Son highc est instable..en dessous comme PLACIDO..UN UT DE POITRINE EST DEPLACE ICI ET SEULS CARUSO ET THILL LE DONNENT FALSETTO COMME INDIQUÉ ELUZALYRICS DJOUILLE
A couple of people here asked, "Where's Di Stefano?", and I agree, although for the main reason that his interpretation of the whole aria was so great. I've never heard anyone spin out that melody so beautifully. Such feeling!
I prefer Gedda as I did see him do this at the Met. Also Bjorling, Kraus and Leech were excellent. Please note, Kraus was the only one NOT to take a breath before the high C!
My name is Frank. I could not agree more. Di Stefano is superb in this aria. Taking the C, decrescendoing it to an exquisite pianissimo, holding it for eleven seconds.
Actually Pav. never sang the role, his only French role was Daughter of the Reg. He may have recorded the aria I never investigated that, I'm not a big fan of Pavarotti, but enjoy his Boheme which I saw him do when he was in his 30's.
Full C: --Gedda free C. --Kraus free C --Volpi Nice! --Aragall (in Italian: "Fanciulla"; it's a U vowel) --Gigli (Italian version) --Leech Glorious C! --Alagna nice --Beczala Nice.
Lighter Cs (Reinforced falsetto): --Caruso (a C#! lighter one) --Thill ( a "ragged moment," characteristic of reinforced falsetto) B (Top four 1st place, Tucker 2nd): --Bjorling (glorious B). --Peerce (Excellent B). --Domingo (Exclnt B) --Shicoff (Exclnt B) --Tucker (Arrives at B).
A very interesting analysis. I agree with your result (although I’m not an expert). I must say, that Gedda’s voice in the high C (or B) sounds like an instrument (beautiful musical instrument). Thank you. And I must subcrive too. Beautiful voices.
Pity you left out Franco Corelli, who is known for his unequalled top notes. And he did record "Faust" (with Sutherland). His French was not bad either. However, the quality of the sound does not do justice to any of those tenors...
Incroyable ...un ut ou pas loin ...un peu tonitruant et inadapté à la situation Rien de bien beau dans ces HIGHNOTES sauf les 1/2 teintes qui sont belles et de circonstance ..CARUSO,,THILL MAIS SCHICOFF EST UN BOURRIN.. ELUZALYRICS
For me - Jussi Bjørling, with his top note, here is in a class of his own when it comes to freedom of sound, ease in production and shine. In addition you have the SPECIAL Bjørling sound. Exactly how it should be! As the Italian record company Myto once wrote: In the French repertory, especially as Romeo, Bjørling is the most perfect vocal exponent in recorded history. JUSSI PER SEMPRE! :-)
Best of these are Lauri-Volpi and Thill (very beautiful). But the best is missing - Pavarotti, on a 1974 recording (if memory serves correctly). Like Kraus, he takes the whole phrase ascending to the top C in one breath, without the ungainly break in the line; then the top C itself (which is a genuine top C, unlike many of these) is miraculous - quite the most beautiful I've ever heard, hanging there for what seems like an eternity, with a wonderful silvery sheen on it like a polished gemstone. Literally unbelievable.
SHICOFF1 It's all in his Book "Mein Leben - Meine Kunst": So: His real father was Nikolaj Gädda. The older sister of this Nikolaj adopted Harry Gustaf Nicolai (the real name of the singer) with his husband Mischa Ustinoff. The name of his real mother ist not findable in the book. The singer learned the russian language actually from his stepfather. (But: Also his real grandmother (a Gädda) was Russian, but with a swedish Passport.) It's a little bit complicated and in the book it is hard to find. And: the original name is not Gedda but Gädda. Nicolais real name as Schoolboy: Harry Gustaf Nicolai Ustinoff.
SHICOFF1 Ok, biologically it's possible, cause his grandparents were with a russian background but swedish with swedish passports. All is in his book. (By the way: He was also my singing teacher for years... but actually we did not talk a lot about that). The problem is, its not at one point in the book, you have to read all... like a puzzle (again). In my opinion its no that important. But the russian language he learned from his stepfather.
Nicolai Gedda IMHO the greatest lyric tenor of all -time. Nicolai now sings with the angels and i venture to say above the Angels. The was no tenor who hit those C's and even D's with such clarity and ease as Nicolai Gedda.
Desolé mais hurler un high c de poitrine ..est contraire à la partition ..ce n’est pas un opéra vériste ...GEDDA ET SCHICOFF ..UT DE POITRINE INUTILE,,BJORLING ..VOIX INSTABLE ET UT LIMITE DE POITRINE .. LE RESPECT DES PARTITIONS DOIT L’EMPORTER SUR LE NARCICISME DE CERTAINS INTERPRETES ...CELA FAIT PARTIE DU BEAU CHANT..PAS EUX , DESOLE DJOUILLE ELUZALYRICS
A great selection of fine voices, but to me Jussi hits the top 'C; like an arrow hitting the target. Straight in, no messing, but oh what a wonderful ringing tone he has to capture any singers heart and admiration. R.i.P.
The only one, Kraus, arrives at C, without breathing before 6:00... bravo. There are other tenors sing a B, not a C. It is not fair, also depends on the diapason of the orchestra.
Nobody seems to have noticed that Kraus is the only one who, besides singing an astounding high C, sings the phrase "où se devine la présEnce" with only one breath, "legato", as it is written, without stopping to breathe just after "où se devine...". For me, this is one of those details that makes of a good performance a historical one.
Avez - vous bien écouté THILL? J’EN DOUTE CAR L’UT EST PARFAIT ET L’UT DE POITRINE QU’IL AURAIT PU DONNER AVEC UN VOLUME 2 FOIS SUPERIEUR A LA PLUPART DES TENORS PRESENTS AURAIT ETÉ PLUS BEAU ..MAIS INADAPTE THILL RESPECTE L’OEUVRE ..ET CELA GÈNE LES AMATEURS DE BRUIT Eluzalyrics
Madame, ne me dites pas ça! J'adore Thill, j'ai TOUS ses enregistrements en vinyl et je le considère le meilleur ténor français depuis 1900. Ma remarque ne portait que sur la prise de souffle avant le contre-ut. Je vais réécouter la' demeure' de Thill, mais vous serez d'accord avec moi que Kraus est l'un des plus grands Faust de toujours. Aimer Kraus et ne pas apprécier Thill serait, pour qui aime le chant, chose folle. Y a-t-il des fous parmi nous mélomanes?;-)
Nice list but disappointing that Corelli was not included, who by far was the best tenor of the 20th century...The only one that comes close was Bjorling, which isn't bad for second...
+rexeterna carissimo, come titolo del suo video Lei ha scritto cito: Faust high C - 15 tenors per la sua informazione Enrico Caruso canta il re bemolle acuto ... 5 tenori /fra loro Domingo/ cantano il si naturale acuto ... soltanto 9 tenori cantano il do naturale acuto. 1Björling,Lauri-Volpi, Gigli,Thill, Aragall etc....
Very well done, thanks for sharing this with us. My favorites are Domingo, Gigli (who didn't have a birth born high C either but worked for it), Lanza and Corelli. But high C's do not a tenor make, but grace.
L’UT donné mezza-voce ou même "de tête " est dans l’ esprit de cet aria.. On croirait in concours de testostérone et savoir qui a la " plus grosse" Désolé
L’oeuvre demmande un UT MEZZA-VOCE et certais chanteurs ne doe’t pzs i UT mzis transposent nettement ..en dessous.. Les voix mixtes ou tête..ou mezza-voce sont donc devant avec THILL pour la beauté et le respect.. Au METROPOLITAIN entre les 2 guerres ..venaient surtout les italiens qui voulaient du bruit ..on comprend que THILL y ait été mal à l’aise .lui qui respectait les oeuvres et le bon goût ...pouquoi un UT DE POITRINE A CE MOMENT DE L’OUVRAGE ? LA MEZZA -VOCE EST PLUS TECHNIQUEET IL Y A DES OUVRZGES OU L’UT DE POITRINE A SA PLCA ...MOINS ICI !!! ELUZALYRICS
@@anistargameplay4276 Correct, most people cannot tell the B from the C in the opera house seated there but at home with a piano or pitch pipe, then you can and the Jussi Bjorling here like Tucker and some others is very surely high B and both are good, Jussi sang Boheme complete in 1948 at the Met. and the brdcst also then was high B, in Che Gelida, which I have on a pirate CD. Jussi sometimes live did transpose as most do at sometime or another, Domingo and Tucker also--- but PD only basically in his 20's had the C and even then not always.
Too bad that some of these tenors are singing high b's and not hich c's... Second, the level of openness and poetry in the voice in Gedda and Kraus are unparallelled in this aria... I agree with the ones that call for Lanza!! Would have been amazing...!
+papoocanada May be different playback speed on video. Check again Richard Tucker, Jan Pierce,Neil Shicoff. If those are c on your piano, the others may register as c#
My name is Frank. The Di Stefano rendition is from October 1950 in San Francisco where he held the high C for eleven seconds and decrescendoed it to an exquisite pianissimo. My understanding is he repeated this in Chicago and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. I see more comments on here questioning why Di Stefano was not included on this.
My opinion: In this aria the tenor sings of his love, but the high C should be on a more intense level, as if suddenly catching the singer by surprise by the wild desperate force of his passion for Marguerite. Definitely not looking for a smooth entry to the note. Also minimal scooping, please. For me the one who captures this best is Alfredo Kraus. A close second goes to Neil Shicoff, a seriously underrated talent. Honorable mention to Placido Domingo, whose high note is the sweetest but lacks points for intensity.
#1 Gedda. #2 (Really #1.5) Kraus (no break before the high C). #3 A tie here, for sheer beauty, and control, going into and out of the C... between Björling and Thill.
Alfredo Kraus siempre elegante punzante y con muy buena técnica, pero se nota el armado de cada frase y la puesta para el agudo. Thill en su idioma hace notar la diferencia, pero en verdad los dos que más me gustan y en ese orden son los suecos Bjorling y Gedda. Aunque si me dieran a elegir escuchar el aria entera por musicalidad fraseo color de voz y precisión elijo escuchar a Jussi Bjorling.
Amazing! Remember to take into account modern recording technology that capture much more or a singer's sound. Beczala has an impeccable technique and lovely tone, perfect for this repertory - probably the best living lyric tenor, in my opinion. Do yourself the favour of listening to Corelli's recording and Di Stefano's as well; both singers frame Piotr nicely, Franco being more dramatic and Giuseppe more elegant. Now imagine if we had modern recording devices to capture those voices...
I vote for Jussi Bjorling, but not this 1959 Live from the Met recording, a year before his death. I would select instead the 1939 outing on EMI with Nils Grevillius conducting. In that performance, he clearly takes no breath during the key phrase. And I prefer his glorious, angelic tone to all others, although many in here (including Kraus, Lauri-Volpi, and Aragall) are outstanding.
1. Nicolai Gedda 2. Jussi Björling 3. Richard Leech 4. Piotr Beczala 5. Giacomo Lauri-Volpe I certainly think that Corelli should be on there too, and he'd be my number 3, and then the others would shift down from there accordingly.
I know full well that the mechanical recording technique of Mr Caruso's day was terrible, yet it does not hide the fact that on this high C Mr Caruso was terribly strained! I have never liked his voice, although the experts will shoot me down! Mr Björling is for me by far and away the best of the lot, followed by Mr Richard Leech whom I had never heard of before and then Mr Gedda. The others were all good in their own right, even Mr Tucker and Mr Peerce.
I love Caruso, but I have to agree with you. He was really struggling with high C because he didn't have the high C at all until 1904-5 and this recording was actually from 1906 and not from 1910 as the description says. In my own opinion, he doesn't sound to me that he is overly straining himself. Pretty much all the recordings pre 1925 are very terrible and don't give too much justice. We shouldn't even compare pre 1925 and post 1925. We can simply marvel and imagine how they would sound had we actually heard them.
For me, Bjorling has always reigned supreme in this aria (his singing is of unearthly beauty, quite simply put); to the earlier commenter who mentioned pitch, there are other recordings of him singing this (I have come across at least two other renditions on TH-cam, one of which is a video; highly enlightening to watch him work). However, even only listening to a short clip of his work here I've found George Thill's singing to be quite something as well. Why have I never heard of this guy...?
Oh come on!! Most ot them sing a high B!! (Tucker, Peerce, Bjoerling (one of my favourites tenor of all times), Domingo, Shicof). My favourites 1- Krauss (the King) 2- Leech (another king) 3- Alagna (beautiful)
My name is Frank. TH-cam just put another video with another Faust High C comparison. This time they got it right. The second tenor featured? Giuseppe Di Stefano, San Francisco 1950. Ten to eleven seconds and the most exquisite diminuendo to a more exquisite pianissimo.
What is fact most people don't think about is that the average opera going person paying for a ticket and attending an opera doesn't know a C from a B so if the singer is feeling better in live performance transposing or the rest of the aria fits his voice better transposed down to B he does it and the audience for the most part doesn't even know it's not a C in fact many don't know care anyhow, some do but the majority don't have perfect pitch or carry a pitch pipe into the opera house. Proof here is tenor Jussi Bjoerling, known for singing excellent high C's "usually" in fact on his earlier live or studio recordings of this aria he always sang the high C, but not here-- as he transposed it and sings B, but look at the comments! A few say "Bjorling sings a great high C " So they obviously didn't check it with a piano etc. It is from his 1959 Met. Brdcst. and I Taped it in 1959 on reel to reel audio with my old Wilcox Gay recorder then (I was 19 and a big tenor Lanza and Bjorling fan only then) Now some folks go on to flame( singers like Domingo) and here Peerce , Tucker and others for singing it as high "B" but they did have C's, just not not always, (not really Domingo much ever ) they had good high B's, Peerce did have the C live with Toscanini in Boheme and in some brdcsts from the Met. like Ballo in the duet - also Tucker did live and in Ballo, Lescaut, Turandot and once an interpolated one in 1966 in Aida with Price-- ( Calaf which he sang live with Nilsson and Ross both with the C ) and of course Jussi but not live in Turandot, he did not sing Calf live but on his studio RCA Rec. from 1959 the C of course--- here JB is 48 years old and the note or word before the C also can cause a singer to avoid the C, but JB usually didn't avoid it, never in studio did he transpose, live sometimes, as did Tucker, even in his studio rec. of Faust because the whole aria lay better down for his voice, as with Shicoff her also live, but no not Domingo, he only really had the C (and never a good one) in his 20's, after that it was not good at all and rare -- but people use that fact to flame him, a very fine singer anyhow, so just because the C may be avoided here by some, it does not make for a poor Faust, as we hear with Bjoerling in 1959, on brdcst. some here are live and some studio, so not an even playing field. Either and why no Di Stefano? his diminuendo on the high C live was spectacular!!!!
Oh this was fun! I've watched this video before, but its the type of comparison you enjoy going back too. I would also like to place a write-in vote for Giuseppe di Stefano, Bjorling's love on the high B is like watching nature unfold, as Jerome Hines said about capturing the sound of him, "like three Carusos." Thill, was my favorite the first time I heard this, and I still adore it. I like pianissimo Cs, he is the angel singing, not a man anymore. I had thought I would make a top three list out of those after hearing it again, but now after reading the comments recommending that Sabbatini also be heard, I just came back from his concert aria... crying, honestly! Now I don't know what to do, I have four superb gentlemen who I think have an equal claim to being crowned the Faust king. I must say however, the last four were my least favorites easily. I don't normally dwell on who I didn't like in a comparison with lots of good things in it, but since some of these guys went down as great favorites, I think it could be useful to circulate differences of opinion. Bezcala I would have given passing marks to on everything until his high note, I need a richer color in the top register, he sounds as strident as knife. I think he wound have benefited from taking it in sotto voce like some of our earlier artists more like Caruso. I know from his comments about Richard Tauber that he studies them. Big highs like Bjorling can be breathtaking, but Bezcala's didn't sound like a natural, full emission of sound, it sounded like the volume was being manufactured with a microphone, which doesn't have the same weight and warmth. However, I still preferred it to Leech, Leech's second "Salut" sounds like he's just narrowly escaping a wobble or crack. His whole phrasing was really uncomfortable, the light and shade just falls dead, no real indulgence in a particuarly word and sentiment. Alagna was the worse, but a lot of people have acknowledged it wasn't his night, so lets move on.
Caruso C# / Lauri Volpi on the mark/Thill ditto/ Gigli ditto /Tucker B either record slow or they cheated/ Peerce B / Bjoerling ditto/ Gedda close to C not perfect/Aragall on the mark /Domingo B / Kraus on the mark / Shicoff B /Leech on the mark/ Alagna on the mark/ Beczala on the mark/
No mention of Giuseppe Di Stefano? In his Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast debut in Faust, he attacked the high C forte and then softened to a pianissimo. Sir Rudolf Bing said in his memoirs that this was the most beautiful sound he had heard come out of a human throat during his many years as general manager of the Metropolitan Opera.
Kraus is my favorite, although his voice borders "nasal" I feel that he has a very secure high range. Almost like the note just shoots right out of his body
@@Jacob-ry3lu in house Shicoff had a good strong mid sized tenor, not small at all. I saw his Faust in Chicago as I was at several performances he gave, in house you can really tell voice size, Tucker had a bigger voice then Jussi or Peerce and bigger by far, but here you really cannot tell that.
Et. I think you are others are being tough on Domingo. He has a lovely voice for me, as do they all. Of course Corelli and Di Stefano are "up there" too. I had not heard of Piotr Beczala before this. His singing of this aria is also extraordinary. It is fantastic to see a man of this talent and singing right now. I still love Caruso the best. Just personal choice, I guess. (Please do not rubbish Domingo - if nothing else, he sings with heart).
As many others have noted, several of these are pitched incorrectly--perhaps most notably Caruso's, which was recorded "one half-tone low to score," as were his "Che gelida manina" and "Di quella pira" during that same session at Victor on February 11, 1906, thereby making the note a B-natural, according to Aida Favia-Artsay, William R. Moran, and John R. Bolig.
To me, generally speaking, Kraus simply has the most beautiful high Cs I've ever heard. I could say he wins, but it would almost be cheating, considering how I love this sound. Then, excepting Kraus, to me, Gigli gets the point. Special encouragements to Beczala, a good Nr.3.
He seemed to get more emotional in the live performances and while singing in his own language. It could have been a full understanding of the idiomatic expression of the Italian language, but who knows. He was still a great tenor.
@@sugarbist Bjoerling here gets the most votes with so many saying his high C is best-- but on this one from 1959 brdcst. met. opera (I know because I taped it then on reel to reel ) it is high B, not high C but a good one, JB did transpose at times by then. you can hear the aria also on you tube posted by "Topic Bjorling" 9/15/14 1959 live Faust brdcst
Tough call...lots of really good ones! I think Bjorling wins. Runners up: Lauri-Volpi, Gigli, Gedda, Aragall, and Shicoff. I will say that even though Caruso, Thill, and Domingo approached it from a more falsetto-based production, I think it still worked very well! As others have said, di Stefano's C in this aria is legendary, and Corelli's is good as well.
I like nearly all of them. Thrill was effortless. Although Bjorling's recording appears acoustically poor, his rendition was both sweet and delivered with a wonderful range. My favourite. The Caruso recording is merely a shadow of how he would be sounded but there is certainly quality there.
I'm no expert but none of these high C's sound as high as some I just heard by Juan Diego Flores. Sometimes we just have to cut out the comparisons and just highlight who we think is best without criticizing others. Pavarotti made more, like me, aware of opera but that best thing I don't know about, I had not heard Franco Corelli. I thought no one sang Nessum Dorma better than Pavarotti but now realize to my ear there are parts where others outshine him, however there are places in the song nobody seems to do anything special with and Pavarotti just seems to shine throughout the entire song. Hope someone uses today's tech and remasters the recording from the last century.
Note also that Maestro Kraus doesn't breath between the Eb and D, mantaining the legato - right before the words "la présence" - and thus not interrupting the wonderful and extremely romantic musical phrase. His high C comes from the very same breath he takes in the beginning (before "Où se devine..."), and yet it is sustained beautifully! Incredible!
Even through those old crackly recordings, Caruso's unequalled beauty and power shines through. Bjorling's is the only one that gives us some idea of what Caruso would have sounded like had he recorded under modern conditions. I love all the others as well.
I don't know about Gedda being number1. There's a slide into his C. Jussi's C is spot on, no slide (a quality he is revered for) and is so good it rings, not to mention he expands the note as it continues. Kraus is also good, but he also slides into his C. Therefore Jussi, IMHO is the best. No wobble, no slide, expands the note, and finishes it without impeccable control.
I'll go with Nicolai Gedda. I really like Thill singing this rep, but his high note was definitely not the best here. Beczala's the only one of these I've seen sing this role; I thought he was very good live. I think it's telling how many people in the comments are singling out Domingo for transposing down half a step, while not bothering to notice that several other of the singers here do the same thing. It's almost like Domingo's mere name triggers hand-wringing over transpositions.
Eliseo Barjau No he leído hasta ahora una definición tan acertada de todo lo contrario a la voz de Kraus. Puede gustarle o no pero el adjetivo de carismático se vuelve objetivo con semejante lección de canto.
For me, the best is definitely Alfredo Kraus mainly because he's the only one to sing a legato phrase, all in one breath. The high C is explosive and under control...perfect. Caruso's and Thill's version are also nice 'cause they sing a soft high C which actually corresponds more to the spirit of tthe aria. But most of tenors sing it very loud and very martial, especially Bjorlling. It sounds like he's really showing off, and that's not good.
They are all fantastic. For me personally Caruso (terrible recording technique) somehow sets the standard for all the others. Of the "newer" tenors I like Björling the best (my opinion).
To pick any one of these fine tenors is to ignore the most important aspect of their craft....how they sing and perform on stage. That should be the true measure.
Bjoerling was my winner of these recorded aria section. I alway like to hear multiple recordings of each artist to find a consistency in technique and tonal quality because I am a snob and pompous ass.
Lot of this are not Cs but Bs. Tenor C is extremely high and a lot of tenors sing the B instead (just test this on your piano) which is still pretty amazing
Kraus is hard to beat, but Gedda comes close. The sweetness of Caruso's hjgh note has never been equalled. How did di Stefano's famous version get left out?
@baltoman24 Your not serious are you? Thill over Bjorling and Gedda ? Surely you must be joking lol. Then of course you say Domingo was excellent when in fact he was an embarrassment by singing a B Natural or possibly even a Bb. Why Domingo was included and Not Guiseppe Di Stefano and Franco Corelli is beyond any rational, it doesn't make any sense at all. Maybe the poster is not that fond of Italian Tenors.
Some are not in correct key
Why Di Stefano and Corelli are not here surprised me
The column of sound from Bjorling is magnificent in my opinion
Jussi for me Every time.
Son highc est instable..en dessous comme PLACIDO..UN UT DE POITRINE EST DEPLACE ICI ET SEULS CARUSO ET THILL LE DONNENT FALSETTO COMME INDIQUÉ
ELUZALYRICS
DJOUILLE
You left out the most precious one. Giuseppe di Stefano's extraordinary high C with big diminuendo to pianissimo!!!
The two Swedes, Björling and Gedda take this. and for the record there are far too many who didn't make the Faust High C and i Believe Gedda hits D#4
Gedda's is high C, Bjoerling's is transposed, it's high B .
Björling, magnificent as he sounds, even here, is singing a B natural in a key 1/2 step down from the Faust score.
A couple of people here asked, "Where's Di Stefano?", and I agree, although for the main reason that his interpretation of the whole aria was so great. I've never heard anyone spin out that melody so beautifully. Such feeling!
I prefer Gedda as I did see him do this at the Met. Also Bjorling, Kraus and Leech were excellent. Please note, Kraus was the only one NOT to take a breath before the high C!
This aria is Di Stefano's. The diminuendo on the high C is unbelievable
Yes! Almost superhuman.
Yes. His should be here!
Cierto, el mejor.
My name is Frank. I could not agree more. Di Stefano is superb in this aria. Taking the C, decrescendoing it to an exquisite pianissimo, holding it for eleven seconds.
nickpug it was never written to be diminuendo , unless you disagree with the way Gounod wrote the aria .
Where is Pavarotti ? He killed it in his version :) (here of course Jussi wins by a mile)
Yes a very good high B, which still was excellent without being high C.
Actually Pav. never sang the role, his only French role was Daughter of the Reg. He may have recorded the aria I never investigated that, I'm not a big fan of Pavarotti, but enjoy his Boheme which I saw him do when he was in his 30's.
Yes I see he did record this aria.
Amazing collection - but how could you omit Di Stefano??? His high C with the diminuendo is legendary and beyond any others capacity.
Full C:
--Gedda free C.
--Kraus free C
--Volpi Nice!
--Aragall (in Italian: "Fanciulla"; it's a U vowel)
--Gigli (Italian version)
--Leech Glorious C!
--Alagna nice
--Beczala Nice.
Lighter Cs (Reinforced falsetto):
--Caruso (a C#! lighter one)
--Thill ( a "ragged moment," characteristic of reinforced falsetto)
B (Top four 1st place, Tucker 2nd):
--Bjorling (glorious B).
--Peerce (Excellent B).
--Domingo (Exclnt B)
--Shicoff (Exclnt B)
--Tucker (Arrives at B).
A very interesting analysis. I agree with your result (although I’m not an expert). I must say, that Gedda’s voice in the high C (or B) sounds like an instrument (beautiful musical instrument). Thank you. And I must subcrive too. Beautiful voices.
So indeed Caruso and Thill are falsetto here! I could hear it.
Pity you left out Franco Corelli, who is known for his unequalled top notes. And he did record "Faust" (with Sutherland). His French was not bad either. However, the quality of the sound does not do justice to any of those tenors...
+Leonora de la Gardie Yes. Where is Franco Corelli. But Jussi is the king in this compilation.
Incroyable ...un ut ou pas loin ...un peu tonitruant et inadapté à la situation
Rien de bien beau dans ces HIGHNOTES sauf les 1/2 teintes qui sont belles et de circonstance ..CARUSO,,THILL
MAIS SCHICOFF EST UN BOURRIN..
ELUZALYRICS
For me - Jussi Bjørling, with his top note, here is in a class of his own when it comes to freedom of sound, ease in production and shine. In addition you have the SPECIAL Bjørling sound. Exactly how it should be! As the Italian record company Myto once wrote: In the French repertory, especially as Romeo, Bjørling is the most perfect vocal exponent in recorded history. JUSSI PER SEMPRE! :-)
guthorbj 100 PER CENT RIGHT !!!!!
+guthorbj Björling* The crossed over one is danish or norwegian. Björling was from Sweden ;)
Of course - Jussi was from Sweden - born in Magasinsgatan in Borlänge, February 5 1911. :-)
Excellent, just remember the ö :)
Jeg vet - den helvetes ö på svensk. På norsk skriver vi ø. :-)
Best of these are Lauri-Volpi and Thill (very beautiful). But the best is missing - Pavarotti, on a 1974 recording (if memory serves correctly). Like Kraus, he takes the whole phrase ascending to the top C in one breath, without the ungainly break in the line; then the top C itself (which is a genuine top C, unlike many of these) is miraculous - quite the most beautiful I've ever heard, hanging there for what seems like an eternity, with a wonderful silvery sheen on it like a polished gemstone. Literally unbelievable.
Luciano is Divo in sempiternum
Nicholai gedda and Jussi Bjoeling get my vote here, both Swwedish.
SHICOFF1 Sorry, not true. His STEPfather was Russian, he is 100% Swedish, he was adopted by his aunt (Gädda) and his uncle (Ustinoff).
SHICOFF1 It's all in his Book "Mein Leben - Meine Kunst": So: His real father was Nikolaj Gädda. The older sister of this Nikolaj adopted Harry Gustaf Nicolai (the real name of the singer) with his husband Mischa Ustinoff. The name of his real mother ist not findable in the book. The singer learned the russian language actually from his stepfather. (But: Also his real grandmother (a Gädda) was Russian, but with a swedish Passport.) It's a little bit complicated and in the book it is hard to find. And: the original name is not Gedda but Gädda. Nicolais real name as Schoolboy: Harry Gustaf Nicolai Ustinoff.
SHICOFF1 Ok, biologically it's possible, cause his grandparents were with a russian background but swedish with swedish passports. All is in his book. (By the way: He was also my singing teacher for years... but actually we did not talk a lot about that). The problem is, its not at one point in the book, you have to read all... like a puzzle (again). In my opinion its no that important. But the russian language he learned from his stepfather.
Nicolai Gedda IMHO the greatest lyric tenor of all -time. Nicolai now sings with the angels and i venture to say above the Angels. The was no tenor who hit those C's and even D's with such clarity and ease as Nicolai Gedda.
Desolé mais hurler un high c de poitrine ..est contraire à la partition ..ce n’est pas un opéra vériste ...GEDDA ET SCHICOFF ..UT DE POITRINE INUTILE,,BJORLING ..VOIX INSTABLE ET UT LIMITE DE POITRINE ..
LE RESPECT DES PARTITIONS DOIT L’EMPORTER SUR LE NARCICISME DE CERTAINS INTERPRETES ...CELA FAIT PARTIE DU BEAU CHANT..PAS EUX , DESOLE
DJOUILLE
ELUZALYRICS
A great selection of fine voices, but to me Jussi hits the top 'C; like an arrow hitting the target. Straight in, no messing, but oh what a wonderful ringing tone he has to capture any singers heart and admiration. R.i.P.
El ÚNICO que lo hace PERFECTO es Alfredo Kraus, y el que opine lo contrario ya tarda en ir a comprarse el último disco de Abraham Mateo.
Imbécil
The only one, Kraus, arrives at C, without breathing before 6:00... bravo. There are other tenors sing a B, not a C. It is not fair, also depends on the diapason of the orchestra.
Correct, but Kraus didn’t sing the correct “e” in the first “presence.”
Yes, Alfredo Kraus won this battle of the high C's hands down!
The correct answer for a connoisseur is of course Björling. But i like Gedda.
Bjorling transposes down a half step! So, a B, not a C!
Bjorling struggled with the high c, great singer though
Nope Di Stefano: th-cam.com/video/j6rfvfw8M_M/w-d-xo.html
@@andreaholliday6845 Correct.
@@markjenkins1072 He sang high B here, this time in 1959 , it's not high C, but most folks would not know it, here or in the opera house.
Nobody seems to have noticed that Kraus is the only one who, besides singing an astounding high C, sings the phrase "où se devine la présEnce" with only one breath, "legato", as it is written, without stopping to breathe just after "où se devine...". For me, this is one of those details that makes of a good performance a historical one.
Avez - vous bien écouté THILL?
J’EN DOUTE CAR L’UT EST PARFAIT ET L’UT DE POITRINE QU’IL AURAIT PU DONNER AVEC UN VOLUME 2 FOIS SUPERIEUR A LA PLUPART DES TENORS PRESENTS AURAIT ETÉ PLUS BEAU ..MAIS INADAPTE
THILL RESPECTE L’OEUVRE ..ET CELA GÈNE LES AMATEURS DE BRUIT
Eluzalyrics
Madame, ne me dites pas ça! J'adore Thill, j'ai TOUS ses enregistrements en vinyl et je le considère le meilleur ténor français depuis 1900. Ma remarque ne portait que sur la prise de souffle avant le contre-ut. Je vais réécouter la' demeure' de Thill, mais vous serez d'accord avec moi que Kraus est l'un des plus grands Faust de toujours. Aimer Kraus et ne pas apprécier Thill serait, pour qui aime le chant, chose folle. Y a-t-il des fous parmi nous mélomanes?;-)
Of course he was.
At first I thought Kraus was just a normal tenor. Now I know being "normal" is one of the hardest things.
By far the best!!!
Beczala............que color de voz tan brillante y hermosa...........
Nice list but disappointing that Corelli was not included, who by far was the best tenor of the 20th century...The only one that comes close was Bjorling, which isn't bad for second...
+rexeterna
carissimo,
come titolo del suo video Lei ha scritto cito:
Faust high C - 15 tenors
per la sua informazione Enrico Caruso canta il re bemolle acuto ...
5 tenori /fra loro Domingo/ cantano il si naturale acuto ...
soltanto 9 tenori cantano il do naturale acuto.
1Björling,Lauri-Volpi, Gigli,Thill, Aragall etc....
I found the most solid C sound that of Alfredo Kraus....
Very well done, thanks for sharing this with us. My favorites are Domingo, Gigli (who didn't have a birth born high C either but worked for it), Lanza and Corelli. But high C's do not a tenor make, but grace.
7/07/2014
Fantastics High C......great tenors......but I think Jussi Bjoerling was the tenor of tenor's.......what a potent voice.
Angel Riguero agreed!
Yes very great though here he does sing it as B not the C.
I was impressed by Thill, someone of whom I've never heard.
(1897-1986) Arguably the greatest French tenor of the 20th Century.
Falta Pippo 1949, 1950, maravilloso. El mejor Thill.
They are all huge singers. But Björling... waow ! I stay voiceless.
The great Domingo sins a half-tone lower; it's "only" a b... but beautiful.
I love the idea that Domingo "sins" rather than "sings." Is there a confessor out there who can come to the rescue?
So is bjoerling B and it is live in 1959. the met. brdcst.
@@fourstrings48 Hi ! Hi ! English is not my native language but I see what you mean. Do I need a confessor or a psychoanalyst ?
My favorite is Di Stefano. Why he isn't featured here I have no clue
Agreed.
Björling is the winner.
+Petter Nilsson agreed 100%, and the worst is that fat balloon full of wind: Caruso!
L’UT donné mezza-voce ou même "de tête " est dans l’ esprit de cet aria..
On croirait in concours de testostérone et savoir qui a la " plus grosse"
Désolé
L’oeuvre demmande un UT MEZZA-VOCE
et certais chanteurs ne doe’t pzs i UT mzis transposent nettement ..en dessous..
Les voix mixtes ou tête..ou mezza-voce sont donc devant avec THILL pour la beauté et le respect..
Au METROPOLITAIN entre les 2 guerres ..venaient surtout les italiens qui voulaient du bruit ..on comprend que THILL y ait été mal à l’aise .lui qui respectait les oeuvres et le bon goût ...pouquoi un UT DE POITRINE A CE MOMENT DE L’OUVRAGE ?
LA MEZZA -VOCE EST PLUS TECHNIQUEET IL Y A DES OUVRZGES OU L’UT DE POITRINE A SA PLCA ...MOINS ICI !!!
ELUZALYRICS
Lire ..demande...Eluzalyrics
Bjorling just absolutely nailed it!
I'm sorry but where in the hell are giuseppe di stefano and franco corelli?
I wholeheartedly agree, especially with Di Stefano.
The bjoerling man is the only one that made my ears vibrate (for real), the sound was ringing so much
But he sang B
@@anistargameplay4276 Correct, most people cannot tell the B from the C in the opera house seated there but at home with a piano or pitch pipe, then you can and the Jussi Bjorling here like Tucker and some others is very surely high B and both are good, Jussi sang Boheme complete in 1948 at the Met. and the brdcst also then was high B, in Che Gelida, which I have on a pirate CD. Jussi sometimes live did transpose as most do at sometime or another, Domingo and Tucker also--- but PD only basically in his 20's had the C and even then not always.
There are tenors, good ones....and there is Jussy Bjorling. Best of the best
Too bad that some of these tenors are singing high b's and not hich c's...
Second, the level of openness and poetry in the voice in Gedda and Kraus are unparallelled in this aria...
I agree with the ones that call for Lanza!! Would have been amazing...!
A lot of these are High B's not C's.... Still amazing
Jack Swanson Yeah I was pretty sure Domingo doesn't carry a C like that around. Still, I'd live with that B happily.
+Jack Swanson Not so. All C's. check piano
+papoocanada May be different playback speed on video. Check again Richard Tucker, Jan Pierce,Neil Shicoff. If those are c on your piano, the others may register as c#
Alltid Björling. Always Jussi.
i am missing Di Stefano from 1948 or1949, very beautifull
si manca Di Stefano con l'acuto finale smorzato in maniera incredibile!
My name is Frank. The Di Stefano rendition is from October 1950 in San Francisco where he held the high C for eleven seconds and decrescendoed it to an exquisite pianissimo. My understanding is he repeated this in Chicago and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. I see more comments on here questioning why Di Stefano was not included on this.
@@debpierce2496 GDS be the very top, of course.
Jussi Björling on top of course. The rest are just runners up.
Jussi...you're the man!!
My opinion: In this aria the tenor sings of his love, but the high C should be on a more intense level, as if suddenly catching the singer by surprise by the wild desperate force of his passion for Marguerite. Definitely not looking for a smooth entry to the note. Also minimal scooping, please.
For me the one who captures this best is Alfredo Kraus. A close second goes to Neil Shicoff, a seriously underrated talent. Honorable mention to Placido Domingo, whose high note is the sweetest but lacks points for intensity.
#1 Gedda. #2 (Really #1.5) Kraus (no break before the high C). #3 A tie here, for sheer beauty, and control, going into and out of the C... between Björling and Thill.
Thill I believe is the C , but Bjoerling's is transposed, singing B so in your opinion Thill wins as he sings the C.
The timbre of Bjorling in my opinion is best
Because you omitted the brilliant Corelli, this entire episode is flawed.
century123ful Right, Corelli is the greatest of all..
>:0
And Di Stefano!!
@@wisikahn And no GDS!
Alfredo Kraus siempre elegante punzante y con muy buena técnica, pero se nota el armado de cada frase y la puesta para el agudo. Thill en su idioma hace notar la diferencia, pero en verdad los dos que más me gustan y en ese orden son los suecos Bjorling y Gedda. Aunque si me dieran a elegir escuchar el aria entera por musicalidad fraseo color de voz y precisión elijo escuchar a Jussi Bjorling.
Amazing!
Remember to take into account modern recording technology that capture much more or a singer's sound. Beczala has an impeccable technique and lovely tone, perfect for this repertory - probably the best living lyric tenor, in my opinion.
Do yourself the favour of listening to Corelli's recording and Di Stefano's as well; both singers frame Piotr nicely, Franco being more dramatic and Giuseppe more elegant. Now imagine if we had modern recording devices to capture those voices...
I vote for Jussi Bjorling, but not this 1959 Live from the Met recording, a year before his death. I would select instead the 1939 outing on EMI with Nils Grevillius conducting. In that performance, he clearly takes no breath during the key phrase. And I prefer his glorious, angelic tone to all others, although many in here (including Kraus, Lauri-Volpi, and Aragall) are outstanding.
1. Nicolai Gedda
2. Jussi Björling
3. Richard Leech
4. Piotr Beczala
5. Giacomo Lauri-Volpe
I certainly think that Corelli should be on there too, and he'd be my number 3, and then the others would shift down from there accordingly.
Thanks for posting this great 'noise'.
I keep returning to it many times.
Yes, Byorling for me.
JB EST MEDIOCRE EST IRRESPECTUEUX
DJOUILLE
Alfredo Kraus did rather well, I thought!
I know full well that the mechanical recording technique of Mr Caruso's day was terrible, yet it does not hide the fact that on this high C Mr Caruso was terribly strained! I have never liked his voice, although the experts will shoot me down! Mr Björling is for me by far and away the best of the lot, followed by Mr Richard Leech whom I had never heard of before and then Mr Gedda. The others were all good in their own right, even Mr Tucker and Mr Peerce.
I love Caruso, but I have to agree with you. He was really struggling with high C because he didn't have the high C at all until 1904-5 and this recording was actually from 1906 and not from 1910 as the description says.
In my own opinion, he doesn't sound to me that he is overly straining himself. Pretty much all the recordings pre 1925 are very terrible and don't give too much justice. We shouldn't even compare pre 1925 and post 1925. We can simply marvel and imagine how they would sound had we actually heard them.
He sings falsetto, end of story
The first 78 I bought of Jussi was Salut demeure. I still think he is the best on this aria.
Henry Webb
The best by far is Nicolai Gedda
followd by Jussi björling
Gedda had a great C .
For me, Bjorling has always reigned supreme in this aria (his singing is of unearthly beauty, quite simply put); to the earlier commenter who mentioned pitch, there are other recordings of him singing this (I have come across at least two other renditions on TH-cam, one of which is a video; highly enlightening to watch him work).
However, even only listening to a short clip of his work here I've found George Thill's singing to be quite something as well. Why have I never heard of this guy...?
Oh come on!! Most ot them sing a high B!! (Tucker, Peerce, Bjoerling (one of my favourites tenor of all times), Domingo, Shicof).
My favourites
1- Krauss (the King)
2- Leech (another king)
3- Alagna (beautiful)
Gedda, good balance! Aragall good chest on it. KRAUS, so comfortable.
My name is Frank. TH-cam just put another video with another Faust High C comparison. This time they got it right. The second tenor featured? Giuseppe Di Stefano, San Francisco 1950. Ten to eleven seconds and the most exquisite diminuendo to a more exquisite pianissimo.
Alfredo Kraus for the win!! :) He's incomparable in Faust. Beautiful voice, best C. G. x
What is fact most people don't think about is that the average opera going person paying for a ticket and attending an opera doesn't know a C from a B so if the singer is feeling better in live performance transposing or the rest of the aria fits his voice better transposed down to B he does it and the audience for the most part doesn't even know it's not a C in fact many don't know care anyhow, some do but the majority don't have perfect pitch or carry a pitch pipe into the opera house. Proof here is tenor Jussi Bjoerling, known for singing excellent high C's "usually" in fact on his earlier live or studio recordings of this aria he always sang the high C, but not here-- as he transposed it and sings B, but look at the comments! A few say "Bjorling sings a great high C " So they obviously didn't check it with a piano etc. It is from his 1959 Met. Brdcst. and I Taped it in 1959 on reel to reel audio with my old Wilcox Gay recorder then (I was 19 and a big tenor Lanza and Bjorling fan only then) Now some folks go on to flame( singers like Domingo) and here Peerce , Tucker and others for singing it as high "B" but they did have C's, just not not always, (not really Domingo much ever ) they had good high B's, Peerce did have the C live with Toscanini in Boheme and in some brdcsts from the Met. like Ballo in the duet - also Tucker did live and in Ballo, Lescaut, Turandot and once an interpolated one in 1966 in Aida with Price-- ( Calaf which he sang live with Nilsson and Ross both with the C ) and of course Jussi but not live in Turandot, he did not sing Calf live but on his studio RCA Rec. from 1959 the C of course--- here JB is 48 years old and the note or word before the C also can cause a singer to avoid the C, but JB usually didn't avoid it, never in studio did he transpose, live sometimes, as did Tucker, even in his studio rec. of Faust because the whole aria lay better down for his voice, as with Shicoff her also live, but no not Domingo, he only really had the C (and never a good one) in his 20's, after that it was not good at all and rare -- but people use that fact to flame him, a very fine singer anyhow, so just because the C may be avoided here by some, it does not make for a poor Faust, as we hear with Bjoerling in 1959, on brdcst. some here are live and some studio, so not an even playing field. Either and why no Di Stefano? his diminuendo on the high C live was spectacular!!!!
Oh this was fun! I've watched this video before, but its the type of comparison you enjoy going back too. I would also
like to place a write-in vote for Giuseppe di Stefano, Bjorling's love on the high B is like watching nature unfold, as
Jerome Hines said about capturing the sound of him, "like three Carusos." Thill, was my favorite the first time I heard this, and I still adore it. I like pianissimo Cs, he is the angel singing, not a man anymore. I had thought I would make a top three list out of those after hearing it again, but now after reading the comments recommending that Sabbatini also be heard, I just came back from his concert aria... crying, honestly! Now I don't know what to do, I have four superb gentlemen who I think have an equal claim to being crowned the Faust king.
I must say however, the last four were my least favorites easily. I don't normally dwell on who I didn't like in a comparison with lots of good things in it, but since some of these guys went down as great favorites, I think it could be useful to circulate differences of opinion. Bezcala I would have given passing marks to on everything until his high note, I need a richer color in the top register, he sounds as strident as knife. I think he wound have benefited from taking it in sotto voce like some of our earlier artists more like Caruso. I know from his comments about Richard Tauber that he studies them. Big highs like Bjorling can be breathtaking, but Bezcala's didn't sound like a natural, full emission of sound, it sounded like the volume was being manufactured with a microphone, which doesn't have the same weight and warmth. However, I still preferred it to Leech, Leech's second "Salut" sounds like he's just narrowly escaping a wobble or crack. His whole phrasing was really uncomfortable, the light and shade just falls dead, no real indulgence in a particuarly word and sentiment. Alagna was the worse, but a lot of people have acknowledged it wasn't his night, so lets move on.
Caruso C# / Lauri Volpi on the mark/Thill ditto/ Gigli ditto /Tucker B either record slow or they cheated/ Peerce B / Bjoerling ditto/ Gedda close to C not perfect/Aragall on the mark /Domingo B / Kraus on the mark / Shicoff B /Leech on the mark/ Alagna on the mark/ Beczala on the mark/
And where is Corelli?! Bjoerling, Beczala, then Thill for me.
Kraus no question.
No mention of Giuseppe Di Stefano? In his Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast debut in Faust, he attacked the high C forte and then softened to a pianissimo. Sir Rudolf Bing said in his memoirs that this was the most beautiful sound he had heard come out of a human throat during his many years as general manager of the Metropolitan Opera.
Tucker, Peerce, Björling, Domingo e Shickof la cantano MEZZO TONO SOTTO
Kraus is my favorite, although his voice borders "nasal" I feel that he has a very secure high range. Almost like the note just shoots right out of his body
+SHICOFF1 his voice is small but secure and focused. I agree
jacob lahr
SHICOFF1 Yes. Del Monaco also sounds kind of nasel and metallic on records, but in house, he was actually nowhere near nasel.
@@Jacob-ry3lu in house Shicoff had a good strong mid sized tenor, not small at all. I saw his Faust in Chicago as I was at several performances he gave, in house you can really tell voice size, Tucker had a bigger voice then Jussi or Peerce and bigger by far, but here you really cannot tell that.
@@이준혁-c4s Right 100%
Alfredo Kraus - oh my fucking i swear i saw an Angel
Bjorling is the best by far IMO. Di Stefano is a great candidate with his early recording with a long diminuendo on top C not featured here.
Bjorling is great, but it's a high B h sings here, not C.
Io avrei aggiunto anche Giuseppe Sabbatini, per l'eccezionale smorzatura sull'acuto.
Bjorling's was soooo amazing!
Et. I think you are others are being tough on Domingo. He has a lovely voice for me, as do they all. Of course Corelli and Di Stefano are "up there" too. I had not heard of Piotr Beczala before this. His singing of this aria is also extraordinary. It is fantastic to see a man of this talent and singing right now. I still love Caruso the best. Just personal choice, I guess. (Please do not rubbish Domingo - if nothing else, he sings with heart).
Caruso is also a favorite of mine. Such a shame we couldn't record him with more modern technology...
Bjorling hands down
Yes very fine, even with out the high C as Jussi is singing it with B not C. So you can still be great transposing down as he did here.
Check out Giuseppe Sabatini, also does an impressive diminuendo on the high C.
Bjoerling, Beczala, Leech & Shicoff (tie)
As many others have noted, several of these are pitched incorrectly--perhaps most notably Caruso's, which was recorded "one half-tone low to score," as were his "Che gelida manina" and "Di quella pira" during that same session at Victor on February 11, 1906, thereby making the note a B-natural, according to Aida Favia-Artsay, William R. Moran, and John R. Bolig.
To me, generally speaking, Kraus simply has the most beautiful high Cs I've ever heard. I could say he wins, but it would almost be cheating, considering how I love this sound. Then, excepting Kraus, to me, Gigli gets the point. Special encouragements to Beczala, a good Nr.3.
Con gran diferencia, el mejor Alfredo Kraus. Es acojonante como , sin respirar alcanza el do.
Jussi just pips it. Something about his voice makes my spine tingle.
Is it the Chill of the north?
He seemed to get more emotional in the live performances and while singing in his own language. It could have been a full understanding of the idiomatic expression of the Italian language, but who knows. He was still a great tenor.
Sorry A LACK OF A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF THE IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS
sugarbist z
@@sugarbist Bjoerling here gets the most votes with so many saying his high C is best-- but on this one from 1959 brdcst. met. opera (I know because I taped it then on reel to reel ) it is high B, not high C but a good one, JB did transpose at times by then. you can hear the aria also on you tube posted by "Topic Bjorling" 9/15/14 1959 live Faust brdcst
Tough call...lots of really good ones!
I think Bjorling wins. Runners up: Lauri-Volpi, Gigli, Gedda, Aragall, and Shicoff. I will say that even though Caruso, Thill, and Domingo approached it from a more falsetto-based production, I think it still worked very well! As others have said, di Stefano's C in this aria is legendary, and Corelli's is good as well.
I like nearly all of them. Thrill was effortless. Although Bjorling's recording appears acoustically poor, his rendition was both sweet and delivered with a wonderful range. My favourite. The Caruso recording is merely a shadow of how he would be sounded but there is certainly quality there.
Et le meilleur est évidemment Georges Thill splendide 🥰 et en deux Alfredo Kraus . À oublier Tucker et l’horrible Peerce
BJOERLING ! It couldn’t possibly be anyone else.
Also check out early Di Stefano, it's not here sadly.
I'm no expert but none of these high C's sound as high as some I just heard by Juan Diego Flores. Sometimes we just have to cut out the comparisons and just highlight who we think is best without criticizing others. Pavarotti made more, like me, aware of opera but that best thing I don't know about, I had not heard Franco Corelli. I thought no one sang Nessum Dorma better than Pavarotti but now realize to my ear there are parts where others outshine him, however there are places in the song nobody seems to do anything special with and Pavarotti just seems to shine throughout the entire song. Hope someone uses today's tech and remasters the recording from the last century.
Note also that Maestro Kraus doesn't breath between the Eb and D, mantaining the legato - right before the words "la présence" - and thus not interrupting the wonderful and extremely romantic musical phrase.
His high C comes from the very same breath he takes in the beginning (before "Où se devine..."), and yet it is sustained beautifully!
Incredible!
Iin quest'aria Di Stefano ha prodotto il più bel diminuendo della storia del disco... prodezza mai riuscita ad altri, e non é presente...
Even through those old crackly recordings, Caruso's unequalled beauty and power shines through. Bjorling's is the only one that gives us some idea of what Caruso would have sounded like had he recorded under modern conditions. I love all the others as well.
Caruso sounds falsetto here. Bjorling is extraordinary.
Bjorling es como un cañon, kraus como una lanza aguda afilada y el resto muy bien pero vienen atras de muy lejos.
Caruso's recording is out of tune and is semi-tone sharp.
No diré quien es el mejor, sino quien me agrada más y no tanto por el agudo, sino por la voz y su fraseo: Georges Till...!
I don't know about Gedda being number1. There's a slide into his C. Jussi's C is spot on, no slide (a quality he is revered for) and is so good it rings, not to mention he expands the note as it continues. Kraus is also good, but he also slides into his C. Therefore Jussi, IMHO is the best. No wobble, no slide, expands the note, and finishes it without impeccable control.
I'll go with Nicolai Gedda. I really like Thill singing this rep, but his high note was definitely not the best here. Beczala's the only one of these I've seen sing this role; I thought he was very good live.
I think it's telling how many people in the comments are singling out Domingo for transposing down half a step, while not bothering to notice that several other of the singers here do the same thing. It's almost like Domingo's mere name triggers hand-wringing over transpositions.
Para mi indiscutiblemente Kraus increíble dominio de la voz y rutilante do agudo espectacular. En 2 lugar Gedda.
DOMINGO NE DONNE PAS UN UT ET LE CHANTEUR EST LIMITE DANS LES AIGUS ALORS QUE SUR SCENE ..ÇA PASSE
ELUZALYRICS
No me agrada la voz de Kraus...
Eliseo Barjau No he leído hasta ahora una definición tan acertada de todo lo contrario a la voz de Kraus. Puede gustarle o no pero el adjetivo de carismático se vuelve objetivo con semejante lección de canto.
@@EliseoBarjauorfeo qué disparates dice Ud de Kraus!!!
For me, the best is definitely Alfredo Kraus mainly because he's the only one to sing a legato phrase, all in one breath. The high C is explosive and under control...perfect. Caruso's and Thill's version are also nice 'cause they sing a soft high C which actually corresponds more to the spirit of tthe aria. But most of tenors sing it very loud and very martial, especially Bjorlling. It sounds like he's really showing off, and that's not good.
They are all fantastic. For me personally Caruso (terrible recording technique) somehow sets the standard for all the others. Of the "newer" tenors I like Björling the best (my opinion).
Tom, What about Di Stefano?
Caruso use falsetto. That's not fair. I thought the best would be Gedda. Haha, surprised it was Lauri-Volpi.
¡¡¡¡ Yes !!!! .....
Vette gaddia I'm pretty sure that was full voice.
Sounds like a fly bugging arround
1.Gedda,Bjorling
2.Kraus,Leech,LAuri Volpi
3.Beczala,Alagna
Bjorling . Hands down. Krauss a close second.
To pick any one of these fine tenors is to ignore the most important aspect of their craft....how they sing and perform on stage. That should be the true measure.
True.
Bjoerling was my winner of these recorded aria section. I alway like to hear multiple recordings of each artist to find a consistency in technique and tonal quality because I am a snob and pompous ass.
Lot of this are not Cs but Bs. Tenor C is extremely high and a lot of tenors sing the B instead (just test this on your piano) which is still pretty amazing
Kraus is hard to beat, but Gedda comes close. The sweetness of Caruso's hjgh note has never been equalled. How did di Stefano's famous version get left out?
@baltoman24 Your not serious are you? Thill over Bjorling and Gedda ? Surely you must be joking lol.
Then of course you say Domingo was excellent when in fact he was an embarrassment by singing a B Natural or possibly even a Bb. Why Domingo was included and Not Guiseppe Di Stefano and Franco Corelli is beyond any rational, it doesn't make any sense at all. Maybe the poster is not that fond of Italian Tenors.