During my college days, I supered in a Met tour performance of Turandot in Detroit with these two legends. I was one of the guards at the bottom of the staircase for the entire second act, with Nilsson trumpeting directly into my right ear from ten feet away and an equidistant Corelli blasting away directly into my left ear. My hearing didn't return to normal until the following day.
Thanks for the heart, L.O. Fortunately my most treasured memory of Nilsson doesn't involve ruptured eardrums. The "Ritorna Vincitrice" banner on page 57 of "My Memoirs in Pictures" was a joint brainstorm by me and an opera-loving co-worker at Benton & Bowles; (Guy's seamstress mother did the actual sewing.} Our friend Clem D'Alessio, then producer of "Live From The Met," had it hung where she could see it just before she went onstage, and slipped us into her dressing room after the concert. We were profusely thanked and got a taste of the famous Nilsson humor when she said it would make a wonderful beach towel! We later learned she kept it draped over the piano in the music room of her home in Vastra Karup.
I was also a guard on the palace wall when the curtain went up on Act One, in which Turandot appears briefly to make an "Off with his head!" gesture toward the Prince of Persia. The stage at Masonic Temple was so small compared to the Met's that the set was pushed directly against the back wall, leaving no room for a series of steps Nilsson could climb up and then back down again. So they dressed a dancer in Turandot's costume, and she sat patiently inside a small chamber until it was time to appear. A friend of mine was in the audience and I asked him afterward if he could tell that wasn't Nilsson. Did he ever! he was watching through opera glasses,, and his eyeballs almost flew out through them when he saw the stand-in. His wife spent the entire intermission telling him they certainly would have made an announcement beforehand if they were replacing the star of the show. He didn't breathe easily until he saw The Real Thing enter in Act Two. My other vivid memory from that night: While Corelli was kneeling at the bottom of the staircase before the riddles began, he kept making these odd gestures. Knowing Corelli's stage fright was legendary, I thought he was crossing himself. (I would, too, if I was about to go throat-to-throat with Birgit Nilsson!) Stage manager Stanley Levine told me later he had wet sponges stashed under his black capelet, which he used to keep his lips and mouth from drying up. I"ve been dining out on anecdotes like these ever since!
iworshipChrist Very good!! My father, both of whose parents had been professional singers, was once asked whether you would be able to hear one of the major opera singers if he/she were in your church choir. His response: “You wouldn’t be able to hear anyone else!” In his case, I think the specific question was about Pavarotti - but surely even more the case with Corelli or Birgit?
The critic from the Detroit News said that after 10 minutes of Nilsson and Corelli he stopped listening and received it directly on his spinal cord. For me, this summed up the impact of hearing those two voices live!
Sometimes we hear a very good Turandot (there was, there is), and then we listen to Birgit Nilsson, and we know there is only one, there will be never but one, the goddess from the North, the star that shines in the sky and will always dazzle us, Lady Birgit Nilsson, the unique, the splendid, the irreplaceable.
Birgit Nilsson was one of the most powerful dramatic sopranos ever lived in history. Her vibrato was flawless, the staccato perfect, and the vocal range are extra humongous. Even the great Corelli needed to work way more to follow this lady in order to not be overshadowed.
@@jambones100 In 1963-4 I used to stand quite nearto Turner in The Crush Bar Covent Garden, but at 25 years odf age I was too shy to speak to her . She looked quite approchable though
This is the standard against which any subsequent performances are judges even to this day! A friend told me of listening to the Met broadcast of these two while driving, he nearly wrecked his car! He had to pull over and try to regain his composure...he was weeping so hard!
When you are surrounded in real sound, it is like an ecstatic uplifting experience. My voice teacher once told me of attending a benefit at the Met Opera, and when Dorothy Kirsten and Eileen Farrell sang a duet, the seats were ringing. It's not just about loudness but about how much sound quality there is.
I'm not a huge Corelli fan, however he not only had a great voice, but was obviously the best Calaf in his time in live performances and she easily was the best Turandot. Her voice had Nordic steel in it.
@@shicoff1398 Agree with you there! Corelli is not my favorite but he was a great tenor. I listen to him a lot as he has some arias that suit his voice well. You don't even need to name Calaf, it's obvious.
Right of course, I named his "Calaf" for those disliking his at times bad habits when singing live, because it's pretty hard to find any fault at all with his Calaf, it fit him like a glove, and so far nobody has denied that he wasn't a great Calaf, oh yes on records Bjoerling was as great with ease in the role, but he smartly didn't sing it live, his voice was several sizes smaller then Corelli's of course. BTW Corelli made some excellent studio recordings where he sings with some great restraint and is more careful with the music.
@@suffes1 some people still don't think he was the Calaf in his time, but most critics agree that the role was his best and live he was a great Calaf, he wasn't a great musician but was a great tenor.
I was Pu-Tin Pau at the premiere of this production, and did 62 performances over a 12 year period. In the 2nd act I came down the staircase and sat on a stool about 15 ft. from them. You can just imagine!
Both of these superhuman singers together would surely cause hearing damage to the audience lmao. I'm sure you could feel the vibrations of their voices going through your body. This is singing!!!
or to themselves if they ever sang full voice inside a small bathroom... Cant remember who was the singer who had said he never sings in his bathroom out of fear of damaging his ears
When I saw Franco live, while embracing the female lead, he would gently put his hand over her ear. It looked like he was just caressing her, but he would do it every time he had to sing really loud.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW u blew me off here... Placed your comment in the description above!
Yes, BN with a brilliant vocal ... but in the other commentary of the description it doesn't make sense, because listening to some operas by Franco sung Eileen Farrell, I can see that he excels with his more expansive and strong tone. Unlike Birgit, who can match up and in some moments of voice extension, he even seems to be a bit outspoken.
Bonjour une interprétation superbe deux grandes voix de l opéra un joyau des voix immortelles qui manquent beaucoup aujourd hui merci à vous pour ce superbe partage et bravo à nos deux très grands artistes mer ci
Dos grandes leyendas de la ópera italiana quedaron grabadas para siempre en este breve registro de Turandot, de Giacomo Puccini: Birgit Nilsson y Franco Corelli, con sus amplias voces, imponentes y muy voluminosas arrancaron la admiración de millones de amigos y de admiradores con esta magnífica presentación, ya hoy cantan juntos en los Jardines de Dios Nuestro Señor.
And, the Puccini prize goes to... Corelli, for the lyric beauty of phrasing, spontaneous emotions and unfussy delivery. Breathtakingly beautiful. Nilsson gets a Puccini autographed Turandot score and an Alfa Romeo.
Lohengrin O LOL! Nilsson getting speeding tickets! La CALLAS had IMPECCABLE taste, that's why everyone studies her recordings and will forever. LOVE this Turandot post.
MrQbenDanny I love Nilsson's Turandot too, she was Turandot La Nilsson... been listening to many of her live recordings to choose the one she truly spits her cords out :D
I also supered with the Met on tour in Atlanta at the Fox. I held the curtain. Was on stage with these two immortals. I couldn't think or concentrate for days.
How real. How surreal. They truly transport you to another place in time and space. How truly sincere the acting is. It's u reachable, unfathomable, and immeasurably sincere. What a large heroic production with these 2 and oh how beautiful.
Eine legendäre Besetzung! Und Frau Nilson‘s Stimme ist - der Rolle entsprechend - wahrhaft von „Eis umgürtet“. Eine Traumbesetzung, die bis heute schwer zu toppen ist.
They were as much rivals as partners in their numerous triumphant performances of Turandot through out the world durning the 60's and early 70's. Nilsson once very generously reported that Corelli had the biggest top of any singer she had known.
dont think they were rivals.. they were picking up each other like kids... they were two Super Humans... like the Super Heroes we see in movies but on Vocal level :D and Im sure they had a blast singing together...
I have listened to many recordings of Turandot and only one soprano can sing the role properly: Nilsson. And my recordings show only two tenors who can sing Calaf properly: Corelli and Bjorling. Bjorling didn't perform it on stage, but his recording is fantastic.
Oh but my friend how wrong you are about Bjoperling. Nilsson herself complained about how the engineers favored Bjoerling in the mix.I hate to tell you, but Bjorling's voice was relatively small. he could never have sang Calaf satisfactorily on stage. But he sang with great aggression and the purity of his tone enabled the voice to be boosted without distortion. When I first came to opera as a teen vocal student I would mention my great admiration for him to various older opera lovers as I had learned his voice from recordings only, and the response I would often get was 'Bjoerling, really...small voice."
@@photo161 You are right about Björling's voice, though Nilsson herself wrote in her autobiography that she really loved his voice and the way he sang. Still, I think it was a rather strange pairing on stage with regard to their quite different voices, even if Björling's voice was said to carry well in the house. Björling often sang with the coloratura soprano Hjördis Schymberg (over a hundred performances) when he sang in Stockholm. That was probably a better pairing.
@@StaffanSwede Yes True, your correct, JB's voice recorded larger then it was, I saw him singing the Duke in 1958 (I was 18 years old) his voice sounded the same as on recordings, but smaller then the RCA studio records, I'd say about the same size as another tenor I saw in house (that one around 1970) Morell also did record larger then it really was, "Barry Morell" both Jussi and Morell where adequate in Lyric roles, but in big spinto roles where rather small, Jussi avoided Forza, Chenier, Enzo, Luisa Miller and Turandot but did sing in the Spinto role Aida, it was his only less then successful opera in a big house, not that he didn't sing well, he did, but in Aida in 1958 in Chicago the reviews where mediocre, his voice in that big 3,583 seat house was not Stentorian enough for the role, that according to Ms. Claudia Cassidy, the famous out spoken Chgo. tribune music critic, who loved him above any other tenor in the 1950s and she said so in her review of the Aida he sang in late Nov. 1958, I had seen his Duke the week before in Chicago (Nov. 15 1958) and as the Duke in Rigoletto he was really excellent, even in Aida, his lyric singing was outstanding according to the Cassidy review, but she said "dangerous for him in such a big opera house". He had sung it long before in both Vienna, Budapest, and later again in Stockholm, Jan. 1955 with Nilsson, but she was told by the Cond. Ehrling to hold back on stage when singing with Jussi in unison, as she would over power him, and though Stockholm is a small house at 1,180 maximum capacity, she was a tenor destroyer, however she did not drown out either Tucker or Corelli, even at the big old Met. house, in 1961 she sang the role with both men and if you where there they could stay with her in the forte and even high C moment, but Corelli was the voice best fit for the role live, fit him like a glove, on recording Jussi B. was a great tenor, one of my favorites, but live he smartly didn't ever sing the role. I hate to talk about tenors I didn't see in house, I saw both Del Monaco in 1959 and Tucker from 1961 on about 20+ times and both those two had bigger voices then on the studio records, MDM just did not record all that well, in house his voice sounded better and less steely then the old London LP's IMO. Tucker in his long prime, mid 1950's to early 1960's had a top that was like a Jet Plane landing in your living room, it did not thin out up top and sounded even larger in house, Lauri Volpi heard him singing for LV in his house and called him a Caruso type voice, he also gave Tucker tips on singing Luisa Miller at la Scala in 1968 which he managed at age 54 with success but as with Corelli Tucker avoided Otello, he had the volume but said no I'm not an Otello voice, I think Corelli was but didn't sing it either, perhaps his nerves, I don't know he sure had the sound for it, of course MDM was Otello I saw it with my parents in 1959, as he sang it in Milan and was terrific and even though I was only19 years old I recall much of it when he was singing. RIP MDM.
I wasn't lucky enough to see him singing live, but my dad did, and so did my singing teacher. My teacher told us that once, he heard him sing (at the MET, I think) and it was so exciting, so incredible, that when the aria finished, he got up from his seat, ran down near the stage and shouted: BRAVO!!! *#*%#*(he told him a bad word 🤭) He also told us the anecdotes about the the terror that Corelli felt before going out to sing, that they even had to push him .... is that possible? with a voice like that? If anyone knows about this I would like to hear it.
the greatest Greek Tragedienne, Marica Kotopouli, was o nce shaking from anxiety 1 min before she would go onstage... a lady from the chorus approached her and said to her: my God why oh why u are so nervous... u are Marica Kotopouli, a Goddess, look at me, I am not nervous at all... Marica turned to her and told her: well Anxiety comes along with Talent - Birgit Nilsson had once said: I would quit often find myself on my way to the theater to sing to sing to have an accident, small enough not to hurt me but big enough to cancel the performance
He definitely suffered from stage fright. And he wasn’t the only one. I read a story about a young soprano back stage at the Met - let’s call her Smith. She saw Caruso shaking with nerves and said, “Caruso, you, frightened?” His response was: “When you go out there, they are expecting Smith. When I go out, they are expecting Caruso”.
Yes, his nerves at times where so bad at times he was pushed out on the stage at times, my late friend sang in the Met. chorus with him in the 1960's. I'm 82 and saw him and many more from the 1950's on, first saw opera in 1957 in Chicago, saw Jussi Bjoerling in 1958 and the rest. saw GDS, in the 1950's, Tagliavini, Kraus Tucker etc. Corelli suffered with Nerves on and off even had a wet sponge in his pockets, my pal saw it for his mouth , to fight nervous dry mouth.
I like the loud singing, that's why I love Del Monaco so much. I love these two absolute superstars of opera. They are both some of the best singers that you can hear, and are definitely better than anyone today. Bravissimi!!!!!!!!!!!!
...but, that's just it. They didn't spit anything out. They launch some of most vocal beauty in the history of opera. Their respective vocal techniques were flawless. Birgit could sing an evening of Wagner and then sing some Mozart as an encore. These two were vocal Howitzers!!!!!
Would God there were a tenor and a soprano alive today who could come close to the artistry, let alone vocal virtuosity to these two. Opera is dead. When I hear this and remember these two, live on stage, I realize the sorry state of singing today.
Corelli is the only one who could duet with Nilsson on In Questa Reggia without being obliterated by her. There's a recording where Nilsson absolutely erases a tenor lol.
she, (Nilsson) did not sing with MDM ever that I know of but he had as large a voice as FC (or larger) so did Tucker up top who sang Calaf live with her at the Met in the early 1960's a few times I saw them both, he was not a high C tenor as was FC but had a very big top, especially on high B, it was like a jet plane landing in your living room, also Lauri Volpi had a top that could have stayed with her but he did not sing with her, was too old. anyhow as Calaf it was the best done live by Corelli over all the rest, Tucker had a bigger high B then anyone I heard, including MDM in house in 1959, when I was 19 and I did discuss it with both Domingo and Shicoff when I worked in classical Radio in LA Calif. both told me at different times that Tucker had the biggest high B of all they had ever heard live in house IMO the C was not always RT's best note, his 59 live Lescaut at the Met. with Tebaldi has both together contains a great high C,, last act it is on you tube Complete and his 1966 or 1968 Calaf live complete with a Big American soprano, Elinor Ross had a terrific live C where he also equaled her, he did not ever get eclipsed by Nilsson, and so if you did not see a singer in house no 100% accurate opinion as for volume can be reached, Jussi B. and some smaller lyric voices can record larger then they where both MDM and Tucker did rec. not as well, I saw MDM as Otello in 1959 and his voice was very big, larger then FC's, but no he did not have the high C live that I know of and yet on rec. had a great high D flat in Trov. with Gencer in this early days. Corelli was the best Calaf of them all live of course, but high C's are only part of it.
Dear Esuna, Dec.1961 Met review Tucker Nilsson: Richard Tucker sang his first Calaf at the Met at the season's first performance of ''Turandot''. He has the'' ringing top'' voice and stentorian production for the role of Calaf. But interestingly and gratifyingly enough, his most impressive singing at this performances were in the lyrical passages. The voice as a whole, had a new richness and color of expressiveness. Other than Tucker, tenors like Filippeschi, Lauri Volpi, and Martinelli, but before Nilsson's time would also not be obliterated by Nilsson. Sandor Konya did not have a brilliant top, but sang the role quite successfully with Nilsson in 1962. The recording with Nilsson that absolutely erases a tenor may be with Bergonzi who had an opaque top without squillo
@@sugarbist True and I saw Bergonzi often from 1961 on in house in concert and in opera both, he had excellent legato with a rich resonant Mid Sized voice, that was not as spinto as Corelli or Tucker, but his top had no ring, and yet he was successful in many roles like Forza and even Aida, but in Chenier he was reviewed as too lyric for a great Chenier. He just had not the Squillo and ring up top, but a larger voice then Bjoerling, as I saw both tenors.
generally speaking when you ear a soprano and atenor doing a high C together , the soprano always cover the tenor, one reason is because she si singing one octave above the tenor so the tenor support the vibration of the soprano and can not over come which is a pure law of hertze, secondly most of the tenor have not enough power to to so..... but here you can hear clearly that Mr Corelli is as big and strong as BN !!! listen toroughly and without forcing his voice so imagine the real power of this tenor specailly facing this great Sorpano !! both of themare the best for Turandot!!!
@@alfredalfred3571 , no one is disputing that both have great reserves of power. My point is that it's easier to hear Corelli on that C because the note he's singing is not the same one as Nilsson's (since he's flat). If he was bang-on accurate on the C, then like you said, the frequencies of their voices mesh together a lot more, and become less distinguishable.
@@tristanhnl i hear Corelli on ohter record and most the time he is the only tenor who cover the soprano , but her i would need an accoustci machine to be shure , sometimes it is not realy flat but more low harmonics wich not merge with the soprano and i am shure you know that on every concert Birgit and Franco were compete on their high C , some night one win on the length and power depends on the day sometime the other win it was their game but forme they are the best couple to sing this opera
Due corazzate vocali di altissima scuola... ineguagliabili !!! Ci rendiamo conto che oggi molte opere non sono più decentemente rappresentabili per penuria di vere voci... abbiamo solo degli strilloni e delle oche starnazzanti?
Remember the opening night of Z's terrible production at the Met in the late 80's with Eva Martin. During the first break out in the foyer an incredible ruckus broke out with bravos resounding on all levels. The cause was Nilsson descending the stairs in arm with Christa Ludwig. Both were attending the performance!!! .....Lohengrin O thanks for liking my comment.. Cheers mate from Melb. Aust.
I saw Corelli sing Romeo in Seattle - a role that didn't not really suit him. His voice was too big and his French pretty bad. But I remember how his high notes seemed to make the auditorium ceiling rise a couple of feet!
John Mitchell I saw Corelli sing Romeo late in his career and thought he was outstanding. While I always thought he was a great Romeo, that role may have been even better him at that point because his power had dismissed. I also saw him in Turandot that season and thought his voice was no longer adequate for Prince Calaf.
....Singers AND audiences have changed , not to their advantage. Those two giants were on front pages, state leaders attended to honor them. Today mediocracy on/off stage is in command, mostly lacking historical knowledge. Audiences listen to much smaller voices and are even frightened when hearing voices like BN and FC as I was told already! Todays tenors and sopranos sound more like peeled potatoes out of the cellar. One tries to sing everything Music has to offer. May we still see his „Isolde?“ No baritone of Bastianini or Gobbi format, no Basso who could ever sing Don Giovanni and King Philipp as Siepi did. With Nilsson you could never go wrong. Neither with Corelli. And you still had the choice of marvelous alternatives! Today? Mediocracy wherever you look.
Konrad Messerer Unfortunately, you are correct; Opera is basically dead now, because there are no living singers who are singing ‘correctly ‘; apparently they have not been taught by THEIR voice teachers.
@@michaelmiller1215 That is not exactly true. There are singers who sing fantastically, but are not getting hired where they should. we need to blame those who are hiring the garbage mediocre (at best) singers who just don't know how to sing. There are those who sing like singers of old, but we really need more PR. But you are correct that those who are pushed down our throats are horrendous. Sad state of affairs, modern opera "singing."
I often wonder......wonder.......wonder...... what a Corelli "Otello" would have sounded like????? Had his voice darkened enough before retiring? I believe Del Monaco felt singing "Otello" so early in his career shortened it considerably.........I still wonder......
You are probably right......the last great Otello i saw was Jon Vickers many years ago. Interesting, two of the greatest tenors, Caruso and Corelli never sang Otello.
That is true.....he did have a very long career.......some tenors had their "voice" much longer than others......look at Domingo and how long he has been singing, granted the quality of his present day ability is definitely compromised compared to his years with Sherill Milnes. No one really knows. Even if Del Monico had a relatively long career, he may have lasted even longer by not attacking the "killer" Otello somewhat early in his career. It is a career "shortner" for most. Most tenors (especially lyric) never go near it for one reason, it is the "killer." Interestingly, I always felt Maria Callas shortened her career by singing everything.......I only wish I had the opportunity to see her......left a lot on video thank God.
@SHICOFF1 I love your intelligent comments...and I agree with you !!! Thank you !!! Are you Neil Shicoff...the GREAT Tenor?? No matter if not.....you have discerning ears.
@SHICOFF1 Thank you for letting me know. I am so glad that he is active in teaching and adjudicating...we need the BEST OF SINGERS to do this...because the ART OF SINGING is slowly (via universities) disappearing. Best regards, Maria
Off label use:ho appena finito di assistere via sky alla Turandot di Bregenz 2015:per una volta che gli interpreti erano discreti la regia é stata pietosa,fuori luogo e testo ,sopratutto nel confronto finale tra Calaf e la principessa;ma nessuno critica questi registi "sensazionalisti"per forza?
I know you were being funny, but Nilsson said this happened at her debut as Elsa in Lohengrin, this must have been Bayreuth 1954. She said "We had a very good conductor but he sometimes drank. And at this particular evening, he was so drank..." For the first act the orchestra just played and "the conductor was just trying to follow it." In the second act, "when Elsa appears on the balcony it's very dark onstage... he must have been very sleepy, and when I appeared on the balcony, he had turned the light off and he was sleeping. We didn't have a conductor at all, and he awoke, you know, in the middle of the church scene. We managed, but I will never forget my debut as Elsa in Lohengrin!" I have this on tape somewhere, it was one of those Opera Quiz things on the old Met broadcasts. The conductor may have been Eugen Jochum, but I'm not at all sure of this.
When I worked at the Met there was a popular legend of Nilsson and Corelli 's "Turandot". Nilsson was at the top of her career and Corelli was vying to make his mark and would extend his notes after Nilsson had completed the phrase. After doing this a few times, Nilsson faked finishing and when Corelli finished she came up soaring beyond him. He was shocked and furious and as staged went in for the kiss and bit her neck! Their next performance was in Detroit (I think) and at half hour there was no sign of Nilsson. At curtain time Rudolf Bing, frantic by the no show of Nilsson, received telegram from her saying, "I'm sorry I cannot perform tonight as I am suffering from hydrophobia (rabies)," I have it on authority that this actually took place. I was privileged to have been onstage with both of these supreme artists several times from 1969-1972,
@@LohengrinO - True. Whenever she had the opportunity while facing upstage she would make funny faces to try to crack up fellow cast members. I think Corelli was my favorite tenor ever, However, personally he had a few problems, While rehearsing the sword fighting for "Romeo & Juliet", he threw down his sword and screamed, "They're trying to kill me!". His wife hurried onstage and took him to his dressing room. That was the end of the rehearsal for that day. He also had a habit of clearing the phlegm from his throat before singing into his hand which he would then wipe off on whatever was near (curtain, scenery, another performers costume). We would watch in fascination and horror as he planted his "snail-trails" about. In the final scene of "Romeo & Juliet" as he rushed in to find Juliet "dead" , he bowed his head, cleared his throat and with that hand stroked her forehead before singing leaving a "snail-trail" there. When Juliet (Mirella Freni) awakens, her first gesture was to bring her hand to her forehead and we could see her (pat-pat-pat) wondering what she had found there.
Gli enigmmi tre...l'amore uno. Fillia et fillio del ciel: bravissimi. Thank you very much dear virtual friend Lohengrin O. Warm greetings from Santiago, Chile Ut Benedicat tibi Dominun. Dr. Fernando Rivas-Burattini.
The first 3 minutes of this recording shows Nilsson more resonant and with more squillo than Corelli. Especially at 2:08. I don't see how people say he's the only tenor who "matched" her.
Δυστυχώς, αυτή η όπερα απαιτεί ξελαρύγγισμα ;) Ειδικά η άρια In questa reggia, καταντά σκέτη επίδειξη δύναμης φωνής. Μόνον από την Μαρία Κάλλας την έχω ακούσει να μην είναι ένα απλό ξεφωνητό, αλλά να έχει ένα κάπως πιο μελωδικό "πρόσωπο". Η Μαρία κατάφερνε από τ' αγκάθια να κάνει ρόδα!
Well, all credit to these commenters, but these were maybe not the loudest ever, I had James Morris hurting my ears right next to him in :Vespri Siciliani", but the loudest voice God ever made was given to Gwyneth Jones. I was in the chorus in her superhuman Turandot in San Francisco. She was a plasma torch.
heyyyy what amazing clips you make, wanted to congratulate you for some time... I dont remember... I have all the live Turandots, so when I want to post I listen, listen listen and then I choose... I never look which year or where and even if I look I never remember
During my college days, I supered in a Met tour performance of Turandot in Detroit with these two legends. I was one of the guards at the bottom of the staircase for the entire second act, with Nilsson trumpeting directly into my right ear from ten feet away and an equidistant Corelli blasting away directly into my left ear. My hearing didn't return to normal until the following day.
Thanks for the heart, L.O. Fortunately my most treasured memory of Nilsson doesn't involve ruptured eardrums. The "Ritorna Vincitrice" banner on page 57 of "My Memoirs in Pictures" was a joint brainstorm by me and an opera-loving co-worker at Benton & Bowles; (Guy's seamstress mother did the actual sewing.} Our friend Clem D'Alessio, then producer of "Live From The Met," had it hung where she could see it just before she went onstage, and slipped us into her dressing room after the concert. We were profusely thanked and got a taste of the famous Nilsson humor when she said it would make a wonderful beach towel! We later learned she kept it draped over the piano in the music room of her home in Vastra Karup.
I was at that performance. INCREDIBLE! I remember it more than 50 years later.
Haha
I was also a guard on the palace wall when the curtain went up on Act One, in which Turandot appears briefly to make an "Off with his head!" gesture toward the Prince of Persia. The stage at Masonic Temple was so small compared to the Met's that the set was pushed directly against the back wall, leaving no room for a series of steps Nilsson could climb up and then back down again. So they dressed a dancer in Turandot's costume, and she sat patiently inside a small chamber until it was time to appear. A friend of mine was in the audience and I asked him afterward if he could tell that wasn't Nilsson. Did he ever! he was watching through opera glasses,, and his eyeballs almost flew out through them when he saw the stand-in. His wife spent the entire intermission telling him they certainly would have made an announcement beforehand if they were replacing the star of the show. He didn't breathe easily until he saw The Real Thing enter in Act Two.
My other vivid memory from that night: While Corelli was kneeling at the bottom of the staircase before the riddles began, he kept making these odd gestures. Knowing Corelli's stage fright was legendary, I thought he was crossing himself. (I would, too, if I was about to go throat-to-throat with Birgit Nilsson!) Stage manager Stanley Levine told me later he had wet sponges stashed under his black capelet, which he used to keep his lips and mouth from drying up. I"ve been dining out on anecdotes like these ever since!
Hope they include this tid bit in your eulogy. (With true respect!)
You did not need to buy tickets for these two legends. You could hear them in the parking lot.
iworshipChrist Very good!! My father, both of whose parents had been professional singers, was once asked whether you would be able to hear one of the major opera singers if he/she were in your church choir. His response: “You wouldn’t be able to hear anyone else!” In his case, I think the specific question was about Pavarotti - but surely even more the case with Corelli or Birgit?
you can actually tell that one of the microphones has broken at 2:09-2:10
PiworshipChrist
The critic from the Detroit News said that after 10 minutes of Nilsson and Corelli he stopped listening and received it directly on his spinal cord. For me, this summed up the impact of hearing those two voices live!
@@beachfanatic2010 I remember hearing Sutherland in an interview talking about not liking to sing in church for this reason.
Sometimes we hear a very good Turandot (there was, there is), and then we listen to Birgit Nilsson, and we know there is only one, there will be never but one, the goddess from the North, the star that shines in the sky and will always dazzle us, Lady Birgit Nilsson, the unique, the splendid, the irreplaceable.
Birgit Nilsson was one of the most powerful dramatic sopranos ever lived in history. Her vibrato was flawless, the staccato perfect, and the vocal range are extra humongous. Even the great Corelli needed to work way more to follow this lady in order to not be overshadowed.
Two GIANTS of opera at their absolute best.
Giants is Right 😱
Birgit's voice sounds like a laser beam, perfect for Turandot. The best Turandot ever!
read the comments of the people here... most fascinating!
I still cannot forget Eva Turner.
@@jambones100 In 1963-4 I used to stand quite nearto Turner in The Crush Bar Covent Garden, but at 25 years odf age I was too shy to speak to her . She looked quite approchable though
Live, her sound travelled very quickly through space.
This is the standard against which any subsequent performances are judges even to this day!
A friend told me of listening to the Met broadcast of these two while driving, he nearly wrecked his car! He had to pull over and try to regain his composure...he was weeping so hard!
When you are surrounded in real sound, it is like an ecstatic uplifting experience. My voice teacher once told me of attending a benefit at the Met Opera, and when Dorothy Kirsten and Eileen Farrell sang a duet, the seats were ringing. It's not just about loudness but about how much sound quality there is.
Nilsson, Corelli and Turandot is a separate chapter in opera history!
GODS both of them
I'm not a huge Corelli fan, however he not only had a great voice, but was obviously the best Calaf in his time in live performances and she easily was the best Turandot. Her voice had Nordic steel in it.
@@shicoff1398 Agree with you there! Corelli is not my favorite but he was a great tenor. I listen to him a lot as he has some arias that suit his voice well. You don't even need to name Calaf, it's obvious.
Right of course, I named his "Calaf" for those disliking his at times bad habits when singing live, because it's pretty hard to find any fault at all with his Calaf, it fit him like a glove, and so far nobody has denied that he wasn't a great Calaf, oh yes on records Bjoerling was as great with ease in the role, but he smartly didn't sing it live, his voice was several sizes smaller then Corelli's of course. BTW Corelli made some excellent studio recordings where he sings with some great restraint and is more careful with the music.
@@suffes1 some people still don't think he was the Calaf
in his time, but most critics agree that the role was his best and live he was a great Calaf, he wasn't a great musician but was a great tenor.
Saw and heard these two in Atlanta in 1967 at the Fox. I have never been the same.
Corelli is Corelli, and fantastic. Nilsson has a "different voice"than in her Wagner roles. Two great artists.
Ho avuto la fortuna di vederli,apprezzarli ed applaudirli alla Scala e ne ho un grandissimo ricordo.
.
two super athletes. Truly from the golden age of opera.
I feel like Brigit Nilsson just slapped me in the face with her voice and I'm not complaining.
Franco Corelli and Birgit Nilsson are incredible opera singers.
unreal how perfect she and he are - a special gift from God
I heard her twice as Turandot.When she began "In Questa Reggia" the voice was like a laser beam hitting you
Saw this pair at the Met. Truly incredible.
I am so so so jealous
Titans, to say the least?
So did I several times. Always fabulous
Very lucky you
You must have been born lucky.
I was Pu-Tin Pau at the premiere of this production, and did 62 performances over a 12 year period. In the 2nd act I came down the staircase and sat on a stool about 15 ft. from them. You can just imagine!
Do you have any interesting story from that time involving FC and/or BN?
Amazing. Please tell us more
Both of these superhuman singers together would surely cause hearing damage to the audience lmao. I'm sure you could feel the vibrations of their voices going through your body. This is singing!!!
or to themselves if they ever sang full voice inside a small bathroom... Cant remember who was the singer who had said he never sings in his bathroom out of fear of damaging his ears
jacob lahr Ha! Somehow they managed to sing very close to each other without going deaf! I know what you mean though! Simply spectacular!
When I saw Franco live, while embracing the female lead, he would gently put his hand over her ear. It looked like he was just caressing her, but he would do it every time he had to sing really loud.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW u blew me off here... Placed your comment in the description above!
Yes, BN with a brilliant vocal ... but in the other commentary of the description it doesn't make sense, because listening to some operas by Franco sung Eileen Farrell, I can see that he excels with his more expansive and strong tone. Unlike Birgit, who can match up and in some moments of voice extension, he even seems to be a bit outspoken.
Bonjour une interprétation superbe deux grandes voix de l opéra un joyau des voix immortelles qui manquent beaucoup aujourd hui merci à vous pour ce superbe partage et bravo à nos deux très grands artistes mer ci
Due voci perfette per questo ruolo:inarrivabili!Che piacere per la mia anima melomane!
Véritable jouissance auditive exceptionnelle avec ces deux monstres sacrés lyriques. Plus aucun ne leur arrive à la cheville...
Astonishing,incredible,unbelievable.
when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object..
Emīls yes
Dos grandes leyendas de la ópera italiana quedaron grabadas para siempre en este breve registro de Turandot, de Giacomo Puccini: Birgit Nilsson y Franco Corelli, con sus amplias voces, imponentes y muy voluminosas arrancaron la admiración de millones de amigos y de admiradores con esta magnífica presentación, ya hoy cantan juntos en los Jardines de Dios Nuestro Señor.
And, the Puccini prize goes to...
Corelli, for the lyric beauty of phrasing, spontaneous emotions and unfussy delivery. Breathtakingly beautiful.
Nilsson gets a Puccini autographed Turandot score and an Alfa Romeo.
ahahahahahahahah I think she would really appreciate the Alpha Romeo :D ahahhahaha Corelli was Callas' most favorite tenor
Lohengrin O LOL! Nilsson getting speeding tickets! La CALLAS had IMPECCABLE taste, that's why everyone studies her recordings and will forever. LOVE this Turandot post.
MrQbenDanny
I love Nilsson's Turandot too, she was Turandot La Nilsson... been listening to many of her live recordings to choose the one she truly spits her cords out :D
Then she can have a race with Franco, 'cause that was his favorite car. He had 3 or 4 of them and a Ferrari too.
Probably MrQbenDanny knew that... he has secretly seen all I think...
THE BEST EVERYWHERE AND FOR EVER!!!!!!!
It's insane how clearly their voices cut through the orchestra
I also supered with the Met on tour in Atlanta at the Fox. I held the curtain. Was on stage with these two immortals. I couldn't think or concentrate for days.
How real. How surreal. They truly transport you to another place in time and space. How truly sincere the acting is. It's u reachable, unfathomable, and immeasurably sincere. What a large heroic production with these 2 and oh how beautiful.
Superhuman.... Wonder Woman and Superman of Opera
Eine legendäre Besetzung! Und Frau Nilson‘s Stimme ist - der Rolle entsprechend - wahrhaft von „Eis umgürtet“. Eine Traumbesetzung, die bis heute schwer zu toppen ist.
There are two key changes starting att 141 which are so beautiful I listen to them over and over
They were as much rivals as partners in their numerous triumphant performances of Turandot through out the world durning the 60's and early 70's. Nilsson once very generously reported that Corelli had the biggest top of any singer she had known.
dont think they were rivals.. they were picking up each other like kids... they were two Super Humans... like the Super Heroes we see in movies but on Vocal level :D and Im sure they had a blast singing together...
Read Birgit Nilsson’s biography. It is a very intersesting story of her life, and somtimes when she tell about her memoires, she is so funny.
I have listened to many recordings of Turandot and only one soprano can sing the role properly: Nilsson. And my recordings show only two tenors who can sing Calaf properly: Corelli and Bjorling. Bjorling didn't perform it on stage, but his recording is fantastic.
Oh but my friend how wrong you are about Bjoperling. Nilsson herself complained about how the engineers favored Bjoerling in the mix.I hate to tell you, but Bjorling's voice was relatively small. he could never have sang Calaf satisfactorily on stage. But he sang with great aggression and the purity of his tone enabled the voice to be boosted without distortion. When I first came to opera as a teen vocal student I would mention my great admiration for him to various older opera lovers as I had learned his voice from recordings only, and the response I would often get was 'Bjoerling, really...small voice."
@@photo161 You are right about Björling's voice, though Nilsson herself wrote in her autobiography that she really loved his voice and the way he sang. Still, I think it was a rather strange pairing on stage with regard to their quite different voices, even if Björling's voice was said to carry well in the house.
Björling often sang with the coloratura soprano Hjördis Schymberg (over a hundred performances) when he sang in Stockholm. That was probably a better pairing.
@@StaffanSwede Yes True, your correct, JB's voice recorded larger then it was, I saw him singing the Duke in 1958 (I was 18 years old) his voice sounded the same as on recordings, but smaller then the RCA studio records, I'd say about the same size as another tenor I saw in house (that one around 1970) Morell also did record larger then it really was, "Barry Morell" both Jussi and Morell where adequate in Lyric roles, but in big spinto roles where rather small, Jussi avoided Forza, Chenier, Enzo, Luisa Miller and Turandot but did sing in the Spinto role Aida, it was his only less then successful opera in a big house, not that he didn't sing well, he did, but in Aida in 1958 in Chicago the reviews where mediocre, his voice in that big 3,583 seat house was not Stentorian enough for the role, that according to Ms. Claudia Cassidy, the famous out spoken Chgo. tribune music critic, who loved him above any other tenor in the 1950s and she said so in her review of the Aida he sang in late Nov. 1958, I had seen his Duke the week before in Chicago (Nov. 15 1958) and as the Duke in Rigoletto he was really excellent, even in Aida, his lyric singing was outstanding according to the Cassidy review, but she said "dangerous for him in such a big opera house". He had sung it long before in both Vienna, Budapest, and later again in Stockholm, Jan. 1955 with Nilsson, but she was told by the Cond. Ehrling to hold back on stage when singing with Jussi in unison, as she would over power him, and though Stockholm is a small house at 1,180 maximum capacity, she was a tenor destroyer, however she did not drown out either Tucker or Corelli, even at the big old Met. house, in 1961 she sang the role with both men and if you where there they could stay with her in the forte and even high C moment, but Corelli was the voice best fit for the role live, fit him like a glove, on recording Jussi B. was a great tenor, one of my favorites, but live he smartly didn't ever sing the role. I hate to talk about tenors I didn't see in house, I saw both Del Monaco in 1959 and Tucker from 1961 on about 20+ times and both those two had bigger voices then on the studio records, MDM just did not record all that well, in house his voice sounded better and less steely then the old London LP's IMO. Tucker in his long prime, mid 1950's to early 1960's had a top that was like a Jet Plane landing in your living room, it did not thin out up top and sounded even larger in house, Lauri Volpi heard him singing for LV in his house and called him a Caruso type voice, he also gave Tucker tips on singing Luisa Miller at la Scala in 1968 which he managed at age 54 with success but as with Corelli Tucker avoided Otello, he had the volume but said no I'm not an Otello voice, I think Corelli was but didn't sing it either, perhaps his nerves, I don't know he sure had the sound for it, of course MDM was Otello I saw it with my parents in 1959, as he sang it in Milan and was terrific and even though I was only19 years old I recall much of it when he was singing. RIP MDM.
@@photo161 See my reply to "StaffonSwede" about Jussi B. I did see him in house, Chicago 1958.
@@StaffanSwede When I say She (Nilsson) sang the role with both men in 1961, Corelli and Tucker ( I'm Talking about "TURNADOT" Not Aida!)
Qui siamo all'eccellenza assoluta. Entrambi con una potenza spaventosa!!
Exciting, incredible, excellent!!!
A vocal boxing match.
exactly...
This picture reminds me how gorgeous Corelli looked in this role... and how impossibly draggish Nilsson looked lol.
Nilsson was the Ultimate drag Queen of all times
It didn't look that way if you were up in the gallery like me.
Sutherland...
Fabulous. Nillson and Eva Turner were certainly the greatest Turondots ever. It's hard to even show up for today's versions.
dont forget the Tsoutsa Moutsa as Turandot
@@LohengrinO You forgot to mention she is a Dame!
No ha vuelto a haber nadie como Corelli
Unglaublich, sie flutet die Höhen wie ein ...Tsunami, Corelli ist eine Klasse für sich!
I wasn't lucky enough to see him singing live, but my dad did, and so did my singing teacher. My teacher told us that once, he heard him sing (at the MET, I think) and it was so exciting, so incredible, that when the aria finished, he got up from his seat, ran down near the stage and shouted: BRAVO!!! *#*%#*(he told him a bad word 🤭) He also told us the anecdotes about the the terror that Corelli felt before going out to sing, that they even had to push him .... is that possible? with a voice like that? If anyone knows about this I would like to hear it.
the greatest Greek Tragedienne, Marica Kotopouli, was o nce shaking from anxiety 1 min before she would go onstage... a lady from the chorus approached her and said to her: my God why oh why u are so nervous... u are Marica Kotopouli, a Goddess, look at me, I am not nervous at all... Marica turned to her and told her: well Anxiety comes along with Talent - Birgit Nilsson had once said: I would quit often find myself on my way to the theater to sing to sing to have an accident, small enough not to hurt me but big enough to cancel the performance
@@LohengrinO they were giants, with giant commitments and sometimes with giant fear. They were incredible!!
Absolutely right!!
He definitely suffered from stage fright. And he wasn’t the only one. I read a story about a young soprano back stage at the Met - let’s call her Smith. She saw Caruso shaking with nerves and said, “Caruso, you, frightened?” His response was: “When you go out there, they are expecting Smith. When I go out, they are expecting Caruso”.
Yes, his nerves at times where so bad at times he was pushed out on the stage at times, my late friend sang in the Met. chorus with him in the 1960's. I'm 82 and saw him and many more from the 1950's on, first saw opera in 1957 in Chicago, saw Jussi Bjoerling in 1958 and the rest. saw GDS, in the 1950's, Tagliavini, Kraus Tucker etc. Corelli suffered with Nerves on and off even had a wet sponge in his pockets, my pal saw it for his mouth , to fight nervous dry mouth.
I like the loud singing, that's why I love Del Monaco so much. I love these two absolute superstars of opera. They are both some of the best singers that you can hear, and are definitely better than anyone today. Bravissimi!!!!!!!!!!!!
...but, that's just it. They didn't spit anything out. They launch some of most vocal beauty in the history of opera. Their respective vocal techniques were flawless. Birgit could sing an evening of Wagner and then sing some Mozart as an encore. These two were vocal Howitzers!!!!!
especially Birgit does voice abuse here of the highest level... she used to remain speechless 2 days before and 2 days after a performance of Turandot
Considering how magnificent she was as Turandot( and damned good as Tosca) there was one Puccini role she avoided like the plague : Minnie.
Saw this 2x in 1966-67 @ new Met with Freni as Liu.Spectacular singing!! Thank you for posting.
here Liu is Anna Moffo obviously.
Those are performances to remember forever
UN DUO MARAVILLOSO
🍀UNFORGETTABLE DUET!!! UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS!!!🍀
Would God there were a tenor and a soprano alive today who could come close to the artistry, let alone vocal virtuosity to these two. Opera is dead. When I hear this and remember these two, live on stage, I realize the sorry state of singing today.
Corelli is the only one who could duet with Nilsson on In Questa Reggia without being obliterated by her. There's a recording where Nilsson absolutely erases a tenor lol.
she, (Nilsson) did not sing with MDM ever that I know of but he had as large a voice as FC (or larger) so did Tucker up top who sang Calaf live with her at the Met in the early 1960's a few times I saw them both, he was not a high C tenor as was FC but had a very big top, especially on high B, it was like a jet plane landing in your living room, also Lauri Volpi had a top that could have stayed with her but he did not sing with her, was too old. anyhow as Calaf it was the best done live by Corelli over all the rest, Tucker had a bigger high B then anyone I heard, including MDM in house in 1959, when I was 19 and I did discuss it with both Domingo and Shicoff when I worked in classical Radio in LA Calif. both told me at different times that Tucker had the biggest high B of all they had ever heard live in house IMO the C was not always RT's best note, his 59 live Lescaut at the Met. with Tebaldi has both together contains a great high C,, last act it is on you tube Complete and his 1966 or 1968 Calaf live complete with a Big American soprano, Elinor Ross had a terrific live C where he also equaled her, he did not ever get eclipsed by Nilsson, and so if you did not see a singer in house no 100% accurate opinion as for volume can be reached, Jussi B. and some smaller lyric voices can record larger then they where both MDM and Tucker did rec. not as well, I saw MDM as Otello in 1959 and his voice was very big, larger then FC's, but no he did not have the high C live that I know of and yet on rec. had a great high D flat in Trov. with Gencer in this early days. Corelli was the best Calaf of them all live of course, but high C's are only part of it.
Dear Esuna, Dec.1961 Met review Tucker Nilsson: Richard Tucker sang his first Calaf at the Met at the season's first performance of ''Turandot''. He has the'' ringing top'' voice and stentorian production for the role of Calaf. But interestingly and gratifyingly enough, his most impressive singing at this performances were in the lyrical passages. The voice as a whole, had a new richness and color of expressiveness. Other than Tucker, tenors like Filippeschi, Lauri Volpi, and Martinelli, but before Nilsson's time would also not be obliterated by Nilsson. Sandor Konya did not have a brilliant top, but sang the role quite successfully with Nilsson in 1962. The recording with Nilsson that absolutely erases a tenor may be with Bergonzi who had an opaque top without squillo
@@sugarbist True and I saw Bergonzi often from 1961 on in house in concert and in opera both, he had excellent legato with a rich resonant Mid Sized voice, that was not as spinto as Corelli or Tucker, but his top had no ring, and yet he was successful in many roles like Forza and even Aida, but in Chenier he was reviewed as too lyric for a great Chenier. He just had not the Squillo and ring up top, but a larger voice then Bjoerling, as I saw both tenors.
Corelli was at his best when he sang with Nilsson
The planets align.....
generally speaking when you ear a soprano and atenor doing a high C together , the soprano always cover the tenor, one reason is because she si singing one octave above the tenor so the tenor support the vibration of the soprano and can not over come which is a pure law of hertze, secondly most of the tenor have not enough power to to so..... but here you can hear clearly that Mr Corelli is as big and strong as BN !!! listen toroughly and without forcing his voice so imagine the real power of this tenor specailly facing this great Sorpano !! both of themare the best for Turandot!!!
Corelli is also flat on that C, so you can hear him distinctly.
@@tristanhnl so ??? i was talking about power o both of them
@@alfredalfred3571 , no one is disputing that both have great reserves of power. My point is that it's easier to hear Corelli on that C because the note he's singing is not the same one as Nilsson's (since he's flat). If he was bang-on accurate on the C, then like you said, the frequencies of their voices mesh together a lot more, and become less distinguishable.
@@tristanhnl so you mean both wer Flat?
@@tristanhnl i hear Corelli on ohter record and most the time he is the only tenor who cover the soprano , but her i would need an accoustci machine to be shure , sometimes it is not realy flat but more low harmonics wich not merge with the soprano and i am shure you know that on every concert Birgit and Franco were compete on their high C , some night one win on the length and power depends on the day sometime the other win it was their game but forme they are the best couple to sing this opera
maravilloso duo
Divinos !
The great Nilsson is on record saying that Corelli had the largest top of any singer she knew of...
eoselan7 I' m astonished! Is this real?
CORELLI is the GREATEST TENOR EVER LIVED.
Sutherland's high D...
L C '
.
Ä
L
Min 7
Can anyone top these two vocal giants? I think not!
No!
Ask Jack when he comes down from his beanstalk 🎋
Interpretazione astrale!
Due giganti!!!!
Due corazzate vocali di altissima scuola... ineguagliabili !!!
Ci rendiamo conto che oggi molte opere non sono più decentemente rappresentabili per penuria di vere voci... abbiamo solo degli strilloni e delle oche starnazzanti?
@@Tkimba2 forse ma oggi non ce ne sono degne di nota...
Remember the opening night of Z's terrible production at the Met in the late 80's with Eva Martin. During the first break out in the foyer an incredible ruckus broke out with bravos resounding on all levels. The cause was Nilsson descending the stairs in arm with Christa Ludwig. Both were attending the performance!!! .....Lohengrin O thanks for liking my comment.. Cheers mate from Melb. Aust.
Ave Martoon was indeed horrible
I saw Corelli sing Romeo in Seattle - a role that didn't not really suit him. His voice was too big and his French pretty bad. But I remember how his high notes seemed to make the auditorium ceiling rise a couple of feet!
John Mitchell I saw Corelli sing Romeo late in his career and thought he was outstanding. While I always thought he was a great Romeo, that role may have been even better him at that point because his power had dismissed. I also saw him in Turandot that season and thought his voice was no longer adequate for Prince Calaf.
No .... words ! Speechless !!!!
...and to Mr. Zeschin.... wow how blessed to stand that close to the finger of God!!!!!
CORELLI IS THE GREATEST TENOR EVER LIVED.
The greatest spinto tenor hands down!
UNA DELICIA RECORDARLO
....Singers AND audiences have changed , not to their advantage. Those two giants were on front pages, state leaders attended to honor them. Today mediocracy on/off stage is in command, mostly lacking historical knowledge. Audiences listen to much smaller voices and are even frightened when hearing voices like BN and FC as I was told already! Todays tenors and sopranos sound more like peeled potatoes out of the cellar.
One tries to sing everything Music has to offer. May we still see his „Isolde?“
No baritone of Bastianini or Gobbi format, no Basso who could ever sing Don Giovanni and King Philipp as Siepi did.
With Nilsson you could never go wrong. Neither with Corelli. And you still had the choice of marvelous alternatives! Today? Mediocracy wherever you look.
...have faith!
Konrad Messerer Unfortunately, you are correct; Opera is basically dead now, because there are no living singers who are singing ‘correctly ‘; apparently they have not been taught by THEIR voice teachers.
@@michaelmiller1215 That is not exactly true. There are singers who sing fantastically, but are not getting hired where they should. we need to blame those who are hiring the garbage mediocre (at best) singers who just don't know how to sing.
There are those who sing like singers of old, but we really need more PR.
But you are correct that those who are pushed down our throats are horrendous. Sad state of affairs, modern opera "singing."
Oh, c'mon.
Oh, dear god.....What voices!!!
Almost, inhuman. I just can't react rationally.........
What emotions
Impressionante!!'
02:05 goosebumps...
MARAVILLOSAS VOCES
Super!!!!!
I often wonder......wonder.......wonder...... what a Corelli "Otello" would have sounded like????? Had his voice darkened enough before retiring? I believe Del Monaco felt singing "Otello" so early in his career shortened it considerably.........I still wonder......
You are probably right......the last great Otello i saw was Jon Vickers many years ago. Interesting, two of the greatest tenors, Caruso and Corelli never sang Otello.
Tommy, Del Monaco sang for over 35 years.
That is true.....he did have a very long career.......some tenors had their "voice" much longer than others......look at Domingo and how long he has been singing, granted the quality of his present day ability is definitely compromised compared to his years with Sherill Milnes. No one really knows. Even if Del Monico had a relatively long career, he may have lasted even longer by not attacking the "killer" Otello somewhat early in his career. It is a career "shortner" for most. Most tenors (especially lyric) never go near it for one reason, it is the "killer." Interestingly, I always felt Maria Callas shortened her career by singing everything.......I only wish I had the opportunity to see her......left a lot on video thank God.
@SHICOFF1 I love your intelligent comments...and I agree with you !!! Thank you !!! Are you Neil Shicoff...the GREAT Tenor?? No matter if not.....you have discerning ears.
@SHICOFF1 Thank you for letting me know. I am so glad that he is active in teaching and adjudicating...we need the BEST OF SINGERS to do this...because the ART OF SINGING is slowly (via universities) disappearing. Best regards, Maria
And that's how a supernova is formed.
Thank goodness cell phones weren’t around then.
coughers were :D
2 on the greatest
Off label use:ho appena finito di assistere via sky alla Turandot di Bregenz 2015:per una volta che gli interpreti erano discreti la regia é stata pietosa,fuori luogo e testo ,sopratutto nel confronto finale tra Calaf e la principessa;ma nessuno critica questi registi "sensazionalisti"per forza?
Pity that the conductor is asleep ...... ie. in Puccini the orchestra also has a voice!!
I know you were being funny, but Nilsson said this happened at her debut as Elsa in Lohengrin, this must have been Bayreuth 1954. She said "We had a very good conductor but he sometimes drank. And at this particular evening, he was so drank..." For the first act the orchestra just played and "the conductor was just trying to follow it." In the second act, "when Elsa appears on the balcony it's very dark onstage... he must have been very sleepy, and when I appeared on the balcony, he had turned the light off and he was sleeping. We didn't have a conductor at all, and he awoke, you know, in the middle of the church scene. We managed, but I will never forget my debut as Elsa in Lohengrin!" I have this on tape somewhere, it was one of those Opera Quiz things on the old Met broadcasts. The conductor may have been Eugen Jochum, but I'm not at all sure of this.
Power > ALL Awesome!!!
When I worked at the Met there was a popular legend of Nilsson and Corelli 's "Turandot". Nilsson was at the top of her career and Corelli was vying to make his mark and would extend his notes after Nilsson had completed the phrase. After doing this a few times, Nilsson faked finishing and when Corelli finished she came up soaring beyond him. He was shocked and furious and as staged went in for the kiss and bit her neck! Their next performance was in Detroit (I think) and at half hour there was no sign of Nilsson. At curtain time Rudolf Bing, frantic by the no show of Nilsson, received telegram from her saying, "I'm sorry I cannot perform tonight as I am suffering from hydrophobia (rabies)," I have it on authority that this actually took place. I was privileged to have been onstage with both of these supreme artists several times from 1969-1972,
Her sense of humor paralleled the Dynamics of her Divine Voice
@@LohengrinO - True. Whenever she had the opportunity while facing upstage she would make funny faces to try to crack up fellow cast members. I think Corelli was my favorite tenor ever, However, personally he had a few problems, While rehearsing the sword fighting for "Romeo & Juliet", he threw down his sword and screamed, "They're trying to kill me!". His wife hurried onstage and took him to his dressing room. That was the end of the rehearsal for that day. He also had a habit of clearing the phlegm from his throat before singing into his hand which he would then wipe off on whatever was near (curtain, scenery, another performers costume). We would watch in fascination and horror as he planted his "snail-trails" about. In the final scene of "Romeo & Juliet" as he rushed in to find Juliet "dead" , he bowed his head, cleared his throat and with that hand stroked her forehead before singing leaving a "snail-trail" there. When Juliet (Mirella Freni) awakens, her first gesture was to bring her hand to her forehead and we could see her (pat-pat-pat) wondering what she had found there.
...ahahahaha weird information my God
@@LohengrinO -Glad to have been able to share. :«)
@@h.michaelwieben9737 OMG.....lol…...
Puccini dreamt of this pairing.
Is this real?
Gli enigmmi tre...l'amore uno.
Fillia et fillio del ciel: bravissimi.
Thank you very much dear virtual friend Lohengrin O.
Warm greetings from Santiago, Chile
Ut Benedicat tibi Dominun.
Dr. Fernando Rivas-Burattini.
TRAUMHAFT UNERREICHBAR
Love
Царь и Царица..
Singing.
...Ein Corelli = einunzwanzig Kaufmänner etc.
The first 3 minutes of this recording shows Nilsson more resonant and with more squillo than Corelli. Especially at 2:08. I don't see how people say he's the only tenor who "matched" her.
Diccene un'altro
Interpretazione astrale,,,!!!!!!!!!!stupenda.
inarrivabili
Oggi nella mediocrità .. chi osa commentare questi idoli ? Che meraviglia.
Ωραία παράσταση στην Μετροπόλιταν Όπερα, αλλά δεν θυμάμαι ποιος χρόνος. Και οι δύο έδωσαν τα ρέστα τους.
Ευχαριστώ Τεό.
μα ξελαρυγγιάζονται αμφότεροι :D
Δυστυχώς, αυτή η όπερα απαιτεί ξελαρύγγισμα ;) Ειδικά η άρια In questa reggia, καταντά σκέτη επίδειξη δύναμης φωνής. Μόνον από την Μαρία Κάλλας την έχω ακούσει να μην είναι ένα απλό ξεφωνητό, αλλά να έχει ένα κάπως πιο μελωδικό "πρόσωπο". Η Μαρία κατάφερνε από τ' αγκάθια να κάνει ρόδα!
2:05
almost abuse of their cords
Well, all credit to these commenters, but these were maybe not the loudest ever, I had James Morris hurting my ears right next to him in :Vespri Siciliani", but the loudest voice God ever made was given to Gwyneth Jones. I was in the chorus in her superhuman Turandot in San Francisco. She was a plasma torch.
and u have heard Nilsson live in her Turandots to compare?
Who is singing Liu? Is it Anna Moffo? Sure sounds like her
I'd say so, also instantly recognised Moffo's voice
💖💖💐💐
What is the complete cast? Who’s conducting?
@Lohengrin O, you wrote "Wagner: Turandot", but it's Puccini's Turandot
RUclips places these annotations I cannot add or remove them and I cannot change them (electronically put)
If you search O Sole Mio on Google it tells you it's a Brian Adams soundtrack lol
What year is it from? :)
heyyyy what amazing clips you make, wanted to congratulate you for some time... I dont remember... I have all the live Turandots, so when I want to post I listen, listen listen and then I choose... I never look which year or where and even if I look I never remember
@@LohengrinO Oh thank you very much! :)
This is from March 4, 1961! I have already checked
Which "Turandot" do you have? Share, please!