Richard Tucker & Cornell MacNeil - Dio, che nell'alma infondere (1970 live)

[@MrJohnnystott]

Biggest sound I ever heard come out of a male singer was MacNeil's high G at end of "Pari siamo" with Met on tour with Rigoletto in 1970

[@delosreyesgavikanes]

We don't have these voices any more, not only big voices,but lots of squillo, and both Americans !, WHoaao!!!! -

[@stevevandien310]

Two great Verdi voices. Each was arguably a little past his prime here. Even so, they are overwhelmingly better than any tenor and baritone in this repertoire today --

[@SilverSingingMethod]

Phenomenal.

[@jackblackhall]

This was the first opera I ever performed. I was 15yrs. old in the chorus for this performance.........

[@photo161]

I find it so difficult to believe that this performance occurred as late as 1970. especially as regards Tucker who sounds so very much in his prime here, And that was not the case when I heard him in the house in 1970. Is there any possibility that this could be from an earlier performance?

[@道-p2e]

Steel inlay of Tucker to mix with that large real baritone sound of Gigantic MacNeil... what a real treat to those sitting LIVE!

[@GermanOperaSinger]

Just listened them, I think it depends on what you call a sob. His heavily accented phrases, occasionally accompanied by that cantorial 'hiccup' is probably what you had in mind. I was thinking more along the lines of the kind of sobbing you hear at the end of Act III Manon Lescaut. As far as I know he never breaks down like that in any of Verdi's roles. I know Tucker was hammy at times but virtually every Italian spinto tenor of great acclaim was hammy so there's no reason to single him out. =)

[@shicoff1398]

correct and h sobbed Less then some others, a heavy accent is not a sob, also the cantorial sob was only on occasion in roles like Tosca, Ballo and Pagliacci and not every time, he did not sob in the Forza aria as was said in a comment here. He was a great tenor, especially live over studio rec.

[@billhobbins8823]

Two great singers give a great account of this iconic duet. What I wouldn’t give to hear singing like this nowadays! Modern audiences would lose their minds! These two men were such distinctive artists with immediately recognizable voices. I would love to have heard this in the house!

[@SilverSingingMethod]

He sang into his 60's though. Throughout any career there are highs and lows. Look up Nulla Silzenzio with MacNeil. Still better than anyone singing today.

[@道-p2e]

Proudly all USA cast, great duet. I love both, finest artist!!!

[@sugarbist]

Both Tucker and Mac Neil are marvelous here.What a great duet

[@CuteDeadlyBunny]

I wonder how many other Voyager fans are here, I love these duets after the doctor sang a few on Star Trek

[@tenorschofield]

BRAVOOOO; a master class on scene of this two wonderful singers!!!. This is waht I neede to learn this wonderful part!!!, thanks for sahring with all us this divine piece.Braviiii!!!!!!!!!!!

[@jmccracken1963]

Let's also keep in mind that Tucker first sang this role in 1951, at the Met, and as recently as the fall of 1968, also at the Met, and quite a few times in between, so what we get here with him is the distillation of 19 years of experience in the role and the opera - AND here we also have him with an equally outstanding artist as Rodrigue (as when Tucker and Merrill or Bastianini (at the Met) or Gobbi (at Lyric) sang together) AND with an outstanding conductor, too (as with Stiedry or Abbado).

[@Ankhsnammon]

Sentite,americani...parlate n Italiano quando parlate di Verdi!!1 Come? Noi,sudamericani,schiavi,poveri,miserabili,conosciamo le lingue straniere...e voi soltanto scrivete in Inglese? Perdóno...in americano,che non é neanche Inglese Superbi..siete superbi... Questi meravigliosi artisti sono cosí magnifici perché non sembrano Americani...ma d'altrove!

[@ShawDAMAN]

My favorite tenor/baritone duet, and I can't think of 2 better singers to sing it. Macneil was incredible in his prime- maybe someone could enlighten me, I don't know the details but apparently he didn't last as long as he should/could have? (technical issues) but what a voice.

[@GermanOperaSinger]

He started to develop a wobble in the passagio area rather early in his career, but I'm not sure why. You can actually hear a little bit of that here.

[@thomasrexdale3706]

Two big voices--i sang with both of them in the early 70s in the ensemble McNeils voice was really canon-like --i heard him drown out Domingo in the Forza duet--instead of taking the C sharp at the end he went up to the high A with Domingo--tremendous==much more body up there than D! Same is true here w Tucker!--Tuckers of course cuts through because of the brightness and that they were not totally together on the words.

[@MsReinal]

gh

[@HTP-pb4iz]

Thomas Rexdale if you are going to comment at least get the name correctly. really it's MacNeil. Thank-you. Susan MacNeil Keuter

[@shicoff1398]

Yes and Tucker is 57 years old by this time.

[@leadoffeohippus]

I think I remember Shore commenting on a macneil video that it was from singing extremely open all the time. I dunno. In any case, I enjoyed this upload.

[@ericgraber3798]

I have been compared to a combination of Merrill & MacNeil.... WOW! a compliment indeed... THANKS Maestro F.

[@davidleedutton]

I was there in the audience for this performance, at Severance Hall in Cleveland. Extraordinary.

[@legatofancier]

Thrilling performance of one of my favorite tenor-baritone duets! If there is a tenor and baritone who can equal this kind of singing today, I don't know about them.

[@LadyWoodlark]

Magnificent! Gorgeous singing, and the the most exciting performance of this duet I can remember hearing.

[@Ruffiello]

Great singing! Thanks for sharing this.

[@GermanOperaSinger]

Even Caruso sobbed, it isn't annoying unless you do it in the wrong repertoire. Tucker never sobbed in Verdi or French roles, only in verismo operas, and after all, isn't conveying 'real' emotions what you're supposed to do in those? You don't hear tenors like Wunderlich sob because the repertoire they specialized in didn't require sobbing.

[@Wolfcrag85]

I've listened to the whole performance and confess it has become one of my favorite recordings of this much-beloved opera. A thrilling version made even greater by the presence of one of the best orchestras in the world (The Cleveland Orchestra). Everyone gives their best: Tucker is passionate, Macneil is a tower of strenght, Tucci heartbreaking and dignified, Flagello's gorgeous tone and authority, Coster is a rock-solid Eboli (there would be no competiton today) and even Vinay, taking quite a gamble, is menacing and makes you sit up and listen to this sinister character.

[@christianlibrul]

I saw MacNeil do Amonasro and Rigoletto in Memphis, late '70s. He had the biggest voice I ever heard. Pretty good actor.

[@GermanOperaSinger]

I don't recall him sobbing in Verdi. He sobbed in Puccini operas all the time (Tosca, Lescaut, Fanciulla). Puccini was a versimo composer, but Verdi was not. Where does he sob?

[@ShawDAMAN]

halavey: If you read all my comments you will see I was not putting down Tucker at all. I was simply responding to a comment by GOS that said he "never sobbed in Verdi" which I misunderstood. For the umpteenth time, SOBBING DOESN'T BOTHER ME. Ha ha. :-P

[@ShawDAMAN]

I think some people just don't like sobbing in any repertoire. I can respect that. It has never bothered me though. Not at all. Tucker did sob in Verdi sometimes, didn't he? Did you mean Puccini maybe? I can think of plenty of times he sobbed in Verdi.

[@assindiastignani]

MacMeil's voice was a cannon - the biggest ever. His Pagliaggi Prolog is still untouched. Not just a voice though, such an artist. Nobody could make the audiences cry like he could as Rigoletto.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

He started to uncover too high and it shifted the voice out of balance; the registers.

[@marujaaparicio1009]

Lindas voces

[@Mooorhe]

MacNeil isn't even in his prime here and is fantastic. He was a singing actor and sang incredibly, especially in the 1950s and 1960s. Hearing accounts of his singing at the Met, courtesy of a regular in the 1960s, makes me wish I'd heard him more than any other baritone. I'm sure Tucker sounded better in the house, but the recordings don't obscure the fact that he sobbed and accented heavily, as they supposedly do for the quality of his voice.

[@GermanOperaSinger]

Thanks for the info and the story, I have corrected the date.

[@Herur22]

Great duet.

[@ShawDAMAN]

Ah OK. Yes, to me that's a sob but I see what you're saying. I agree, there's no call to single Tucker out. I was just surprised to see you say he "never sobbed in Verdi" but I see now we had slightly different things in mind. :)

[@ShawDAMAN]

Well he sobs plenty in "O tu che in seno agli angeli" for starters. ;-P I've never really payed much attention to it but I think there are other occasions..

[@ShawDAMAN]

Also in "Quando le sere al placido" and other spots in "Luisa Miller." I'm not pointing this out because I don't like it, I do. I'm just saying. =)

[@ShawDAMAN]

I agree and I listened to that. No one with a voice like his today (that I know of.)

[@photo161]

Two titans...

[@deutschefach]

I have not heard singing like this since the last time I sang with Lado Ataneli. I think these two were atomic on this evening. Awesome and the real thing. No pretenders here.

[@deutschefach]

I have not heard singing like this since the last time I sang with Lado Ataneli. I think these two were atomic on this evening. Awesome and the real thing. No pretenders here. Wow they are out of this world. I can not remember when I have heard either sound better live. They really egg another on to be the best. Quite an accomplishment for both. Wow! Respect!

[@Campuscoll]

Cleveland 1971 - Levine conducting

[@sospello]

Great addition to the interpretations of this duet on YT- thank you.

[@jordipanadesribera6890]

Yesterday voices.

[@jackblackhall]

Also, this was actually performed in 1971.

[@photo161]

a really spectacular performance...

[@photo161]

thanks for the info...fascinating...

[@ransomcoates546]

Why such a fast tempo with these glorious voices?

[@assindiastignani]

Yes, Tucker was often criticized for his "sobbing" and his supposed "bad" acting (I never saw it in twenty years)But the point is: his "weaknesses" would be the strengths of any of the rather miserable lot of light-weights pretenders currently trying (unsuccessfully) to sing this repertory.With Tucker, the sheer beauty and technical perfection of his singing,the overwhelming passion and sincerity made everything else unimportant.Iwould trade every Carlo of the last 15 years to have him back.

[@assindiastignani]

Luciano had what we call "una voce che corre." It carried well. In certain roles (Duca, Nemorino, Rodolfo,Arturo for instance) he was quite stunning.As Riccardo & Cavaradossi you could always hear him, but it was a very lyric sound. Towards the end the MET started using mikes (not just with him) but you could always hear the difference between his voice & the amplification. The only role I heard him in live where the voice was just too small was Calaf.But, he said that himself.