Di rigori armato il seno - Pavarotti, Kaufmann, Beczala against some youngsters

[@Orfeus80]

You can tell from the tone and the phrasing which ones can express every word and which ones are vocalising. Pavarotti still reigns supreme.

[@andreaspetzoldt4466]

Die machen das alle Klasse! Diese Arie muß man erstmal aus dem Hals kriegen. Es gibt einen weiteren König in dieser Disziplin, den ich nur jedem ans Herz legen kann. Nicolai Gedda is my favourite! Thanks for sharing

[@peterpawlik2495]

Danke für den sympathischen Kommentar! Absolut richtig: Sehr leicht herumzumäkeln, wenn man es nicht selber singen muss 😄 Und klar: Gedda hatte eine absolut geniale Kehle 👍🙏

[@firstlast6109]

I do not like Kaumanns voice, but no doubt his tecnhique is excelent. Just not my taste.

[@samueljaramillo4221]

Maestro Pavarotti is unbeatable. Kaufmann has that dark sound, very much like a bari-tenor. They were all excellent 👏👏

[@deboraharmstrong4385]

It's a very difficult one, but my emotions were moved by Pavarotti.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment - since music, opera and art in general are about emotions (the ones artists evoke and the ones evoked in the audience): good for you 😊👍

[@ian.marais1202]

Excellent very interesting recording. Jonas Kaufman's souns always too baritonish like in all his arias. But he sang very well. Two Chinese gentlemen very good. Piotr Bescella outstanding as always. Pavarotti the king and last Russian singer absolutely amazing. Thank you for posting this glorious video

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your thoughts. And I am glad you liked the young Russian singer as well. I didn't know him before I did this video and was very, very impressed by him. I expect great things from him in the future.

[@hummarstraful]

I think we agree! See my post

[@peterpawlik2495]

@@hummarstraful we do 🙂

[@dennislovinfosse6293]

Thank you for this presentation. An excellent idea! It's interesting to note that Strauss did not like tenors. This aria was supposedly written to spite them with its fiendish level of difficulty to sing as well as its placement in the opera as an insignificant role. And when the tenor character tries to reprise the song after a short interruption, an argument breaks out between two characters in the opera and the tenor has to stop singing mid-song. But, despite the belittling of the tenor he sings what surely must be one of the most beautiful tenor arias ever. All the tenors you present are, of course, world class, each with their own take on the piece. However, I think it's still hard to surpass Luciano. He may be gone from us but his voice will live on!

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment and for your funny (and probably correct) way of describing Strauss' relationship with tenors 😄 And yes: To add Pavarotti to the list of "competitors" is not really fair to the other singers as outstanding they might be...🙄

[@helgawolter5816]

Beczala Wunderbar. J.Kaufmann unvergleichbar...the Best!

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment 🙏🙂

[@siegridhahn5255]

Für mich ist und bleibt Jonas Kaufmann der Beste. Er singt jede Arie mit so vie Gefühl und schauspielerischen Können das es eine Freude ist ihm zuzuhoeren.

[@SimonTBam]

Without any doubt whatsoever Luciano Pavarotti was the most accomplished at this aria. He looked virtually effortless delivering long flowing lines of legato, where as all of the others looked taxed to one degree or another. All however delivered excellent performances. Kaufmann has a very dark timbre to his voice but can color his voice to sound lighter but this takes off an 'edge'.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment! Yeah, that's the Pavarotti miracle: making it look easy...

[@SimonTBam]

@@peterpawlik2495 Indeed. That is why sometimes it is almost a pleasure to see Luciano really show effort. Examples of this include his absolutely stunning Top D flat singing the Addio Addio from Rigoletto with Dame Joan Sutherland in their joint concert from what was the Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, and Luciano's performance of Celeste Aida at the Gala which I think was for Beverly Sills, where he absolutely gives his all sustaining the Top B at his concluding 'un trono vicino al 'sol'..... '

[@gonzalocuadra8657]

All of them good tenors... But Pavarotti, just hearing the first phrase, you know this going to be as it is, a loving proposal, a pleasure, an aureal soaring love statment of love and music. Not a conquest, not a contest, not just a show off. Ah, and BTW... Richard Strauss really hated tenors 🤭

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment! Yeah, if there is something like reincarnation I would love to be re-born as a tenor. But definitely not as a Strauss-tenor 😄

[@thegigi4109]

I love Kaufmann -- warm chocolate with a shot of espresso -- but Danilov's voice is a beautiful tone. And he has expressive eyes.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment! I like it that you take other qualities besides the voice alone into your consideration. A singer does create a believable character on stage not only with his voice but with facial expressions and the way he or she moves etc. too 🙂👍

[@mortalclown3812]

Danilov - worth keeping an eye on. Glad to see this on my feed: appreciate your generous spirit re: what it takes to sing very difficult pieces and towards singers, overall. And, from this American chick opera fan - I adore Strauss - you're pretty 🔥 yourself, sir.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your kind and supportive comment - it means a lot especially coming from another Strauss aficionado 🙏 😊

[@gerontius3]

Pav did this live at the Met back around 1998. Luxury casting. He was a sensation. Two people pushed their way out of their row and left the auditorium right afterwards, they only came to hear him - assholes.

[@peterpawlik2495]

I don't get it either. There is so much more wonderful music coming after this - how can people deprive themselves of that pleasure 🤦‍♂

[@samgizzi4131]

I would like to have heard Santiago Ballerini singing this. But, it’s Pavarotti here for me.

[@romalisan1]

Since composers don't need to sing, they don't care whether or not singers need to breathe. After all, if they suffocate and die on scene, there won't even be a need to pay the fee. Mr. Kaufmann has everything a singer could have. I think his dark voice is spectacular. Mr. Pavarotti cannot enter the competitions, as he would win them all. He's hors concours.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment! True, sometimes one can get the impression that composers don't take the singers' biological capabilities into consideration. And I am glad they don't since that's what gifted us with the most amazing music. As you may know orchestras deemed the music of Tristan and Isolde impossible to play when they first were challenged to rehearse it back in the day 😄 I agree that Pavarotti would probably be unbeatable in each competition so I will better not include him in future comparisons 😬 Again thank you for your comment, I appreciate it very much!

[@MzRedDear]

Pavarotti and then Danilov!

[@peterpawlik2495]

We know that Pavarotti in most of his favorite arias is in a class of his own but I am glad you liked Danilov as well 😊

[@paulobraga4488]

Pra mim a melhor interpretação foi de Jonas Kaufmann. Jonas tem uma técnica perfeita de respiração e sem dúvida o que tem mais sentimento por ser também um excelente ator. Eu particularmente adoro a sua voz um pouco baritonal.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for watching the video and for your comment 😊🙏

[@peterpawlik2495]

It's so interesting: when just reading your comment i was able to understand most of it, thanks to my very basic knowledge of Spanish and Italian. But when I listen to your beautiful language: zero 😳😄

[@SilfredoSerrano]

Pavarotti is King! I loved Bezcala as well. Well, this Russian tenor is news to me! I have not seen or heard him! I rather like him!

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment! When I listen to all those young tenors I am pretty optimistic about opera's future...

[@carsten8635]

Alle ziemlich perfekt! Kaufmanns Timbre finde ich immer wieder sehr gewöhnungsbedürftig. Daher: Bezala, Pavarotti…

[@maestromuffin1]

it's so cool when you go back and hear Pavarotti.....however, having listened to this aria MANY times on his King of the high C's album - I can say with confidence that the recording was dubbed in here. It's still, amazing, but it was not live.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Whaaaaat??? Are you sure? That's hard to believe. But if you are right it was done extremely well 😬

[@maestromuffin1]

@@peterpawlik2495 look carefully and see that it's dubbed - not lip syncing - as he was singing live at the met.

[@MichaelGuettler]

It's called "digital delay" and has nothing at all to do with dubbing. There is no doubt that here Pavarotti sings live.

[@maestromuffin1]

@@MichaelGuettler we're gonna have to agree to disagree. Yes he's singing live(it was at the met) but all the phrasing and breaths are from his studio recording.

[@peterpawlik2495]

@@MichaelGuettler Makes sense - thanks for clearing this up 🙂👍

[@peterdevita6308]

Love Kaufmann, but I do find his dark timbre not as pleasant as some might find it. He has such a baritonal quality to his voice that the term Bari-tenor truly suits his quality of singing! Pavarotti is great and I've heard him sing "Di rigori armato il seno" very often, and it's a delight.......... The Russian tenor Danilov hits a big home run with this, actually so much better than Kaufmann. By the way, this is neither the greatest tenor aria ever written nor is it the most difficult to sing. That is patently absurd, as gorgeous as it is. There are too many great favourites for me to choose a single one. It's an impossible task.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for watching the video and for your comment! I find your observation about Kaufmann being a potential Bari-tenor interesting although I am not sure I would agree 100%. For me the perfect personification of a Bari-tenor would be someone like Michael Spyres, who has the ability to sound like a real baritone or like a real tenor but never at the same time. Kaufmann has a very unique sound which some people love and some people don't. But in the end it's like those smart-ass Roman said: De gustibus non est disputandum 😄 I am glad you liked Mr.Danilov. I hope to see more great things from him in the future! Again thank you for your comment and all my best!

[@giselamarch1994]

Mr. Kaufmann's dark voice reminds me of Franco Corelli , the il Primo.

[@Mestrcs]

Excellent video,as usual! My preferred in no particular order are Kaufman, Pavarotti and Danilov, simply because they sing effortlessly and with incredible legato. Both Chen and Lee are good, but they seem to have lighter voices that although they fit the aria, do not provide the same level of excitement. I love Beczala, but he seems to struggle a bit with the legato. I guess the best one is your performance, unfortunately there was a connection problem at the end of the video, but I have seen the press articles that included the police reports when your neighbours complained about the noise! 😊 when in doubt, sing louder!

[@williamnethercott4364]

I have to agree. I'm not really a fan of Pavarotti but he performed this very well. I liked the tone of Kaufmann's voice and Danilov's performance but I would struggle to say which one I liked most or least.

[@peterpawlik2495]

@@williamnethercott4364 The good thing: you don't have to make a decision and just like all of them equally 😊👍 Thank you for your comment, I appreciate it a lot!

[@peterpawlik2495]

I should have been offended by the last paragraph of your comment but I was laughing too hard 😂 Especially since there is a lot of truth to it - my poor neighbors... Thank you for your comment - my ranking looks pretty similar to yours...

[@NemesisTheInevitable]

Il lamento di Federico is probably the most lovely tenor aria.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment - yes, it's a wonderful aria! The most beautiful? I imagine if you ask 10 opera fans which aria is the most beautiful you will get 10 different answers 😄

[@davidwebber9511]

Mario lanza recording is the best

[@wotan10950]

To be honest, I really don’t like this aria, although I like the opera itself very much. I think the most beautiful tenor arias are by Verdi (my vote is Ah si ben mio, from Trovatore), and perhaps A te o cara, from Puritani, Bellini. If they’re sung well, you can really believe you’re in heaven. If you want to stay with German arias, Wintersturme is amazingly beautiful.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment and for your alternativ suggestions - I love them all 🙂🙏

[@davidwebber9511]

Lanxa recording of both arias his the best.

[@gypsyassassin2004]

Pavarotti ... of course. (By the way, that high note is written as a C-FLAT, not a B natural...)

[@ESilva-qv1uv]

Pavarotti forever! But there are better and more beautiful and difficult arias than this one

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment! You might be right that this is not the most difficult or most beautiful tenor aria out there. In your opinion: which aria would that be?

[@ESilva-qv1uv]

@@peterpawlik2495 Difficult to sing properly: Celeste Aida, Rachel aria (La Juive), Un di all'azuro spacio (Andrea Chenier)

[@peterpawlik2495]

@@ESilva-qv1uv I would agree. They are really difficult. And they are beautiful 🙂

[@MrOlogramma]

Pavarotti è insuperabile The King, sembra scritta per lui

[@zoransakotic756]

Pavarotti, there's no doubt.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment 🙏

[@acardi48]

Pity that Gedda and Wunderlich are missing...

[@truthhitman7473]

Mario Lanza 👑

[@pavarotti744]

I know the aria very well. Also that, Pavarotti is impregnable in his recording of it. I cant imagine and, don't wish to, let alone hear the absurd sounds of Kaufman having the brass neck to even attempt this music.

[@mimikrya8794]

I'm not looking for a hair in the egg (like you 🙂) because I'm not that interested about tenors. I recently saw Kaufmann and Beczala live for the first time. I went to see Aida (Wiener opera) because of Kaufmann, and Lohengrin because of Wagner (Paris opera). Result: All the lead singers outperformed Kaufmann so I was disappointed. On the other hand, Beczala unexpectedly pleasantly surprised me by far surpassing all the other singers. Of course, it was not about "Di rigori armato il seno", nor about the RECORDING. And maybe Kaufmann was having a bad day 🤔. (Unfortunately, Pavarotti was no longer alive when I became interested in opera😥)

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment! To tell you the truth I didn't want to make a video about tenors but about this amazing aria. Unfortunately (😄) this aria comes with tenors - what can you do 🤷‍♂

[@gerontius3]

Pavarotti is easily the best here - a classic lyric tenor with proper Italian diction. Corelli would have been good at this..............

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment - yes, Pavarotti was really phenomenal in most of what he was doing on stage!!!

[@n.n.5293]

I think Strauss really and passionately hated Tenors. The Bacchus in „Ariadne auf Naxos“ is also extremely unforgiving as far as I know. I also feel this aria isn‘t as emotional as for example „nessun dorma“. This is just a singer, playing a singer. I tend to find Strauss is often on a few too many layers of awareness and irony. Taken at face value the aria is pretty great though.

[@peterpawlik2495]

You are right - singing Bacchus is the ultimate test (together with Tristan) of stamina. I mean, the last phrases of Bacchus in this opera: "Und eher sterben die ewigen Sterne, eh' denn du stürbest aus meinem Arm!" - that's glorious but slightly sadistic composing 😄

[@KajiVocals]

Strauss hated everyone, not just tenors.

[@peterpawlik2495]

@@KajiVocals 😂

[@moltedo37]

Of course it easy for Pavarotti for the simple ŕeason that he sing in own language. It would be different if ha had to sing something in Corean

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment - you make a very good point here.

[@Raulgermont]

But, after announcing that you were going to sign Di Rigori Armato, you didn't!! Of the six tenors, my favorite three: Kaufman, Pavararotti and Beczala. All excellent.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment! - so sorry that my performance of Di rigori was cut out because of technical problems which is a a real loss for the world of opera since my interpretation was equally sublime and powerful. What a shame...😄

[@Raulgermont]

Maybe, you could include it in a future video. Regards.@@peterpawlik2495

[@hummarstraful]

1) Pavorotti 2) Danilov 3) Beczala I agree that Kaufman is fantastic but I also agree that his timbre is too dark at times. Didn't really care much for the two Asian tenors.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment - I think your choice of the top 3 is very reasonable. I liked the tenors from China and Korea as well but although they have beautiful voices they are not quite at the level (yet). Maybe for a different repertoire like Nemorino or Ernesto?

[@09lohengrin]

Sorry, Beczala´s breathng is too small; he had to take breath inbetween the ograses and this destroyed the line..... Kaufmanns appeanance was set as an "ironic" scene; thats the only way to interprete that strange "aria"; all surrounding is played realky funny including the spagett-plate!

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

None of these singers are good at singing Nessun Dorma, it is not really their repertoire, they may good at other arias. The best by far was Franco Corelli. You need a powerful and big voice to sing this aria and to do this role justice. The role of Calaf was originally written for Giacomo Lauri Volpi who had incredibly strong high notes full of squillo. The orchestra for Turandot is as big as a wagnerian orchestra, with a lot of brass instruments. The tenor needs to sing over big choirs and alongside a very dramatic soprano, this is not a role for light lyric tenors.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment! Corelli was indeed an outstanding Calaf!!

[@elenajha4357]

Is ingolato Kaufmann great? Really??

[@peterpawlik2495]

There are contradictory opinions of if he is singing ingolato 🤷‍♂ To quote David Leigh, who himself is an opera singer: " I’d argue there are two real ways of telling if the voice is ingolata: is it bright as well as dark? And is it sustainable through an evening of singing in an exciting way? In Kaufmann’s case, the answers are both resounding yeses, and that’s why he’s the most in-demand tenor around at the moment" I am not an expert in singing techniques myself so my opinion about this is irrelevant. All I can say is that there are some roles in which he is very exciting ... Thank you for your comment and all my best to you!

[@NemesisTheInevitable]

He is not really a tenor... I think.

[@JillSullivan-r3t]

There is no one who comes close to Kaufmann.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Thank you for your comment - good for Kaufmann that he has dedicated fans like you 😊🙏

[@firstlast6109]

Bavarians are not German! They are the last Red Indians of Europe

[@jefolson6989]

It's not beautiful. Strauss made it difficult on purpose because he hated the tenor voice. That said Pavarotti handles it well.

[@michaelfischerbauer4434]

Pavarotti always like fat hot pasta boiling, horrible

[@peterpawlik2495]

I am confused... pasta has just about 1,1 grams of fat in 100 grams of pasta. The rest is mainly carbohydrates. So if you want to avoid fat pasta would be a great choice. Here is a great step by step video on how to cook the perfect pasta: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o36ykoWfi8lgadEsi=6-zm3fXFSW1hUOD4

[@jenspflug7473]

@@peterpawlik2495 😂😂😂 Dem hast du's gegeben....

[@peterpawlik2495]

@@jenspflug7473 Ich weiß gar nicht, wovon du redest 🙄🙄🙄😄

[@davidwebber9511]

Pavarotti voice is very thin a lacks tone and emotion.

[@RememberGodHolyBible]

Deceiuers ſhould not teach.

[@peterpawlik2495]

Meaning?

[@RememberGodHolyBible]

@@peterpawlik2495 He is pꝛomoting a bunch of hack frauds that call them ſelues opera ſingers. There is a conſpiracy to keep people from knowing how to ſing. There are many intentional deceiuers online who teach voice and opera that are intentionally lying and are aſſigned to do this by the Maſons/Ieſuits/Vatican.

[@RememberGodHolyBible]

I would exclude Pavarotti from being a hack fraud, the man could ſing, but Kaufmann and the others, no, that is not operatic ſinging. Pavarotti was pꝛetty euill though being a friend of the woꝛld and Rome.