Bonisolli - At His Best

Franco Bonisolli was very handsome when he was young. He starred in movies. His voice was sweet and flexible but rather small. Near the end he stompted around the stage and shouted. The voice was much bigger but except for the high Cs his voice was hoarse and rough.
But there was that middle period before he started to act out on stage and over sang. In this period he was sensational. He had something of the color of Domingo and more secure high notes than Pavarotti.
Ah Fuyez is a killer. Bonisolli just sails through it.

[@luigimaffei9132]

Non mi stancherò mai di elogiare questo grande artista !!!!! Sapeva cantare di tutto e sempre al top. Per lui cantare non era solo una professione, ma anche grande divertimento e questo lo trasmetteva al pubblico lo si percepiva per la grande facilità nell'affrontare ruoli dei più difficili, rendeva facile ciò che per molti colleghi era difficile o impossibile,non lo troviamo mai in difficoltà. Voce bella corposa con armonici con chiari e scuri per un repertorio da lirico spinto drammatico, eroico, ma la sua tecnica di emissione gli permetteva di affrontare anche ruoli più leggeri. Dal carattere gioioso e allegro, destava simpatia e per questo forse alcuni lo consideravano un mattacchione.. Ma quando c'era da fare sul serio, non lo fermava nessuno. I suoi acuti resteranno nella storia, per ampiezza, squillo, sembrava non avere limiti. Insomma tra i più grandi di ogni tempo. Grazie per le tante emozioni che ci hai donato. (un vecchio corista) 🙏🌹

[@bonnisolli]

Most people know him from a few mad outtake moments this is the bonisolli, i love and adore. RIP franco x

[@DonPaolissimo]

Franco B was an exceptional tenor. His top was phenomenal, along with magnificent breath control. He was a far better performer than any of the so-called "big" three. Yet, he did not receive the recognition he merited. Very unfair what aggressive agents & manufactured hype can do to foster mediocre careers!

[@rationalsceptic7634]

He was hugely underated because of his ego and personality but was not greater than the big 3..

[@marjorieallworth6172]

He could have been included with them ?

[@user-py1jg6bb2r]

Today's opera need this guy badly, what a genuine raw power, so masculine yet still has the artistic soft touch, gorgeous lyric style. Handsome guy in every way.

[@miwdiva]

I'm a native French speaker and trust me, his phrasing and diction are PERFECT...I can enjoy other tenor's versions, even if they have accents (like Araiza, Vargas, etc) but Bonisolli sounds elegant and noble, like a real Chevalier des Grieux should sound.

[@Luifernal6]

miwdiva i’m venezuelan and I’m native Spanish speaker he sang “Granada” with a perfect diction too

[@rapsodie1211]

Je confirme

[@tenorschofield]

Maravilloso, que otra cosa podemos decir del arte y talento de Franco Bonisolli?, simplemente que era uno de los mejores de todos los tiempos!!! (con respecto a su publicitada "locura", muchos artístas que han cantando varias veces con él, me dicen que era una bella y buena persona, solo que era juguetón y jovial!!!). BRAVOOO!!!!!

[@secretofsinging]

ESTOY COMPLETAMENTE DE ACUERDO !!!!!

[@marcandregingras992]

He can gives lessons for all tenors most popular like Pavarotti and Domingo !

[@Ankhsnammon]

I adore him,too. and it is true:people only mention his last diseased attitudes...forgetting the wonderful,magnificent acor-singer he was.. And...his beauty,too.Absolutely male and desireable beauty. ankhsnammon

[@Agorante]

Why is this particular excerpt so exceptional? First of all, Bonisolli has the notes. Earlier in the opera the tenor can show how sweet his voice is in the table scene. Tenors like di Stefano shine there. But here you need a very solid and "big" top. Yet it can't be too coarse. Bonisolli later in his career was prone to scooping. No scoops here. He just breathes the high notes. Bonisolli is secure enough that the listener can relax.

[@bposton242]

Bonisolli on the Puccini Duet CD with Freni is some of the most beautiful lyric singing you will ever hear, IMHO.

[@pedroaranguren6160]

Bonisolli hace que los más famosos tenores se vean pequeños.. Grande, Franco!

[@leonardopizzella7834]

Comparto con Pedro. Un tenor que cantaba como si fuera la última vez en su vida y dejaba como fríos y sin sustancia a muchos que se creen perfectos.

[@Wolts1983]

Così si deve cantare! Grande.

[@cantanteporsiempre]

Maravilloso, Bonisolli debió haber tenido la fama de Plácido (que no se merece) porque esto si es una voz.

[@rudolfsmolej9495]

Nicht eine Stimme... Einer war ein großer Tenor

[@Freccia6000]

Unbelievable He died a day after Franco Corelli died Oct 29 Oct 30 2003 RIP both great Artists

[@elaineetingoff6294]

Mr. Boyle, Thank you for posting this outstanding performance. It always amazes me how different our views and impressions are. Mr. Bonisolli's voice, at least in person, was phenomenal, beautiful and controlled. I am older and forgiving but I think that nerves and perhaps other insecurities affect a singer's performance, sometimes to his detriment, but not the voice of Mr. Bonisolli.

[@miwdiva]

Flawless French diction...amazing!!!

[@SlavKulikov]

какой шиккарный полётный голос!!! ярковыраженная школа пения через У!!!

[@user-ff1cp5lt9n]

Молодец) А с какого концерта эта запись?

[@brunaazzurra]

Jules Massenet. Manon " Ah! dispar , vision", un Bonisolli grande interprete dizione francese eccellente, voce di uno splendido colore con una emissione sicura e naturale grandissimo

[@guidogreco341]

+bruna azzurra Che voce squillante con degli acuti sbalorditivi.Oggi nel panorama internazionale simili tenori non esistono..forse lo studio è cambiato..noto nei Cura e Kaufmann impostazioni con timbri diversi.

[@brunaazzurra]

guido greco purtroppo la realtà di oggi è proprio, come lei dice, diversa..... i cantanti di oggi sono comunque apprezzabili anche se è evidentissimo , in essi, il diverso tipo di studio che li ha, però, ugualmente portati alla fama... .ai tempi di Bonisolli il canto era , in verità una cosa ben diversa da quella che sentiamo oggi.

[@renatobonisolli6039]

mia cara! finchè la cultura del bel canto è appagata dai tre tenori e da Bocelli, il convento non passa altro! gli interessi economici valgono molto di più della cultura musicale! cordialità

[@numetutelare]

Veramente siamo riusciti a scEìendere anche più in bass ... pensi al trio "Il Volo"... osannati ed inascoltabili per chi ama la lirica!!! Mah...

[@brunaazzurra]

"Il Volo". è composto da tre giovani furboni che sanno assolutamente di non essere dei cantanti lirici .Credo anche che inseriscano nei loro programmi qualche aria lirica che solo uno di loro, e in maniera molto triste , esegue saltuariamente e, ancora, penso che Il fatto che si facciano spesso accompagnare sul palco da Domingo mi porta a pensare che i tre regazzi abbiano bisogno di Domingo, come Domingo- baritono abbia bisogno di loro. . In conclusione l'incomprensibile successo di questi ragazzi non si può spiegare se non ricordando che la fortuna è, a volte, veramente bendatissima.

[@utahillmann866]

Bravo Franco!

[@Minimorum1]

Не могу ещё раз на сказать. Вот это Мужик!!

[@PIPZZZ02]

For those who knew the later Bonisolli this comes as a revelation. He could have been a magnificent Werther. Thanks for posting

[@WMP777]

I never have the privilege of listening Bonisolli in a live performance. What I hear is a vero tenore , world class, and owner of all the faculties and technique, capable of cantare con arte e belleza. His voice , I think was developing into the spinto / dramatic repertory, similar to Franco Corelli, both from Ancona. The stentorian notes are spectacular and easy produced.. Allow me this opinion: Bonisolli is a superior arttist singer than Domingo and the new tenor breed of shouters.

[@opera.english.subtitles]

A few years before Bonisolli died, I met a nice man in Germany online as we were opera-chatting on a now-obsolete opera board. I am in the USA. He had been a big fan of Bonisolli as a youth and at the time we met online, was involved in promoting Bonisolli for a bit of a "come-back". He sent me a couple cds he had produced, one of previous recordings and one of current recordings.

[@marjorieallworth6172]

I love the way he holds on to hi jacket he is his own instrument !!! XXX

[@federricoilgrande]

Bravo Franco :)

[@Agorante]

Tomorrow is my birthday so I'll give myself a present and comment once again on this video which I first posted eight years ago. In those days the video had to be under ten minutes and the comments only a few hundred characters long. KZbin has matured. I was singing in some opera somewhere - I can't quite remember where - maybe Colline in Boheme. I made up a cassette of singers called 'Bad Singers'. I gave this to the other singers in the show. I gave no names so it was a quiz. That was a joke. All of them were famous but all of them had been called bad by some critic. I was trying to make a point about Mario Lanza. But also Nicolae Herlea. To my surprise several confused Bonisolli with Lanza. I listened again and I understood. I never heard Lanza live but on records there were many similarities with Bonisolli. Both had full darkish voices but also had real blazing tops. Lanza's pop hit 'Be my Love' ends on a full throated High C. No other famous tenor since sings it that way. Del Monaco and Domingo only go up to a G. Most of the others transpose it down so that they sing a final B Flat or B Natural. Both these Italian guys had great facility with the top. Both were called stupid or coarse by the effete snobs that plague opera. The big difference in my mind was stage fright. Lanza stuck with movies so he wouldn't have to face a live audience, whereas Bonisolli was obviously so happy to be on stage that people called him crazy.

[@matejknezevic6989]

Patrick Boyle Your knowlege about opera is huge.i am tenor and also opera fan great text.bravo Great tenor bonisolli greatest maybe

[@Agorante]

Matej Knezevic Thanks but almost every opera house on earth has a musical staff with guys who know more than I do. There is also the fact that my knowledge, such as it is, is musicological rather than musical.

[@Agorante]

Let me be clear. I love Bonisolli's singing - that's why I posted this video. But somehow people want to attack me for saying anything nice about Domingo. Go figure. In general "High C Tenors" are among the worst singers. If high notes were all there was to singing William Matteuzi would be the world's best tenor. In fact he's arguably the worst. Morino sings nearly as high and nearly as badly. Bonisolli is an exception - super high notes and great singing.

[@Plowrightclips]

Im amazed you say he had a small voice, did you ever hear him live, it was not small !

[@Agorante]

Lots of singers have voices that start off small and grow to become large. The most amazing example is probably Richard Margison. When I first heard Bonisolli in 1969 his voice wasn't that big. Big enough for Traviata but when I last heard him in 1983 in Gioconda, it was quite a big voice. You heard him in 1986. That's why young tenors push. Some develop bigger voices - some don't.

[@mino7520]

Il y a ce qu'il faut , la voix, le goût, l' interprétation . Bravo Franco, oggi sarrei un principe. R.i.P.

[@opera.english.subtitles]

I heard Bonisolli's wife became terminally ill and he quit singing at that time to take care of her. Maybe that was around the time he became a bit difficult to work with according to some people. Nice video. Thanks for sharing.

[@cliffgaither]

_What a talented singer / great voice AND he put more effort in the French language than the other "F"._

[@steakopera]

I know. This aria is a killer. Especially for the spinto or dramatic tenor as he is. It demands great deal of control.

[@giuseppedimarco8358]

Bravo! Che Voce!

[@energyglobal]

Fabulous !!!

[@tenorschofield]

Maravilloso!!!! Bravo!!!

[@guidogreco341]

+John Schofield Un cantante dalla voce squillante..che acuti siamo a livello di Corelli..Non credo che Cura e Kaufmann siano allo stesso livello.

[@tenorschofield]

+guido greco D'accoedo con te caro Guido;e vero che non fa molti maestri con la tecnica propio oggi,ma e veri che nessuno ascolta e impara il lavoro vocalle di queste tenori (o cantanti lirici) dell passato.(Kraus sempre ha parlato della grave falta di maestri con la tecnica giusta!!!)

[@Agorante]

Oh dear, another Domingo hater. Heaven protect me. It is not unusual for voices to grow. I heard Bonisolli live in what I believe was his US debut (Traviata). The High C was easy in the cabaletta but it didn't get much applause because the voice wasn't very big. A dozen years later the voice was much bigger.

[@Agorante]

I wouldn't know, but I'm glad to hear from someone who does.

[@Agorante]

Thanks for that story.

[@Agorante]

Modern athletes lift weights for exactly that reason - to gain strength. Of course you are right about about Florez - The Singing Peanut. You argue against straw men otherwise. Voices are largely born not made. Many start as an Almaviva and strengthen into a Manrico - Bonisolli is an example. They don't go the other way.

[@wilhelmfurtwangler]

The greatest tenor, the finest musician with the most refined technique of them all was Gigli. No one compares...

[@Jaaakob]

I seriously don't understand this viewpoint. Yes, his voice is glorious in some of the recordings, but I cannot name one single recording of Gigli where he does not: a) Seriously splat some notes, singing them so open that they border on extreme stridency or, b) shout, croon, or slide/scoop tastelessly

[@Agorante]

Such a poll was taken about ten years ago by Opera Fanatic. Caruso came in third behind Corelli and Bjoerling. I don't think that proves much. I divide tenors into weight categories - Light, Medium and Heavy - the winners for me being Wunderlich, Bjoerling and Vickers. Mario Sereni is quoted in James McCracken's book as remarking to him after he sang the Pira that he really sang the C and no one else he had sung with ever had. Real High Cs by big tenors live are quite rare.

[@grig035]

Please, I'd really like to know the date of this performance?! Thanks! :-)

[@thierryrussodelattre]

Je suis très surpris par sa diction française absolument parfaite, tant dans le style que dans le goût. Bonisolli réputé pour ses frasques et sa folie douce a regagné quelques galons dans mon estime. Malgré sa vaillance et son héroïsme incontestables, il n'en reste pas moins qu'il fut le plus extravagant des ténors avec Del Monaco, pour ne pas être trop péjoratif à son égard. Mais là, j'avoue ne pas le reconnaître. Quand le ciel vous donne des moyens vocaux pareils, il me semblait élémentaire de vouloir servir durant toute une vie de forçat, l'Art, le Beau et une certaine idée de l'Absolu, de l'éternité...

[@mariobarbov9174]

+Thierry Russo-Delattre C'est précisément ce qu'il a fait:))

[@bodiloto]

+Thierry Russo-Delattre mon cher amie, ne cherche pas de trouver la vérité s.v.p, l'opéra c'est un art mystérieux pour vous .

[@Agorante]

I was just listening in the car yesterday to a James King/James McCracken CD. King sings all German arias. McCracken sings Italian, French and German arias. McCracken sings two High Cs. King none. I heard both live when they were at their respective peaks. Both had real big voices. McCracken's voice was a little bit higher, King's voice was a bit prettier. I'm not surprised that King vocalized up to a C in the studio. Domingo vocalized up to a D and Bjoerling up to an F.

[@capes02]

Also I would disagree with the whole best and worst day idea.... if you go back to some of Domingo's late 60's and 70's recordings the man is amazing. Hear the cd "The young domingo" I think that is the exact name and it has tons of great recordings. Random thought, Have you heard or seen Bonisolli in Traviata with Moffo?? Its pretty damn nice : ) I really liked him in that role!

[@josephcold]

Absolutely. Wow, have I finally found someone who sees the light? It seems like no one on the internet has any sense of tone.

[@mediterraneo1000]

@Agorante agorante thank you for this wonderful video of this excellent and underrated tenor the beautiful voice and biger with a excelents top high notes and dont answer to jealously people,domingo all time transpose downe 99 percent of operas and he complaint about mexican tenor fco{ araiza and eve undermined. due to jealous. regreats from mexico.

[@klokheten]

An unusually disciplined Bonisolli. Quite beautiful.

[@Etnalleb]

Domingo on his very best day could NOT compare to Bonisolli on his very worst day. It's a gross insult to Franco who could sing rings around Domingo, Domingo could only hope and dream of the High C's Bonisolli easily put forth. Bonisolli a small voice? dear sir you must be kidding or you are more Mad than Franco ever was. Bravo Franco R.I.P.

[@Agorante]

Winberg was one of my favorites both in the theater and on recordings. Pity he died young.

[@maxmustermann7903]

Name any of today's so called "startenors" who can sing like this. There is no one even close.

[@Etnalleb]

I to heard Both Bonisolli and Domingo and when Bonisolli hit the High C's in Di Quella the people went crazy and were yelling and cheering and clapping for so long Bonisolli had to stop the Opera and did a encore of Di Quella. Domingo barely could hit a Hit C , i know i was in the Opera Chorus when he was at SF and every time he sang he had the C transposed down a half tone to a B and then he even struggled. Domingo got a very tepid response in his SF Tosca and he didn't even have to do a C.

[@davidbaumgartner4841]

Domingo made a recording of the Pira with a pathetic high C and always transposed down live.

[@taehankim154]

Bravo

[@sugarbist]

@capes02 Domingo has sung overt a130 different operas.This is more than any other tenor in history.However,I don't think that Domingo has a signature role.Meaning a role that he is outstanding in, or has sung better or as good as any other great tenor in history.Tenors do have fine careers without using a highC,such as Tucker Del Monaco Caruso Pertile etc.Domingo has been notorious for transposing operas &arias down beyond acceptable practices.I think Bonisolli is much more interesting&exciting

[@spaniarddamnit]

I agree completely

[@Olgaalwina]

Enorm, einfach enorme............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@egymagyar1111111]

is there any problem he has everything and everywhere... glory

[@Luifernal6]

Vaya! Bonisolli buscaba perfeccionar la diccion pues aca pronuncia muy bien el frances, y cuando cantó granada su español era muy limpio

[@Michaelbos]

I don't know the history of this guy, but he was very good here.

[@PIPZZZ02]

Yes I'm sure you're right regarding character but I was thinking of the vocal demands of the part. Heroic tenors singing as beautifully in French as Bonisolli does here are few and far between.Come to think of it Corelli sang Werther( at The Met) and he was pretty extrovert .

[@Agorante]

I don't know that CD. Thanks for the tip. His best CD that I'm familiar with is his Boheme, the Leoncavallo Boheme that is.

[@Agorante]

I heard Kraus live many times - also Corelli and Nilson. I wouldn't have called Kraus' voice really big. Certainly smaller than Pavarotti's or Bonisolli's. Much smaller than Corelli's. However if you like Kraus' sound, you are in good company. More knowledgeable people agree with you than with me.

[@TurandotFanatic]

There's one tenor that sings this aria and, looking to his face, it appears that there's no efforts to sing. I am talking about Alfredo Kraus. Bonisolli is also amazing on it. Thanks for posting.

[@opera.english.subtitles]

It was crazy how Bonisolli died before the planned come-back concert, and on the same day I think, as Franco Corelli.

[@Agorante]

Yes, I heard him live several times. I'll try once again to explain. When he first came on the international scene his voice was indeed rather small for the repertoire he sang. You can watch his early cabaletta from Rigoletto here on KZbin. He sings above High C easily but it's a rather thin voice. Then find his late recording of O Sole Mio. He sings so differently (much, much bigger) that you will find it hard to believe it's the same singer.

[@secretofsinging]

OKAY Patrick.......as we singers get older...the voice (vocal cords...and their respective muscles...) do get LOOSER (not quite as strong or flexible....including the DIAPHRAGM)..because the body muscles age...so voices DO DARKEN and Tessituras do get a bit lower...BUT...WITH GOOD TECHNICAL FOUNDATION...as BONISELLI REALLY DID HAVE....one can still have the same high notes) as he DID have......but with greater effort on his/our part!!! Nonetheless...he was TRULY a GREAT (ONE OF THE BEST...NO COMPARISON TO DOMINGO OR PAVAROTTI (whom I both like)....!!!

[@Agorante]

I remember Domingo was singing both Turridu and Canio the same night. He blew out his voice on the B natural in "A ventri tre ore". I heard Pavarotti lose his voice in Lucia. OTOH Everyone says Aragall was inconsistent and sang flat - but not when I heard him. Domingo had a much better top in the theater than Pavarotti. It just stopped about a whole tone lower. Domingo had a great B Flat. Pavarotti's High C was thin. Lots of tenor's revert to baritone. e.g. Vinay

[@Ankhsnammon]

Sir,I didn't have th pleasure of to see him alive..but...it seems it was so. Voce di maschio,veramente...e maschio assoluto. ankhsnammon

[@Etnalleb]

The poll proves that Vickers wasn't even mentioned let alone be the Greatest Tenor of all. I have the book you mentioned and i have it autographed by McCracken personally , i asked him about Sereni's comment and McCracken gave a hearty laugh and said Sereni had been drinking and was just spitting out words to see where they fly. McCracken himself told me that most of the headlining Tenor's at the Met had High C' including Corelli, and Tucker who he admired greatly.

[@Agorante]

Sure. I used to attend an opera performance about three tines a week. I used to sing five or ten different operas a year. I sang regularly in a couple of opera bars. I used to have my own opera company and I auditioned a lot of tenors. I was on the board of three different opera companies. The point is, I've heard a lot of tenors. I don't think you have. If Bonnisoli is the worst you've ever heard, you need to get out more.

[@capes02]

@Etnalleb The fact that Domingo is still singing today says a lot about his technique. The man has sang so many roles and so many performances. Yes, we can easily say he didn't have a great high C.... or that his technique was nothing near say Pavarotti's but he is on another level compared to most tenors. He was and is all about the text, which at the end of the day is the more important aspect seeing as you are trying to tell a story. Either way I'm a fan of Both Bonisolli and Domingo.

[@tecnicaantica]

With all due respect placing the name “Plamingo” who never had a C nor a B next to Bonisolli is an insult to the latest. Plamingo was never a tenor. He is a great musician and actor, but far from being a true tenor like the likes of Bonisolli. My humble opinion. Greetings

[@sugarbist]

Many Tenors like Martinelli, MDM De Muro Volpe Di Stefano were more lyric when1st starting their careers.My belief was that the early roles like Butterfly or Ballo that these tenors sang gave them the oppurtunity to NOTstrain or push in order to cultivate their voices.I also think that their young age attributed to the lyricism.As a tenor ages the voice becomes more mature&darker. A tenor's prime may vary a little bit, but perhaps may be between age 42&48 where they begin taking on heavier roles

[@Agorante]

I didn't say Wunderlich had no High C, I just asked the question. Wunderlich was principally a Mozart and Bach tenor so he was seldom required to sing a top C. I couldn't remember ever hearing him sing a C. Almaviva is rather low for a Rossini tenor role. It has no written High Cs. Then I remembered that our tenor in my first Barber interpolated a High C . I just checked Wunderlich's Ecco Ridente on KZbin and indeed he too interpolates a C. You are right (but I was not wrong).

[@Etnalleb]

@capes02 Wayne Newton still sings today does that mean he had one of the best voices ? I've got nothing against Domingo's technique , obviously it has served him well and i give Domingo credit where credit is due by singing more roles than any other tenor living or dead but as far as pure dramatic vocal powers he lacked far beyond Both Franco's , MDM, and Caruso.

[@aguacun]

Affortunatly the difference between Kraus and Bonisolli makes me enjoy both of them in their own singing ways.

[@vladimirsolodovnikov945]

НЕВЕРОЯТНО , ПОТРЯСАЮЩЕ !! ПРИДЕТСЯ ПОПРОЩАТЬСЯ С ДОМИНГО И...АЙВАЗОВЫМ !

[@user-fu4zx9iu1h]

Лучше было бы вообще не встречаться.

[@grig035]

Yes, he is at his most musical here....... SO WHAT'S THE DATE??!! PLEASE?? :-)

[@fabrizzzio48]

@Etnalleb nailed that one right in.

[@cantanteporsiempre]

@tenorismo No small at all!!! I don´r know why he said that in the entrance?

[@unotenore]

agorante, I'd hope you would reconsider the size of this voice, as to me it's quite a large sound as per his 'Di Quella Pira' from San Francisco. The man has fun with the concert if allowed: no harm in that. This is not a small voice as you assert. his French is well taught, but a little too carefully worked as per his coach's advice, i'm certain.

[@aguacun]

hahahahaha!..or singing Otello ;)

[@user-zi8io7cf1f]

What's the song name?

[@aguacun]

agree... singers they are but nothing else have Domingo similar with Bonisolli. GREAT BONISOLLI!!!! P.S: Is a video effect or Bonisolli had huge hands?

[@ilbacioditosca]

Do you hear Kraus in live? I did at the Theater Colon and he didn´t sound nasal like in recordings. The proximity of the microphone helps people with open popular sound than the REAL big ones. It is know that Corelli and Nilson sound much better live. Kraus A B and Cs rock the house like nobody else.

[@Agorante]

Dear BrunoBrandy, I think you have mistaken the thrust of this thread. I didn't say taht Bonisolli was a minor league voice. The "TheInquisitive4Ever" said that I was a minor singer - which of course is true. He argues that because I never sang at La Scala that I can't hold an opinion on a singer who did. A rather odd assertion, what? In fact I have been a champion of Bonisolli on KZbin. I have a lot of his CDs and DVDs.

[@MusicalTenor23]

@marceloconstanzo @marceloconstanzo la boheme was composed by two composers who used to be friends..ruggiero leoncavallo and giacomo puccini.. leoncavallo pursuaded puccini to compose la boheme. but puccini didnt want to. but it came a time when puccini began writing la boheme. leoncavallo who was currently also composing la boheme was kinda furious to know that puccini was also writing la boheme. so there it goes, puccini and leoncavallo were no longer friends.

[@numetutelare]

Che dire... peccato non sia più fra noi...

[@Agorante]

Tucker had no C for years - read Merrill's first autobiography. Bergonzi always had thin high notes especially live. I have a lot of Wunderlich recordings - mostly Bach and Mozart but also some operetta. I don't really know if he had Cs but he didn't sing a repetoire that required them. You ignore Simoneau I note. Vickers IMHO was the best tenor of all time. James King also had no C. Caruso was certainly not a "High Note" tenor. His famous "Di Quella Pira" is transposed down to B.

[@fineartrestoration]

he had an incredible high and with such volume. Nothing to do with domingo. At all. Totally different singers.

[@cliffgaither]

_AND totally different voices._

[@ilbacioditosca]

you want more dicipline????? what kind? Do you like Kraus version?

[@forallyouknow]

*picks jaw up from floor*

[@user-py1jg6bb2r]

The wording you put makes it clear that you prefer 3 tenors much more than this man. Both Domingo and Pavarotti aged their voice and appeared so different in different period. Are you saying that color of Domingo in 3 tenors' time be more colorful? Or in current stage of most famous baritone?

[@Etnalleb]

I almost agree with your picks in that had Wunderlich lived to establish a good career he would have been regarded by many as the greatest Lyric Tenor, but i would give the Best Lyric to Pav,then Gedda, DiStefano would be my pick as Spinto and Corelli Best Dramatic.

[@sugarbist]

A lot of great tenors have cracked in live performances&that's not really an issue.My feeling is that Domingo sang many operas outside his repertoirePagliacci, Aida, Forza ,Chenier,Turandot,Manon Lescaut,Ernani,Samson&perhaps Otello&has manipulated some performances through transposing or audio enhancement.The over 130 different operas that he has to his credit is certainly noteworthy,However he hardly has a signature role.I think he does a good Don Jose,IL Tabarro,&very early Manrico.Continued

[@Agorante]

Domingo was always a bit short at the top, Carreras about average, and Pavarotti had an excellent lyric top. There had been a number of star tenors with short tops - Vickers, Bergonzi, Di Stefano, etc. Then there were tenors with very strong tops - Fillipeschi, Bonisolli, Fisichella etc. Some dramatic tenors had good Cs - Corelli, McCracken, Del Monaco. Did you ever hear any of these people live?

[@sugarbist]

You fail to mention that Domingo is singing today as a baritone.There was nothing wrong with Domingo's Technique,as he sang&finished many operas.However,I feel that PD is a short tenor,A tenor without exceptional high notes.True the text is very important&PDwas a very good interpreter&actor.But,to say thatPD is at another level than most tenors is not really NOT accurate.Domingo has a pleasant voice but also is notorious for transposing outside the norm,more so than any other tenor in history.

[@Agorante]

Reasonable choices. The Best Tenor is like the Most Beautiful Woman. Reasonable people can disagree. DiStefano had perhaps the most beautiful voice ever for a while, but spent years singing badly, as I'm sure you very well know. I have a number of Corelli posts on KZbin and I am a persistent defender of his memory. I yield to no man in my admiration of Corelli (or Wunderlich either). I have to go now and post a video of Vickers singing Puccini.

[@Agorante]

The best thing Bonisolli ever recorded was the role of Marcello in Leoncavallo's Boheme. (I think I'll post some of it.) Bonisolli is the only Italian among the major roles in that recording and he demonstrates why that's important. Real passion.

[@Agorante]

You probably wouldn't be amazed if you read what I actually said.

[@Agorante]

I keep having to explain that Domingo didn't sing more roles than anyother tenor. He sang more major roles in recordings or in the major houses. Curzi sang at least twice as many roles. Franco Corelli actually learned roles faster than Domingo. Jimmy McCracken decided to only sing five roles at the height of his career. He was worried about over exposure. This issue only comes up because Pavarotti had so much trouble learning music. Pavarotti was the exception not Domingo.

[@davidbaumgartner4841]

McCracken could learn roles relatively quickly, learning Otello in a week. Domingo was a fine musician who played piano.

[@Agorante]

Almost all the famous tenors except maybe Bjoerling struggle with this aria. DiStefano for example is quite wonderful - until he runs out of gas, Bonisolli shows the effort I'll admit. In my opinion Bergonzi was the most muscical of the big Italian tenors. Probably Domingo and Carreras next. The least musical was probably Barry Morrell or maybe Chis Merritt. Bonisolli is always interesting however if not exactly elegant.