# Baritone, BB, and Bass Opera Passages



## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

I created this one. Gerald Finley, Carl Maria von Weber,_ Euryanthe_, "What Refuge Here?"
Sung in English

London Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner

*Pure Passion!!!
*


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

It doesn't get better than this:




and his "Io morro" from Don Carlo is absolutely heartbreaking


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Just for you Josefina:






This thread is right up my alley


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Perhaps the best Wotan voice of all time. Definitely in my top 3:


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Boris Christoff - Aria of Attila by Verdi


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Bonetan said:


> Perhaps the best Wotan voice of all time. Definitely in my top 3:


_Walvater_ to the life. The voice of a god. London was my first Wotan on recordings, and I've yet to hear a worthy successor. Of course we could go back to the prime of Friedrich Schorr:






Another extraordinary bass-baritone of that era here shows off his incredible breathing by seeming not to do any!






We don't often hear that kind of vocal ease and seamless legato in Wagner, or from such large voices.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

It's often overlooked, but one of my all-time favorites is the double aria "Sacra la scelta...Ah, fu giusto il mio sospetto" sung by the character of Miller (baritone) in Act I of Verdi's LUISA MILLER.


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Wagner, _Die Frist ist um_, Bryn Terfel


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

I might ask the mods to let me revise the OP.

I've listened to many YouTube videos where people argue among themselves whether the part is bass, bass-baritone or bass or what type of voice the singer has at the moment of the performance.

Should we try and change the OP to "arias/passages" sung by bass, bass-baritone and basses? Should we make this even more of a learning experience and try and identify the fach of the piece?

I will give an example that I've found:






and another for fun....


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Bonetan said:


> Just for you Josefina:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you for thinking of me, Bonetan. :kiss: Post as many versions of _Wache Walle_ as you'd like. (So far, my favorite is still Goerne's.)


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

JosefinaHW said:


> Thank you for thinking of me, Bonetan. :kiss: Post as many versions of _Wache Walle_ as you'd like. (So far, my favorite is still Goerne's.)


Have you heard Tomlinson yet? His is my favorite. His version is much more exciting than Goerne's imo


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Bonetan said:


> Have you heard Tomlinson yet? His is my favorite. His version is much more exciting than Goerne's imo


I have to run.... will talk later. Have a great day.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

My favorite baritone (sadly, RIP):


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

If I can include a bass-baritone, then I really like Nikolaus Hillebrand. *Here he is as Don Fernando (a baritone role)* on the Bohm Fidelio.


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Matthias Goerne, Wagner, _Siegried_, Act III Excerpt from Prelude and Wache, Wala!


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Josefina just fyi its "Wache, Wala!"


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Bonetan said:


> Have you heard Tomlinson yet? His is my favorite. His version is much more exciting than Goerne's imo


I have that entire cycle on DVD*. Would you like me to watch the first three operas or just the Wache, Wala!?*

Just between you and me: I watched _Tannhauser_ w. Richard Cassilly and B. Weikl. (I _*ABSOLUTELY HATED IT*_!) I'm not even going to donate this DVD.

To give just the music a second chance I ordered a CD with Rene Pape and Thomas Hampson. If the two of them can't sing it in a way that I'll like more, that's it for this one until you or Goerne perform it.) Why would you ever want to perform that thing?


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## aussiebushman (Apr 21, 2018)

No argument from me about George London but let's not overlook Hans Hotter as arguably one of the finest bass/baritones of all time






And just to amplify the point,try his brilliant 1994 performance (when he was no spring chicken) in my favorite stanza of Gurrelieder:


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

JosefinaHW said:


> Just between you and me:


Oops! You mustn't have noticed that your mic was still hot. Expect a knock on your door at dawn by an agent of the International Tannhauser Defense League.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

aussiebushman said:


> No argument from me about George London but let's not overlook Hans Hotter as arguably one of the finest bass/baritones of all time


Hotter never had the purest voice, but no one surpassed him in majesty and fervor. Listen to Knappertsbusch here too, the way he makes the music breathe and blaze, the musicians giving all they can give. After the Met's so-so _Walkure_ this weekend we need this reminder of how transcendently great this music is.


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Rogerx said:


> Boris Christoff - Aria of Attila by Verdi


I already requested that the OP be revised to include the Bass voice. If it doesn't go through, we'll just have an understanding that we may include them. What was I thinking?!?!?!! The following would have been omitted if I didn't include the bass voice.

Hmm, we still don't have a "smiley" that is wailing in utter agony!


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

aussiebushman said:


> No argument from me about George London but let's not overlook Hans Hotter as arguably one of the finest bass/baritones of all time


I've already declared Hotter the greatest Wotan who ever lived! He's also my favorite singer AND my avatar. No overlooking here


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

JosefinaHW said:


> I have that entire cycle on DVD*. Would you like me to watch the first three operas or just the Wache, Wala!?*
> 
> Just between you and me: I watched _Tannhauser_ w. Richard Cassilly and B. Weikl. (I _*ABSOLUTELY HATED IT*_!) I'm not even going to donate this DVD.
> 
> To give just the music a second chance I ordered a CD with Rene Pape and Thomas Hampson. If the two of them can't sing it in a way that I'll like more, that's it for this one until you or Goerne perform it.) Why would you ever want to perform that thing?


Def check out the beginning of Siegfried act 3 just so I can hear your opinion. Notice the energy & urgency that Tomlinson brings to this section. I don't feel it from Goerne, although he sings it beautifully.


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> Oops! You mustn't have noticed that your mic was still hot. Expect a knock on your door at dawn by an agent of the International Tannhauser Defense League.


Shhh, I did that deliberately. I hope it will provoke Richard to send down all his Newfies to set me straight.


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Bonetan said:


> Def check out the beginning of Siegfried act 3 just so I can hear your opinion. Notice the energy & urgency that Tomlinson brings to this section. I don't feel it from Goerne, although he sings it beautifully.


Your wish is my command.....


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)




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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Woodduck said:


> Hotter never had the purest voice, but no one surpassed him in majesty and fervor. Listen to Knappertsbusch here too, the way he makes the music breathe and blaze, the musicians giving all they can give. After the Met's so-so _Walkure_ this weekend we need this reminder of how transcendently great this music is.


That majesty & fervor along with his way with words & ability to sing both the softest pianos & rafter shaking fortes is why I think Hotter is unsurpassed in his repertoire. Plus he has that instantly recognizable voice. Who else brings all those attributes to the table in his rep?? If more of these singers exist you must tell me about them!


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Bonetan said:


> Def check out the beginning of Siegfried act 3 just so I can hear your opinion. Notice the energy & urgency that Tomlinson brings to this section. I don't feel it from Goerne, although he sings it beautifully.


NOW we are talking, Bonetan! (Just leaving Goerne aside for the moment.)

Tomlinson's interpretation in _Wache, Wale!_ really works for me. Even as he approaches stage front, you can see *BOTH* the STRENGTH and the INTENSE CONFLICT within him. For me and my understanding of Wotan right now, Tomlinson is Wotan!

(Again, leaving Goerne aside for the moment because we only heard him in a concert version. And I will also have to hear and watch Tomlinson perform _Der Augen._..)

Hans Hotter, and Stewart and Windgassen, and all the other shellacers I've heard thus far convey a stereotypical strength of a god that Wotan is not. Wotan is conflicted to the point/or one tiny step from pathological neurosis. Tomlinson gets it and he conveys an awesome strength at the same time which I would associate with a pagan god. Very cool!

I'm going to start from the beginning. But, Thank God, I actually purchased a DVD set that works for me!

(I'm sorry; I really DO wish I could love Hotter as much as you. )


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

JosefinaHW said:


> NOW we are talking, Bonetan! (Just leaving Goerne aside for the moment.)
> 
> Tomlinson's interpretation in _Wache, Wale!_ really works for me. Even as he approaches stage front, you can see *BOTH* the STRENGTH and the INTENSE CONFLICT within him. For me and my understanding of Wotan right now, Tomlinson is Wotan!


I'm glad you enjoyed it! I've been using Tomlinson's 'Wache Wala' as my phone's alarm for a few years now. That should tell you how much I love him in the role. As far as Wotan's on DVD, or even Wotan's in the last 40 years or so, I think he stands alone at the top


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Hvorostovsky - Valentin's aria from Faust (Gounod)
Better?


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

Let's not forget his beautiful "Il balen" either:






Like damn, I've had a crush on Conte di Luna since I was 12, but Dima turned that up to eleven. What Leonora sees in Manrico is a mystery. You could have a man who sings this absolutely gorgeous aria and you go and die for some ungrateful tenor?


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## KitMurkit (Apr 3, 2019)

Agree, one of the best.


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## KitMurkit (Apr 3, 2019)

It was a reply to London's Wotan, does not show as a reply on my phone.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

If we're considering Wotans, let's not forget Hans Hermann Nissen:






Or, of course, Friedrich Schorr:






I also came across this oddity - Matti Salminen as Wotan in the last half of Walküre Act 3:






As for Goerne, as beautifully as he sings the music, at least on a recording, there's something not quite right about the voice itself in the role. His voice doesn't sound particularly large (and having heard him live, it really isn't), and it's a very, very dark sound with little brilliance. That is sometimes effective - Wotan's big monologue in Walkure Act 2, for example. But when the music needs more vocal brilliance, even brassiness (think of the first section of the Abschied, parts of the scene in Siegfried with Mime, or the opening of Siegfried Act 3, I find Goerne wanting - there's just not enough sheer voice for my taste.

Nor am I a big fan of George London's Wotan. It's mostly subjective - I just don't care for the quality of the voice itself. He's got plenty of brass, but that's about it. There's no sense of tenderness, or repose. And I've never heard a London performance that didn't feature a lot of rather out-of-tune singing.

For me, Hotter and Schorr are, without question, the two greatest Wotans on record - I won't choose between the two of them. Schorr certainly had the better pipes - at least before 1935 or so - but in terms of characterization, Hotter had no equal.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

wkasimer said:


> I also came across this oddity - Matti Salminen as Wotan in the last half of Walküre Act 3:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


OMG Salminen as Wotan?? What a find! Thanks for sharing 

Also thank you for articulating the way I feel about Goerne as Wotan better than I ever could lol

I wish London's career hadn't been cut short so he could have really grown into his Wotan. I don't think anyone was ever blessed with a voice more suited to the role. You're right about him singing consistently out of tune too, of course. I've had to make sure not to listen to his recordings when learning a new role. I've learned things wrong because of him...


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Bonetan said:


> OMG Salminen as Wotan?? What a find! Thanks for sharing


A few true basses have been unable to resist the urge to sing the Walkure Wotan - Hans Sotin and Jerome Hines, for example. And Mark Reizen and Alexander Kipnis both made terrific recordings of the Abschied.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

The Wotan of Sigurd Bjorling (apparently no relation to Jussi) seems to me worthy of this company. Here he is at Bayreuth in 1951 (start at 51:22):






Such clarity of timbre is worth a great deal.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Sieglinde said:


> Let's not forget his beautiful "Il balen" either:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Absolutely breaks my heart into a million pieces.
I miss him so bad.


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## aussiebushman (Apr 21, 2018)

Why no mention so far of Kipnis? 




Or Boris Shtokolov for that matter? Maybe not quite is the class of Kipnis but further comparisons are a bit churlish:


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)




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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

The ultimate bass boss fight XD

How about a Siepi vs Neri match?


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Germont - act III Aria - Dmitri Hvorostovsky


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

And another fantastic Il balen:






Tézier makes me so happy. A true golden age Verdi voice with legato that makes me tearbend and all paired with such elegance and nobility. (Also quite the nice Ferrando he has there!)


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

JosefinaHW said:


> I have that entire cycle on DVD*. Would you like me to watch the first three operas or just the Wache, Wala!?*
> 
> Just between you and me: I watched _Tannhauser_ w. Richard Cassilly and B. Weikl. (I _*ABSOLUTELY HATED IT*_!) I'm not even going to donate this DVD.
> 
> To give just the music a second chance I ordered a CD with Rene Pape and Thomas Hampson. If the two of them can't sing it in a way that I'll like more, that's it for this one until you or Goerne perform it.) Why would you ever want to perform that thing?


Sadly JosefinaHW you picked a right clunker of a Tannhäuser to watch. I've got this DVD and I've watched it once and it's extremely doubtful I'll watch it again. Again, sadly, Tannhäuser is not well served on DVD but there are a fair wheen of great audio versions out there!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

"Il balen del suo sorriso" sounds like an easy tune to sing, but it isn't. Its high-lying phrases separate the baritones from the barelytones, and any singer who can go up and over those phrases without having to make an audible shift in his vocal gears (usually into something unattractive like yawning or bellowing or wobbling) gets a prize from me. Here's a sort-of-forgotten prewar singer who takes the prize:






Nicolae Herlea (also sort-of-forgotten) gets it too:






There are plenty of bigger names who don't get the prize.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Here's the Wagner that Terfel is best suited for imo. He sings this so beautifully


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## rw181383 (Aug 4, 2017)

Besides all my favorites already mentioned (Schorr, Hotter, London, Bjorling), here's Ferdinand Frantz in the opening of Siegfried, Act 3: 




The Act 3 Prelude and "Wacha Wala" is from 2:10:57-2:14:48.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Please do not forget Norman Bailey...





If you really must have it sung in German...





And, of course, Wotan. I am posting this because on another thread someone bemoaned the lack of a Klemperer Ring...


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

The greatest of all imo is the Statue scene from Don Giovanni


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Has anyone invoked the great Pavel Lisitsian yet? He is, IMO, among the finest lyric baritones of the past century:






How about the largely forgotten Igor Gorin?:


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Petteri Salomma, Purcell, _What Power Art Thou?





_


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

(DavidA, Thank you for adding the Mozart. )Gerald Finley and Luca Pisaroni, Mozart, _Cosi fan tutte __





_


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Bonetan said:


> Here's the Wagner that Terfel is best suited for imo. He sings this so beautifully


Thank you very much for thinking of me and my delight in Terfel's voice!

I don't know why but I have never liked this song....even when I was a kid and had no idea but Wagner, Tannhauser, etc., etc.,. and that is totally okay with me--this is one of those mysteries that I have no inclination to solve.

But I very gratefully appreciate your sensitivity.


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

I edited so that the image wouldn't be distorted. Gerald Finley, Weber, _Euryanthe_,"What Refuge Here?"


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Gerald Finley, Handel, _Rinaldo_, "Sibillar gli angui d'Aletto"


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Gerald Finley, Rossini, _William Tell_, Sois immobile"


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

Speaking of Finley, here's a Credo:






He did sing an amazing Iago in Munich (it was broadcast in December). He has so many colours in his voice, and he was really bone-chillingly evil.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

I wanted to raise your Finley Credo to a London Credo, but unfortunately this won't play here on TC


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Sieglinde said:


> Speaking of Finley, here's a Credo:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Warm Greetings, Sieglinde. I have receive notices of live broadcast from Munich; the problem has been that I only receive them with 12 hours notice and--this is my fault, I erred on the time in my time zone.

I looked before but I can't find any advance notice on their site when there will be a free broadcast. Do you know if there is such a notice on their website?

Also, I see you are in Hungary. I understand that there was a magnificent bass-baritone tradition in your country. The first that immediately comes to mind is Lazslo Polgar (what a voice!!!! His _Gremin's Aria_ is my favorite), would you mind sharing a bit of that history with me?


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

Oh, Polgár was amazing! Such a beautiful, warm voice, and such an elegant man. Wish he lived longer 






One of my favourites when it comes to King Philip, Sarastro and Leporello.


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

A rather underrated opera: I masnadieri has an epic "mad scene" for the baritone and a duet with a very unfriendly bass priest who pretty much tells him he's beyond salvation because he's so Evil[SUP]TM[/SUP]. I feel like Verdi was channeling the Commendatore Scene a little bit.






Aka the opera that made me fall in love with Artur Ruciński.


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## aussiebushman (Apr 21, 2018)

Sieglinde said:


> Oh, Polgár was amazing! Such a beautiful, warm voice, and such an elegant man. Wish he lived longer
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you for introducing Lazslo Polgar - I confess I had never heard of him until now. A glorious voice


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

Here's the Restate too from this production (with Lajos Miller, another excellent Hungarian singer)


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

Khovanshchina: Aria Of Shaklovity - Mussorgsky (Abbado)


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

If anyone has seen & heard a better Escamillo I would love to experience it!






This is the best version I've ever seen...


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Sorry, Bonetan, Carmen has never really grabbed me, maybe someday.... BUT thank you for reminding me of this thread!

I ADORE the trio "Lasciala, indegno!" from _Don Giovanni!_ I own several recordings, but my favorite isn't on YouTube. Maybe I will upload it; I was listening to it in the car this evening. It is a fabulous, gorgeous, melting trio of my favorite male voices.

The shellacs really DO NOT GET IT! This will not do! I will upload my favorite.


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

We're getting closer.....






Thank you, God, for the male voice!!! 

I am growing each and every day to love Daniel Barenboim's musical sensibility.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

JosefinaHW said:


> Sorry, Bonetan, Carmen has never really grabbed me, maybe someday.... BUT thank you for reminding me of this thread!


That's quite alright! I'm not a big fan of Carmen either & I've completely given up on trying to enjoy Mozart. But I'm glad we feel the same way about Wagner!


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Bonetan said:


> If anyone has seen & heard a better Escamillo I would love to experience it!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Baltsa face, unforgeable.


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## IgorS (Jan 7, 2018)

Bonetan said:


> If anyone has seen & heard a better Escamillo I would love to experience it!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Better version, easily:


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

IgorS said:


> Better version, easily:


We can't see his characterization! Is this live on stage? Does he move & look the part like Ramey? The voice is obviously incredible, but that's only 1 ingredient of a great Toreador


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

Boris singing Boris (and the devil):


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

More treasures from the Slavic repertoire:

From Moniuszko's _Straszny dwór_:





From Rimsky-Korsakov's _Sadko_ - Song of the Varangian (Viking) Guest:





From Borodin's _Prince Igor_:





From Glinka's _Ruslan i Lyudmila_:


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

The Ghiaurov is particularly splendid!


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Bonetan said:


> That's quite alright! I'm not a big fan of Carmen either & _*I've completely given up on trying to enjoy Mozart*_. But I'm glad we feel the same way about Wagner!


This is unacceptable, My Friend! Not for anyone's sake but yours. The pool cover comes off 21 May! I am going to send you a PM and we will make arrangements for you to come to central PA and enjoy the water, the wildlife and Mozart's music. :lol:


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

Thomas' Hamlet:










Massenet's Panurge:





Massenet's Thais:


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

From one of Strauss's most underrated operas, _Die schweigsame Frau_:


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

JosefinaHW said:


> This is unacceptable, My Friend! Not for anyone's sake but yours. The pool cover comes off 21 May! I am going to send you a PM and we will make arrangements for you to come to central PA and enjoy the water, the wildlife and Mozart's music. :lol:


That all sounds really nice..........except for the Mozart :lol:


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Bonetan said:


> That all sounds really nice..........except for the Mozart :lol:


You have been hanging around the wrong people for too long, Bonetan. Wait until you hear Mozart's music being projected from 12 outdoor speakers, rebounding from hundred's of trees, under thousands of stars, while floating in a gorgeous pool!

You will become a BELIEVER!


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## davidglasgow (Aug 19, 2017)

Tita Ruffo in Meyerbeer's L'Africana





Ezio Pinza and Lawrence Tibbett in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra





Giulio Neri in Boito's Mefistofele





Pavel Lisitsian in Tchaikovsky's Pique Dame





Boris Shtokolov in Rimsky-Korsakov's Sadko singing Song of the Viking Guest


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

kiyatsiya said:


> It's often overlooked, but one of my all-time favorites is the double aria "Sacra la scelta...Ah, fu giusto il mio sospetto" sung by the character of Miller (baritone) in Act I of Verdi's LUISA MILLER.


I haven't found a performance that I like. Do you have a favorite or two?


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Rogerx said:


> Boris Christoff - Aria of Attila by Verdi


I love this, Thank you, Roger.

Is this something that you could sing, Bonetan?


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Bonetan said:


>


You can play the video by clicking on the link below "Video unavailable."

The following is my favorite. Finley has successfully played the role on stage. I don't know why they didn't release a video or audio recording.


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

Vitaly Efanov Mussorgsky Boris Godunov "Dostig ya visshey vlasti"


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