Je viens de faire une écoute de beaucoup de ténors, anciens et contemporains, sur cet air et c'est Franco Corelli qui retient mon émotion. Enregistrement qui date mais qui lui apporte aussi ce charme.
Superb. I am not a Corelli fan but here he is really outstanding. Even his French diction is very good. Yes, other tenors have sung this with more poetic delicacy or subtlety, but Corelli's sweeping vocal ocean of sound is really irresistible!
Yes it's true. In this performance, the top is somewhat rough hued, and absolutely immense. The effect is singularly startling and spectacular even by the great Corelli's customary incomparable standard.
Corelli like Benjamin Button lived backwards in time. Tenors are supposed to sing light lyric parts when they are young, full lyric parts as a young man, spinto parts at maturity, and after they figure they have nothing to lose they try the dramatic ones. Corelli sang the biggest voice killer parts at first and towards the end moved into the high sweet French and Italian romantic parts.
@scopizzo I actually heard Corelli three times in the 1964-1971 period. First in La Giaconda (with Tebaldi!), then in Romeo et Juliette (1968, I think) and then in Werther in 1971. I believe that his voice was never captured perfectly on the records. Like so many of the large voices- powerfully projected- he is stunning on records, but to hear him in life, well - it was a glorious experience! best wishes
I think it’s so important in 2020, for the people who heard Franco Corelli live, to share their experiences. This is now history! Thank you to everyone who saw him perform and shared their story. The media has not been kind insofar, as there are few live videos from FC’s prime. I have found it difficult to find CD’s to purchase___they are few now. You tube fans keep his memory and legacy alive; I am appreciative of each FC video/recording. Thank you for this posting. I too love the audience outburst at the end. Thanks for the great Post from the Wilds of Yorkshire.🎫
Trovo la scelta di Corelli di affrontare, nella seconda parte della sua carriera, il repertorio romantico, assolutamente azzeccata. Sentire il repertorio lirico leggero affrontato da una voce eroica ma capace di mezzevoci deliziose e acuti strepitosi, assume una connotazione speciale e a mio parere affascinante. La stessa impressione l'ho avuta nel Romeo e Giulietta. Grande tenore!
I had the great good fortune to hear Franco Corelli as Werther with Regine Crespin as Charlotte in the then new beautiful production at the Metropolitan Opera in 1971. Absolutely unforgetable, glorious singing, irresistible music- the audience was overwhelmed- not a dry eye in the house, to be sure.
Impossible to put into words how good this is. The drama in the voice, the rich tones, the power. I know nothing about singing technique, but this is amazing. Great to hear the ecstatic reaction from the audience too.
I saw the great production at the Met in 1971 with Corelli and Crespin and it is something I can remember to this day- glorious, romantic, shattering experience. Thank you for bringing back some great memories of grand artists, now immortal!
Every time I hear the Maestro I remember that genius still requires continuous effort. Franco had it all, but always went the extra mile to deliver the most beautiful vocal art.
Bravo e una interpretazione maravigliosa per il maestro Franco Corelli; grazie tanti per compertire con tutti noi questa gioia della lirica universale!!!!BRAVO!!!
I saw this production ca. 1971. Corelli was not everybody's first choice for the role ( there were actually pickets outside the Met carrying,"Gedda for Werther" signs") but what a thrilling performance he gave. Having seen him many times at both the old and new Met and still attending Met performances , I feel I haven't heard anybody sing like him since.
franco Corelli: il buon Dio ha voluto comipacersi con questo grandissimo tenore: a mio avviso, il più grande di tutti i tempi! : voce bella, possente ed eroica, interprete insuperabile! e poi, bellissimo! soprattutto in Calaf della Turandot di Verdi è un vero Principe! Difficile oggi trovarne uno simile! GRANDIOSO!!!
@isabella1954able Isabella,per me Corelli è stato ed è tuttora una montagna,un pilastro,un'ancora del canto di tutti i tempi, così come Kraus nel proprio repertorio.Ma io ho conosciuto Franco (eravamo quasi parent; io stesso sono un tenore) e sai quando ho compreso l'immensità umana di questo artista?Quando ha avuto il coraggio di dire: La mia voce non mi dà più quello che io le chiedo: è ora di abbandonare.In questo è stato senza dubbi né pollici versi il più grande e intelligente in assoluto!
When Corelli was on stage, there was many great tenors-not like today- but even with all the great ones, corelli was for me, the most complete tenor of its time, and i could say of all times.
What an electrifying last note. He really pushed the envelope there while still maintaining absolute control. The pronunciation is flaky and Italianate but the intonation is superb,
@francocorelli02 I'm a Corelli fan as well. But F.C. was really a spinto tenor with dramatic impact where needed, as were some other great spinto tenors,like Martinelli,De Muro, Caruso,Merli,Pertile.I always enjoyed the warmness&pathos that F.C. always exuded,along with the excitement of his high notes & gentleness of his diminuendos. Enjoy
ES EL GRAN MAESTRO F. CORELLI. HERMOSO, COMO SIEMPRE. Se escucha diferente por que es una obra francesa, no es de la Lírica italiana. Solamente, el Gran Maestro Corelli pudo dar esas notas altas,tan altas y bellament y el Gran M. Del Monac que en esta aria, también, es sublime..
People keep forgetting werther was written for a Heldentenor--then a verdi baritone version-its not for small voices- the orchestra is huge..Corelli"s french may be suspect but his voice is very correct for this part--he and crespin together....magic
Extraordinaria versión del Maestro Franco Corelli. Así se canta "Pourquoi me réveille" (vivo ejemplo del verismo francés) con pasión y técnica mixta Francesa e italiana perfecta. Gracias por compartir ésta joya MusashiTzu.-
@DrFernandoBicudo If you were at the opening night you will remember that Corelli, much to the dismay and even outrage of the audience cancelled. Di Giuseppe-half Corelli's size and vocal output stepped in swamped in C's costumes. A nice effort but.... I think C returned for the next performance and was indeed quite poetic in the role. Sadly, at a Werther performance a couple of season's leter I relized he was finished-as his nerves finally could not be mastered, he was literally shaking.
This sounds like the MET broadcast. Also heard him in Werther inNorthrup Auditorium, Minneapolis, on tour. An incredibly moving experience not likely to be equalled.
Je les ai tous écoutés ! Franco est le plus grand, le plus puissant de tous. Les larmes jaillissent de mes yeux et je tremble à l'intérieur de moi. Sa prononciation du français est approximative mais ça magnifie bizarrement son chant. Où pourrais-je trouver cet air "remastérisé" ?
+hazelssister I'd add Mario del Monaco, an equally great 'natural' tenor. Both too often forgotten. Marketing has unfortunately built 'artists' who don't even reach the level of Corelli and Del Monaco soles.
@baltoman24 THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENTS I'M HAPPY TO KNOW SOMEBODY WHO LISTENED AND WATCHED FRANCO IN REAL AND IS CONVINCED TO HAVE HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE. THIS CONFIRMS MY OPINION ON OUR GREAT TENOR
Corelli didNOTalways sing like he was trying to break dishes.Their are many examples of FC singing with nuance on YT.E Lucevan Le Stelle,Flower song,O Paradiso,Cielo E Mar,to name a few.Of courseTagliavini&Schipa(great singers)were more suited voices for this particular aria but they didn't have the range in repertoire that Corelli had.I'm surprized that FC did not apply his ability for nuance in this aria but none the less it's a full voice interpretation& I find the vocals thrilling.Enjoy
@scopizzo i assure you, bjorling was as perfect a singer as is possible to be. Absolutely perfect technique the best of any singer ever, incredibly beautiful voice . superlative musicianship and extrordinary artistry. none come close. I was very fond of bergonzi, I saw him in a wonderful recital back in ill guess 78, but he really does not rank among the greates tenors I dont think
I was at one of these same late-Corelli Werthers in the early 70s. As in this video, there were both compelling moments and a recurring lack of the kind of tenderness, nuance and supple phrasing we had been hearing from him in the mid 60s. The night I went, in '71, the exchange with Charlotte in Act 2 (ending with "A Noel) through to the end of his solo alone, ending "Apelle moi" (sp.?), came off beautifully. But that was only one scene, with Act 3 still to go. That last act did not go that well, in my view. I acknowledge the fact that this aria created some excitement with the applause stepping on his last note (my dad, bless him, being one of those who led the interruption!) But as in Act 1, it again lacked the enlarging tenderness and nuance of the mid-60s. In the subsequent b'cast, it was in the last scene as he is dying, not in Act 2, that he suddenly recovered some of that degree of nuance I had missed elsewhere. Between then and the '72 revival, Colin Davis led a remarkable recording of Benvenuto Cellini, with Nicolai Gedda turning in one of the finest performances in his discography. That was the moment when I started to feel, strongly, that Met audiences should hear Gedda in this role instead. No, I was not one of those with the "Gedda for Werther" picket signs outside! But I did wonder, wistfully, just why Corelli and Gedda couldn't at least share the role the next season -- and goodness knows, I said as much, frequently. The next season, the '72 Werther had Corelli in slightly improved form, surprisingly. No, we did not have the tenderness of the mid-60s. But the instrument had more depth and less tension in the sound in general. There was still a recurring lack of tenderness to his approach. The last scene is in fact more touching in the '71 b'cast than the '72, even though in general, the '72 still shows him in slightly better control. I only heard the broadcast that '72 season; I did not attend any of the performances. Ironically, very soon after, I got to hear Gedda's Manon recording, featuring Beverly Sills, and it showed that Gedda too could be a bit uneven by then: His sense of phrasing never left him (and he was still capable of a marvelous Lenski later on). But that Manon revealed an instrument that was losing something of the liquidity it once had. I'm not trying to cry down Corelli. I'm still convinced that had he tackled the part earlier, he would have been a touchingly human and nuanced interpreter. I've been deeply struck by a rare "live" cut from a 1956 concert b'cast of Corelli performing this excerpt in his 30s in Italian translation. Candidly, I find in this '56 reading all the vulnerability, nuance and intimacy that I often found lacking in his readings of the 70s: ruclips.net/video/P9hKoe6n0kg/видео.html
@scopizzo Yes, I was very lucky. The entire performace was astounding. Regine Crespin and Corelli together- were beyond amazing. I am sorry that the rest of the act (duet) in not included here. You can hear how the audience went wild at the end of this glorious aria- sung by a true Divo!
Tomislav, he might be right there on the right but he will never, I re peat never, top Corelli because he is in a class by himself. No one before or ever has topped him. Please don't be angry, it's just my opinion.
I have always found this man emotionally devastating. He moves me like no other tenor, I would have to rank him as my second favorite, simply because he does not achieve the sublime level that bjorling does, who was probably the most perfect singer ever, But I simply love this man, the passion he conveys is for me , unequalled.
@baltoman24 I ENVY A LOT YOU WHO COULD ASSIST IN PERSON TO CORELLI 'S PERFORMANCES, UNFORTUNATELY I STARTED TO BECOME AN OPERA LOVER ONLY IN EARLY 80'S, SO TOO LATE
You don't specify a date for this performance, so I have to ask: is this from March 27, 1971 with Lombard conducting or from March 4, 1972 with Behr conducting? Just curious.....
No hay duda que Franco Corelli es uno de los 2 o 3 mas grandes tenores de la historia de la lírica. El puesto 1 va en gustos; en repertorio y en tipo de tenores porque no todos pueden cantar todo y muy bien. Para mi gusto es junto a Bjorling Gigli y Pavarotti los que me estremecen al escucharlos. Salvando que me parece extraordinaria esta version de Corelli en vivo; todo lo que hicieran estos tenores me gusta. Pero debo decir que ésta aria tiene 3 representantes incomparables que fueron Schipa Thill y kraus.
I had not heard this version--from the Met performances? Could you give us the information on the recording. An early outing in the Italian translation "Non mi ridestar" has an interesting vocal effect on the word "aprile" (used instead of "printemps" in the first section of the aria) where Corelli does use head voice (or mixed) for the high note instead of chest.
@jhvorotin MAYBE, HOWEVER WHEN HE SINGS "LOVE" YOU FEEL AND LISTEN "LOVE" AND THAT'S THE IMPORTANT THING..... I THINK IF YOU GO TO HIS "CHANCON DE FLEUR", THE FINAL "CARMEN JE T'EME" IS UNRIVALLED, EVER HERE, IS OUT OF REPERTORY BUT STILL THE RESULTS ARE POSITIVE....TRY TO IMAGINE THE VICEVERSA, PAVAROTTI SINGING "ESULTATE"......
It is from the opera "Werther" by Massenet. Here it is sang by Franco Corelli but you can find many posts of it on YT by different singers. You can also find the complete Opera if you want.
Ariadne7710 I think he means "where was this recorder". This is not a typical recording ... so I am also wondering the info about how it was recorded. It is so unstudio like that you can hear problems in his voice. Very interesting.
Corelli is a force of nature; anything he sings turns into sublime poetry. Thank you Maestro Corelli for all the beauty you have rendered upon us!
Alexander Miles
Ct ct
ElucevNoestelle.
Grazie a distanza di tanti anni per le emozioni che ancora e sempre riesce a trasmettere solo lui unico !
No doubt nobody can be compared to adorable Franco Corelli!!
Corelli tops them all! Vocal beauty, vocal power, and diminuendos unmatched! Let’s not forget his great vocal range!
Je viens de faire une écoute de beaucoup de ténors, anciens et contemporains, sur cet air et c'est Franco Corelli qui retient mon émotion. Enregistrement qui date mais qui lui apporte aussi ce charme.
Qui date ? Mais c’est aujourd’hui qu’on ne sait plus chanter !
Sa diction et son phrasé ne m'enchante guère.
Superb. I am not a Corelli fan but here he is really outstanding. Even his French diction is very good. Yes, other tenors have sung this with more poetic delicacy or subtlety, but Corelli's sweeping vocal ocean of sound is really irresistible!
Yes it's true. In this performance, the top is somewhat rough hued, and absolutely immense. The effect is singularly startling and spectacular even by the great Corelli's customary incomparable standard.
Corelli mama mia grande!che spettacolo
Corelli like Benjamin Button lived backwards in time. Tenors are supposed to sing light lyric parts when they are young, full lyric parts as a young man, spinto parts at maturity, and after they figure they have nothing to lose they try the dramatic ones.
Corelli sang the biggest voice killer parts at first and towards the end moved into the high sweet French and Italian romantic parts.
@scopizzo I actually heard Corelli three times in the 1964-1971 period. First in La Giaconda (with Tebaldi!), then in Romeo et Juliette (1968, I think) and then in Werther in 1971. I believe that his voice was never captured perfectly on the records. Like so many of the large voices- powerfully projected- he is stunning on records, but to hear him in life, well - it was a glorious experience! best wishes
I think it’s so important in 2020, for the people who heard Franco Corelli live, to share their experiences. This is now history! Thank you to everyone who saw him perform and shared their story. The media has not been kind insofar, as there are few live videos from FC’s prime. I have found it difficult to find CD’s to purchase___they are few now. You tube fans keep his memory and legacy alive; I am appreciative of each FC video/recording. Thank you for this posting. I too love the audience outburst at the end. Thanks for the great Post from the Wilds of Yorkshire.🎫
Trovo la scelta di Corelli di affrontare, nella seconda parte della sua carriera, il repertorio romantico, assolutamente azzeccata. Sentire il repertorio lirico leggero affrontato da una voce eroica ma capace di mezzevoci deliziose e acuti strepitosi, assume una connotazione speciale e a mio parere affascinante. La stessa impressione l'ho avuta nel Romeo e Giulietta. Grande tenore!
I had the great good fortune to hear Franco Corelli as Werther with Regine Crespin as Charlotte in the then new beautiful production at the Metropolitan Opera in 1971. Absolutely unforgetable, glorious singing, irresistible music- the audience was overwhelmed- not a dry eye in the house, to be sure.
you are blessed
Impossible to put into words how good this is. The drama in the voice, the rich tones, the power. I know nothing about singing technique, but this is amazing. Great to hear the ecstatic reaction from the audience too.
I saw the great production at the Met in 1971 with Corelli and Crespin and it is something I can remember to this day- glorious, romantic, shattering experience. Thank you for bringing back some great memories of grand artists, now immortal!
Every time I hear the Maestro I remember that genius still requires continuous effort. Franco had it all, but always went the extra mile to deliver the most beautiful vocal art.
Tap tap tap tap. The maestro never fails to amaze. Bravo!
Bravo e una interpretazione maravigliosa per il maestro Franco Corelli; grazie tanti per compertire con tutti noi questa gioia della lirica universale!!!!BRAVO!!!
Su Corelli ormai non ho più parole.Eccezionale ...anche se in questa romanza preferisco Nicolai Gedda
E veri caro Guido;Corelli fu un tenore spinto,con una voce propia per il repertorio eroico.Auguri caro amico!!!
@@guidogreco341 Gedda era un tenorino con riflessi pop
I saw this production ca. 1971. Corelli was not everybody's first choice for the role ( there were actually pickets outside the Met carrying,"Gedda for Werther" signs") but what a thrilling performance he gave. Having seen him many times at both the old and new Met and still attending Met performances , I feel I haven't heard anybody sing like him since.
I have never heard anything like these recordings. there is just....something... that tis utterly and breathtakingly unique
What a privilege to have experienced this exciting performer live. I am deeply envious.
Franco Corelli! My everlasting love! He is the first tenor in the world!
it is important to remember at the heart of being in entertainment is the importance of delivering an exhilarating performance, and he did that.
It's impossible to sing better! Franco.you are the first tenor in the world! ADORE YOU!
Not only is Corelli the top tenor but this particular aria and recording, I think is unsurpassed!
Regardless of how this song was "meant to be sung", this is a brilliant vocal performance. What a powerhouse!
Full body goose bumps! What passion.
Magnificent Maestro Franco Corelli , the greatest Tenor of the 20th century.
I am eighty eight and I have heard many. I agree. Joe Hepbur
Corelli was a great tenor but he is never going to be as good as Caruso
franco Corelli: il buon Dio ha voluto comipacersi con questo grandissimo tenore: a mio avviso, il più grande di tutti i tempi! : voce bella, possente ed eroica, interprete insuperabile! e poi, bellissimo! soprattutto in Calaf della Turandot di Verdi è un vero Principe! Difficile oggi trovarne uno simile! GRANDIOSO!!!
+Michele Tripodi Turandot di Verdi?
+Michele Tripodi
Turandot di GIACOMO PUCCINI
Superlative! Great singing with maximum feeling and emotion.
@isabella1954able Isabella,per me Corelli è stato ed è tuttora una montagna,un pilastro,un'ancora del canto di tutti i tempi, così come Kraus nel proprio repertorio.Ma io ho conosciuto Franco (eravamo quasi parent; io stesso sono un tenore) e sai quando ho compreso l'immensità umana di questo artista?Quando ha avuto il coraggio di dire: La mia voce non mi dà più quello che io le chiedo: è ora di abbandonare.In questo è stato senza dubbi né pollici versi il più grande e intelligente in assoluto!
he was the best
When Corelli was on stage, there was many great tenors-not like today- but even with all the great ones, corelli was for me, the most complete tenor of its time, and i could say of all times.
The way he negotiates the passaggio here sounds perilous and is thrilling.
Sorry, I didn't know him before. And now, while I'm
using my Smartphone, I realize, how great he had been.
Solo e unico FRANCO CORELLI..IL MIO PRIMO AMORE..
Meraviglioso da ogni punto di vista.
Corelli ..Werther...goethe ...Massenet..che si può chiedere di più?
Nina
Indimenticabile.
Unforgettable, superb voice and interpretation!
What an electrifying last note. He really pushed the envelope there while still maintaining absolute control. The pronunciation is flaky and Italianate but the intonation is superb,
COP ON
So poetically sung from the soul.
Merci infiniment pour toute cette belle musique.
Dolcezza,grazie e potenza un equilibrio inarrivabile
Porquoi me Reveiller? the famous aria sung by Werther( from the famous french opus Werther by Massenet.
Lovely and sublime. I adore it imensly.
@francocorelli02 I'm a Corelli fan as well. But F.C. was really a spinto tenor with dramatic impact where needed, as were some other great spinto tenors,like Martinelli,De Muro, Caruso,Merli,Pertile.I always enjoyed the warmness&pathos that F.C. always exuded,along with the excitement of his high notes & gentleness of his diminuendos. Enjoy
Simply the best rendition EVER of this glorious aria.
ES EL GRAN MAESTRO F. CORELLI. HERMOSO, COMO SIEMPRE. Se escucha diferente por que es una obra francesa, no es de la Lírica italiana. Solamente, el Gran Maestro Corelli pudo dar esas notas altas,tan altas y bellament y el Gran M. Del Monac que en esta aria, también, es sublime..
Можно слушать бесконечно!!!
The greatest Werther and greatest of all tenors! There is nobody like him.
Gorgeous!!!
People keep forgetting werther was written for a Heldentenor--then a verdi baritone version-its not for small voices- the orchestra is huge..Corelli"s french may be suspect but his voice is very correct for this part--he and crespin together....magic
He WAS opera !!
No hay duda de que ha sido el mejor y más completo tenor de la historia. No hay palabras para definir todas sus virtudes. Sólo escuchar y emocionarse.
DON'T BE SO TRAGIC, CORELLI' VOICE, EVEN OUT OF REPERTORY, IS ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO MY EARS
The great Corelli,' lISP, RUN AHEAD of tempos, excessive portamento. Still a great tenor that reached millions of hearts.
C a llas was la divina.corelli wasil divino
Ce ténor est tout simplement le plus grand....
Extraordinaria versión del Maestro Franco Corelli. Así se canta "Pourquoi me réveille" (vivo ejemplo del verismo francés) con pasión y técnica mixta Francesa e italiana perfecta. Gracias por compartir ésta joya MusashiTzu.-
The incomparable Corelli!
@DrFernandoBicudo
If you were at the opening night you will remember that Corelli, much to the dismay and even outrage of the audience cancelled. Di Giuseppe-half Corelli's size and vocal output stepped in swamped in C's costumes. A nice effort but....
I think C returned for the next performance and was indeed quite poetic in the role. Sadly, at a Werther performance a couple of season's leter I relized he was finished-as his nerves finally could not be mastered, he was literally shaking.
Sir Corelli, Спасибо!
The first ever Werther was a Wagner tenor, a dramatic one.
Не Карузо, а Великий Franco Corelli!
This sounds like the MET broadcast. Also heard him in Werther inNorthrup Auditorium, Minneapolis, on tour. An incredibly moving experience not likely to be equalled.
Grazie !!!
Hi Mathew! I truly wish I could have been in the audience on that night!
Absolutely incredible....thank you so much for posting X
Je les ai tous écoutés ! Franco est le plus grand, le plus puissant de tous. Les larmes jaillissent de mes yeux et je tremble à l'intérieur de moi. Sa prononciation du français est approximative mais ça magnifie bizarrement son chant. Où pourrais-je trouver cet air "remastérisé" ?
+Momo Doumbouya oui, malgré les faibles reproches de la diction, curieusement cela magnifie son chant en effet.
Franco has the best tenor voice even though he ia no longer with us
+hazelssister I'd add Mario del Monaco, an equally great 'natural' tenor. Both too often forgotten. Marketing has unfortunately built 'artists' who don't even reach the level of Corelli and Del Monaco soles.
I cannot bear it that he is no longer with us - this recording is brreatthttaking
Wonderful!
Semplicemente solo lui il piu grande l' unico!
Oui c est une merveille ,quel timbre magnifique , quelle puissance , merci
grazie Maestro, grazie :-D
Присоединяюсь к каждому слову, восхищаясь Корелли!!! Эталон!!!
ce Tenor est Divin
Stupendo! !!!!!
@baltoman24
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENTS I'M HAPPY TO KNOW SOMEBODY WHO LISTENED AND WATCHED FRANCO IN REAL AND IS CONVINCED TO HAVE HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE. THIS CONFIRMS MY OPINION ON OUR GREAT TENOR
BRAVO!
Corelli didNOTalways sing like he was trying to break dishes.Their are many examples of FC singing with nuance on YT.E Lucevan Le Stelle,Flower song,O Paradiso,Cielo E Mar,to name a few.Of courseTagliavini&Schipa(great singers)were more suited voices for this particular aria but they didn't have the range in repertoire that Corelli had.I'm surprized that FC did not apply his ability for nuance in this aria but none the less it's a full voice interpretation& I find the vocals thrilling.Enjoy
@coralrabida
FRANCO ES EXPRESIVO, MUCHISSIMO, SIEMPRE....VER "CHANCON DE FLEUR", CARMEN, HASTA LUEGO!
scopizzo NO UPPER CASE LETTERS NEEDED. !!!!!
madre mia
AMAZING!
@scopizzo i assure you, bjorling was as perfect a singer as is possible to be. Absolutely perfect technique the best of any singer ever, incredibly beautiful voice . superlative musicianship and extrordinary artistry. none come close. I was very fond of bergonzi, I saw him in a wonderful recital back in ill guess 78, but he really does not rank among the greates tenors I dont think
I was at one of these same late-Corelli Werthers in the early 70s. As in this video, there were both compelling moments and a recurring lack of the kind of tenderness, nuance and supple phrasing we had been hearing from him in the mid 60s. The night I went, in '71, the exchange with Charlotte in Act 2 (ending with "A Noel) through to the end of his solo alone, ending "Apelle moi" (sp.?), came off beautifully. But that was only one scene, with Act 3 still to go. That last act did not go that well, in my view. I acknowledge the fact that this aria created some excitement with the applause stepping on his last note (my dad, bless him, being one of those who led the interruption!) But as in Act 1, it again lacked the enlarging tenderness and nuance of the mid-60s.
In the subsequent b'cast, it was in the last scene as he is dying, not in Act 2, that he suddenly recovered some of that degree of nuance I had missed elsewhere.
Between then and the '72 revival, Colin Davis led a remarkable recording of Benvenuto Cellini, with Nicolai Gedda turning in one of the finest performances in his discography. That was the moment when I started to feel, strongly, that Met audiences should hear Gedda in this role instead. No, I was not one of those with the "Gedda for Werther" picket signs outside! But I did wonder, wistfully, just why Corelli and Gedda couldn't at least share the role the next season -- and goodness knows, I said as much, frequently.
The next season, the '72 Werther had Corelli in slightly improved form, surprisingly. No, we did not have the tenderness of the mid-60s. But the instrument had more depth and less tension in the sound in general. There was still a recurring lack of tenderness to his approach. The last scene is in fact more touching in the '71 b'cast than the '72, even though in general, the '72 still shows him in slightly better control. I only heard the broadcast that '72 season; I did not attend any of the performances.
Ironically, very soon after, I got to hear Gedda's Manon recording, featuring Beverly Sills, and it showed that Gedda too could be a bit uneven by then: His sense of phrasing never left him (and he was still capable of a marvelous Lenski later on). But that Manon revealed an instrument that was losing something of the liquidity it once had.
I'm not trying to cry down Corelli. I'm still convinced that had he tackled the part earlier, he would have been a touchingly human and nuanced interpreter. I've been deeply struck by a rare "live" cut from a 1956 concert b'cast of Corelli performing this excerpt in his 30s in Italian translation. Candidly, I find in this '56 reading all the vulnerability, nuance and intimacy that I often found lacking in his readings of the 70s:
ruclips.net/video/P9hKoe6n0kg/видео.html
Bir defa daha söylüyorum. Bu ses renginin eşdeğeri yok!
Quelle puissance !
Thank you ,very for this very muscular interpretation which to my ear is reveling in the facility of the voice but not its beauty. 🤔
stupefacente ...
@scopizzo Yes, I was very lucky. The entire performace was astounding. Regine Crespin and Corelli together- were beyond amazing. I am sorry that the rest of the act (duet) in not included here. You can hear how the audience went wild at the end of this glorious aria- sung by a true Divo!
Grazie mille !!!
yes this is the '71
@TheLulz01
IF YOU SAY SO, IMAGINE THE BEST, WHAT PARADISE ANGELIC SOUNDS....
Can anyone top this? Never.
The guy right there on the right . Mario del Monaco
Tomislav, he might be right there on the right but he will never, I re peat never, top Corelli because he is in a class by himself. No one before or ever has topped him. Please don't be angry, it's just my opinion.
Of course. Mario del Monaco is out of every class!!! He is class per se!!!
The French tenor Alain Vanzo n'avait pas la voix mais fournissait une interprépation impeccable. Très bonne technique, aussi.
I have always found this man emotionally devastating. He moves me like no other tenor, I would have to rank him as my second favorite, simply because he does not achieve the sublime level that bjorling does, who was probably the most perfect singer ever, But I simply love this man, the passion he conveys is for me , unequalled.
@OperaAdmirer
YES, AND ANGELS TOO, SPECIALLY ARCHANGELS WHO ARE VERY CLOSE AND SEE GOD
omg, huge lungs!
@baltoman24
I ENVY A LOT YOU WHO COULD ASSIST IN PERSON TO CORELLI 'S PERFORMANCES, UNFORTUNATELY I STARTED TO BECOME AN OPERA LOVER ONLY IN EARLY 80'S, SO TOO LATE
You don't specify a date for this performance, so I have to ask: is this from March 27, 1971 with Lombard conducting or from March 4, 1972 with Behr conducting? Just curious.....
@baltoman24
YOU LUCKY, I STARTED TO BE AN OPERA LOVER TOO LATE, IN EARLY 80'S, WHEN FRANCO WAS AT THE END OF HIS BEAUTIFUL CAREER
No hay duda que Franco Corelli es uno de los 2 o 3 mas grandes tenores de la historia de la lírica. El puesto 1 va en gustos; en repertorio y en tipo de tenores porque no todos pueden cantar todo y muy bien. Para mi gusto es junto a Bjorling Gigli y Pavarotti los que me estremecen al escucharlos. Salvando que me parece extraordinaria esta version de Corelli en vivo; todo lo que hicieran estos tenores me gusta. Pero debo decir que ésta aria tiene 3 representantes incomparables que fueron Schipa Thill y kraus.
I had not heard this version--from the Met performances? Could you give us the information on the recording. An early outing in the Italian translation "Non mi ridestar" has an interesting vocal effect on the word "aprile" (used instead of "printemps" in the first section of the aria) where Corelli does use head voice (or mixed) for the high note instead of chest.
@jhvorotin
MAYBE, HOWEVER WHEN HE SINGS "LOVE" YOU FEEL AND LISTEN "LOVE" AND THAT'S THE IMPORTANT THING.....
I THINK IF YOU GO TO HIS "CHANCON DE FLEUR", THE FINAL "CARMEN JE T'EME" IS UNRIVALLED, EVER
HERE, IS OUT OF REPERTORY BUT STILL THE RESULTS ARE POSITIVE....TRY TO IMAGINE THE VICEVERSA, PAVAROTTI SINGING "ESULTATE"......
scopizzo stop using all capital letters. Heard of hurting someone 's eyes?
good comment man. i agree in every way.. 10/10 for this response from sugarbist
where is this from? can I find the entire passage anywhere ?? its so clear..i love it
It is from the opera "Werther" by Massenet. Here it is sang by Franco Corelli but you can find many posts of it on YT by different singers. You can also find the complete Opera if you want.
Ariadne7710
I think he means "where was this recorder". This is not a typical recording ... so I am also wondering the info about how it was recorded. It is so unstudio like that you can hear problems in his voice. Very interesting.