Ponselle singing baritone


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## suteetat (Feb 25, 2013)

Top ten list is hard. There will never be an agreement. You need to have at least 20-30 if not more candidates to make a somewhat acceptable list, I think 
This top 10 list is fine, as long as there are also Caruso, Schipa, Gigli, Bjoerling, Corelli, Gobbi, Warren, Melchior, Vickers, Martinelli in it. Wait, I have not even added the female yet, may be there should be at least 40 candidates in top ten list


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## HumphreyAppleby (Apr 11, 2013)

Of course it's impossible to make a list of the best. Nobody will ever agree. I can't stand most of what Maria Callas does. But that's just me. For some people she is opera. My favorites are probably:

Tenor- Nicolai Gedda, Luciano Pavarotti
Baritone- Mario Sereni, Sherrill Milnes
Bass- Paul Robeson, Nicolai Ghiaurov
Soprano- Mirella Freni, Montserrat Caballe
Mezzo- Cecelia Bartoli, Marilyn Horne
Countertenor- Alfred Deller, David Daniels


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