Leyla Gencer vs. Cornell MacNeil (Rigoletto: "Si, vendetta", live 1961)

[@frankfurter6561]

Macneil was so good that many basses and tenors of our time would die of jealousy when listening to his low and high registers combined.

[@psalmtone2008]

Yeah, he was...Milnes didn't have his highs...

[@thomasdahlen8533]

Milnes voice was very dry and rather small.He was probably a better Wagner helden tenor.Milnes hade no depht in his voice.No velvet sounds.He had not the masculin dark timbre.One of the Most overestimated baritones.Destroyd many Nice and Good opera recordnings in his time.Was never succseseful singer in Europé.Cappuccilli .Mcniel,Bastianini,Wixell,Hvorostovsky,Merrill Zancanaro and Bruson greater singers and actors then Mines.In these days.Sutherland was uniqe.She was La Stupena

[@jonahbrian174]

i know Im asking randomly but does any of you know of a method to log back into an instagram account? I stupidly forgot my login password. I would love any tricks you can offer me!

[@gideongannon2128]

@Jonah Brian instablaster ;)

[@jonahbrian174]

@Gideon Gannon Thanks for your reply. I got to the site through google and Im in the hacking process atm. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.

[@JoanLorraineN]

Both MacNeil and Gencer are FABULOUS in this duet! Of course her E-flat is just effortless and extended. His A-flat is not only forceful but also extended. Where are their equals today??? Not here! Thank God we have these recordings! I far prefer these live recordings to anything from a studio recording today. These were the golden days ..and no one at the time knew it!

[@Jacob-ry3lu]

They both gave a fantastic performance in this duet. Bravo!!!

[@joannilson2900]

Just so PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No two people today sing this duet this way anymore..... How sad for current audiences that this generation is gone..and what we have now can't really come up to this level.

[@johnsoister7198]

I can't believe how I took MacNeil for granted when I was a young man 40 years ago! Bravo, Mac and Leyla!

[@gregorypalmer5403]

He was always there. We DID take him for granted. And Mme. Gencer, another Legend.

[@ancamg]

RIP, Cornell! What a great voice of the century!

[@TheMuerdago]

I am listening to rigoletto from 2005 metropolitan opera production with the Villazon and and Netrebko. Just heard this vendetta duet. How very unsatisfying... Found this gem as an antidote.

[@MisterSoprano]

I did not know she sang Gilda too! This is AWESOME! MacNeil is one of my favourites Rigolettos, and I am in love with Leyla. Also the conductor here is great - he speeds up, when she starts to sing - wonderful!

[@viverito]

MisterSoprano Gencer sang Puritani & Lucia as well. She really sang it all. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIu1noaoo82Gmrc

[@道-p2e]

Such a glorious voice from Giant MacNeil, both are so under appreciated. Great Performance!

[@johnruggeri843]

Sadly I did not see Gencer on Stage. Her singing and in particular the Eb are magnificent here, Mac had the hugest baritone voice I heard on stage and when he was on he was stunning. His Ab here is TITANIC. ENJOY as both singers are WOW.

[@PBXVIILY]

@@XPRT10R MacNeil Ab Gencer Eb I double Checked with my piano and also I’m a professional musician.

[@XPRT10R]

@@PBXVIILY yes, Eb. And I'm a professional musician too. No need to double check at the piano. Dunno what I was thinking that day. LOL 🤣

[@bodiloto]

meravigliosi entrambi ! ***********************infinite*************************

[@romearomeo]

Fantastici

[@bodiloto]

si, è vero !

[@MsGreeceland]

Solo gracias, por poder escuchar éstas voces Electrifica , emociona, diría que asoman las lágrimas.

[@lalagonegaga]

With the audience completely unable to contain themselves - and for obvious reasons. Magnificent.

[@gvbrandolini]

Bravissimi

[@PBXVIILY]

I’m listening to the full recording now……. Too Great for words. Gencer out of this world. BIG MAC larger than life, stupendous!!!!!

[@normalusardo9833]

Gracias por el hermoso recuerdo!! ❤❤❤❤

[@gmmix]

Memorable in the extreme! Thanks much for this recording.

[@andreapacini8974]

McNeil here is pure wonder...one of best Rigolettos ever.

[@IvanHernandez-gx4rt]

La Epoca De Oro del Teatro Colon de Buenos Aires! Bellisimo!

[@paullewis2413]

The golden age for all the leading opera houses of the world. Today, with very few exceptions opera singing has descended to near farce

[@FranciscoFerrerGaliana1930]

Magnifico Dúo

[@pierrefrankinet2495]

Exceptionnel! Difficile d'imaginer une meilleure interprétation.

[@wilsonwatt9283]

Interesting that the conductor attempts a much faster tempo starting the Vendetta but MacNeil takes his own tempo which I think is actually slower than Verdi's score but he makes it work. I had the great privilege of seeing Gencer at the Rome Opera at the height of her career and this excerpt is indicative of the greatness of her work. She was a true Assoluta.

[@airmackeeee6792]

Another conductor tried rushing MacNeil here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHrVcn2gds2AsJY MacNeil would have none of that!

[@specialforces101]

That's a very good spot and indicative of great conducting accompanying great singing Great too to have two such well matched artists as Gencer and MacNeil.

[@art724]

Nailed it is an understatement.

[@horaciofeijoo59]

Magnífica muestra de "BELL CANTO". Tuve la fortuna de presenciarla en el Teatrro Colón de Buenos Aires en ese año de 1961 y completaban el elenco central el tenor Gianni Raimondi en el papel del Duque e Ivo Vinco como Sparafucille. Realmente un regalo divino este duo. ¡Jamas lo olvidaré!

[@BaroneVitellioScarpia1]

meravigliosi entrambi.

[@massimocassano2545]

Brividi, pelle d' oca, o' fridd n' cuoll....

[@JoanLorraineN]

Hi, dear Sezgin -as you well know, the great Leyla could do any role she decided to sing! There is no one today who can equal her artistry or the gamut of her repertoire!! RIP Mme Leyla - you were a gift from God!!!!

[@patriciapaape9238]

Wonderful.Thank you for posting.♫♪

[@martinmariani8974]

MacNeil, gran bel baritono, voce pastosa e possente, sicura in tutti i registri, con acuti agilissimi. Madame Gencer, di una bellezza tenebrosa, un canto lirico-drammatico, note strabordanti e ammalianti, un magnifico soprano!

[@eugeniogentili1048]

MacNeil un vero baritono, altro che Nucci

[@raythespian]

Saw Mac in this role in Philly. The Ab was the same as here, held into the applause.

[@armandoterron3637]

GLORIOUS VOICES. GLORIOUS ACOUSTICS. GLORIOUS ORCHESTRA,,,,,I have sung in that hall. You can not imagine how nice it sounds. No flutter echo whatsoever. One of, if not, the best acoustics in the world.

[@vincenzomesseri3433]

TWO GIANTS !!!

[@esterbruno8604]

Due mostri sacri 💞💗💝

[@ChristainSTARS]

Wow! Pure virile thunder matched by Gencer's thrilling attack! So exciting!

[@cadoh8143]

Fantásticos os dois. Isso é que é cantar.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@sofianec2216]

Grazie tante per questa bellissima registrazione! un cantante che viveva li mi ha racontato:In questo periodo si poteva sentire Mac Neil, Gencer e Jerome Hines al Teatro Colon di Buenos Aires nella stessa sera…Possiamo imaginare il livello di qualità? Un esempio divertente: la gente veniva al teatro solo per il La bemolle di Mac Neil (in Ernani con Hines e Flaviano Labo ) , e poi torneva a casa senza ascoltare le altre "stelle"…!!! Si deve dire che la voce di Mac Neil dal vivo era molto più scura che su questa registrazione. Immortali!!!

[@sarado88]

Wonderful.. Bravi!!!

[@barrybernstein4459]

I have never heard anything like this-FANTASTIC !!!!!!!!!

[@paullewis2413]

Then you haven’t heard MacNeil and Sutherland in the 1961 recording - extraordinary!

[@marylambcarter]

bravaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa divaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa this woman could sing everything bravaaaaaa thanks for the video :)

[@chaten65]

bravo. danke dafür.

[@rdargenio]

It doesn’t get more exciting than this. Phenomenal MacNeil and Gencer.

[@rosemaryallen2128]

Yes, it does! Try singers who act with their voices, instead of concentrating on brilliance.

[@SuperMefistofele]

La epoca de oro del celebre Teatro Colon!!

[@manelsevilla7200]

+Gustavo Capurro Y de la ópera en general. El Liceo de Barcelona, sin Caballé, Carreras, Domingo, Victoria de los Ángeles... ya no es lo que era.

[@valeriomessersi1016]

Due Voci all' apice della Storia del Belcanto !!! 💯

[@MisterSoprano]

Very good! MacNeil is one of my favourites Rigolettos :D And Gencer is one of my top sopranos :D Her top notes are great... But I would not compare this E with Callas's from Mexico, cause that one is realy unique... If I'd compare its power, I'd choose Gencer's Belissario - final note :D

[@marisarossi6692]

favolosi.

[@dubbelhenke854]

Two evergreats!

[@manolis.799]

Wow!

[@MrStpendouslvforjo]

I'm impressed by Gencer here!

[@sethdylanhunt3523]

Bravi!

[@OscarGraumusico]

Braviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

[@d.begumbeycan2635]

There was no magazine behind this woman, but she had a very strong and beautiful voice. Leyla ( Laila) means night and beautiful woman with black hair...

[@stefanogrimaldi4895]

Brividi!!!!!!

[@FranciscoFerrerGaliana1930]

Fantástico dúo

[@er12144]

The greatest!!!

[@JoanLorraineN]

FOREVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

[@chengducat]

Glad I discovered the golden days in my lifetime. Late but not too late

[@lightmotivable]

An audience hurled to its feet before they can even finish the duet. Oh, how long it's been since I've experienced that in the opera house.

[@armandonazarenocerutti9860]

DÚO MAGNIFICANTE EJECUTADO POR LEYLA GENCER y CORNELL MacNEIL , EL TERCERO EN DISCORDIA ERA EL TENOR GIANNI RAIMONDI. UN ESPECTÁCULO EXCELENTE QUE TUVE ELPRIVILEGIO DE ESCUCHAR Y VER. Armando Cerutti - Barítono

[@marylambcarter]

GENCERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[@joannilson2900]

PER SEMPRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@cimbassovr]

Coppia STRAORDINARIA👍😥🥇❤

[@yes4albert]

thank you!!!!!!!

[@Matt-cm8hh]

Exciting singing!

[@sezgin86]

This is Gencer at her best!

[@jocelynen2572]

Lucky audience! All these legends in their best moment.

[@lascosasporsunombreclaroyr7860]

Cornell Mac Neil conocia muy bien su oficio y estaba muy bien dotado para ejercerlo. Fue un gran barítono verdiano

[@robert13007]

A wonderful diva unfortunately ignored by records firms.

[@alwaysnew189]

Sh...t!! Two giants

[@zaitounlouis8400]

Halleluja!!!!

[@Tkimba2]

MacNeil enorme.

[@gioacchinopiazza4663]

Wow

[@ChrisStockslager]

I agree. Her + MacNeil for Rigoletto was a match made in heaven. He makes Milnes sound like Thomas Hampson in terms of size! Haha.

[@hoochikooch]

I heard Milnes in the house many times over the years. His voice was huge. Had vocal troubles in the mid '80's, but MacNeil also developed a severe wobble so.....

[@nybuffymeister8328]

Neal F Milnes had a robust baritone, and cutting, very high voice . Wouldn’t call him huge however. At least not in the category that MacNeil’s voice, was a canon. Compared to today’s voices Milnes was a Ruffo.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Labienus]

I saw Mac in this role a number of times-all of it was fantastic. Will opera ever sound like this again?

[@andresfedericovarizat4375]

Excelente Macneil. Sonido enorme, parejo, legato y "sull fiato". A ello se sumaban gran extensión y agudos increibles. ¿Existe hoy en el mundo un barítono así?. La respuesta es no.

[@armandoterron3637]

NO.

[@MOV1983]

Ya no los hacen como MacNeil.

[@abracadabranque]

Titanesque. Ciao!

[@stefanogrimaldi503]

Top

[@LordMgls]

The BigMac is driving the Colón quite wild with that final note

[@ilkeryener1907]

guzel bır eser

[@premiereopera1]

the truly great voice here is MacNeil, IMO.

[@aarondad]

Pace, Cornell MacNeil.

[@tomterreri6364]

No question MacNeil never did get his deserved due. He was a good one along with Leonard Warren of that era and of course, my favorite Bastianini. These guys could sing!!!!

[@BellaFirenze]

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

[@vajaib]

RIP

[@danakerman]

I agree 100%. First off, he's got a MUCH harder part to sing for where it sits in the voice, especially one as large as his. And it's absolutely riveting. The A flat at the end is glorious, steely, full-throated singing (even if he is more than a bit excessive in how long he holds it).

[@enzocardinale5028]

Finalmente il tempo giusto, bravo anche il direttore Argeo Quadri.

[@Luifernal6]

Buenos tiempos en que los cantantes hacian los agudos sin miedo porque se confiaban de su tecnica ahora temen hacer agudos porque se quedarian mudos para el proximo acto

[@cassandrapynes1001]

I heard Gencer in Rome as Anna Bolena in the height of her career she was amazing

[@sezgin86]

You're right of course. I said lyric coloratura as this role is written for a lyric coloratura and Gencer sounds quite like a lyric coloratura here :)

[@premiereopera1]

MacNeil wins the day. Gencer is also excellent. IMO, she was not lightening her voice here. This was her natural voice. When she sang heavy roles later she became very squally by over darkening her voice. This is the rep she should have stuck too!

[@Dadacomero]

those who heard live (especially her italian fans) have always said that in the theatre her voice was of a medium-small size...a typical lyric soprano (with a great low range, though)

[@sezgin86]

Actually I hate comparing that singer to this singer but when you compare Gencer's Lady Macbeth which she sang in 1960 and her Rigoletto which is from 1961 you'll see what I mean by lightening her voice. There is a huge difference between the dramatic weight and timbre.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

@AfroPoli I certainly will. Thanks!

[@cicc6]

oh no, there are 6, who disliked and why:)

[@PaoloTambone]

Cercasi baritono cheabbia unavoce simile con annesso sovrano battete un colpo🎉meravigliosi

[@Tkimba2]

Ce ne sono molti..... Defunti😂

[@rascaypica73]

😮

[@MrStpendouslvforjo]

I didn't know that Gender had an E flat! And a GOOD one!

[@joannilson2900]

and a DAMN GOOD one!

[@draganvidic2039]

Haha nice wake up

[@Leanrosso]

Y SI...ERAN OTROS TIEMPOS Y LOS CANTANTES TENIAN UNA HABILIDAD TECNICA QUE ERA, POR LO QUE SE ESCUCHA, PERFECTA, PARTICULARMENTE GENCER.

[@raigekimaru]

that's the thing, we aren't lol listen to this duet sung by MacNeil and Sutherland. she "adapts her voice to lyric coloratura" too, but she still retains the true size of her dramatic instrument, it's the same with Gencer (though she is not near as dramatic as Sutherland). if we were comparing, say MacNeil and Roberta Peters, the comparison would have been a little more ridiculous =)

[@commandert5]

Who's conducting with this painfully sluggish tempo?

[@cicc6]

Who disliked?

[@AfroPoli]

Some fan of Joan Sutherland I guess...

[@alexeyizmirliev64]

Un orrore!

[@eugeniogentili1048]

Il suo.commento di sicuro.