Melchior, Fusati, Gigli, Lauri-Volpi, Corelli, Vickers, Otello CONTEST - Esultate

The Otello contest! Everyone was asking for this one, and it a fun one to put together. There are a lot of tenors here! So take your time and give them all a chance. Again we will use a 1-5 rating for singing and characterization. These are the singers and dates of performances:

[@crisha721]

lauri volpi!! it's amazing how he SINGS this with so much power and beauty.

[@tomislavzoricic7618]

Lqauri Volpi is a legend. But he is too lyric for Otello

[@arepo]

​@@tomislavzoricic7618 You mean to say, not enough of a shouter for the likes of you who confuse being dramatic with screaming? Thanks heaven there were still tenors around who knew to SING. I cannot for the life of me account for the origins of the idea *dramatic = shouter*. Where do people like you get such ideas? From Reality TV shows? Certainly not from Verdi, who used to complain about shouters all day long. Have you never seen a dramatic actor on stage, in a Shakespeare play? Dramatic actors don't shout themselves hoarse, they don't act with volume but with a clear, carrying voice. I bet you are a Mario del Monaco fan. His "contributions" to the operatic stage are attractive to boors who don't understand anything about opera, but defend his aggression and lack of nuance because in doing so they indirectly validate their own. All these roaring plebeian savages who never step down from ff make me sick. Worse, they would have made Verdi sick.

[@bobzeschin]

I used to have a recurring nightmare of me singing Otello at the Met. Not only was I replacing Jon Vickers, Toscanini had risen from the dead to conduct. To everyone backstage wishing me well I wanted to scream "I CAN'T SING!" I can still see my hand clutching the rigging for dear life (it's the Zeffirelli production) as the stagehands push the ship to center stage. Toscanini gives me my cue, 4000 people are waiting....Thank God I always woke up at this point, usually drenched in sweat.

[@FISTRIG]

I CAN IMAGINE. I, TOO, WOULD HAVE HAD THE SAME NIGHMARE IF I WERE A TENOR AND HAD THIS ROLE TO SING

[@SuperSlenderman123]

I got a real kick out of this. Thank you for the laugh

[@samuelwhitetenor2273]

I had a dream like this for Aida. Oh my God I didn’t even know the music.

[@jefolson6989]

That's a great variation of the "actor's nighmare"! Mine usually involve me not knowing the role, or being unable to get to the theatre, but resurrecting Toscanini is deely troubling! SEA KELP! L ol

[@karldelavigne8134]

And Verdi is sitting in the audience.

[@leoviridis]

Volpi and Gigli are the greatest tenors, but Corelli... has just a superhuman voice. What a vibrato, what a subernatural power and at the same time absolute possession of it. Such natural and at the same time it's like a dream - like it just can't exist, such an ideal, titanic voice! This is not a voice, this is a marvel

[@gabrieleruffini4884]

Lauri Volpi performed a wonderful Otello portraying not a sauvage but a hero destroyed by his jalousy. All the score is sung with good taste and style

[@tomislavzoricic7618]

But not anough drammatic!

[@gabrieleruffini4884]

@@tomislavzoricic7618 Well, it depends what are you meaning with dramatic, If you mean the capacity to create a powerful vocal representation of the hero, do not judge from the recordings only, that cut at least 50% of Lauri Volpi harmonics. For this reason LV never liked any of his records. I heard testimonials who told me that LV was the only tenor able to reach the higher level of galleria not only with the sound of the voice but with vibrations capable to put in resonance the structure of the theatre of Rome There are also nterviews by Franco Corelli expressing astonishment for the power of LV high register due to a mix of nature and perfect science of emission If you think that a baritone like voice like as Domingo, Vinay, has more dramatic attitude consider that Francesco Tamagno , the first Otello was a tenore contrattino with enormous power un the high register. Verdi liked his vocal strenght but was not persuaded about noblesse and psychological characterization , maybe Lauri Volpi could have been much closer to Verdi ideal, IMHO

[@arepo]

​@@gabrieleruffini4884 If I could I would give you two thumbs up. Where did this stupid idea dramatic = shouter come from? Have these people never seen a dramatic actor on stage, in a play, for example a Shakespearean actor? Dramatic actors don't shout themselves hoarse, they don't act with volume but with a clear, carrying voice. A vocal whip, not a vocal brick. *Dramatic = expressive = nuance.* IMO what's needed for Otello, and all Verdi, is a brilliant *tenor* voice, clean diction, vocal acting ability, dynamics ability from ppp to ff (more piani and pianissimi than blasts in the score), and noblesse, noblesse, noblesse. You are right, Verdi didn't like Tamagno's inability to sing mezza voce, but appreciated his high register and how he did "Miseria mia". All these grunting plebeian savages who never step down from ff make me sick. Worse, they would have made Verdi sick.

[@arepo]

​@@tomislavzoricic7618 You mean to say, not enough of a screamer for the likes of you who confuse being dramatic with screaming? Thanks heaven there were still tenors who knew to SING.

[@oliverdelica2289]

That's interesting to hear. And yes. Otellos didn't always mean dark sounding "baritonal" tenors

[@radames5855]

La sicurezza vocale di Del Monaco a 60 anni, non ha riscontri con nessuno!!! Figuriamoci a 35 anni!!! Fenomeno assoluto!!! Vinay e Giacomini voci perfette per Otello!!!

[@tonisonpetit]

Podemos esperar 100 años más y el de Mario DelMonaco seguirá siendo insuperable. Increible.

[@marisamassimino6418]

È esattamente così!

[@Effe8293]

Del Mónaco es Otello

[@marcoperoni1920]

Concordo

[@carlosbauza1139]

Corelli fantástico!

[@dawonwashington5503]

Vinay most definitely, amazing voice. The weight and color of a baritone, with the range of a tenor.

[@tomislavzoricic7618]

Unfortunately, Vinay is senza squillo!

[@benjaminwerth]

@@tomislavzoricic7618 haha. no he was very much not. he tuned to second Formant on the top primarily, but that was huge and ringing. In the middle bottom, he had a ton of squillo in all his rep. Same as with Warren, some recordings cant capture the hugeness of voice and the squillo at once.

[@docmalthus]

Vinay is the only singer I know who sang both Otello AND Iago.

[@mk5244]

@@docmalthus ….I agree. He was unique changing repertoire from Tenor to Baritone and STILL Firstclass! There is a recording with MDM and RV as Otello and Iago. Unbelievably good! Two of the greatest Otellos together on stage. I regard Jon Vickers also extraordinary. Listened to him ROH Covent Garden. Today there are no Otellos this level. RDS

[@vitormrmr]

Melchior too

[@juanprc10]

Gigli, Lauri Volpi, Del Monaco and Corelli.

[@tomislavzoricic7618]

Just MDM!

[@SKAGSTHECLOWN]

Gigli surprised the heck out of me. I think you nailed it.pavoroti was good. Aggressive and still lyrical.

[@eduardoracchi9683]

Del Monaco, 19 segundos de Fiato en la frase final!! Insuperable

[@robert111k]

Horrible. Se le daba muy bien pegar voces pero cantar...

[@francescopiotto9510]

Everybody fantastic but del Monaco leaves no words !!! Shocking monster!!!!! Incredibile !!! No possible comparisons !!

[@roberto9003]

Del monaco il vero otello, voce di acciaio.

[@Opera_Madman]

Aureliano Pertile mio otello.

[@enocjordanabi4207]

Tamagno

[@Opera_Madman]

@@enocjordanabi4207 Verdi's otello

[@marisamassimino6418]

Sì è così. Volpi poi era un lirico, non poteva cantarlo: si chiamava Giacomo Volpi, il Lauri se lo aggiunse lui per autocelebrarsi , modesto.

[@marisamassimino6418]

La risposta è per Dario Merli, il cui cognome mi ricorda il valoroso tenore Francesco che cantava Otello ai tempi di mia mamma.

[@luciacavanagh9214]

corelli, corelli, corelli

[@MrGer2295]

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL ! MANY THANKS ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥♥

[@gavincarr860]

For sheer beauty of singing, Lauri-Volpi. For sheer brilliance of technique, the astonishing Del Monaco. He also would be the general I’d least like to face in battle - terrifying!

[@wizardwombat3770]

Lauri-Volpi is amazing here! Such clarity in his words - and don't get me started on the piercing high notes!

[@PcCAvioN]

Gigli deserves serious praise for even being able to be considered here; a lyric tenor standing his own amongst vocal giants is frankly amazing

[@Saavedra99]

Gigli's excerpt comes from a movie and was recorded in studio. He did record many such excerpts for movies, from roles he never sang live and never had any intention of singing live. Singing the entire role live and recording a small excerpt in studio are very different situations. In the recording studio you can repeat takes until you get an acceptable one. Gigli's Esultate isn't the only studio recording in this compilation, there are others too, both from singers who, like Gigli, didn't sing the role live, and from singers who did sing live but also recorded in studio. BTW Otello does not require a vocal giant, as in big volume. It requires lots of other abilities, big volume being very low on Verdi's priority list.

[@albiepalbie5040]

Scary what he’s doing to his golden voice though

[@voltape]

@@Saavedra99 for that matter, Pavarotti was also a liryc tenor and never sung Otello on stage - I have his recording.

[@svilendenchev9984]

Lauri Volpi is also a lyric tenor (by his own words)

[@Saavedra99]

@@voltape Pavarotti did sing a couple of live Otello performances in concert form.

[@ransomcoates546]

In deference to the great Melchior, I believe he was 70 when made that recording.

[@lsmart]

He sounds like he was 70. He still could hit all the high notes even at that age, but they were much more stressed and constricted.

[@joshuafurtado-mendes9327]

@@lsmart that tends to be be what happens when you turn 70 though I imagine. Especially after a life time of singing the most difficult roles of Richard Wagner!

[@michelespinelli5842]

Del Monaco,Vickers,Giacomini,Corelli

[@masonmcgowan2825]

Del Monaco, Corelli, Lauri Volpi without a doubt. Putting Domingo up here is like comparing a housecat to lions

[@jamesupton4996]

Domingo is not in the same league.

[@giselamarch1994]

Corelli and Del Monaco. By no means Domingo.

[@brblum]

I heartily agree that Domingo is less than ideal in the role. YET...he reigns supreme for his longevity. Few can survive the role, let alone own it for years. Many others tried and died attempting it. His interpretation was effective and enduring. Going on and on about singers who aren't here helps nothing and doesn't detract from what he accomplished. I saw him live in the role with Renee Fleming as Desdemona, and he was better live than in any recording he ever made. It was a beautiful interpretation and vocalization. Not Vinay to be sure, but distinct and effective nonetheless. Melchior frequently sounds like toothpaste squeezing out in his upper register...maybe live it wasn't so. Anyways...Cheers!

[@brblum]

​​@@giselamarch1994 Del Monaco certainly...he sang the role many times. Corelli? Heck no...he never attempted the complete role. Singing the Esultate and the love duet is easy compared to the rest of the role. It would have shredded his voice. Domingo figured out how to sing it over and over and over again, however less than ideal it may have been to some. Cheers!

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

@@brblum I don't see how it would have shredded Corelli voice, he had a very big voice. Much bigger than Domingo and Pavarotti who sang the role live.

[@christinesanchez1726]

Merci ! J'AI BEAUCOUP AIMÉ ! !!!

[@oldoperafan_in_London]

Lauri Volpi actually *sings* the lines rather than belting them out/shouting. Unusual, and imo highly effective and, most of all, beautiful.

[@psalmtone2008]

Domingo I think has a similar effect...it's a vulnerable and powerful Otello...

[@Nangis123]

@@psalmtone2008 I disagree , Domingo is too veristic in his approach and never had the voice for Verdi anyway

[@juanprc10]

Gigli had the same approach and effect. Singing rather than just shouting. In my opinion his esultate was the most beautifully sung . Del Monaco probably had the most dramatic.

[@Nangis123]

Gigli opens too much

[@mickey1849]

@@Nangis123 What DOES he have the voice for?

[@mk5244]

….the world had Otellos as proved here. The great Corelli never performed it on stage, only excerpts. He was smart and kept his marvelous voice until old age. Big P tried it only once to my knowledge, „not my business“ as he stated . Right he was and didn’t continue this way. Some of them had parts of this signature role, MDM had it all! His endless power and breath is unsurpassable. Todays protagonists sound pale and weak. Together with Music non affine Directors they demonstrate the opera and especially tenor misery. It is all about the missing voice for this character.

[@thomasbauer2621]

Del Monaco and Corelli are hard to beat here, but the two most moving portrayals I have seen, the first in person and the second in a video, are Del Monaco and Vickers.

[@andreabeltrami2431]

Corelli , del Monaco insuperabili...

[@e.g.8454]

Ramon Vinay

[@tenoresebastiani1]

Salve a tutti,io sono il pronipote di Nicola Fusati.Vi abbraccio tutti ,buon ascolto

[@franzitaduz]

This is such a litmus test because it requires immediate drama, musicality, and incredible technique to handle the line in the uppermost registers of the tenor voice. Of the artists listed these requirements are truly fulfilled by Mario del Monaco, who actually handeled the last phrase in one breath without breaking the line, Corelli who brought several vocal colors to his interpretaion but sadly NEVER sang the role, to his regret, and Jon Vickers who created combined all three elements and then opened the exultory character with his vowels in the end. Vinay, Andraj and Giacomini excelled, in the baritonal splendor with a wonderful top as well. Pavarotti's voice is beautiful. but lacked the gravitas of this group.

[@Nangis123]

The Esultate goes up only to A , which isn't anywhere near the uppermost "register" of the tenor voice. The uppermost notes of the tenor range are E/F. Mdm has poor sense of rhythm and musicality here, he holds on certain notes too long while on others not long enough ,and he also has intonation problems and can't cut through the orchestra in the beginning. The Esultate is meant to be sung not belted and was written for Tamagno ,a true tenor with a high C ,not a baritone , the baritonal splendor is reserved for Iago . All those you mentioned struggle with the A which shows they weren't true tenors.

[@falkfink]

@@Nangis123 your definition of tenor is very weird. According to you, only high leggero tenors would be true tenors. Dramatic tenors obviously usually have a lower voice than lyric tenors. Voices are not black and white. Not every tenor has to have extreme facility above the passagio. In all the dramatic roles, you only have to rarely sind B flat, B or C for top notes. Dramatic tenors don't need to be that comfortable above A4

[@ER1CwC]

​@@falkfink I think they need at least a solid Bb, or else they're only going to be able to sing Siegmund. Even other helden roles like Tristan and Lohengrin have high As and Abs that should be sung dolce and would be tough if that's basically the ceiling. I agree with your basic point though.

[@Nangis123]

​@@falkfink According to you only high leggero are able to sing an A? This is extraordinarily silly. Read again what I wrote. Reader's Digest for you, I wrote that when a male singer struggles with A he isn't a true tenor, which is correct. Even baritones can sing an A flat. This is what Antonio Cotogni, a baritone admired by Verdi, wrote about his training with his master who was also a baritone: "every time I tried to find an excuse for missing a top note, he could be awakened at 3 a.m. and made to give an A-flat mezza voce."

[@romanofedi2008]

Si tratte di grandissime voci più o meno adatte a questa opera ma Del Monaco e Vickers leggermente sopra a tutti

[@paologaudenzi837]

di Gigli ammiro la potenza nascosta in una voce dolce di Lauri-volpi la precisione di Del Monaco il timbro scuro e il fiato Corelli è un misto tra il suo maestro e Del Monaco di Pavarotti la solita immensa dizione perfetta

[@alragarp]

MARIO DEL MONACO, INSUPERABLE!!!!!

[@oldoperafan_in_London]

And, interestingly, the one other tenor who imo has the most voice and the least strain here is Corelli, who by his own accord owed so much to G L V. I love those two most. If Fusati sang today most opera houses would consider themselves lucky to nab a number one tenor...

[@tomislavzoricic7618]

Corelli is not enough drammatc for Otello

[@sugarbist]

@@tomislavzoricic7618 Sure he was. Corelli was a spinto tenor with dramatic impact when needed.

[@robert111k]

@@sugarbist, correct me if I'm wrong but Corelli never attempted the role onstage, did he?

[@sugarbist]

@@robert111k correct. Corelli never did, but I think he would have been a terrific Otello

[@robert111k]

@@sugarbist, he seemed to think otherwise, apparently.

[@bl59957]

DEL MONACO (ULTIMO OTELLO A BRUXELLES,1972) CON UN SOL FIATO LI UMILIA TUTTI!!!!!!

[@e.g.8454]

A Bruxelles con katia Ricciarelli e Aldo Protti.

[@gabrieleruffini4884]

Bellissimo confronto. A mio avviso l'esecuzione più "Verdiana" resta quella di Giacomo Lauri Volpi in quanto riesce a coniugare fraseggio eroico e canto laddove molti altri cantanti pur bravissimi si affidano al declamato. A livelli altissimi a mio avviso sono anche Corelli, Del Monaco e Giacomini.

[@bodiloto]

Gabriele Ruffini il colore della voce di Lauri - Volpi purtroppo era poco eroico ... tecnica perfetta , vocalità à volte stonata ... à volte stonava Lauri - Volpi e quando stonava non scherzava ... invano Lei non parla di Vinay . dal vivo Vinay era uno dei migliori Otello il dopoguerra . dopo di lui non avevo sentito mai più nella vita mia una voce drammatica -eroica come era quella di Vinay . questa e' la mia modesta opinione . il vecchio

[@Nangis123]

@@bodiloto The only trouble with your opinion is that Otello ain't a heroic role . Secondly , we don't need someone who could sing a bass role masquerading as Otello . Otello is a tenor role .Not baritone ,not bass .TENOR .

[@gabrieleruffini4884]

@@bodiloto rispetto le opinioni di tutto, ciononostante non si può prescindere da quelli che sono dati oggettivi: se c'è mai stato un cantante la cui voce dai bagliori d'argento e acciaio si può definire eroica questo è stato Giacomo Lauri Volpi. Accento al calor bianco fraseggio ampio ed aulico squillo0 trascendentale del registro acuto hanno reso leggendarie le interpretazioni di Manrico , Radames, Arnoldo (Guglielmo Tell, Tratro alka Scala 1930), Roul (Ugonotti Arena di Verona, 1933) con successi travolgenti ed entusiastici di pubblico e critica.IMHO anche Otello rappresentato alla Scala e al S Carlo nel 1941 rimane una pietra miliare dell"interpretazione anticipando di almeno 30 anni la linea interpretativa proposta da Von Katajan. Che l'intonazione di LV in qualche registrazione senile effettuata a fine carriera o in registrazioni private a 70 o 80 anni potesse non essere impeccabile può essere, d'altronde molte di quelle registrazioni sono la dimostrazione di un miracolo di longevita' vocale e per correttezza di respirazione e chiarezza di fraseggio potrebbero essere usate xome modello per i giovani camtanti. Sarebbe tuttavia fortemente ingeneroso e limitativo giudicare LV in base a tali registrazioni Se si vuol dare un giudizio storico su Lauri volpi occorre valutarlo nel suo periodo migliore indicativamente dal 1925 al 1945 prriodo in cui non solo l'intonazione risulta inappuntabile ma LV consegna alla storia incisioni straordinarie e tuttora insuperate come la scena del Nilo dall'Aida, "a te o cara" dai Puritani, l'invettiva della Gioconda, "parmi vedet le lacrime" dal Rigoletto "buanca al par di neve alpina" dagli Ugonotti (di cui rimangono anche straordinari frammenti dal vivo delle recite arenuame) e un ampia selezione dell'Otello. Di Vinay conosco la registrazione con Toscanini le cui prove ferree imponevano una preparazione e un aderenza allo spartito pressoché perfette. Ritorniamo però alla tradizione dell' Otello dai colori baritonali che pone l'accento più sulla natura "ferina" che sulla nobiltà del personaggio e sulla sua tragedia dell'eroe caduto. Mi sembra un cantante non dotato di una tecnica particolarmente raffinata e interpretativament piuttosto scontata. esiste qualche registrazione dal vivo particolarmente ben riuscita me lo faccia sapere, sicuramente l'ascoltero' con grande interesse

[@marisamassimino6418]

@@bodiloto bravo concordo! Finalmente sento qualcuno che ha il coraggio di affermare che Volpi stonava. Era assolutamente stonato, ogni tanto gli riusciva giusta!!!!

[@bodiloto]

@@gabrieleruffini4884 Lei confonde il gesto vocale Eroico di Lauri Volpi con la sua voce che apparteneva al tenore lirico pieno . Lauri - Volpi - un Fenomeno chi grazie alla tecnica di Garcia cantava con una vocalità limpida, squillante. Non confondere mai la vera natura di una voce lirica con il gesto tecnico, Artistico . Questa è la mia modesta opinione il vecchio

[@bullsantini]

Vickers, Del Monaco, Domingo...not necessarily in that order. Corelli would have been spectacular in that role. Pity he never sang it on stage.

[@tomislavzoricic7618]

do not mention me Domingo as Otello

[@arepo]

​@@tomislavzoricic7618 HE hasn't mentioned anything to you, it's YOU who butted in and replied to his comment.

[@bullsantini]

@@tomislavzoricic7618 nonsense. I saw him several times in Otello and he was brilliant.

[@pablogonzalezaguilar4313]

Corelli, aunque creo que jamás cantó otello en un teatro. Domingo Lauri volpi Del Monaco Andrej ...

[@mattn2470]

mario del monaco nails it.

[@davegreene8588]

MDM and Domingo, both close seconds to Corelli.

[@abcdefgh-db1to]

@@davegreene8588 Domingo in no way near as good as Del Monaco, he is a second rate tenor which aged really poorly

[@falkfink]

​@@abcdefgh-db1towhat do you mean aged poorly? The guy is in his 80s. It's completely normal to lose some top notes at that age. Should he sing baritone? No. But his voice sounds incredibly healthy for his age.

[@leoned.6683]

Impressionanti Franco Corelli e Giuseppe Giacomini

[@ricardocorchado4641]

Favorites for me here are Corelli, Del Mónaco, Domingo, Vickers and Gigli. I especially respect Vickers for being a Heldentenor and still sound like he does here. I somewhat like Pavarotti but he doesn't have it for me and same goes for Cura.

[@rafaelvazqueztenor]

So many names come as a surprise and however so many are missing. Since the list is so large I would include Cecchele and Todisco to name a couple. From this selection, MDM is out of this world, and so is Volpi. Respect for all.

[@pedroalonsoruiz7907]

Del Monaco y Vickers

[@ininacsot]

Pas facile mais je vois à 5 Vinay ,Del Monaco, vickers, Giacomini, Domingo , mais je supprime Gigli, Galouzine, Cura, et Andrej,mais ce n'estque mon avis!!!!!dans tous les cas c'est superbe, merci!

[@marisamassimino6418]

Ogni volta che li riascolto rimango dello stesso parere. L' unico perfetto è Del Monaco come timbro, stile, fiati e potenza. Quello che lo imita meglio è Domingo...

[@foothillsbear]

A lot of it is personal choice, but I really enjoyed Vinay, Giacomini, Domingo, and Cura. I was surprised not to hear James McCracken, who was one of the great Otellos of his day. Still, it was lots of fun.

[@andreasella1544]

Considerate anche che molte versioni sono in studio. Del Monaco esegue dal vivo e si prodiga in un capolavoro di tecnica, controllo e canto sul fiato. Nessuno è Otello più di lui.

[@Joshuaklotzbach]

Corelli and Del Monaco are my favorite

[@carlosarriolaisais7068]

Why comparing?? This Is not the olymipics. If It were, they would all deserve the Gold medal. Send in the anthems!

[@Nangis123]

Comparison per se isn't a bad thing .People could learn from comparisons ,if they were of a mind to learn .But they don't come here to learn ,they come to be hysterical about their fav singer ,and to make lists,in which the fav singer is invariably at the top . They don't seem to realize they're all anonymous ,and because nobody knows them ,nobody cares about them and their preferences

[@Nangis123]

@@wolf-peterfeucht3441 For whatever reason I have seen your reply just now . I have translated it and I believe I understood it well enough .While I agree with your opinion we humans are wired for comparison,I disagree with much of the rest of your comment .I don't mean to discuss personal voice preference ,that's subjective ,everybody has its own , no problem .I mean to discuss technique .You understand something about singing technique? I too.Please tell me what's so great in Corelli's and Mdm's technique? Corelli, a shining example of diction and articulation? Er... He had the muddiest and most unclear diction ever among Italian tenors . I don't know which Otello Mdm thought he was --singing-- shouting,but it wasn't Verdi's Otello,I know the score very well. Both singers have almost zero agility .Corelli scoops, aspirates, wasn't up to ongoing dynamics, and I won't mention his diction again. Mdm wasn't able to execute dynamics ,neither tempo nor volume, least of all ongoing,had a poor top ,and even a poorer passagio , is consistently off pitch every time he tries to use head voice (not that he tried often) ,had good diction up to late 50's but afterward impaired in the upper half of the range particularly around passagio, and after the mid-50's he wasn't able to do anything but shout .Do you know how many piani and pianissimi are in Otello? Lots.There are even ppp and pppp.I'm afraid you go by modern fach labels,which is very simplified thinking,and simplified thinking is never good . When dealing with repertory you should use the fach labels of the period ,if you think you must use fach labels at all

[@rafaelvazqueztenor]

@@wolf-peterfeucht3441 Ich stimme vollkommen zu.

[@ininacsot]

Je crois qu'il faut écouter au moins deux fois alors je recommence!!!

[@sugarbist]

I think Corelli would have been a great Otello

[@davegreene8588]

Corelli would have been the alltime GREATEST Otello!

[@maximus1295]

Yeah, for sure!

[@Keatsy08]

FC could be surprisingly different and unexpected yet perfect as a perfectionist which he was. That was with his "lyric" heroes...

[@sugarbist]

@@Keatsy08 I like Corelli's voice very much, but let us be a little careful about perfection. His short comings did not turn his fans away from him.

[@sugarbist]

@@davegreene8588 You cannot possibly know that

[@blascortes8391]

1. Mario del Monaco. 2. Corelli. 3. Gigli. 4. Lauri Volpi. 5. Giacomini.

[@amantedellopera1681]

No way corelli should be anywhere near your list del monaco vinay vickers tomango zanatello even domingo was better than corelli in this role wouldnt be hard there as corelli shyed away from singing it

[@cathyborrege5373]

@@amantedellopera1681 Not taking on Othello was Corelli's great regret. No one understood why he passed on the part including music critics.

[@eugeniogentili1048]

Ramon Vinay.

[@pianistadanielseixas]

Vinay is my favorite!

[@cachdeques]

I love the fact that in the vickers version you can hear the organ cluster, for me #1 MdM

[@prodesica]

Grazie, ricambio i saluti.

[@darkbass160]

franco corelli el mejor de la historia.

[@alvarobruna2227]

Voces muchas bellas, duras, enormes, etc...pero en escena Vickers, Vinay y Domingo fueras de serie.

[@piergiorgiomei1361]

Il grande assente è il primo Otello, Tamagno. Ora se consideriamo che Verdi lo scelse, e sembra ne fu soddisfatto, il problema secondo me è stabilire quale è in realtà la voce di Otello. Io ritengo che forse Lauri Volpi e Pertile (le famose incisioni di brani,registrati dalla Telefunken) avrebbero soddisfatto Verdi,poi sono venuti quelli che chiamo i mostri sacri, Mario, Corelli, Vickers e poi tutti gli altri qui riuniti(manca l esultate di Merli) tutti in buon spolvero. Io nel mio piccolo preferisco Tamagno,Volpi, Pertile poi Merli,Del Monaco e Corelli e Vickers,mi duole che Corelli non abbia mai registrato l opera intera. Mie considerazioni personali s'intende

[@marcoperoni1920]

Cura no, vi prego

[@marcoperoni1920]

E Bonisolli?

[@piergiorgiomei1361]

@@marcoperoni1920 ci stava bene anche lui, nonostante il caratterino che aveva, nei Vespri Siciliani va ascoltato e riascoltato buona giornata

[@esterbruno8604]

Del Monaco è il migliore Otello!!! 💖😻😻💖 Ma trovo che anche Vinay sia spettacolare, così come Lauri Volpi e Corelli (quest'ultimo è il mio tenore preferito 🥰)!!

[@andreasella1544]

Otello=Del Monaco. E non c'è altro da aggiungere. Gli altri, anche i fuoriclasse, un gradino sotto. Tutti a casa.

[@EmilyGloeggler7984]

Melchior and Luccioni - though Caruso was hands down the best with only one single recording and he didn't need to bark the role or overact like Del Monaco. He actually conveyed the character with nuance, a big voice and healthy technique.

[@franzlorenz8638]

Sehr witzing. Caruso's Gesangstechnik war keineswegs großartig und in der verfehlten Othello Aufnahme klingt er grunzig und schwerfälling wie Ruffo.

[@maximus1295]

No, they are a throat rippers. All of them are baries

[@EmilyGloeggler7984]

@@franzlorenz8638 Far from it. However, you can like whatever performer you want.

[@franzlorenz8638]

@@EmilyGloeggler7984 Ja Emily, du kannst welchen Sänger auch immer mögen, jemanden MÖGEN aber hat wenig mit seinem KÖNNEN zu tun.

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

Melchior is not good here at all, his high notes are even muted and constricted. But he was 70 so it is understandable.

[@sefjet]

Gigli, el mejor... de los que nunca deberían haber cantado el papel.

[@alfredomontane578]

DEL MÓNACO CANTÓ MUCHAS VECES EL OTELLO EN EL TEATRO,CREO QUE CORELLI NO PERO SIGUEN SIENDO LOS MÁS GRANDES.PARA ESTE ROLL, LA VOZ DE DEL MÓNACO SE ESCUCHA MÁS OSCURA Y VIENE MEJOR PERO ES INCREÍBLE QUE CORELLI SIENDO SPINTO,PUEDA CANTAR OTELLO AUNQUE SEAN FRAGMENTOS.

[@rafaelvazqueztenor]

Corelli jamás cantó Otello.

[@guillermoruiz6575]

Ramón Vinay es el padre de todos.

[@Tkimba2]

Lauri Volpi , hands down. Ciò che è piu triste è farsi 5 o più account diversi per commentare su you tube (o forse più che triste è risibile, 😆), posto che, se così non fosse e fossero davvero più persone distinte, sarebbe anche peggio.

[@giselamarch1994]

Definitely Corelli would have mastered it. Nothing shredded his voice. Since he never performed the opera as a whole, then Mario del Monaco is in my book the best.

[@falkfink]

As much as I love Corelli, his voice absolutely deteriorated as he got older. Phenomenal singer, don't get me wrong, but not an example for sustainable technique.

[@giselamarch1994]

I don't agree@@falkfink

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

@@falkfink All voices age, especially tenor voices. Corelli had normal aging, his voice was certainly not shredded. You cannot stop aging, the facial features change, so the voice will change no matter hat people tells you. People pretend as if Kraus or Lauri Volpi's voices did not change, their voices did change and age. They never sounded the same as they did during their prime years in their 30's and 40's.

[@bluebird5361]

Corelli sings this without any sense of strain in his voice, unlike most of the others. Marvellous!

[@Nangis123]

Corelli was 33 at the time, other tenors in this compilation are much older. And unlike all[**] the others, he never sang the entire role live. Practically any singer in their early 30's can record a half-min "aria" in the studio with no sense of strain, particularly one who has debuted at 30 and has had little opportunity to yet wreck his voice. Last but not least, his voice is not the most "free", pure and clean in this compilation, that belongs to the fourth singer. [**] He shares this dubious distinction with Gigli.

[@Nangis123]

@@veritygraceturner5665 I wouldn't like to go off topic into "correct" vs "incorrect" singing. Sure technique influences the longevity of the voice, but what I meant to say is that age and choice of repertory will ultimately take their toll on a voice regardless how "correctly" a singer uses his instrument, and anyway there isn't only one "correct" way. It's not the same whether you sang only 50-100 performances in your whole career so far prior of making a recording, or 500 or even 1000. Sounding strained or not also depends on your day form, and in the case of live performance recodings of the Esultate, on how well you warmed up (You can't afford to warm up very well because you run the risk of sounding tired in the last act, and the older you are, the higher the risk because your stamina isn't what it used to be.) Gigli did not sing beautifully at 80 because he died aged 67 and had retired from stage a few years prior. There are excerpts of his singing in his 60's on yt and if you find that beautiful, I'm not going to argue with your taste. But if you say he sounds in his 60's as he did in his 30's, then, will all respect, I'm going to argue the point with you because he didn't. Not even in his 50's did he sound like in his 30's, and I don't mean the timbre. I don't understand to what purpose you quote what Pavarotti allegedly said about Corelli. Vocal cords of steel aren't required for singing Otello, and if Corelli had them, they weren't of much use to him, his voice shows clear signs of fatigue beginning 1971. I really don't want to go into useless speculation why his voice deteriorated after 20 years of singing, because it has nothing to do with this video, it's not about him.

[@guidogreco341]

I confronti sono sempre antipatici....però questa opera è ritagliata su misura per il grandissimo DEL MONACO...ha osato dove nessuno.....potrà mai arrivare

[@marisamassimino6418]

Esattamente. Chissà perché a qualcuno non va giù...come se essere il migliore in qualcosa fosse resto.

[@marisamassimino6418]

Reato..

[@jacquesurlus3455]

Fusati, Lauri-Volpi, Vinay.

[@sabadokht]

Del Monaco hands down!

[@valeriomessersi1016]

Altra Pietra Miliare per ogni TENORE ! (Adatta particolarmente a chi ha il timbro "brunito") . Si è sentito dire da varie voci che il più GRANDE Otello della Storia sia MARIO DEL MONACO, il giudizio può essere puramente tecnico oppure a seconda del piacere che suscita in ognuno di noi e allora la rosa dei nomi certamente si allunga !!!!!

[@paolograndinetti7609]

Su Otello Del Monaco non ha rivali

[@jefolson6989]

The suprises are Giacomini and Pavarotti. One is a trumpet, the other is shattering glass. Domingo was fine.

[@aforwood1]

Corelli, Vickers and he made the best Otello on stage.

[@silvanobertelle6425]

Giacomini e Domingo unici ad eseguire il il filato

[@glennthebest]

Del Monaco n. 1 - Corelli 2

[@ER1CwC]

I've never heard of Fusati before, but he seems to me to have had a real Italian dramatic tenor voice. Probably the only other ones here are Del Monaco and Giacomini (who over-darkens somewhat). Very impressive. Gigli, Lauri-Volpi, and ultimately Corelli (one of my favourite singers) are too light, while Melchior, Vinay, and Vickers are in the Wagnerian line.

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

I do understand what you are saying, however Lauri Volpi and Corelli were far more similar to Tamagno, obviously the original Otello.

[@hoodiesmagazine]

Personally I think the most telling note of the whole thing is the b flat grace note…the lyric spinto tenors can all get it; Pavarotti, Gigli, Corelli et al but the true dramatic tenors and true Otello’s get the full throated ring all the way through it; Vinay, Vickers, Domingo, Andrej, Galsulin (although he doesn’t actually sing the b flat) and having sung with Cura in the mid 90’s that man could’ve been one of the greatest tenors ever, but he totally over cooked his voice and sadly (to me) doesn’t sit in the company of any of the others in the video…great post thanks for sharing! Vickers and Domingo were for me the best Otello’s, with the Domingo, Diaz, Ricciarelli recording being the best…Domingo as Olivier said “Not only can the bastard sing it he can act it as well..” ✌🏼❤️

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

Domingo was a full lyric tenor, he was nowhere close to having a dramatic voice. Corelli did have an actual dramatic voice, far more so than Domingo. Lauri Volpi also had a more dramatic voice then Domingo. A dramatic voice is suppose to be big and loud. Corelli and Lauri Volpi had some of the loudest high notes. Vickers, Domingo and Cura did not have ringing throughout their voices because they did not have squillo.

[@falkfink]

​@@ZENOBlAmusichaving very loud acuti doesn't necessarily mean you have the stamina for otello

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

@@falkfink You do not really need stamina for Otello it not 4 hours of Wagner. You do need a big voice if you are going to sing the role very often, such as Del Monaco. The same is true of other roles as well, such as Turandot for example. It is not a role that tenors perform very often as a regular part of their repertoire, you need a very big voice, and the tessitura is generally too high for singers with big voices. Even Del Monaco with all of his stamina could not perform Turandot very often, he only did it 5 times. Pavarotti and Alagna with their very light lyrical voices could sing Otello live on stage. Otello is not such a difficult role, people have mystified it more than necessary. But you cannot sing it consistently with a small voice you will destroy your voice. Roles such as Les Huguenots are far, far more difficult than Otello. If you can get through that then you can easily get through Otello.

[@tomislavzoricic7618]

MDM e Otello!!!

[@bodiloto]

Tomislav Zoricic e Vinay,Merli e compagnia cosa erano allora ?! ...

[@Nangis123]

@Tomislav No

[@eugeniogentili1048]

Vorrei ricordare anche Pier Miranda Ferraro che ha all'attivo 300 recite in Otello.

[@Nangis123]

@@eugeniogentili1048 proof?

[@EmilyGloeggler7984]

He was a joke! He overacted to the point of hilarity and Otello is not supposed to be funny.

[@antonherberthonegger4399]

Franco Corelli wie Mario del Monaco oder Vickers wie auch Domingo, alle schon der Linie nach gesungen, eigentlich keiner unter seinem Limit . . .

[@paolograndinetti7609]

Mi sembra che Del Monaco non sia raggiungibile anche se vi sono talenti indiscussi.

[@dariobussolino1384]

1 DEL MONACO 2 VINAY 3 CORELLI 4 GIACOMINI Non giudico le voci perché è un compito troppo serio,pero' ho indicato queste mie preferenze. Ringrazio per avermi consentito di ascoltare una passerella di nomi che non si dimenticano perché tutti eccezionali!

[@bluluvsrae]

Folks find a live recording of Vinay and MDM...not a studio recording but a live recording...then get back to me..they are the kings

[@benjaminwerth]

those two and Zanelli a bit behind.

[@herrbrucvald6376]

Corelli wins. The end. Dream Casting---Corelli and Sutherland should have done this in the early 60's. Her 1961 Desdemona on the Bell Telephone Hour is to die for.

[@Saavedra99]

Corelli didn't sing the role and was ill suited for it

[@davegreene8588]

Corelli recorded *three unsurpassable excerpts over the decades, and would have performed Otello magnificently onstage as well. *Esultate, Gia nella notte (once with Zylis-Gara. Later with Tebaldi), and Niun mi tema.

[@Saavedra99]

@@davegreene8588 Exactly, there is recorded proof. And because there is proof of him singing bits of Otello I can say he was ill suited for it. Because there is proof of him singing Handel and Mozart I can say he was ill suited to 18th century repertory. Because there is proof of him singing Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Meyerbeer I can say he was ill suited to 1st half 19th century repertory. Because there is proof of him singing Rigoletto arias I can say he was ill suited for the Duke (he never sang the role to my knowledge). Because there is proof of him singing Gounod and Massenet I can say he was ill suited to very late Grand Opera. Because all this proof I can say he was ill suited to anything even remotely connected with belcanto, demanding belcanto-derived agility and/or dramatic declamation, and that includes *Verdi. Because there is proof of him singing Pagliacci I can say he was not ill suited for it. Got the idea? And because of my solid knowledge in recorded history of Italian and French repertory beginning with singers born before 1850 who sang the aforementioned repertory at the time Verdi was alive (he lived long enough to experience the early verismo movement first hand, but not mature verismo), I'm not in the least impressed with fans' declarations overflowing with superlatives but devoid of anything else. Heaven knows there's no shortage of them on youtube. Does not yet amount to background noise but it isn't very far off either. *Verdi also left an impressive amount of written information mostly in form of letters regarding how he wanted his operas performed. He was very specific regarding the three main roles in Otello, particularly what he did NOT want to hear.

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

@@Saavedra99 The proof is that you would simply never enjoy anything Franco Corelli performed, you obviously really dislike him. That is fine, we all have our likes and dislikes. But that does not make your own very personal opinion and speculation some type of masterful authority. It is simply an opinion, worth as much, or indeed as little as the next person.

[@Saavedra99]

@@ZENOBlAmusic In our degenerated time people like to pretend everything is a matter of personal preferences, of like or dislike. This is wrong, there are still standards in operatic singing. So no, mine isn't simply a personal opinion, and I believe this is why you replied to me. Had you felt it to be just personal opinion, you wouldn't have replied, according to your logic. Why would you reply to someone whose opinion you don't give a damn about? Unless you belong to the tribe who can't suffer other opinions than their own. Perhaps you do, otherwise why would you reply in a four years old thread? Have you read all 500 comments comments here?

[@Matt-cm8hh]

Domingo!!

[@jefolson6989]

Cura also better than expected.

[@massimilianorossi8028]

Non c'è confronto MDM è due spanne sopra,solo volpi ci avvicina, Giacomini apprezzabile..

[@phaidonnikolaus9841]

They should all fall on their knees before Tamagno. Dwarfs before a giant!

[@mv7251]

Of all these Esutates…..there is only ONE OF THEM that displays PERFECT technique….and I mean on EVERY vowel shape, and throughout the entire piece. Unfortunately, the role was too big for his voice and thus he never even gave it a thought to sing the role…..even just on record. Pav made a Big mistake thinking he could record this on CD. But thank god, in 1940, at the absolute peak of his career, he decided to sing a few excerpts in a movie. Beniamino Gigli is the only one of these tenors who’s production is perfect on EVERY note…..and the vowel where so many of the Great recordings fail….cus Del Monico, just to name one, sings this aria so wonderfully and he had the right size voice ( he really does sound like a dramatic Gigli)….but the one note he misses….and when I say that, I’m splitting hairs….he chooses to cover a note (darken a vowel) instead of letting it blast out through his head and resonate….all of these tenors do, except for little Gigli…. ONly Pav and Domingo have a smaller voice than Gigli….and yes Domingo’s voice may be darker, but it’s not bigger when Gigli “thinks” dramatic….but the vowel AFTER the final high note…the second “A” in l’urgAno….this is the second to last note, and it is held….all of these tenors cover this note, except Beniamino. They darken it for fear of having it spread, maybe because they are tired after the Verdi vocal onslaught….whatever the reason. But Gigli does NOT! He sings it open and this gets such a broad tone….and yes he still has enough to expand to the final vowel “o” in Urgano to finish the aria. There are 2 other tenors, I know who do this…..and like Gigli sing the rest of the aria perfectly….De Muro, and Tamagno…and of course both of those two voices were Tenore Di Forza…dramatic tenors…perfectly suited for this role, vocally. Gigli, of course, was only a spinto and he knew he was not suited for this roll. But NOBODY had his quality and production of voice in recording history….and the fact that he leaves NOTHING left behind….he goes for all of it like a gold medalist in a 40 yard dash….it makes his recording stand out…..possibly because you didn’t include Tamagno and De Muro for as I said, they go for broke in this aria as well and they are 100% suited for it!!!! BTW, so why if that’s true (which it definitely is) did de Muro not sing the role…..he felt at 5”6’ that he was physically too small to sing the role. My God, what an age that was…..today you have just about any and every tenor attempt to sing this role in some form….back then there were standards!!!!! I personally put Gigli and Caruso as the greatest tenors I’ve ever heard, and even the dramatic Caruso never even RECORDED this aria. The standard was so different back then!!!!

[@falkfink]

The reason why gigle sings the A your are talking about is pretty simple. His voice is lighter and naturally higher than anyone on here except Pavarotti. His passagio is just higher than that of a dramatic tenor. That has nothing to do with better technique.

[@IRA77GEOTENORE]

where is tamagno???

[@hellbooks3024]

Martinelli?

[@christopherpurdy5453]

Where is James McCracken?

[@alanhowe7659]

Did Corelli ever sing the entire role?

[@amantedellopera1681]

A lot of people putting corelli as their first choice in this aria i hope you are aware that he never attempted this role on stage to sing one aria is fine but to have the voice and stamina to sing the entire opera is another level altogether there for my list would have vinay,del monaco,tomagno,zanatello,

[@davegreene8588]

We'll never know what his stamina level would've been in a full performance. Only his recording of the aria is considered here.

[@amantedellopera1681]

@@davegreene8588 he said himself that he feared the role would destroy his voice,and maybe he was right,a clever man

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

@@amantedellopera1681 He did not say that, he always put it off until a later stage, and at some stage he ran out of time. If Pavarotti, Alagna and Domingo can sing this role live, then obviously Corelli could have easily done the same. This not the most difficult role to sing. There are far more difficult roles, such as the tenor assoluto roles, which Corelli actually performed. A role such as Poluito is far more challenging then Otello.

[@robert111k]

Lauri Volpi.

[@Latur47]

E perche in questo video non c'e F.bonizolli????????

[@bacassa]

Please don't EVER take this down!!!! TYVM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MDM 20 sec note for the win!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@roccoscarselletta4446]

Vinay owns this role, followed closely by giacomini and lauri-Volpi

[@lieliannenasgy2649]

Il grande maestro Franco Corelli,unico, magnifico,eccezionale e straordinario.

[@jefolson6989]

No Martinelli? Giochadut (sp).Torsten Ralph,MCracken? James King? But you did throw in some.wild cards.

[@Pywacket2]

Jon Vickers, the ultimate Otello.

[@e.g.8454]

Cecchele Atlantov Bonisolli

[@sugarbist]

I Pagliacci,Ernani,Aida,Fanciulla Turandot Poliuto,Romeo,Trovatore are not really pretty boy roles

[@maximus1295]

+ Don Carlo

[@marisamassimino6418]

Questi sono esattamente i ruoli di Del Monaco e Corelli....

[@marisamassimino6418]

Aggiungendo anche Chenier, Gioconda, Troiani, Lohengrin, Norma, e tanti... And Otello too...🤗

[@fedecastaldi]

ullo sine dubio corelli........ poi vickers, cura e, anche se non nella sua migliore performance, del monaco

[@guidogreco7619]

I confronti sono sempre antipatici...però questa opera è ritagliata su misura per il grandissimo Del Monaco..hA OSATO dove mai nessuno potrà arrivare

[@eugeniogentili1048]

Ramon Vinay se non sbaglio è al secondo posto come recite in Otello dopo MDM 427 recite , Vinay è arrivato a quota 252.

[@Nangis123]

@@eugeniogentili1048 no . Stop writing lies on utube . For a DETAILED list of MDM's performances ,see Elisabetta Romagnolo's book .It's half the number . Vinay too had sung less . The 427 figure (conveniently without perfs list) comes from MDM's own "La Mia Vita E I Miei Successi" .Megalomane on stage ,megalomane in print .He had never been bothered by the truth ,beginning with the score of his roles ,continuing with his lip-synching to his early recordings throughout the 60's and 70's ,and ending with the ghostwritten book full of intentional errors .Probably this is why all of you are so attracted by his persona :P