I also greatly admire Irina Arkhipova, especially her collaborations with Del Monaco. Irina Arkhipova is the only mezzo-soprano in Russian history who comes close to Besanzoni's level. She excelled not only in singing but also in delivering exceptionally authentic and natural performances. Compared to Besanzoni, Arkhipova's voice has a more distinct Russian character, with profound emotional expression, while Besanzoni was renowned for her extraordinary mastery of traditional Italian technique, characterized by a smooth, rounded tone, powerful low register, and effortless high notes. Both artists share the remarkable ability to perfectly combine singing with acting, bringing out the psychological depth and complexity of human nature in their portrayals.
@@lisaszxu1961 How about Sofia Preobrazhenskaya and Zara Dolukhanova? They are my top 2 Russian mezzos. And for Samson I also highly recommend Gertrud Wettergren's 1936 live broadcast with René Maison and Ezio Pinza which I posted. It's the best full opera recording of this opera imo, not just for Wettergren but the rest of the cast and the conducting as well.
@@OldSchoolOpera Your research is very professional. I only focus on tenors, but I occasionally listen to sopranos. The ones you mentioned all sing very well. Thank you for your recommendation.
@ Well I research on all voice types but for tenors I have a list of over 300 great ones from Gustav Walter and Leopoldo Signoretti to Licinio Francardi and Nicola Tagger.
@@OldSchoolOpera Very good! You are an expert. I mainly study singers after Caruso, as well as the predecessors whom Caruso admired. As for Gustav Walter, I believe his vocal cord closure was insufficient, so his sound was too soft, and the resonance lost its clarity. I have Leopoldo Signoretti, and he is excellent, here is a link. Licinio Francardi tended to focus more on producing vocal effects. To sing his A te, o cara, amor talora, he had to give up abdominal breath support. He had technique, but if modern singers try to emulate him, it would destroy their voices. Nicola Tagger is outstanding.
Beautiful!
Out of those who recorded full opera of Carmen in Italian, I like Besanzoni the best.
I also greatly admire Irina Arkhipova, especially her collaborations with Del Monaco. Irina Arkhipova is the only mezzo-soprano in Russian history who comes close to Besanzoni's level. She excelled not only in singing but also in delivering exceptionally authentic and natural performances. Compared to Besanzoni, Arkhipova's voice has a more distinct Russian character, with profound emotional expression, while Besanzoni was renowned for her extraordinary mastery of traditional Italian technique, characterized by a smooth, rounded tone, powerful low register, and effortless high notes. Both artists share the remarkable ability to perfectly combine singing with acting, bringing out the psychological depth and complexity of human nature in their portrayals.
@@lisaszxu1961 How about Sofia Preobrazhenskaya and Zara Dolukhanova? They are my top 2 Russian mezzos. And for Samson I also highly recommend Gertrud Wettergren's 1936 live broadcast with René Maison and Ezio Pinza which I posted. It's the best full opera recording of this opera imo, not just for Wettergren but the rest of the cast and the conducting as well.
@@OldSchoolOpera Your research is very professional. I only focus on tenors, but I occasionally listen to sopranos. The ones you mentioned all sing very well. Thank you for your recommendation.
@ Well I research on all voice types but for tenors I have a list of over 300 great ones from Gustav Walter and Leopoldo Signoretti to Licinio Francardi and Nicola Tagger.
@@OldSchoolOpera
Very good! You are an expert. I mainly study singers after Caruso, as well as the predecessors whom Caruso admired. As for Gustav Walter, I believe his vocal cord closure was insufficient, so his sound was too soft, and the resonance lost its clarity. I have Leopoldo Signoretti, and he is excellent, here is a link. Licinio Francardi tended to focus more on producing vocal effects. To sing his A te, o cara, amor talora, he had to give up abdominal breath support. He had technique, but if modern singers try to emulate him, it would destroy their voices. Nicola Tagger is outstanding.