Birgit Nilsson & Richard Tucker- Teco io sto (live MET, 1963)

[@Zva26]

I consider Nilsson to be the Godzilla soprano of opera ----- the biggest, the most powerful, and the most searingly Nordic voice of the last century. She made Turandot sound like a child's play, and her Brunnhilde and Isolde have still not been approached to this day. Turandot of course, is a foregone conclusion. Birgit Nilsson was the grand empress of dramatic sopranos.

[@enthusedtosing9655]

Empress of Wagner yes. Of dramatic sopranos - not to me. There's more to it than big easy top notes to singing dramatic roles.

[@bodiloto]

meravigliosi entrambi !

[@gobluts]

electrifying nilsson voice and smooth tucker

[@g_vezz]

Only Tucker, in this duet, can hold his own against Nilsson..His voice was big and loud...

[@draganvidic2039]

Nobody has ever sung high notes like Nilsson. Or will ever do...

[@charlesrhodes1358]

Gertrude Grob-Pranl .

[@lamier4419]

Ummm. Milanov and Ponselle?

[@draganvidic2039]

Charles Rhodes No, her voice was produced a bit differently

[@draganvidic2039]

Adelyte Gaelle No they sang a bit differently

[@draganvidic2039]

Listen to Nilsson’s recording of Abigailles aria. Very few if any had this ”attack” in the stretta ”Salgio gia”.

[@callastoujours]

Woooowww!! Nilsson, incredible, a sharp blade cuttingt the air!!! Is it me or this is a half step up???!!!

[@johnpickford4222]

callastoujoursmaispasmantenant: It is you, C’est toujours too!😂

[@gestas60323]

incredibly beautiful. thanks for posting

[@wilsonwatt9283]

This is an example of Nilsson's superb management of her career. She knew she could sing the big Verdi and Puccini roles as well as Strauss and Wagner and made sure that she had great partners when she did. She also knew the limits of her technique and refused repeatedly to sing Norma, although vocally she certainly could have mastered the music [listen to her superb recording of Macbeth to hear how]. She knew, however, that the music would push her to the limits of her technique and was correct to choose not to sing the role.

[@SilfredoSerrano]

Her recorded Abigaille is also great. Makes you wondered if only she tried a little...

[@TheVerdiBaritone]

The more I listen to Nilsson in Italian opera the more I like her. Likewise, the more I prefer her to other sopranos.

[@eduardobraivein8496]

TheVerdiBaritone I also love Nilsson in Italian opera though not in BALLO and MACBETH. Her TOSCA and AIDA, on the other hand, are magnificent.

[@desatormentandome]

Ambos son magníficos!!! No puedo creer lo que oigo, estoy soñando....

[@lauracross5776]

It's a wonder this broadcast was not included in "Birgit Nilsson: the Great Live Recordings". Neither was the 1969 MET Tosca, or any of her live Aidas.

[@GladysLindner]

Saw Nilsson in Pittsburgh years ago. Believe me sh didn’t need a Microphone!!!!!

[@dennisj.3439]

Nilsson is almost untouchable in brilliance at the top but Tucker and Corelli were the two that stayed right there with her!

[@vernondouglas1216]

To ThePavafan, are you really trying to say that Pavarotti voice was louder live than Corelli's? Because that contradicts all the opinions and experiences that I've ever heard of, from critics and experts to real witnesses. I do not know which are exactly the criteria for your classification, but Corelli's voice was especially known for his size, and I mean it in the sense of volume, of how he was able to be heard over the other voices. To clarify what I mean I quote an article I read :" A famous mezzo-soprano answered the question, what she most remembers of her performances with Corelli: "He was loud!" "

[@draganvidic2039]

Vernon Douglas Ridiculous! Pavarotti was barely a spinto while Corelli’s voice was almost stentorian.

[@itis4865]

@@draganvidic2039 pavarotti was a leggero with poor stylistic choices

[@draganvidic2039]

It Is He was splendid before he got old and thought he was a spinto

[@itis4865]

@@draganvidic2039 hes a leggero who manipulated his recordings to sound bigger and had unsually powerful b4s that allowed him to get away singing nessum dorma. But not turondot. His voice is really small like jdf. There are pop singets with bigger voices than him. Like graham bonnet, a dramatic tenor with a bronze timber like del monaco

[@draganvidic2039]

It Is Tell me something I don’t know

[@OscarGraumusico]

La tecnica in maschera de la gran Nilsson es esplendida

[@bodiloto]

Oscar Grau Giovane esperta, come mai hai dimenticato di dire due-tre parole per la voce meravigliosa di Tucker ?!... accanto alla Nilsson pochi tenori dopo la recita rimanevano con la testa alta e Richerd Tucker era uno tra di loro . /il tuo idolo Domingo sa benissimo di cosa sto parlando .../

[@OscarGraumusico]

@@bodiloto Non mi piace Domingo... Tucker fue un gran tenor de la vieja escuela. Un saludo

[@bodiloto]

@@OscarGraumusico Un saluto anche à te ! Buon Anno . il vecchio

[@giudiciadanna4550]

Dopo questo ascolto Meli e la Netrebko dovrebbero girare col piattino nelle trattorie di periferia estrema....prima o poi...

[@ЛианаДогузова-е5х]

Такер великолепен! У него какая-то особая выразительность

[@65attila]

Jussi sang Ballo at the Met with Milanov @ 1940. His voice was smaller than Tucker but it carried.

[@absdyna]

Milanov also had a smaller voice than Nilsson.. I think

[@galanis38]

@@absdyna Yes, Milanov was a slightly less huge, more lyrical voice than Nilsson, though still a potent dramatic soprano. And Milanov was more of a stylist in Italian repertoire than Nilsson. Still, two great sopranos.

[@CotaDangelo]

@ali1082 Who can dislike such a singer, and such a voice. Everybody who heard Tucker alive at Teatro Colon of Buenos Aires, a huge theater, say the same: they were very impressed with his voice, and with his artistry, specially when he sang the Duca di Mantua of Rigoletto. He played that role in an excellent way. I asked why they were impressed with his voice, and everybody agree that he has an extremely ringing voice, accompanied with a gentle emission. He is one of the best, for sure!

[@eduardobraivein8496]

SHICOFF1 It's true. Nilsson's huge voice was much admired there several times ( I saw her perform Brunnhilde in two RING cycles, as well as Turandot and Salome).

[@raynardi7243]

Due giganti della lirica

[@williamschwartz6881]

Ridiculously astounding!!

[@williamschwartz6881]

This is a rare take, one that I never knew existed. The real tragedy is Nilsson was to record the role with Jussi Bjoerling but the latter was in the final stages of his alcoholism and threw a hot cup of coffee in Solti's face and was fired from that London/Decca project;he was replaced with Bergonzi The Un Ballo set that we have is a fine one, but imagine if Bjoerling realized that role opposite B. Nilsson! You take what you can get! And the Tucker sound melded with Nilsson's is in my book quite sublime and then some. Thanks for the reply.. @SHICOFF1

[@williamschwartz6881]

Thank you for your reply. You sound like a true, knowledgeable opera lover as am I. The story about the hot cup of coffee in Solti's face goes as such: Solti was fastidious about rehearsals and Bjoerling felt they weren't necessary. At this point in his career he was consuming Johnny Walker Red 3 to 4 bottles a day. A person doing such consumption -- I speak as a white wine and cogniac lover myself -- is no longer in control of his faculties. I relate this not as a denigrator of Bjoerling; barring none, he is as a spinto-lyrico tenor the greatest one of them all! --but as a matter of record told to me by a mutual Bjoerling-lover music professor at SUNY-Binghamton where I was doing graduate work at that time in the early 70's I assume he knew whereof he spoke. And it sort of made sense, given the premise of Bjoerling's out-of-control alcoholism, To me, as someone who adores the Bjoerling sound,it saddens me no end that the Decca-London Un Ballo didn't have a Bjoerling-Nilsson top billing What a loss! .'@SHICOFF1

[@williamschwartz6881]

Ms. Cassidy was a very bad though influential critic; her horrific judgment led to the firings of Rafael Kubelick and Jean Martinon from the CSO, and for that alone I will hate that bitch to my dying day! Her critical assessments were not only flawed but bigoted and biased, totally worthless and, in a sense, quite wreckless and evil.Apparently you've traveled more and perhaps experienced more live opera than I. My base was limited to the old Met, the new one, Montreal, and Binghamton. For better or worse, my opera experiences have been through recordings, albeit not always an accurate way to assess vocal quality. Case in point: Tebaldi. to hear her live was nothing like she sounded on records That voice was magnificent.I agree with everything you had to say about Gigli We, unfortunately, are lone survivors of a once Golden Era. (I turn 74 next week.) We share a body of memories that can never be duplicated Artists like Anna Moffo and, for me Regine Crespin were stunning in their relatively short-lived prime! I'm also a great Wagner, R. Strauss lover which in itself draws upon singing artist of wonderful memories, among whom are George London, Christa Ludwig, Leonie Rysenick ,Jon Vickers, Jesse Thomas, et al. Great corresponding with you. Glad there is someone else as passionate about vocal quality as I. Best regards, William Carroll Schwartz @SHICOFF1

[@dubbelhenke854]

@@williamschwartz6881 I have read extensively about this tragic time in Björlings life. I have not heard about any coffee - and I don't believe it. Someone else would have mentioned it. Sure Björling had alcohol problems but he didn't drink when he was recording. It contradicts the stories of Jussis daughter and wife, the great baritone Cornell MacNeil and also one of the Decca ppl there. Nilsson accused Culshaw of lying in his memoirs. I believe that Solti was not to blame as much as Culshaw. MacNeil was extremely disappointed with Culshaw about this as he had looked forward so much to record this with Jussi whom he admired tremendously.

[@kjellhansson378]

Nilsson as usual is outstanding ! Poor Tucker !He did his best !But to sing with Nilsson was an insuperable challenge even for Tucker !

[@sugarbist]

Not so.Tucker gives an excellent account of himself.I think it's a great High C. he just didn't close his mouth at the end of the note.. He was not a high C tenor per say. Tucker also didn't have to turn the dials up like Bjorling did in the studio recording of Turandot.

[@sugarbist]

+SHICOFF1 Thank You, I love the details

[@sugarbist]

+SHICOFF1 Not to blow some up your a---, but RT knows exactly how to approach this duet. EXCELLENT

[@bodiloto]

Kjell Hansson '' Poor Tucker'' ?! ahahahahahahahahahahahah !

[@sugarbist]

Hanssen, total nonsense, Tucker Corelli and MDM could sing with any soprano. You probably think that Bjorling was a better match with Nilsson than Tucker was.

[@jmccracken1963]

@halavey Your comments are right on target!!! Just one little correction: the TURANDOT with Ross (and Norden, Macurdy, and Boucher, too, with Martin Rich conducting) is from a 1974 park concert, not 1973 (and it was the only TURANDOT parks concert that summer, too; the other parks concerts in 1974 were of LA BOHEME, with Barry Morell as Rodolfo).

[@melbapatti]

You can't judge this post objectively, since it's playing a half step sharp. The voices of both of these supreme singers DID NOT EVER SOUND LIKE THIS. Isn't everybody aware that the voices of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore of (The Chipmunks) were simply human voices recorded at one speed and played back at a faster speed? Well that's what's going on here, just not quite to the same degree. 😝

[@johnpickford4222]

Jeffrey Miller: Well a**hole, it most certainly sounds like Birgit Nilsson and Richard Tucker to me. I can’t vouch for what chipmunks sound like, but after watching THE WIZARD OF OZ, I visited Munchkin Land and the People spoke EXACTLY like they did in the movie, specifically the Lollipop Guild, the Mayor and the Coroner.

[@TreblesBasses]

PERFECT DUO!!!!

[@DCFunBud]

Not a big fan of Tucker but he is certainly holding his own here.

[@DCFunBud]

Thanks for sharing your experience. You certain heard many of the greats.

[@vincec8218]

Please listen to Kasondra Kazanjian. She is a big-voiced lyric with a gorgeous tone. "Tu che di gel sei cinta" Tatiana Carlos is a brilliant Brazilian spinto. She has a recording of "Morrò, ma prima in grazia"

[@vincec8218]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/imPRpZ6NYsucl68

[@johnperrylcsw7826]

Tucker was in the first Opera I ever heard. Yes, very stylized but Damn! The voice is fabulous!

[@wilsonwatt9283]

It is interesting to compare this with the Callas/DiStefano recording. Both sopranos obliterate their tenor lovers at many points. Also, Nilsson and Callas use some of the same vocal approaches to express the varying emotions of Amelia. It is interesting that Nilsson sounds lighter of voice than Callas through the midsection of the duet. Nilsson rarely sounded lighter than anyone and it is an indication of her interpretive skills that she could do so with a voice as huge as hers. Of course, both Callas and Nilsson were without rivals in their respective Fachs so it is interesting to hear how they compare in one of the few overlapping roles of their careers.

[@poolification]

Why would anyone design an opera house where you can't have a full repertoire of singers? Didn't anyone ask themselves why opera houses in Europe were built up to a certain size?

[@sugarbist]

poolification the old Met had dead spots in some parts of the house

[@wilsonwatt9283]

Many opera houses and concert halls across the world and over time have had varying degrees of acoustical problems. Some sound experts say that the only two houses in the world with "perfect" acoustics are the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, designed by Wagner for his own opera, and Munich's tiny Cuvier Theatre, a superb venue to Baroque and Mozart. Large houses can have acoustics just as good as smaller houses and well-trained singers can be heard in most houses, large or small. For example, Teresa Berganza had a smallish size voice that was extremely well-projected and could be heard perfectly in large houses [I heard her at the Lyric in Chicago and at Covent Garden and every note was crystal clear]. Also, some funders ask for certain acoustic arrangements. One of the most interesting is the building that houses the Lyric Opera of Chicago which was built after Samuel Insull was refused a box by the Auditorium Theatre trustees as he was seen as an outsider by the Chicago elite. Insull actually asked that the theatre be designed so that the finest sound would be projects acoustically to the upper balcony [the poor person's area] and the worst sound to the front boxes [so the wealthy would get less than the best].

[@photo161]

...is apparently a 1/2 step above pitch...

[@dapheneo]

Il existe un live Tucker/Crespin sublime du Met 65. Un Crespin/Bergonzi Met 62 existe aussi Il y a aussi Corelli/Crespin Met 66 incroyable sur you tube Je n'aime pas trop Nilsson dans les roles italiens : trop froide.

[@ShawDAMAN]

Superb, and Tucker did have a C, but you can tell why he rarely used it.. Nearly all the C's I've heard him sing were a bit shouted, especially on the release. Interesting cause he had a super solid B that never sounded strained that I've heard.

[@liedersanger1]

Pitch at least a half step too high.

[@gaytenor]

@ThePavafan: Who are you kidding! Its fine to like Pavarotti he had a great lyric tenor voice but big it never was! You should read the review of La Gioconda on Decca written by Conrad L. Osborne back in the day. The Pavarotti voice was not big really and his Radames at the Met was a fiasco!

[@davebuursma4950]

Tucker doesn't sound at his best here.

[@iuliag.3228]

Tucker's barking in the beginning (and occasionally throughout the duet) is attrocious, the tempo around min 5-6 is way too fast. Nilsson does a good job, but she does lack a bit of passion in her performance.

[@johnpickford4222]

Iulia G.: EAT GLASS

[@MightyTenor]

I've been saying this on good authority of people at the MET, but it's amazing how much denial is going on. It couldn't be more how much cheating is going on! Plus this singing is third rate at best now.

[@sugarbist]

MightyTenor let me guess, you prefer Björling?

[@eduardobraivein8496]

SHICOFF1 Jussi Bjorling sang a wonderful Calaf in an outstanding TURANDOT recording (unsurpassed till now) alongide Nisson and Tebaldi (conductor: Erich Leinsdorf) but as far as I know he never attempted the role on stage. Am I right?

[@sugarbist]

Eduardo Braivein Bjorling never sang Turandot live. Based on the Farkas book validated by Bjorling’s wife , the dials had to be turned up on Bjorling’s side of the Turandot recording. Bjorling was a great lyric tenor with a beautiful voice and he was a great musician, but his voice was well focused but small. He never sang Chenier or Forza and his Aida in Chicago was not a success

[@jefolson6989]

@@sugarbist I heard an interview in whicj Bjoerling himself described his voice as spinto. I agree since IMO spinto is an interpretive style -not a reference to volume. (listen to the 1956 Manon Lescaut. He was on fire- not in the least under powered. It could NOT be more dramatic) His voice was like a rifle crack followed by shattering glass in the upper register. I have heard people say they were dissapponted that it wasnt larger, but I've never heard of anyone having trouble hearing him. The Chicago AIDA is still talked about as LENGENDARY by those who were there (as is a Trovatore). Occasionally rumors circuulate that a tape has surfaced . In knew a man at WFMT radio who claims he was allowed to hear parts of it , then it was returned to a safe in a secret location. (His only real comment was "Stignani stole the show".

[@johnpickford4222]

MightyMouseTenor: WTF are you talking about by saying the MET is in denial? De Nile is a River in Africa that figures in AIDA.

[@mazzone1]

She was too cold for Italian roles, and his voice came too much from the back of the throat, not a lovely Italian legato.

[@wilsonwatt9283]

She certainly is not cold here. She is singing the role of a Swedish noblewoman at first resisting saying she loves the King [as she is married to his minister] and then giving in with an explosion of voice. This is a superb performance by both singers and fully meets the demands of Verdi's music and storyl