Please. Prince Karl, (The Student Prince) 1.5. Can’t remember, but I think there is a recording on YouTube. As you say, the list is subjective. I would have chosen Pavarotti second. One early Pavarotti aria that comes to mind is “A te, o cara,” with Joan Sutherland, which definitely showcases his early career. Tenor Fächer: What Kind of Operatic Tenor Are You? Virtually all his roles were sung in German. The contralto voice is the lowest of the female voices and by far and … 1.1. This Fach is the dividing line between the lyric and dramatic tenor voice. A metallic voice with noble, tenoral quality, that can sing both lyric and dramatic passages. (1927- ) Soprano (Spinto) Subscribe Spinto tenor - Chest voice head voice mix in limited but tessitural chiaro scuro with power Nevertheless, his greatest moments arrived at a later date, especially with the appearance of Verismo operas. But he’s definitely one of the first artists I go to when studying a canzone. famous tenors: Jeff Buckley Sam Cooke Geddy Lee Little Richard Steve Winwood . Be professional. Like Domingo, though, it became nasal with time. As Anna Russell would say, “Screechenralph!! We should remember that their talents and distinguished careers, and those of other Canadian artists, have been overshadowed by major entities such as CBC/Radio-Canada. AMAZING! Not a bad list. Carlo Bergonzi (1924-2014) was one of the most visible spinto tenors in the latter half of the 20th century. The idiosyncratic acoustics of the Met were such that if he was in a “dead” spot on the stage or you were placed in a “quiet” part of the auditorium, he was almost inaudible. Candide, (Candide) 1.2. He had a bright spinto tenor that was ideal for Wagner and flexible for Mozart. Spinto tenor. Greatest Opera Singers in History. Sir,..Thank you for your list. A metallic voice with noble, tenoral quality, that can sing both lyric and dramatic passages. While this interpretation is certainly not what Wagner had in mind, as an athletic feat it is on an Olympian level. The light tenor. I don’t think anyone else reading and listening to this post/video would think so either. You might notice that sopranos and tenors make up 90% of the list. Wonder what we’d have to say if we could have heard some of the greats of the 18th and 19th century. Sad. Try to get ahold of Peerce chanting. https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/latest/best-sopranos Richard Tucker. Despite a lack of solo arias (beyond one added by Puccini to satisfy a grumpy performer), the character is known as one of the great roles of Italianate tenors, attracting performers such as Plácido Domingo, Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti. Not Raimondi. Del Monaco and Di Stefano would not make my top ten list ever. Spinto tenors have a darker timbre than a lyric tenor, without having a vocal color as dark as many (not all) dramatic tenors. Tucker’s chanting is also remarkable. I wish I could find a recording of Gedda and Mary Costa in Fra Diavolo. With links to: the scene itself (with movie, libretto and more information), the roles, the composer and the opera. Fritz Wunderlich probably has the sweetest and most lyric voice in all the tenors. You might well find our Web site of interest. Beniamino Gigli (1890-1957) was the leading lyric Italian tenor of his era. Melchior’s sloppy rhythm, less pleasant timbre, less vocal acting, and showoff style are not as impressive to me. ‘Nessun dorma’ is a great case of this, used in many … La fille du régiment (The Daughter of the Regiment) is an opéra comique in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti written in 1840. Not only an incredible voice, but unique, spellbinding interpretations. I do love the reference to Del Monaco as an “Opera Noir” singer. My list would be different. which occurs in the first act of Die Walküre. Jonas Kaufmann — born July 10, 1969, a German tenor, particularly known for his spinto roles. Frequently lacking correct breath support, he sings with a remarkable sweetnessof tone. Spinto (from Italian, "pushed") is a vocal term used to characterize a soprano or tenor voice of a weight between lyric and dramatic that is capable of handling large musical climaxes in opera at moderate intervals. Carlo Bergonzi is an Italian Tenor, he is mainly connected with the Verdian roles. Types of Operas. nobody else out of the now working tenors? Lyric tenors are probably the most common fach of tenors found in nature. Tenor Fächer: What Kind of Operatic Tenor Are You? For example, a voice with a mezzo's tone colour and the high notes of a soprano, or a voice with a tenor range and a baritone's tone colour, is a spinto. It’s as impossible to rank the top tenors as it is to rank the top poets or ballet dancers. The beauty and power of the sound the young Domingo produces is overwhelming. Many rank him with Bjorling and some prefer him as no 1 all time,..but oh my what a voice he had. Sir, although Di Stefano certainly should be on this list, I disagree that his rendition of “O Sole Mio” is even arguably the best. Kaine Hayward is a Berlin-based lirico-spinto tenor from Sydney, Australia. The lyric tenor. His voice was much smaller than it appears on recordings. First is the outburst Wälse! Di Stefano I love for his lyric voice prior to 1953, but he was musically lazy & blew his voice out trying to be a Spinto. They included his fellow lyric tenors Dmitry Smirnov (1882-1944) and Andrei Labinsky (1871-1941), the spinto tenor Lev Klementiev (1868-1910) and the dramatic tenor Ivan Yershov (1867-1943). 100 of the Best Pop Songs of All Time. And additional: do you think, that the beatuful-tenor-time is forever for forever? The warm, pleasant lyric voice can be used for a variety of roles and lacks the edge of a spinto or the upper extension of a leggiero. Put his name in the search bar to see some of the posts that mention him. But it’s not so great that he gets to be treated like a dead god for another century. Then I saw him on youtube in the Bayreuthe Festspiele version and the voice was far better. No one else comes close. Verrano a te from the first act of Lucia di Lammermoor shows both Pavarotti and Renata Scotto in prime form. You can take your dog for a walk around the block before Melchior finishes the second ‘Wälse’. No one else has that beautiful, clear, rounded, gorgeous, golden, Italian bel canto sound. It’s hair raising stuff. Solid as a brick wall and with a dark quality that so suits Otello. This is from a 1958 Met performance. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Contralto. I have made no attempt to rank them. Generally, baritone’s range is between A2 to A4. His is a voice uniquely suited for singing Italian lyric tenor roles. Here Mr. Bjoerling is at his very peak as a lirico-spinto tenor. Gluck, das mir verblieb from Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt shows the dreamy and utterly beautiful singing that Schmidt could produce. Carreras in the 70’s, wonderful. The British audience goes crazy after this reading. A role fitting for a spinto tenor, the music written for Calaf needs a tenor with a bright timbre and high range, whilst retaining the support of lower registers, so that the voice might be pushed to dramatic climaxes. Both Giuseppe Di Stefano (1921-2008) and Franco Corelli (1921-2003) were born in the same year. There were many fine lyric tenors and its a matter of what one I like in what role more than liking one over another. Then, it became nasal. Di Stefano destroyed his voice early on as you pointed out and Del Monaco was great in Otello,..what else Otello,..that’s it! The excerpt is from a 1940 performance at the Met. What about Corelli, who probably had one of the shortest good tenor careers? I agree completely, unlike other lists that leave out greats like Mario Del Monaco and Franco Corelli. I call Miguel Fleta ‘restrained Spanish elegance’. I am surprised you did nor list Gedda,…however I would not give him a top ten spot either, although he was a great tenor for sure. Within the tenor voice-type category are seven generally recognized subcategories: leggero tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor, Mozart tenor, and tenor buffo or spieltenor. Some tenors belong to the baritone range like the spinto tenors and heroic tenors. Would like to see Giuseppe Giacomini On one of your list as he had a truly great dramatic tenor voice in my opinion. He can be heard from the sixties and seventies on the Internet. Besides the orchestral music, acting, stage presence and interpretation of the music are what separates a diva from a group of singers. His end was tragic and you can read about elsewhere on this site. I think “Una Furtiva Lagrima” would be an excellent choice to feature Pavarotti’s outstanding operatic voice, rather than “A te, o cara,” which is also fine, but is a duet. Great post. ... Renata Tebaldi was and is surely one of the best Spinto soprano voices that any century has ever ... a best-selling classical singer and humanitarian known for his most original and popular performances with the 'Three Tenors' and 'Pavarotti & Friends'. I have never lseen him listed on any top tenor lists of any kind but if one has heard him in Mozart or the lighter French tenor Whose place would he have taken? Now please don’t get me wrong, he’s not hands down the best singer of every canzone. Unfortunately he kept singing way past his best years. Thanks to YouTube and my interest as a bari-tenor, I’ve heard them all. ‘Plus blanche que la blanche’ From Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots  sung in Italian as  Bianca al par di neve alpina  shows all of Corelli’s strengths – powerful tone, matchless breath control, and thrilling high notes. I have tried to pick a selection for each tenor that shows him at his best and which also presents at least one of his unique characteristics. Try his O Holy Night on Youtube Camarena is a light lyric who shines in the operas of Mozart, Rossini and Donizetti. The only Wagner role he sang onstage was Parsifal. roles, he certainly stands alone at least in the post electrical era. or more to be precisely, if you split in lyric, in spinto and in dramatic tenors, each maybe ten, I would say it would be more force, because the tenors are so much different in the roles. The Church of Caruso, to me a droning bore 's Pagliacci is another well-known example of a and. 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