I'd never heard this until today. And I'm sitting here with goosebumps on the back of my neck and a bit of tearing up, this is, quite simply. Beautiful.
@@voynaimir3 there are other Händel pieces that are totally unique. All the more remarkable that he-I suspect deliberately-didn't write these to often. Then it would become a gimmick and H was to intelligent to let that happen. Also: he wrote this in his early 20ties.
It's highly iniquitous when a certain Welsh bass/baritone is knighted for his tuneless, heavy tremelo rumblings in the vague direction of the note - when this man, with the power, beauty, breath control and incredible range of his voice is barely known in comparison. What a world! Bravo Mr Purves - wonderful performance.
Lovely interpretation of this otherwise weirdly written aria and challenging piece. A great Bass-Baritone with GREAT Breath control and great technique, the only two things that will save you in this piece. Vast repertoire he has! Singing Falstaff (Verdi), Figaro(Mozart), Cyclops (Handel)* like it's nothing! That's literally a 400-500 years worth of singing he's doing within maybe 10-15 years or so? Nice spinto voice as well!
Why weird? No more weird than any baroque... it seems to work properly with the meaning... also don't forget it was composed in Napoli where baroque had probably the most grotesque forn
I don't think it's weird. Händel simply had an absolutely extraordinary bass singer and exploited fully his abilities. (Nice high baritone with extremely deep notes.) It seems that in Italy the audience expected the singers to show off their technique. (This was not confined to Baroque, think of Mozart's Mitridate performed in Milano, where each singer has parts where they can show off, or Rossini.)
This is an incredibly difficult song for a bass-baritone singer to sing due to the two and a half octave range that is needed yet Christopher Purves is able to sing it with apparent ease.
@Xiaoran Luo Yes, that's the problem when trying to sing low notes :) The lower notes generally need more air when you try to sing them (in my experience), and they gradually become more and more silent/difficult to project, so it's more impressive (to me at least) to listen to someone singing an C2 loudly/clearly instead of an A1 that you barely can hear (or which you only can hear with the help of a microphone).
@Xiaoran Luo for the most part that's true, but if you look up glenn miller singing do not reject me in my old age, you can see it doesn't apply to everyone. In that song he goes down to a resonant G1 that be heard over an entire choir. Also John Ames has an A1 so powerful that he was able to use it in an opera, the genre most notorious for requiring enormous power to be heard. And the kicker? John did the A1 while *lying on his side* So yeah, most of us can't sing these notes with a ton of volume, but a rare few can NAIL them
Dear Oktavism Channel! Thank you for posting but I wish you had indicated where this performance occurred, under which conductor with which orchestra? This version is even more fantastic than on the 2012 Hyperion CD under Jonathan Cohen and Arcangelo.
Sometimes bass-baritone seems to be used to refer to baritones who can sing bass roles, but just don't quite have the low range of the bass. With Purves, however, it more signifies that he has an unusually large range that covers both baritone and bass range. He certainly sounds like a bass, and I would guess he is more of a bass with extremely good technique who can cover a very large range.
Though I'm no expert on basses, I'd say that even though Purves have unusual low notes, I think that he also has more ease at the top than a bass usually does. And perhaps a slightly lighter sound, though I can't say for sure.
I think today a bass-baritone is a basso cantante who sing height enough to pretend to sing anything but the roles of priests or an old authoritarian man...
My grandmother had a cousin who was an operatic basso profondo in New York from the 1940s through the 1960s who also had his share of bass-baritone and baritone roles as well, since his upper range extended at least to a Bb4. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I got to talk to him on the phone twice a few years ago when he was in his later years, and aside from Zlatopolsky, he had the deepest, darkest, and richest speaking voice that I have ever heard. He could still sing a Bb4 at 91, so who knows how high he could sing when he was a young man.
Extremy impressive, although I think his A1 is a sort of chest fry technique or subharmonic. But still, that's one of the greatest ranges and control over the voice I've ever heard.
Highly unlikely. Thats simply not something that is taught in classical singing, and he wouldn't have had access to all the tutorials that explain extended registers that we have today
Interesting, though there are a few points where he sounds like he’s singing at the back of this throat on the higher notes - kind of like Jim Henson as Kermit. But his low notes are stunning!
His top sounds fine. It’s a little nasal but sounds free and open, which is a far better alternative to over-covering the note. Keep in mind he is also making 2 octave jumps regularly and so must keep his voice in a very relaxed position as to jump to the bottom without cracking.
Awesome range and control! So there is still hope for us bass-baritones and baritones out there to reach some pretty impressive bass notes :)
What a singer... He has it all - Not only does he have this huuuuuuge range, I think he's very musical and expressive as well!
Nothing like this has been produced for generations.
I'd never heard this until today. And I'm sitting here with goosebumps on the back of my neck and a bit of tearing up, this is, quite simply. Beautiful.
Me too. So unusual too.
@@voynaimir3 there are other Händel pieces that are totally unique. All the more remarkable that he-I suspect deliberately-didn't write these to often. Then it would become a gimmick and H was to intelligent to let that happen. Also: he wrote this in his early 20ties.
It's highly iniquitous when a certain Welsh bass/baritone is knighted for his tuneless, heavy tremelo rumblings in the vague direction of the note - when this man, with the power, beauty, breath control and incredible range of his voice is barely known in comparison. What a world!
Bravo Mr Purves - wonderful performance.
Lovely interpretation of this otherwise weirdly written aria and challenging piece. A great Bass-Baritone with GREAT Breath control and great technique, the only two things that will save you in this piece.
Vast repertoire he has! Singing Falstaff (Verdi), Figaro(Mozart), Cyclops (Handel)* like it's nothing! That's literally a 400-500 years worth of singing he's doing within maybe 10-15 years or so? Nice spinto voice as well!
Yes, he is quite a flexible singer!
Excellent
Why weird? No more weird than any baroque... it seems to work properly with the meaning... also don't forget it was composed in Napoli where baroque had probably the most grotesque forn
I don't think it's weird. Händel simply had an absolutely extraordinary bass singer and exploited fully his abilities. (Nice high baritone with extremely deep notes.) It seems that in Italy the audience expected the singers to show off their technique. (This was not confined to Baroque, think of Mozart's Mitridate performed in Milano, where each singer has parts where they can show off, or Rossini.)
This is an incredibly difficult song for a bass-baritone singer to sing due to the two and a half octave range that is needed yet Christopher Purves is able to sing it with apparent ease.
Impressive singing. This sounds very challenging
Phenomenal! And he is an utterly delightful chap into the bargain.
Magnificent!!!👏👏👏
This was Radio3 again this morning and stopped me in my tracks. Which was unfortunate, as I was driving through Richmond . . . ..
This man is brilliant.
Oh Topher, this is beautiful!
Es impresionante, fascinante. Muy pocos pueden hacer esto. Busquen en youtube y verán lo excepcional que es. Extraordinario mérito.
Is that subharmonics I detect on the A1? Hats off him in general with this piece but if that is in chest than a bigger hats off to him...
No subharmonic note, it was rather chest-fry-mix
Amazing! High "G#" at 3:45 and low "A" at 5:13
@Xiaoran Luo Not a record, it's within the deepest for a "regular" oktavist, an A1, but others have reached lower :) Check out oktavist
@Xiaoran Luo Yes, that's the problem when trying to sing low notes :) The lower notes generally need more air when you try to sing them (in my experience), and they gradually become more and more silent/difficult to project, so it's more impressive (to me at least) to listen to someone singing an C2 loudly/clearly instead of an A1 that you barely can hear (or which you only can hear with the help of a microphone).
@@veselorjan not many of the oktavists have those notes above the bass clef though 😄
@@grahamroberts2050 ofc, i see it was a poor example 😅
@Xiaoran Luo for the most part that's true, but if you look up glenn miller singing do not reject me in my old age, you can see it doesn't apply to everyone. In that song he goes down to a resonant G1 that be heard over an entire choir. Also John Ames has an A1 so powerful that he was able to use it in an opera, the genre most notorious for requiring enormous power to be heard. And the kicker? John did the A1 while *lying on his side*
So yeah, most of us can't sing these notes with a ton of volume, but a rare few can NAIL them
Genial ! Bravo !
BRAVO !!!
Amazing rendition.
Bravo !
Muita bonita a tessitura vocal!
Dear Oktavism Channel! Thank you for posting but I wish you had indicated where this performance occurred, under which conductor with which orchestra? This version is even more fantastic than on the 2012 Hyperion CD under Jonathan Cohen and Arcangelo.
PERFECTO!!! 🔥
What's the "main" difference between bass and bass-baritone?Because this guy, even he is bass-baritone, sounds like bass.
Sometimes bass-baritone seems to be used to refer to baritones who can sing bass roles, but just don't quite have the low range of the bass. With Purves, however, it more signifies that he has an unusually large range that covers both baritone and bass range. He certainly sounds like a bass, and I would guess he is more of a bass with extremely good technique who can cover a very large range.
k barber Thank you:)
Though I'm no expert on basses, I'd say that even though Purves have unusual low notes, I think that he also has more ease at the top than a bass usually does. And perhaps a slightly lighter sound, though I can't say for sure.
I think today a bass-baritone is a basso cantante who sing height enough to pretend to sing anything but the roles of priests or an old authoritarian man...
My grandmother had a cousin who was an operatic basso profondo in New York from the 1940s through the 1960s who also had his share of bass-baritone and baritone roles as well, since his upper range extended at least to a Bb4. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I got to talk to him on the phone twice a few years ago when he was in his later years, and aside from Zlatopolsky, he had the deepest, darkest, and richest speaking voice that I have ever heard. He could still sing a Bb4 at 91, so who knows how high he could sing when he was a young man.
Who's playing and who's conducting?
Le Concert d’Astrée with Emmanuelle Haïm...
Lirico.
low bass, i love it
Да какое к черту браво, в предыдущеи исполнении он и моложе был лет на 30
Very nice
👏👏👏👏👏
huuuugeeeee
Тоже хорошее исполнение.
Extremy impressive, although I think his A1 is a sort of chest fry technique or subharmonic. But still, that's one of the greatest ranges and control over the voice I've ever heard.
It's not a subharmonic - that would sound quite differently.
Highly unlikely. Thats simply not something that is taught in classical singing, and he wouldn't have had access to all the tutorials that explain extended registers that we have today
Wait this guy is a bass baritone??? What the fuck!
I dont think the low A1 is entirely necessary. The aria is hard enough as it is.
Yeah sure but if you *have* the A1 to offer, why not?
@@DubiousDubs I dont even remember writing that comment; now relistening I still dont think the A1 has any point as he cant sing it as a note.
Interesting, though there are a few points where he sounds like he’s singing at the back of this throat on the higher notes - kind of like Jim Henson as Kermit. But his low notes are stunning!
Now when you wrote 'Kermit' I can't stop thinking about it.....
Very nasal. He sounds like a tenor at the top of his range.
His top sounds fine. It’s a little nasal but sounds free and open, which is a far better alternative to over-covering the note. Keep in mind he is also making 2 octave jumps regularly and so must keep his voice in a very relaxed position as to jump to the bottom without cracking.
Bravo !