If I'm not mistaken, this is from May 1988, Opera Colorado, which at the time performed "in the round" at Boettcher Hall. This run of performances was Cornell MacNeil's very last on stage before his retirement. Almost no one was able to sing like this even in their prime. MacNeil is 65 years old here.
I heard him sing this when the touring company of the MET came to Minneapolis in 1969. Northrop Hall was a cavern (4000 capacity at the time) in the middle of the University of Minnesota campus. It was filled despite the unrest at the time.
What an artist. Such high standard. One of the best baritones in history without any doubt. His singing had always a perfect balance of authenticity, emotion and power. Thank you so much for posting this priceless moment.
I was at the Met on October 31, 1959, I was 22 years old and my first time at the Met. Cav-Pag Matinée. Jan Peerce's first Turiddu with Simionato. Then came Pagliacci. When I heard MacNeil voice I did not believe my ears. There are no words to describe it, simply astonished. So was Van Cliburn who was seated a row just in front of me.
Your question is the same to tryng describing a blind person the color red. What I can say it was the most clear and stunning tones coming from his throat. His voice completely filled the space of the Old Met!!
@lavanessadivina I heard him in the old Met on July 31 1959. It was my first time ever at that theater, and was seated behind Van Cliburn. At the very first notes of The Prologo, i was astounded by that beautiful and large voice and could never forget that impression. I am 74 years old and sure that occasion was a truly gift from God!!
LOVE HIM MY FAVORITE BARITONE R.I.P I was lucky enough to seem him sing this at the Met he was so magnificent in fact I remember that I never heard him sing so well and he was not young at all. But My friend and I looked at each other astounded she was studying opera. It was unbelievable and the audience just was thrilled he was certainly the most unique baritone. Loved Him.
I had the great pleasure to hear him in Rigoletto in 1965 at the Met, when i was 20. Long time ago but still one of my greatest experiences of a great performance..
@Mooorhe they were unbelievable,,, everyone should read his chapter in Jerome Hines excellent book "Great Singers on Great Singing" I think that's the title,,,,, anyway his chapter is a must read for any serious singer! I heard Mac enought in his prime and it Changed my life,,,,, no foolin',,,,,
@DonPaolissimo Oh, I don't know about that-MacNeil, now the late was the equal of any of the great Verdi baritones-his top may have surpassed Warren-actually the king is Titta Ruffo
@lavanessadivina 31 July 1959. The Old Met. Matinée Cav-Pag. The first Turiddu of Jan Peerce an after came the Pagliacci with MacNeil opening with the Prologo. I remember being seated behind Van Cliburn. I felt astounded by the beauty and force of that voice!!!! It was my first visit to that theatre I regard it as a very rruly gift of God!!!
Those terms probably refers to the different resources a singer has to develop in order to give the interpretations the feelings of the characters he/she are portraying such as hate, love, anger, laughter, crying etc to the public. THEN the singer has to convince the audience with the technic you mention. If that is the case, I agree with you.
The year of this performance is most likely in the early to mid 1980's when Nat Merrill was artistic director of the then newly formed Opera Colorado.His friendship & collaboration with Macneil accounts for the baritone's presence in this theater in the round..An historic performance in that it marks one of the last times that the baritone sang this role on stage. However, it did give the company world class status. Whether or not that has been maintained since Merrill's departure is debatable.
Continuing my reply to you, Miller writes, "Voce aperta indicates a general imbalance among resonant factors in all ranges of the voice, especially apparent in the upper-middle and the upper voice" Voce chiusa describes a timbre in all parts of the range with a desirable balance of low and high harmonic partials.
I taught vocal pedagogy at three major universities, after having an operatic career. Most good vocal pedagogy books will explain the register terms, "voce aperta," and "voce chiusa." In Richard Miller's book, THE STRUCTURE OF SINGING, one of the best books on vocal pedagogy.
Vocal Pedagogy has NOTHING to do with real singing. Those that can perform, those that can't teach. Forget about Miller. It's all theory. Vocal pedagogues have RUINED great singing.
Superb rendition except for a couple of times where his pronunciation of “voi” was not precise: the Italian “i” did not ring clearly, sounding more like an Italian “e”.
@@tenore8he was a brilliant, instinctive performer. He only opened his [i] vowels to [I] post 1973 when was in his 50s, and he began to opened his registration on E and F too. When Leonard Warren asked his teacher Sydney Deitch if he could sing an E natural “open”, Deitch replied, “Sure. ONE in a career.” There’s not a single open E on any recording of Warren. I wonder if he had lived past 50, would he have realized he needed to open the E and the F to keep the ringing, blazing top? MacNeil made the correct choice. I was at the Met Francesca da Rimini and Il tabarro and it was beyond belief to hear the resonance on high notes in this voice “live”.
@OscarLevant1 if you have such incredible credentials, why are you hiding behind such a silly pseudonym in your posts, like so many other “authorities” on TH-cam??? (If your name is really Oscar Levant, I do sincerely apologize). What universities employed you?? Where was your operatic career? Do you expect to be taken seriously by saying things that infer “open” to be negative and “closed” to be positive? In singing?? Really?? Mattia Battistini just asked me to tell you, you may want to rethink this.
One of the best a flats and g ever heard from an authentic baritone. The e's and f's are screams. Those are pitifull. The center is powerful but with a quality that is not the best. In this video he was not at his best. Younger, that was astonishing.
You should have heard his high notes in his prime.......I think MacNeil possessed the more beautiful voice, and certainly equally well produced if not better than Warren.
The term "voce aperta" does not exist. An opera singer must open his/her mouth in order his/her voice can be projected. They cannot sing with their mouths closed. But this is so elemental to all. I am tired to read all this nonsense that has been written about Di Stefano and others. So, let's sing APERTO!!!!
Listen to his countless Ds, Es and Fs and tell me why he struggles. Of course the voice needs cover, but that has little to do with not opening the mouth. All the greats covered - and yes, Di Stefano didnt. He shouted very excitingly; we all know the end of the story. Actually, for all haters, even CM is covering! (Yet inconsistently) Listen back at his top G: incomincOOOte. He was not stupid, as he knew a fully open AH there would ruin it all. Just try yourself to sing something minimally high both ways - don't deny what is obvious!
@@joaquimcevallosmorales8944 I think people tend to confuse covering with changing the vowel. People often will change the vowel to make it _seem_ like they are covering, but are they actually covering? I think Macneil shows consistently that the two concepts are distinct, and that a balanced sound at the top is both open and covered. The problem with Di Stefano was that his top was not balanced, so it was open but not covered. But I don’t think that the vowel was actually the main problem.
@Mooorhe He's very good, and I enjoy most of it, but that first high not isn't exactly well-projected...sounds liike "Io Sono'il PRAAAH-logo"...not exactly great covering, lol
You are much too easy on him. Yes the voice was always huge, but he sang too open. The registration is "voce aperta" which is an unschooled way of singing. Then there are places where the wobble still comes in. His high G and A flat were always good. More sound is not necessarily better when it is produced improperly.
Chris Stockslager Absolutely! To be fair to JS...he had one of THE greatest baritone voices of all time...might still have it...ranging from full basso cantante to high, full voiced tenor: high D above tenor's high C! But, he seems to be of the opinion there is only one correct way to sing. I would admire Maestro Shore a lot more if he raised his own pedestal higher instead of trying to bring so many other singers lower. Mr. MacNeil had his own sound and also a tremendous range in his own right. Too many opera aficionados get their rocks off insulting voices, the era they sang in, or whatever. I'm a fan of singers from opera to pop to folk and more. There are many singers whose voices I love from the late nineteenth century era to right at this very minute. Plenty of room to like and hate, people. Why be so limited?
Lol. What an idiot. There’s nothing improper of his singing. Sorry you’re just jelly. More sound is necessary when it’s created as effortlessly and correctly as CM
@@dynomax101 I think that the late Joseph Shore’s comment was balanced. He pointed out what he thought are the flaws of MacNeil’s approach while acknowledging the strengths. Nothing wrong with that.
![Cornell Macneil Sings The Prologue [Pagliacci] (1959)](/img/n.gif)
Senza dubbio una delle più belle voci di baritono del secolo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The ease of the high notes is absolutely incredible. Thanks for uploading this video.
MacNeil was one of the great Baritone singers and possesses a beautiful sound his tops are breathtaking
If I'm not mistaken, this is from May 1988, Opera Colorado, which at the time performed "in the round" at Boettcher Hall. This run of performances was Cornell MacNeil's very last on stage before his retirement. Almost no one was able to sing like this even in their prime. MacNeil is 65 years old here.
A phenomenon... It's absolutely incredible when you think he was 65 years old here.
Совсем небольшой кач голоса..для 65 лет простительно..но Боже,как же чисто и изящно!Браво!
@@СветланаЗабаева-я7б кач послушай у шептунов в мариинке, если хочешь, тут кача нет
I heard him sing this when the touring company of the MET came to Minneapolis in 1969. Northrop Hall was a cavern (4000 capacity at the time) in the middle of the University of Minnesota campus. It was filled despite the unrest at the time.
Kraus a los 65 cantaba que daba envidia
This is incredibly balanced, great, amazing singing.
What an artist. Such high standard. One of the best baritones in history without any doubt. His singing had always a perfect balance of authenticity, emotion and power. Thank you so much for posting this priceless moment.
What a clean sound!
I was at the Met on October 31, 1959, I was 22 years old and my first time at the Met. Cav-Pag Matinée. Jan Peerce's first Turiddu
with Simionato. Then came Pagliacci. When I heard MacNeil voice I did not believe
my ears. There are no words to describe it, simply astonished. So was Van Cliburn
who was seated a row just in front of me.
Your question is the same to tryng describing a blind person the color red. What I can say it was the most clear and stunning tones coming from his throat. His voice completely filled the space of the Old Met!!
@lavanessadivina I heard him in the old Met on July 31 1959. It was my first time ever at that theater, and was seated behind Van Cliburn. At the very first notes of The Prologo, i was astounded by that beautiful and large voice and could never forget that impression. I am 74 years old and sure that occasion was a truly gift from God!!
If you allow me the question, could you ever listen to Maria Callas?
This is different class. One of the greatest singers and it's hard to think of a better Tonio.
Bravo!!!!, bellisima voce anche con una grandisima teatralidad,BRAVO!!!
What a voice - you can hear it filling the hall.
LOVE HIM MY FAVORITE BARITONE R.I.P I was lucky enough to seem him sing this at the Met he was so magnificent in fact I remember that I never heard him sing so well and he was not young at all. But My friend and I looked at each other astounded she was studying opera. It was unbelievable and the audience just was thrilled he was certainly the most unique baritone. Loved Him.
I had the great pleasure to hear him in Rigoletto in 1965 at the Met, when i was 20. Long time ago but still one of my greatest experiences of a great performance..
It's truly stunning how well projected his top notes were.
BRAVO! One of the greatest to have ever lived!
Un grandissimo!
Bravo ! With Cappuccilli one of the biggest baritone of the XX century ! I reccomend a straordinary Yago in Otello with Caballé❤
шикарно!
¡¡¡EL GRAN MAC NEIL!!! EN UNA SUS MAGNIFICAS INTERPRETACIONES; QUE
ARTISTA INMENSO Y QUE GRAN PERSONALIDAD.¡¡¡BRAVIIISIIMOOO!!!
Perfetto
Bravo, molto bravo (soprattutto nell'acuto!).
@Mooorhe they were unbelievable,,, everyone should read his chapter in Jerome Hines excellent book "Great Singers on Great Singing" I think that's the title,,,,, anyway his chapter is a must read for any serious singer! I heard Mac enought in his prime and it Changed my life,,,,, no foolin',,,,,
Echo or not, what a sound,, can you match it,,, anyone? If so Please come forward and post! Thanks for this unusual post of the great one!
@DonPaolissimo Oh, I don't know about that-MacNeil, now the late was the equal of any of the great Verdi baritones-his top may have surpassed Warren-actually the king is Titta Ruffo
@lavanessadivina 31 July 1959. The Old Met. Matinée Cav-Pag. The first Turiddu of Jan Peerce an after came the Pagliacci with MacNeil opening with the Prologo. I remember being seated behind Van Cliburn. I felt astounded by the beauty and force of that voice!!!! It was my first visit to that theatre I regard it as a very rruly gift of God!!!
Those terms probably refers to the different resources a singer has to develop in order to give the interpretations the feelings of the characters he/she are portraying such as hate, love, anger, laughter, crying etc to the public. THEN the singer has to
convince the audience with the technic you mention. If that is the case, I agree with you.
FABULOUS
65 going on 35
The year of this performance is most likely in the early to mid 1980's when Nat Merrill was artistic director of the then newly formed Opera Colorado.His friendship & collaboration with Macneil accounts for the baritone's presence in this theater in the round..An historic performance in that it marks one of the last times that the baritone sang this role on stage. However, it did give the company world class status. Whether or not that has been maintained since Merrill's departure is debatable.
@Mooorhe I love his Scarpia :)
Tout est trop ouvert...Et c'est pour ça qu'il envoie encore de surprenants aigus!..
@robertwbecker check out Pamela South's Stridono Lassu from the same production!!! I wish I could have been there...
Grande classe!!!
Isn't this vid great. It was a performance in the round! Imagine that.
You lucky bastard. :P
What did his top Ab and G sound like live???
Continuing my reply to you, Miller writes, "Voce aperta indicates a general imbalance among resonant factors in all ranges of the voice, especially apparent in the upper-middle and the upper voice" Voce chiusa describes a timbre in all parts of the range with a desirable balance of low and high harmonic partials.
Does anyone at all know what year this was??
Between April 30 and May 8, 1988.
I agree, but it does not mean you can enjoy Amato, Stracciari as well. Every one has their unique attraction to be heard.
What year is this? How old is Cornell here? What a gigantic idea of voice. You can hear the uncovered E's (and the force used), but what a powerhouse!
Craig Ryan according to an earlier comment he was 65
I taught vocal pedagogy at three major universities, after having an operatic career. Most good vocal pedagogy books will explain the register terms, "voce aperta," and "voce chiusa." In Richard Miller's book, THE STRUCTURE OF SINGING, one of the best books on vocal pedagogy.
Vocal Pedagogy has NOTHING to do with real singing. Those that can perform, those that can't teach. Forget about Miller. It's all theory. Vocal pedagogues have RUINED great singing.
@lavanessadivina
Superb rendition except for a couple of times where his pronunciation of “voi” was not precise: the Italian “i” did not ring clearly, sounding more like an Italian “e”.
MacNeil made a conscious decision NOT to close the middle voice "ee's"
@@tenore8 hi is clever singer
@@tenore8he was a brilliant, instinctive performer. He only opened his [i] vowels to [I] post 1973 when was in his 50s, and he began to opened his registration on E and F too. When Leonard Warren asked his teacher Sydney Deitch if he could sing an E natural “open”, Deitch replied, “Sure. ONE in a career.” There’s not a single open E on any recording of Warren. I wonder if he had lived past 50, would he have realized he needed to open the E and the F to keep the ringing, blazing top? MacNeil made the correct choice. I was at the Met Francesca da Rimini and Il tabarro and it was beyond belief to hear the resonance on high notes in this voice “live”.
@OscarLevant1 if you have such incredible credentials, why are you hiding behind such a silly pseudonym in your posts, like so many other “authorities” on TH-cam??? (If your name is really Oscar Levant, I do sincerely apologize). What universities employed you?? Where was your operatic career? Do you expect to be taken seriously by saying things that infer “open” to be negative and “closed” to be positive? In singing?? Really?? Mattia Battistini just asked me to tell you, you may want to rethink this.
One of the best a flats and g ever heard from an authentic baritone.
The e's and f's are screams. Those are pitifull.
The center is powerful but with a quality that is not the best.
In this video he was not at his best. Younger, that was astonishing.
Even Pavarotti stated, singing is a controlled scream. I strongly disagree with your assessment.
On of the most stunning Prologues ever for the top notes. Still, overall, Warren was & remains the King!
You should have heard his high notes in his prime.......I think MacNeil possessed the more beautiful voice, and certainly equally well produced if not better than Warren.
Warren was a magnificent Baritone but nobody can convince me he had a beautiful voice powerful and incredible range musicality yes
Beautiful NO !
Warren with his weird pronunciation?
The term "voce aperta" does not exist. An opera singer must open his/her mouth in order his/her voice can be projected. They cannot sing with their mouths closed. But this is so elemental to all. I am tired to read all this nonsense that has been written about Di Stefano and others. So, let's sing APERTO!!!!
Listen to his countless Ds, Es and Fs and tell me why he struggles.
Of course the voice needs cover, but that has little to do with not opening the mouth.
All the greats covered - and yes, Di Stefano didnt. He shouted very excitingly; we all know the end of the story.
Actually, for all haters, even CM is covering! (Yet inconsistently)
Listen back at his top G: incomincOOOte. He was not stupid, as he knew a fully open AH there would ruin it all.
Just try yourself to sing something minimally high both ways - don't deny what is obvious!
@@joaquimcevallosmorales8944 I think people tend to confuse covering with changing the vowel. People often will change the vowel to make it _seem_ like they are covering, but are they actually covering? I think Macneil shows consistently that the two concepts are distinct, and that a balanced sound at the top is both open and covered. The problem with Di Stefano was that his top was not balanced, so it was open but not covered. But I don’t think that the vowel was actually the main problem.
@@joaquimcevallosmorales8944 If you call this struggling, you from another planet.
@Mooorhe He's very good, and I enjoy most of it, but that first high not isn't exactly well-projected...sounds liike "Io Sono'il PRAAAH-logo"...not exactly great covering, lol
Again, an artist's choice not to over darken his upper middle.
You are much too easy on him. Yes the voice was always huge, but he sang too open. The registration is "voce aperta" which is an unschooled way of singing. Then there are places where the wobble still comes in. His high G and A flat were always good. More sound is not necessarily better when it is produced improperly.
Sounds like sour grapes, Joseph Shore. Why must you bring people down so much?
If he sounded this superb at the literal end of his career and at 65, he was clearly doing A LOT of things correctly!
Chris Stockslager Absolutely! To be fair to JS...he had one of THE greatest baritone voices of all time...might still have it...ranging from full basso cantante to high, full voiced tenor: high D above tenor's high C! But, he seems to be of the opinion there is only one correct way to sing. I would admire Maestro Shore a lot more if he raised his own pedestal higher instead of trying to bring so many other singers lower.
Mr. MacNeil had his own sound and also a tremendous range in his own right. Too many opera aficionados get their rocks off insulting voices, the era they sang in, or whatever. I'm a fan of singers from opera to pop to folk and more. There are many singers whose voices I love from the late nineteenth century era to right at this very minute. Plenty of room to like and hate, people. Why be so limited?
Lol. What an idiot. There’s nothing improper of his singing. Sorry you’re just jelly. More sound is necessary when it’s created as effortlessly and correctly as CM
@@dynomax101 I think that the late Joseph Shore’s comment was balanced. He pointed out what he thought are the flaws of MacNeil’s approach while acknowledging the strengths. Nothing wrong with that.
he has grande Stimme (voice) unglaublich
he kann sing als dramatic Tenor