3 in 1. Best versions of 'Rondine al nido' by three great singers

'Rondine al nido' is a romance and one of the best known
works of the Italian composer Vincenzo De Crescenzo (1915-1987).
Here is a 3 in 1, a best collection of this romance ever performed (imho):
by Luciano Pavarotti (tenor) Gala Concert 1986,
by Roberto Loreti (descant) 1961 studio recorded,
by Richard Tucker (tenor) studio recorded in 1950s
I do not own none of these records' nor lyrics rights!
Pictures are borrowed from the internet, from Bruno Barbey, Gianni Berengo Gardin and from LA STRADA, ITALIAN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE 1960'S
Italiano
I
Sotto la gronda de la torre antica
Una rondine amica,
Allo sbocciare del mandorlo è tornata.
Ritorna tutti gli anni,
Sempre alla stessa data,
Monti e mare essa varca
per tornar.
Solo amore
Quando fugge e va lontano
Speri invano
ma non torna più,
Speri invano
Ma non torna più.
II
Ne la penombra dolce della sera
Passa la primavera.
Cinguettano le rondini nel volo,
Ebbre di luce e d'aria.
Ed io son triste e solo;
Monti e mare tu non varchi
per tornar.
Mia piccina,
Fosti tutta la mia vita;
Sei fuggita
E non torni più.
Sei fuggita
E non torni più.
English
I
Under the eaves of the old tower,
as the almond tree blossoms,
a friendly swallow has returned.
Every year she returns,
always in the same day.
She crosses mountains and sea
to get back here.
Only love flees
and does not return.
It makes you hope in vain,
but it does not return.
It makes you hope in vain,
but it does not return.
II
In the soft twilight of evening
springtime is passing.
The swallows chatter in their flight -
they are drunk with light and air.
But I am sad and lonely.
You do not cross mountains and sea
to come back to me.
My little one,
You were my whole life,
but you ran away,
never to return.
You ran away,
never to return!

[@user-sm2sk9kx5f]

Absolutely the best. Dearly missed. Always loved

[@annafatti5076]

Pavarotti singing of Rondine al Nido is hauntingly beautiful. His voice resonates with appealing emotion.......

[@TheInfoBlast]

I know the doctor didn’t sing it but it still brought me here and for Star Trek, I thank you

[@13Luk6iul]

The doctor sang it, Robert Picardo didn‘t :D

[@inasiocanal7889]

Robertino, che voce e che bei ricordi.

[@mistermornevanderberg]

I must confess to hearing this song the first time on an episode of Star Trek Voyager (Episode Virtuoso) and really that started my interest in this jewel of music that really is wonderful to hear in different versions, of which Pavarotti is my favourite, simply due to the phrasing that he so exquisitely performs when singing this

[@clifforddalton3067]

Exactly :) Robert's virtuoso is the very best recording of this song.

[@clifforddalton3067]

Ditto :)

[@iaf010]

I was a teenager when i watched Voyager and that created the seed for my appreciation and love of Opera

[@beimilyvan]

Divina canzone. Bravi!!

[@evertonbergman572]

Pavarotti, incomparável!

[@sugarbist]

The song is so beautiful that I enjoyed it with all 3 singers.Amazing Tucker is more than surprisingly delightful. Pavarotti has the beautiful sheen that's captivating and Robertino is the essence of a teenage boy.Tucker must be Italian , disguised as an American Jew. His Italian and diction are beautiful, as is his fantastic temperament. R.I.P.

[@shicoff1398]

Tucker recorded this song only once, in 1965 at age 51 and that is the one we hear here, as pictured from the original stereo LP originally called " the Soul of Italy" (#Columbia MS 6764) Italian songs, but 11 years before this one, that was back in 1954, he made a totally different song record, with several "Neapolitan songs" (also on Columbia #ML 5258) anyhow this was from 1965, not 1954.

[@shicoff1398]

Yes, well said, as he was a proud American Jew, born in Brooklyn, he started singing as a boy in a choir in Brooklyn and in NY, then later as a leading Jewish Cantor, later at age 31 he went on to the Met. opera in Jan. 1945, and a huge operatic career world wide, until his death in 1975 at age 61 . The Italians favored him as mentioned, it was a powerful spinto voice and also rich and beautiful, as Italian soprano Tebaldi said, he was "Mr. Terrific" He died in 1975, suddenly of a heart attack at age 61.---- RIP

[@SerGio-go2xs]

​@@shicoff1398 tucker magnifico tenore, voce stupenda, tanto potente quanto cristallina. Il povero Poverotti francamente non dovreste neanche lontanamente accostarlo a lui. Siete proprio degli incompetenti...

[@shicoff1398]

Very Nice response recently from "Ser Gio" in Italian (about Tucker) which I can read some of it, with my limited understanding of the Italian language. Can you translate it?

[@shicoff1398]

See my comment for you about translating "Ser Gio" which is in Italian!

[@janebaldwin8040]

Wonderfully ecclectic . Each has their own charm. Thank you.

[@vittoriopatricia7919]

Bravissimo tucher

[@carlrichter4164]

Incredible ! ! !

[@shicoff1398]

The Tucker version here is from 1965, he is in his early 50's, he only recorded this song the one time for Columbia records here on this recording " The soul of Italy" original Columbia numbers are --- Stereo # MS 6764 or in Mono #ML 6164----He made a much earlier Columbia mono recording of Italian songs back in 1954, at age 40, called "Sorrento" # ML 5258. This one is from as listed here from the record title "The soul of Italy" is all different songs from the 1954 earlier Mono only record called "Sorrento" Richard Tucker was a friend of mine for many years, thank you for posting this.

[@martabenialgo9127]

Bellisima cancion!!!!!

[@joshuanesbit]

omg the Loreti version 😮

[@selmamariacorreafiaschi5845]

Maravilhosos

[@patjcarey]

What a wonderful comparison of this wonderful song. I’ll treasure this, thank you for sharing. Pat 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@user-xk3uz4ze6l]

Bella canzone eh!❤❤❤❤

[@shicoff1398]

@al Po---- The Richard Tucker version is from a 1965 recording, his previous Italian song record title was "Sorrento" it was from 1954, which included different songs from this one. "the Soul of Italy"

[@user-jt5ez9iu1s]

Все трое прекрасны! Каждый по-своему.

[@LGranthamsHeir]

The EMH Doctor from 'Voyager' brought me here....

[@asdffdsa541]

This is the way

[@vittoriopatricia7919]

Tucker,bravissimo bella voce.

[@DanielZavagna]

Pavarotti is my favorite

[@valitademaricedelacouvrier2617]

RICHARD TUCKER !!! 🌹

[@shicoff1398]

He was a magnificent Spinto tenor, the great American opera singer .

[@uppityglivestockian]

Very nice to hear this sung by such different voices and styles. Thank you for sharing. While Pavarotti is not my favorite tenor, his interpretation suits this Italian song just right.

[@jimcraven6105]

My preferred version is the one sung by Pavarotti but the others are very good.

[@danielgiacomuzzi3477]

Richard Tucker de punta a punta el mejor.

[@giannibastianello6418]

Dimentichiamo beniamino Gigli che lha fatta conoscere la canta con la giusta espressione

[@shicoff1398]

I like all three, but since opinions are given here as for their favorites, I like Tucker's as #1 but have seen and heard the late Tucker and late Pavarotti both many times in the opera house and in concert recitals, of course the role they sing also matters, some roles suit a voice type better then others, and seeing them live in the theater is the most accurate, the younger singer here has to be judged differently then an "opera singer" of course and in the context of the song he is as great.

[@shicoff1398]

@everyday tenor yes, a good point, because in house is the most accurate way to judge a voice, some voices do record better then others, and I say that after over 63 years of attending live opera's and hearing in the opera house most all o the big names in my time, now not much as for great voices in comparison interests me, but there are some fine singers out there, but now in my 80's, luckily because of age and interest, plus growing up in Chicago where we had a good opera company and with big stars, I'd also attend the Met. on occasion and then lived in Calif. so spent I some time there also.

[@shicoff1398]

@everyday tenor Yes I missed Gigli, who sang his farewell concert in both Chicago and NY. in 1955, I was only 15 then, started going to opera at age 17 in 1957, of course did not see Caruso, but my grandfather born in 1880 saw Caruso twice in Chicago where he rarely sang, but he often told me forget the old records, you don't hear over tones he had in the house, EC was his favorite and of course he also liked Melchior in the German and Tucker in house very much and the lyric Gigli also, but I did see Bjoerling, and Di Stefano also in the 1950's , saw Tagliavini and even Schipa, sure all of them, Pav in his 30's and later many times over the years, Del Monaco I saw sing Otello in the house in 1959, he also was a man that sounded better in house, sure I saw Corelli, Labo, all the tenors, Vickers, etc. Tebaldi and Callas, most all of them, Baritones etc. and later did some work in classical radio, so I met so many singers, I knew Jan Peerce very well and Tucker also, had been to their homes and soprano Stella Roman was a friend, but I'll tell you a lot of lies and total nonsense is spit out on you tube by folks with no lives, getting on and blowing smoke and BS, putting great singers down, pumping up their favorite by tearing others down, these people are seated on their ears, I avoid answering them when it's a person getting on a post of a great singer and saying, "well so and so is better" well fine then get on that persons post and listen to them, but their putting down great singers when they give their worthless opinions, really isn't worth fighting about, cause it's all just opinion anyhow, and if you did not see and hear the person in house, it's another story, because some also do record better then others, but sure you can hear great technique, not really voice size very well or squillo, you get just an idea of a singer, so live is better then studio too hear. .

[@shicoff1398]

@everyday tenor Your Right, MDM didn't sound as Steely live, Tucker had a very big even powerful top, much bigger then Domingo, so did Corelli's, Vickers not that Italian type top, but a big middle voice, a great singer, I saw him do Grimes. Bonisoli I didn't see that I recall, but did see of course all three tenors before they where together, from the early 1970's on and of course Shicoff from 1979 on, lots of amazing squillo he had in his best years , Jussi B. recorded very well, only saw him once. Tucker sounded better in house and Shicoff in prime had more ring then you ever hear on records, I saw Merritt also and Heppner was very fine, God, so many, Barry Morell, Bergonzi, saw him a lot, not much for ringing high notes, but very excellent, so many, the lyric, like Enrico Di Giuseppe, I liked Beczala and early Jose as well as Di Stefano early also, take care.

[@shicoff1398]

@everyday tenor No I didn't see or hear Lambert, but I liked Bonisolli a lot from records live, he was later not as always in best voice and said some stuff that got him in trouble with management, but remember this, sadly he suffered later with a brain tumor that is said to have killed him, they compare him often to Corelli who had more dramatic color in his spinto voice, but live FC also had for some more negative habits, then on his studio records, Bonisolli sang really well . Corelli was more perfect in studio recordings for perfection and he said so himself, in interviews but live he was very thrilling, with some exciting interpolated high notes on occasion, of course purists are not fans of that, if you want perfection in singing, the more lyric Jussi Bjoerling is a good bet of the old time singers. I saw so many tenors sing Otello from Domingo, Carlo Cossutta and Heppner to MDM, but in that role it's MDM for me over even Vickers, for MDM'S More thrilling Italian sound. Corelli could have done it easily and so could Caruso and Tucker, but they said no, I asked Tucker about it and he said it would" hurt his voice" it was a very powerful voice, but not an Otello voice, Heppner wasn't an Otello voice , but I saw him sing it in house and with a strong lyric spinto did a good job I thought of it, got the evil sound when needed. Domingo got good reviews in it but I wasn't a big fan of him in it, I liked him in the 1970' s, saw him first in 1972 singing Don Jose! BTW In the opera, always spell "Otello" that way!

[@shicoff1398]

@everyday tenor Well the label on my opera recordings and printed opera programs and friends do use the Otello spelling, but sure the English would be Othello. I'll give you this about Tucker, he was the greatest spinto voice for me in house and singer in his best roles live, when I saw him over 20 times, (and as a Cantor ) he was under rated by many, sang over 700 times at the Met. in 30 years and hundreds more world wide, not that he sang better then say spinto Domingo or Bergonzi, but his sound live in his long prime was amazing in the house, but nobody sounds the same at age 60 as age 42 and though he held up very well, that applied to him also, but MDM recorded in studio even worse then Tucker, in those London LP's with Tebaldi of complete opera, his voice at times in some of those studio records sounded at times "strangled " compared to live at the same time in his life. A friend of mine wrote two books about his soprano friend, Rosa Ponselle and one book on Richard Tucker, (Mr. James Drake) Ponselle told him that Richard Tucker (when he sang for her at her villa in the Baltimore area) that folks who bought his studio records "should get their money back" because he sounded so much "different in house" yes he did a bit, the strong top he had was as wide as the middle, as for more Lyric or lyric spinto Bjoerling, and myself a fan and I'm a person who heard him in house, I can tell you though it was adequate in volume in most of his roles, it did sound larger on his studio LP's, and so did American tenor Barry Morell, Barry sang very well but gained volume on LP's, it wasn't a big voice but adequate in his Lyric roles. Corelli sounded the same in house, great, but sang more carefully on studio LP's of course, avoided some habits. Jussi B. was warmer live, some of his studio LP's are pretty cold compared to his live singing, but his RCA Boheme in 1956 is state of the arts, and I like the Bergonzi recording of it with Tebaldi also. De Los Angeles, the perfect Mimi fits the part so well with JB and vocally Merrill as Marcello, a beautiful voice, but as Calaf live Corelli was obviously best, fit him like a glove, in Forza for me it's Tucker, just in my opinion, no right or wrong, some fewer folks loved Kurt Baum, even if his voice was far from beautiful, I never saw him, but he did have a great high C if anything else and was always "on" perhaps he had a fan club of just a very few people!

[@sebastianoesposito3164]

makes me proud to be born in Naples italy

[@peterwozniak5054]

A bit of an unfair comparison - two superb operatic tenors and a young, talented teenager. Given that this is a song about unrequited and lost love, the qualities of a young, naive, and immature teenage voice is the most appropriate; the most authentic. Robertino wins, in my book - though I love both P & T!

[@singtweetypie]

Totally agree...love the pure simplicity of the way Robertino sings it...and found it the most moving.

[@coolcross69ful]

Pavarotti rules

[@josep9961]

Tuker y Pavarotti igualados y Robertino muy bien, pero la mejor versión de esta bellisima canción es, sin duda la de Pippo Di Stefano!!

[@eduardolima2229]

Onde está DI STEFANO ???????

[@nicbentulan]

the only non-chess / #9LX video on this channel?

[@MatthewBluefox]

Richard Tucker, the great grandfather of Charles 'Trip' Tucker of the starship Enterprise? Maybe that's the connection to Star Trek: Voyager's interpretation sung by Roberto 'Il Dottore' Picardo. =)

[@johnfalstaff2270]

Look at 3:08 the innocence of the little boy eyes. Bottom right side of the picture.

[@joseduran4643]

Richard Tucker has a dramatic style similar to Placido Domingo. Pavarotti is leggero.

[@user-nh9pg4xw3v]

Молдаване зовут итальянцев чёрными чёрный чернуха

[@SerGio-go2xs]

In che senso?

[@clifforddalton3067]

Robert Picardo should be included, I think his version is the best :)

[@ladamyre1]

Picardo didn't actually sing that although he did sing a lot in his role as "The Doctor" on Voyager. Agostino Castagnola did the voice-over of Rondine al nido for that episode and I agree, his is the best version, even if it is abbreviated. He coveys the sadness of a love lost there at the end of the performance quite well, and that is the gist of the song after all. I find myself wiping a tear just as Janeway does after that scene.

[@user-ux9de2io6f]

젊은 시절의 파바로티는 내가슴을 뜨겁게 하네

[@sirio60]

Interesting: the song sung with an American accent is said to be one of the best versions...

[@sugarbist]

There's no hint of an American accent in Tucker's version. His Italian is excellent. R.I.P

[@shicoff1398]

@@sugarbist Exactly and you would know as an Italian speaking both languages, as did the professional critics .

[@MusicMyInspiration]

Good selection, but in this particular piece I prefer Di Stefano, with Gigli being a close second ... well everyone has his personal fav's I guess. 🙂

[@eduardolima2229]

Theo besta,its nota Her...GIUSEPE DI STEFANO 1955

[@reginastarceva1544]

Robertino is the best.

[@LuisGARCIA-zx7ps]

Incomparable Pavarotti..yo la canto mejor que Tucker!!

[@SerGio-go2xs]

Tu si che sei un intenditore... Di ragli pero'!