Gigli & DeLuca - Pearlfishers duet

Beniamino Gigli and Guiseppe De Luca singing the duet from Bizet's Pearlfishers - Del Tempio Al Limitar - for Victor in 1927. One of the most beautiful arias in all of opera and this is perhaps the best recording of it. I'm not ashamed to admit that I got choked up towards the end of this record.

[@amantedellopera1681]

To all young tenors and baritones,this is a master class in singing this duet,infact in singing anything,gigli gorgeous honey toned voice and de luca,measured immaculate,refined,top drawer singing like a fine wine

[@dellonman]

Dad played a tape copy of this when I was a boy, on the way to school, along side the Bjorling- Merrill version. We would compare the voices and what we preferred. I miss him and those days so much but this wonderful rendition makes me feel closer to him. Wonderful clarity on an old recording.

[@valdavoce5667]

Sheer perfection! Thank you for this and the singers of old who shall live forever thanks to people like you!

[@HeinrichGermany1]

I am 70 years old. When I was a little boy, my father played this recording with Gigli in Italian and I thought it was wonderful. I no longer heard this recording, only in French and with other singers. This record is exactly the one I was always looking for and now found. She is still so beautiful. No anoter tenor can sing it like him.

[@orbitalnumismatics8883]

I've never in my life heard something so perfect. I think my soul just exploded in euphoria.

[@SunSign]

Mine too.

[@enocjordanabi4207]

I can relate to this comment.

[@GeorgeTennesseeWiseman]

Simply stunning. Nineteen Twenty-Seven. Magnificent!

[@pedrinrj]

This rendition can be defined with one simple word: Tears. Opera singing can hold hundreds of methods, techniques, nuances and anything you can think about music. But the final goal is the same, for every singer; to bring to the audience the emotion and the feelin that the author and himself intended to express. To lift us up to that unique place that only music can make. Gigli was a master in this.

[@nthdegree1269]

Gigli's voice there, shone like the sunshine through the dark clouds. What a voice. Perfect match with Deluca

[@rothvinbosley1335]

That is just unbelievable singing. How great it is!

[@philpryor7524]

Here is something precious forever, remembered from young days and treasured.., it has hair raising qualities of pure magic, with the Bizet creative touch, so wonderful.

[@shicoff1398]

Beautiful recording of the duet usually sung in Original French, still this has many pluses. Gigli then the greatest lyric tenor in the world and his voice blended well with De Luca, just as Bjoerling blended so well with Merrill in their recording of it in the very early 1950's.

[@e.b.gilligan7423]

What an extraordinary recording. I was just watching a laughable video of a modern trio, Sole3Mio doing this famous duet and for a remedy I searched for Gigli and the aria title, happily landing on this video. Quite remarkable than an old technology and player could deliver such richness and a sense of immediacy, all these years later and after being transferred to a new medium.

[@Beevac]

I have this recording on the 1962 (orange) Victor L.P. reissue entitled Beniamino Gigli. It is a superb interpretation of the Pearl Fishers duet.

[@garlasalle]

Gigli and DeLuca. What a treat. Bel canto. Thank you so much for sharing

[@suzannedarroch1149]

Beautiful. My father heard Gigli in Milan Cathedral, so he says and I believe him, at the end of the war. He raised me on this music and Bjorling.

[@anamadrid323]

Maravilloso !!!!

[@guidodiamanti6374]

Il TOP dei tenori per questa opera. Gigli Beniamino RIP

[@wildcardcis]

What is truly amazing is how they synchronize their vibratos in the duet portions.

[@brookeggleston9314]

The same thing happens with Caruso/Ancona. Absolutely amazing!!😿💜

[@FranzFischerSDG]

Gigli can make you cry. I love to hear Schipa singing this duet. They sing with their soul and beauty, not muscle to make big sound. alas, true art of Bel Canto is history.

[@robertjames2895]

Simply put, the "honeyed" tone of Gigli coupled with that immaculate legato has to be one of the greatest most beautiful sounds ever to be produced from a man's tenor throat.

[@curedbytheonomy]

No opera singer would ever produce a sound from their throat.

[@robertjames2895]

+tenacioustenor That is nonsense. See if anyone can produce sound without vocal cords!

[@Agorante]

Right! I often beat on my chest.

[@riamorgan7734]

The definitive version of this duet

@@curedbytheonomy hahahahahahahah yeah right, we produce it with our butts probably?

[@franzbernasek4058]

wonderful, grandioso duetto

[@edwardfmurphy]

Easily the best recording of this, by far!

[@Jimmers-y2b]

I had this on an old Pearl recording. Was always one of my faves. Such clarity

[@jfranciscus9641]

This is the most beautiful voice I have heard. I can't even imagine what he would have sounded like in his prime on a good studio recording with all the bells and whistles. His voice is pure, ravishing, rich and supple. Gigli in my view, had the most beautiful voice ever recorded.

[@Nangis123]

Very enjoyable . Giuseppe de Luca sounds really good

[@RolandMartinRobertsMusic]

No more fishing required. The pearl has been found! The last chord is beauty and truth....

[@bens5863]

Thank you for transmitting this treasure to the rest of us, especially via the O.G. equipment.

[@AnnabelleDrumm]

Just sublime!

[@Ivanhoe2]

I haven't heard this recording for many years. Thankyou very much for posting it. Your splendid equipment has served us very well yet again. Best wishes.

[@nym2866]

Lagrimas , que belleza

[@carolynhope1]

Of all the recordings of this duet, this is my alltime favorite. Such a beautiful blending of voices especially at the end. imo, it even beats the most celabrated recording of Bjoerling and Merrill..

[@henrywebb9320]

I owned this lovely recording on a78 many years ago & it's still my favourite. It's safely tucked away on a mini disc. Were there ever 2 more beautiful voices singing this duet even in this cut version? Henry Webb Pontypool Wales

[@jhb134]

Almost everyone (if not everyone) loves the Bjorling/Merrill version, but this is a MOST-REMARKABLE evidence of one, other great duo (Gigli/de Luca) of the splendid days of earlier recordings. There's an even, older version that "holds water" - Carusa and Mario Ancona.

[@voynaimir3]

John B I love all three versions.

[@zulfugaraxmadov2170]

+John B - The first person who totally makes sense!! Starting a competition between B/M and G/dL renditions is totally absurd - they are way beyond any comparison. But not mentioning in this context Caruso/Ancona is totally bizarre!!! Errico Caruso - this is his real name - occupies among vocalists, roughly speaking, the same position as Busch among composers. He created the modern singing, which unfortunately is practically gone by now. Bjoerling, possibly, being one of the last stars from the Golden Era's pantheon. The previous comment from +Barbara Richards is short but right into the point, naturally. +Franz Fischer mentions Schipa in this same context. I would pay high price to hear him with any baritone. His daughter called him "If not the best tenor, then surely the best singer in the world" If this is true, then Caruso is the best of both. Anyway Caruso, Gigli and Schipa in my mind are the three Fathers of the golden era (Lauri-Volpi and Martinelli, please forgive me) and Bjoerling - the son-decender of them. By the way Bjoerling and Caruso had the same physical structure, same apparatus for singing and Errico's widow, Dorottea, who loved Bjoerling dearly, even allowed the younger one to wear her late husband's costume from Rigoletto.So, if anyone knows how to get to Schipa's rendition, please put it on! La prego!

[@richardkell4888]

Yes, all three versions are pure gold ...

[@MrGer2295]

Wonderful singing ! Thank you so much :)

[@paulostroff99]

Only the equally gorgeous Bjorling/Merrill recording dares comparing to this!Glorius indeed!Bravo.

[@MsMarioMatteo]

The greatest lyric tenor ever.

[@wolfganganderl]

!!!!!!!!!! : Beniamino Gigli !

[@Lemma01]

Choked at the end? They had me inside two minutes.... Quite beautiful.

[@jimbosyl]

Thank you so much. Beautiful!

[@juttajoines9749]

Fascinating, those old recordings! Thank you so much.

[@jfranciscus9641]

This is the greatest version of this. And yes, I also admit that I "choked up" No other version contains the emotion of Gigli, except for the Caruso-Ancona one.

[@gemmadestate3216]

Due voci maschili che diventano"celestiali".Da brividi!

[@josephdiluzio6719]

Mr. Franciscus is spot on: the only other version of this heavenly duet is the Caruso Ancona rendition where the blend between tenor and baritone is even more uncannily harmonious

[@AulicExclusiva]

Gigli's singing is simply rapturous-what sensuality of timbre, what voluptuous phrasing! I wish Gigli had recorded this with Riccardo Stracciari-another if only!

[@zciweslab]

lovely. thank you for posting this.

[@davedennon9087]

I keep seeing links in other versions about this version. SO I am here and I am completely stunned. Up and until this day, I held the Bjorling/Merrill version as being unbeatable. This is version is it. It just can't get any better than this. Gigli had one beautiful voice, its as if the voice is just pouring with any effort. I saw other links on Gigli recently and this guy had the most beautiful voice I have ever heard.

[@dereklee7453]

Can understand that Roger ... Gigli is my favourite all round tenor and this is a beautiful rendition. Also his version with alphonse Pacini?????

[@joanndenniss8866]

wonderful

[@jl2caliban926]

Magnifico, superbe, Bizet devait être très content...

Thank !! Prima recording, prima duet.

[@guitarmuse2]

I have always ranked that as my favorite version, followed by Jussi Bjorling and Robert Merrill's

[@nthdegree1269]

Same.

[@paulostroff99]

This is right up there with the glorious Bjorling/Merrill performance.

[@vincentmancini6279]

They had voices then!

[@martythetickler]

These guys also do a killer version of the Rigoletto quartet with Louise Homer and Amelita Galli - Curci, but this is amazing too.

[@daved3713]

+BrokenWolf1990 Gigli, pre-diabetes and in his prime, is a wonder of wonders vocally. Love how he and DeLuca blend.

[@alfredbernasek861]

DIE BESTE AUFNAHME DIESES DUETTS ALLER ZEITEN

[@Republicrat74]

In the late 1940's and early 1950's I haunted Chicago Record Shops, looking for classical 78's in their "used" bins...and happened to come upon this very same recording for a dollar. I still have several single-side 78's with Caruso, Galli-Gurci, etc.

[@martincook318]

I Should imagine that this Recording was Made either in the late 1920's or the 1930's although I've never seen it and Beniamino Gigli died in the same year as Arturo Toscanini:1957 and it was such a shame that RCA Victor and His Master's Voice Broke off on Monday September 30th 1957 and went there Sperate ways when RCA switched to DECCA and His Master's Voice Became part of the EMI Group

[@martinkeith5543]

I agree completely, this is by far the best recording second would be Alagna and Terfel no one is as balanced in voice or finishes like these two titans with the golden voice of Gigli such power and purity carries you to another place the aria just flows like gold when in duet the frisson is incredible

[@daved3713]

Martin Keith Absolutely agree. Its 1927 as well. There is a lot not in the recording that we can't hear. the body of the voices, and resonance etc. Yet, the purity is extraordinary. For me, this Italian rendition is my favorite, and the french rendition with Bjorling and Merrill ranks with it. Something about Gigli though.

[@tomsalmon6334]

+Martin Keith Don't you mean Alvarez Terfel?

How can you put Terfel's nasal and muddy voice on the same level as these greats is beyond me

[@xxsaruman82xx87]

Exactly! Terfel and Alagna are both terrible.

[@cindykey7604]

The Hadley version is very nice. But I think this version is beyond anything I have heard myself personally. There is something very special in the way the tenor here (Gigli) is singing, and his voice sounds very beautiful, better than my old favorite which was the Björling and Merrill duet of the same but in French. The baritone blends so beautifully here with the tenor voice, its very special

[@MaxtheWise]

still the best version

[@louisbothewell-travieso7671]

Stunning!

[@zulfugaraxmadov2170]

I have mentioned before that there are several renditions of this duetto, which are beyond any comparison. They are at length discussed below. And this is definitely one of them. What I find extremely alarming is that some of the reviewers quite seriously compare these few pearls to a number of modern recordings. Whether it is Bryn Terfel and Roberto Alagna or Jerry Hadley and Alan Titus, those are quite able modern attempts to join a long closed for any newbies Hall of Fame of Golden Era. The door is locked, the key is somewhere under the Ocean. Finita. But six years ago someone compared Gigli the Great to certain Eric Cutler in favor of the last one. People! Do you use a different pair of ears when you compare modern vocal professionals to those titans? I know that we all need diversity and we do not argue about taste. But listen to Eric Cutler paired with Diana Damrau in "Tornami a dir che m'ami," from Donizetti's Don Pasquale. Then listen to the same duetto performed by Tito Schipa with Galli-Curci, or with Dal Monte, or with Saraceni. If you retain a slightest desire to go back, well, let's not keep in touch.

[@kristijaas4711]

Bjoerling /Merril is my reference.

[@carolleenkelmann4751]

Just imagine the thrill of the beauty of these old voices with the expanse of modern day recording techniques.

[@Pierre61]

Wonderful.

[@piniaviram8734]

אדיר

[@luisafontela1409]

Parece que tengo a mi querido padre a mi lado,el me enseño a amar la musica

[@carolleenkelmann4751]

I thought to myself, "What an interesting Channel. I should subscribe to it" and then I saw, I already had. I've been chasing after recordings (older/vintage) of this Duet and have just come from a Alfredo Kraus/Taddel recording which is very pleasing also. "Refined singing", as one commmented. None of this cheap slip-sliding about(affectations) lack of technique that so many of the modern day "Star" Tenors embrace.

[@davedennon9087]

How can a voice beat this?

[@harrycantaert3366]

dave dennon jussi bjorling...

[@jallfjallf]

Many compares this with Björling/Merril, not least in my home country Sweden... But listen to the old recording of Caruso and Ancona. It's absolutely fantastic.

[@Tojazzer]

I wish you had uploaded more videos.

[@somersetuk525]

Also admire the Caruso recording !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@tomterreri6364]

Absolutely memorable......especially considering when this was recorded..........I have to be honest, as great as this was , and is, I still have to give the nod too Boerling and Merrill on this duet. Many have done well with piece and Bizet nailed it here.

[@merrihew]

Yes, Kreisler after the early '30's started to decline. But he had his moments. I have a 1943 radio broadcast of the Mendlessohn concerto. The first 1/2 is terrible but then it comes together and is magnificent.

[@js59695]

Why is Hadley getting any love here. He has one of the best versions. Gigli/deluca is amazing and the best as both were masters but look for Hadley's version.

[@jhb134]

@TheInimitableKaka - Oh, it DOES stand-with Bjorling/Merrill ... and Caruso/Ancona is very-singular, also. I diagree with "Richard Taylor" about Gigli's scoops, because his exceptional projection and tone are EQUAL to the task, of the tenor part of the duet. de Luca is scrupulous, inimitable, and very-expressive ... on his own. ... I also agree with lpvcrcd, very much ... and it's great to have THREE, exceptional versions to enjoy, from the Bizet pen! opinions only, of course.

[@zulfugaraxmadov2170]

Bravo!

[@alfredbernasek5422]

DIE SCHÖNSTE AUFNAHME ALLER ZEITEN SIE WIRD NIE ERREICHT WERDEN

[@Fladabosco]

It's in Italian. It used to be more customary to translate operas for the intended audience. 40 years as a classical musician under my belt, with its requisite jading and skepticism, yet my eyes tear up whenever I hear Gigli...

[@peterwozniak5054]

I don't speak Italian. The music - the melody and harmony - are what "speaks" here; language and lyrics are unimportant!

[@guywalker29]

Phenomenal reproduction quality. What type of microphone is used here?

[@merrihew]

Shure KSM109 about 2' off the floor and 10' back from the phono. The room acoustics matter a lot.

[@guywalker29]

@@merrihew You have an laptop mic input or cell? Camera with a mic input? You obtain hi fidelity playback.

[@merrihew]

@@guywalker29 The camera I use has a mike input jack. Then I just download directly to YT.

[@denniswebb7473]

What a lovely old phonograph. Any information on it?

[@transformingArt]

Do You have the Gigli's recording 'Nadir's Romance' from this Opera? It's the only record of Gigli that I enjoyed.

[@raphabenbenjamin]

if you have ears you can hear that de Luca is closer to the mic.

[@brianchambers1508]

only bjorling and Merrill can equal this sublime recording

[@bloodandwinearered]

They surpass it. There are in harmony as one artistic unit. This is discordant in the battle to be heard individually. I love Gigli, but his insistance of rebalancing the recording so that his voice was more obviously heard, spoils this for me. I find it artistically discordant by comparison.

[@joeyspinoza4636]

Disagree . Gigli and DeLuca to my ears sounds superior in every way, not withstanding this was recorded around 1927. So far in the music classes I have taught to students, I have yet to find anyone pick anything above this version and that is going back over 15 years.

[@rainerradack3380]

Brian Chambers

[@MaxtheWise]

@Fladabosco Like I said, this is still the best version :) And it's hard, hard to be surpassed!!

[@merrihew]

I have a poor quality tape of a 1972 Lily Pons concert (her last). Most of it is SO bad. But towards the end she gets it together and is momentarily glorious.

[@mariomessier5748]

Why is the lyric different in this version from the other ones i don't understand ? , you get used to listen the same words ,

[@malcolmdale]

As a young man I went to see Gigli in one of his farewell concerts at the Albert Hall. Sadly it was pathetic. he must have been about 60 and his voice was thin and weak, a shadow of his former wondrtful voice which I could only hear on records.

[@ih5566]

As you know, Gigli suffered from heart disease (I think early in life), and he had diabetes. He also sang regularly at one time, I think it was something like 3 operas and a double bill on Saturday for a week. So monday/wednesday/friday and sat being the double. I believe he did Pagliacci then Cavalleria rusticana for the double. Many times he would sing close to 20 or 30 arias and songs after a full opera. Pavarotti witnessed this himself in an interview, you an see on youtube. He bascially sang more than anyone in a very poor condition of health. When you saw him it would be 1952. I have spoken to a few people who saw him, I recall them years ago. One man in particular saw him 3 times in the 1950s. "He said, one day his voice was weak. The next year I saw him and it sounded like he was 30 years younger." Type the following into youtube: "Beniamino Gigli - Guardate, pazzo son [Puccini - Manon Lescaut] - Rio 1951" Gigli is in his 60s there. Not a good recording, but his voice on that day is very close to what it was from years previous.

[@degreuneful]

Subliem..........

[@ebony1911]

@judykay1229 Answer---Nothing! You have freed yourself form the Callas hype--- a fueled by a great PR job from Angel records and from the Pirate Industry that proliferated after her death.

[@markovican]

Great duet, although I dont know why did they sing it on italian. Melody is still there and sounds good of course. Would be better if they sang it on french as it is the language the opera was writen.

[@pluper222]

It's in Italian professor!

[@merrihew]

Selectively after 1930. He didn't know when to quit. His records from the 1950's are pretty bad. Its interesting that some voices like Melchior hold up so well but others like Gigli fall apart early. Is it poor training or as Melchior said, singing on the interest and not the principal?

[@hartmanthehornplayer7343]

I couldn’t disagree with you more. I think some of his later recordings have the most beautiful smooth tenor imaginable.

[@paulostroff99]

wollestoncraft-Only the Bjoerling/Merrill performance compared to this. I cannot choose between them-and that in itself is not a bad thing!

[@Arundodonax]

I love the singing, just can't do the Italian...

[@RichardTaylor1630]

Beautiful, but Gigli scoops a bit too much to get to the high notes. I prefer Eric Cutler's way of hitting them straight on.

[@pjcoyne6972]

Guiseppe de Luca fantastic baritone .pearxl fishers😅

[@elchengio]

che invidia!

[@MaxtheWise]

It's not in French, right?

[@wollestoncraft]

Gorgeous! Agree w/paulostroff99.

[@anncarr4035]

caruso sang flat, gigli sings true