Tito Gobbi in the Te Deum scene

Tito Gobbi in the Te Deum scene ("Tosca", Puccini)

[@shirleyrombough8173]

This...this is Scarpia. Look at his face when he realizes that he is in a religious procession. The battle between lust and piety. And musically his voice is beautiful, resonating with that delicious timbre. What a marvelous villain.

[@musicalmarg]

No other Scarpia

[@shirleyrombough8173]

So elegant. So vile. "Tosca! You make me forget God."

[@ianfuentes4221]

The best Scarpia!

[@Harambae613]

His eyes open at 4:43 when the Te Deum properly start, realizing that he has literally forgot the reason he’s here: for the procession, Te Deum, and blessing with the monstrance. He literally forgot God and this moment changed me on how this scene should play out. As far as I know, that is unique to this production and therefore adds so much meaning to Scarpia’s character here.

[@albertomarcantonio3179]

That's how it should be, the score demands that he "wakes up from a dream". A pity so many directors don't read the scores :/

[@headphonic8]

It’s not unique, it’s literally part of the script lol

[@Harambae613]

@@headphonic8 Which says a lot about the productions I've seen.

[@photo161]

..."...the monstrance?"

[@Harambae613]

@@photo161 At the end of a Te Deum, there's a blessing called Benediction with a Eucharistic Host (the bread consecrated at Mass into Christ). That's why Scarpia's hitting himself at the end. Tosca made him forget God.

[@Bquillamus]

Finally a singer who gives sense to every single word and second of the scene... Bravo!!!

[@gomongio]

Many baritone singers can sing Scarpia, but only Gobbi became Scarpia. That is the only thing that matters. Nobody surpasses the dramatic intensity of Tito Gobbi, the best among many big names with a beautiful voice.

[@SuperArkleo]

I agree 100%

[@stenwaldo604]

Unfortunately you seem to forget Leonard Warren here, who actually adds some high class SINGING to the role as well.

[@SuperArkleo]

@@stenwaldo604 This is correct. But Warren and his voice, unfortunately, is not well advertized. Nevertheless, he is surely a giant of singing as well

@@stenwaldo604 are you implying that Gobbi himself does not sing well enough?

[@busterbeach]

I agree - the Greatest Scarpia of all time. Great actor with a magnificent voice. They don't have these voices today. Thank you for sharing!!

[@mariamoavro8811]

Questa è un'aria solenne religiosa, sacra divina, non ho parole adatte so soltanto che mi avvolge sempre totalmente e quando abitavo a Roma amavo spesso visitare la Chiesa dove ha avuto luogo questa preziosa Tosca,. Grazie G. PUCCINI Ci hai lasciato fra tante pagine divine e questa è una delle quali ne sono rapita. 🙏💙💓

[@victoriusBP]

The voice+The characters +Tito Gobbi= "THE" SCARPIA!!! Gobbi FOREVER!!!!!!! Tito Gobbi is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC in this role!!!!!

[@alexandregarden6260]

Learn how to communicate. Gobbi did

[@giannizeno2879]

I saw Gobbi in Tosca in New York. The best Scarpia ever.

[@ksol1460tv]

Me too. Gobbi, Corelli and Kirsten. WOW.

[@esterbruno8604]

Tito Gobbi non è il miglior Scarpia di sempre. Lui *è* Scarpia. Nessuno come lui. 💞

[@bovnycccoperalover3579]

Not just a great singer but also a great actor.

[@brunaazzurra]

grande artista con una voce carica di espressività e con immensa capacità di rapire e coinvolgere l'animo.

[@ksol1460tv]

No matter how many times I hear this, I always end up blissed out.

[@occhioverde71]

Il migliore nel ruolo... non ne ho mai ascoltato un altro degno di lui

[@ceb2633]

The best Scarpia of all time. Wonderful! Thank you.

[@calaf1816]

dramatic singing and acting ! Puccini must be very happy with Gobbi.

[@ksol1460tv]

Up in heaven, Puccini is probably writing new stuff for Gobbi, Callas and Corelli to be in.

[@shayanmardanbeigi2697]

@@ksol1460tv cant agree with this comment more, all three the best singers of their voice type

[@contatonubia]

Absolutely amazing Tito Gobbi as Scarpia

[@LibbySingsMezzo]

Love it! He practically slithers.

[@FJMLAM]

Absolutely amazing!-Have never seen this clip-Always wished that the Te Deum was recorded on tape - and discovered it this evening. First saw Gobbi sing this at Covent garden in 1970. A legend. Many thanks for posting this.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

You actually saw him sing this? How fortunate you were.

[@dianmarie9071]

Ah...the finest villain in all of opera. Thank you for posting this clip. It's wonderful to watch Gobbi sing Te Deum. For me, he defined the role of Scarpia just as Callas defined Tosca. I continue to love him...

[@shulamithrabinowitz5822]

Ah! Finalamente

[@johnblasiak607]

Nobody else comes close He is Scarpia the best I ever heard in 50 years I’m 60 now.

[@gianandrea.navacchia]

Gobbi è stato e sarà sempre un grandissimo Scarpia.

[@esterbruno8604]

Lui è Scarpia.

[@malfada22]

Truly the greatest Scarpia that ever lived. Bravo!

[@amadeus5889]

Milnes might have a finer voice, but nobody beats Gobbi when it comes to a dramatic delivery. This is bone-chilling to listen to.

[@malfada22]

Gobbi - the greatest Scarpia of all time!!!

[@photo161]

You may be right. He certainly is a great Scarpia.

[@YortOK]

Gobbi was the greatest singing actor in recorded history. His subtlety and vocal colouring to suit each role is unrivalled in the history of the grammaphone. The only other singer that can be mentioned in the same breath as Gobbi is Giuseppe Taddei.

[@talitasofijakomelj9730]

Definitely!

[@acchaladka]

@@YortOK I'll agree. My parents saw DiStefano early and then through his almost full career and raved about him, but Gobbi was their gold standard. Thank you for raising the underappreciated Taddei as well, his was the version I grew up with and his diction is superior to Gobbi if I can be forgiven for saying that about Gobbi. :)

[@shirleyrombough8173]

He WAS Scarpia. elegant, malevolent, powerful, vain.

[@CarloQuinto]

What a find! You can literally see the evil oozing out of him! Masterful!

[@fmauroribeiro]

Grande Tito Gobbi, uma das melhores vozes do século - um dos mais grandiosos Scarpias dos palcos de todos os tempos - o Te Deum é audacioso para a época, pois é o profano desafiando ás portas de um altar mór! Puccini é revolucionário e contestador!

[@photo161]

The revelation so powerfully conveyed by the great Tito Gobbi, when he finds that his obsession with Tosca has cost him everything, even his relationship with his God...

[@Royalbrettania]

I love how you can see him becoming Scarpia as he gets dressed and puts his wig on in the beginning

[@fundamentos3439]

Extraordinaria interpretación del ' Réquiem ' , por parte del Maestro Gobbi. Muchas Gracias por compartir.

[@arnaldofisherman5420]

Ultimamente ho visto e ascoltato diversi Scarpia su KZbin: penso che Tito Gobbi sia il migliore in senso assoluto.

[@guymigliaccio620]

Il grande Tito Gobbi! Indimenticabile!

[@manolis.799]

The ultimate Scarpia. Every interpretation pales in comparision

[@martapoes]

absolutely!!!!

[@shirleyrombough8173]

I saw a video of Sherrill Milnes as Scarpia. His interpretation of this villain was very different. Oh he was evil all right, but disguised with a velvet glove. Both legitimate, each different. I think that I prefer the true villainy of Tito Gobi.

[@thenoble39]

He transformed completely. Awesome

[@randolphmagri-overend5127]

Tito Gobbi - The compleat baritone

[@tractotus]

Don’t forget Puccini- he wrote this great GREAT masterpiece!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@karinwijnberg9489]

The one and only Scarpia

[@dropsofjooniper]

Fantastic performance, clearly Gobbi is simply the best. Nice work finding this amazing clip, I really like that the beginning is included.

[@occhioverde71]

Io non ho più sentito uno Scarpia così e di teatri ne ho frequentati tanti... Gobbi lo Scarpia più grande di tutti i tempi

[@MrGratefulheart]

It's always amazing to hear Basses like Ramey, and London sing Scarpia, thrilling even- but for me, the real deal is with the true baritone voice, like Gobbi, or MacNeil, or nowadays, someone like Paolo Gavanelli...that's real, Italianate singing.

[@P1B1U1H1]

The baritones sound more evil, for some reason. After all, that's the chief utility of Scarpia, his foulness. No matter how much a wife might complain about her husband, he can always respond "well, I'm not as bad as Scarpia, am I?"

[@ksol1460tv]

Scarpia was written for Antonio Scotti, who is usually thought of as a baritone but if you listen he's actually a basso cantante (viz. his recording of "Eri tu". So it can be either way.

[@Uncouthsasquach]

I've always been partial to Sherril Milnes in this role, the air of malevolent arrogance he gives off as Scarpia is fantastic.

[@eugeniogentili1048]

Milnes great baritono in history kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHmye3aam6d5h8k

[@shirleyrombough8173]

@@Uncouthsasquach - You're right about Sherrill Milnes, except that for me he has an overtone of, gasp, compassion. But even Tito Gobbi realizes he is wrong in his lust fpr Tosca. He still pursues her, though. I saw a video of Dmitry Hvorostovski today. He also seemed menacing and evil, but too beautiful actually to be that evil.

[@AnryK2690]

True Scarpia - evil Scarpia! Bravo great Gobbi!

[@sizzlinglizzi]

fabulous . Love the mad staring eyes . Got to be one of the best , maybe THE best ever Scarpias,though many other fine versions . How lucky we are to have them all to listen to . Thanks for posting this .

[@iancaldeian]

Reminds me of Trump.

[@rosemaryallen2128]

​@@iancaldeian Oh, DON'T!

[@malcolmsmith650]

Still the best by far for me!

[@07fantine]

Le meilleur ... pour des siècles encore !

[@edgardocanale9800]

En la historia de la ópera hay 4 personajes que Tito Gobbi llevó a la perfección: Georgio Germont (La Traviata) Rigoletto (Idem) Yago (Otello) y Scarpia (Tosca). Nadie pudo acercarse a lograr tal calidad de interpretación.

[@bertagloriabustamante6714]

Bravo Tito.baritono excepcional y gran actor.inigualable 👏👏👏👏

[@jorgemunoz3545]

GOBBI es ABSOLUTAMENTE MARAVILLOSO. ÉL es SCARPIA. Pareja inigualable con CALLAS.

[@jeanroumy1705]

callas - gobbi, assurément le plus grand second acte de tosca du 20ème siècle

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Or ever.

[@meikelschwarz5487]

Yessss.....

[@yaelpalombo4604]

Unico❤❤❤❤

[@BaroneVitellioScarpia1]

Amazing!

[@zinam5795]

....Спасибо, фильм , конечно, УНИКАЛЬНЫЙ!!!

[@johnblasiak607]

Superb nobody better than Gobbi in this role NOBODY

[@musicalmarg]

Acting and singing are brilliant. Scarpia personified

[@mariamoavro8811]

Questa Te Deum mi avvolge in un religioso e possente Silenzio interiore. Qualsiasi artista, lo interpreti è x me un'aria di grandiosa coralita, musicale al di là, del contenuto storico la, musica e Maestosa. Grazie divino G. Puccini. 🙏❤️🎵🌷

[@MrTanguerodeley]

Cada vez que pienso en Scarpia, el único cantante que me viene a la mente es Tito Gobbi! Indimenticabile!

[@Robert-yc2tl]

Never a better Scarpia... nor a more diabolic one

[@Nicoleta-ln4yi]

Very good actor, very good voice!!! Indeed. But look also for B.Gigli, I realy love him, inspite the unpleasant character he has to play. Wonderful!!!

[@qwertyoop]

he hits the incense with his hat. tito gobbi is my favourite scarpia ever.. amazing resinating sound and so evil... :)

[@OperaSamia]

lol.. that soldier hit his head on the way out at around 2:15. Priceless. Gobbi is so sinister! love it

[@isyborensztajn]

Definitely not the greatest operatic baritone voice ever, but definitely the greatest operatic baritone ever!!

[@404modestahousebills4]

His voice is one of the greatest, sir.

[@rosemaryallen2128]

​@@404modestahousebills4 As has been said in other contexts, it is not the equipment, it's the way it is used. The voice is intrinsically less powerful than, say, Bastianini's, but no other baritone is more dramatically expressive. Which is what counts in performance.

[@gildoboi98]

Il più grande Scarpia che si ricordi

[@marisarossi6692]

voce, arte scenica.

[@aetion]

A Scarpia for the eternity! He nailed the role.

Assolutamente crudele! Meraviglia!

[@jmccracken1963]

OUTSTANDING and highly fascinating clip!!! Thank you VERY much for posting this!!! What an outstanding artist Gobbi was! I had the good fortune to see him three times at Lyric Opera of Chicago: once as Don Giovanni (1969), twice as Baron Scarpia (1971 and 1973: both times in that classic production which he staged!).

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Gobi must have made a tremendous Don Giovanni. Wish I'd have seen it.

[@patriziacioffi]

This is a great video. How well I remember the furor Gobbi set as Scarpia. He established a standard that has never been matched to this listener's ears. Thank you for posting this lengendary record of the greatest singing in the world. Singers interpreting this role have much to learn from Gobbi and the era of great singers.

[@olmaleo]

Scarpia = Gobbi = Scarpia = Gobbi = Scarpia = Gobbi etc etc

[@stefanufer608]

Gobbi WAS Scarpia - period

[@fredcranwell2069]

So many good Scarpia's, and then there are the greats.

[@erricobonelli3356]

Sicuramente Gobbi è stato,anche a prescindere dalla voce,il più grande interprete di Scarpia.

[@SONAKIvitaminSHOWERcomau]

Nobody beats Gobbi as Scarpia NOBODY

[@user-jt4js7ed3e]

Люблю всегда.

[@vhan2007]

Great performance, thank you for posting this. I was furtunate to see Gobbi live in this rola at the Rome Opera in 1965. This scene in particular was ubforgettable

[@shirleyrombough8173]

How fortunate you were to see that performance.

[@MrTanguerodeley]

Scarpia=Tito Gobbi! Grazie di cuore!

[@cbrusharmy]

If we could mix Gobbi's acting with London's voice, that's be fantastic.

[@roibin123]

Never better ... never better played ... never better sung

[@faustomalinverno7819]

Favoloso...!

[@nataliakushner5402]

Божественный голос!❤

[@auroraboreale23]

To create a good story you need a good villain, that's why Tosca is great, Scarpia is pure evil, I cannot help loving it!

[@rosemaryallen2128]

You would never have to explain to a red-blooded woman why Tito Gobbi's Scarpia is so mesmerising. What is disturbing is the number of male critics who clearly do not have the capacity to empathise with the implied sexual power in this interpretation.

[@paulhenner8914]

Wonderful ! Toto is the best Scarpia ever...........But I must say Bryn Terfel acting with the Royal Opera House performance is brilliant the best acted Scarpia by far ...........Ah but Toto's voice...........its just the best !

[@johnpickford4222]

Paul Henner: “TOTO”! “TOTO!! “TOTO!!! For that insult I’ll get you and your little dog too! Read your writing before posting!

[@paulhenner8914]

LOL

[@rosemaryallen2128]

​@@johnpickford4222 Think of the singer as 'TOTally' glorious!

[@user-jt4js7ed3e]

Люблю потому, что лучший Скарпиа...

[@tedeschi11]

UN GRANDISSIMO ARTISTA.

[@kiimmaritz2827]

The best ever

[@chinolatino2652]

Powerful

[@carlfogarthy6508]

grandioso e unico Scarpia

[@franzbernasek4058]

The best Scarpias ever, Pasquale Amato, Tito Gobbi ,Apollo Gran Forte,Mario Basiola and Riccardo Stracciari

[@alessandrocorsi7518]

Cesare Formichi...

[@giuseppeisoli313]

un solo commento: magnifico!

[@user-jt4js7ed3e]

Люблю. Всех люблю, и Скарпиа, и Фальстафа, и брадобрея и всех!....

[@marisarossi6692]

Lui è Scarpia.

[@rafalejandro7]

Callas es Floria, Gobbi es Scarpia; entre los dos inmortalizaron a Tosca la gran ópera de Puccini

[@scuunjieng]

thank you. have watched this many times.

[@minsung3299]

Grande...

[@remyhocage9854]

GREAT ! Thanks.

[@NEMETORSZAG]

Puccini a écrit ce role pour lui!

[@shirleyrombough8173]

He must have.

[@Eklektik40]

This is one of the funniest rendition I've seen and heard so far. Thanks for posting this!!

[@johnblasiak607]

What’s funny about it

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Funny? In what way? Maybe this person is not an opera lover

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Funniest? You're not an opera lover, are you?

[@Eklektik40]

@@shirleyrombough8173 I like some operas. Verdi is my favorite. I even was part of one of the production of Tosca in Montreal, in 1991. Maybe Gobbi had some breathing problem at the time. Or hearing. Or both. Not that bad, mind you. But certainly not he best I've heard! And I like the knocking of the prop by a "sbirri".

[@rosemaryallen2128]

It's a shame that the conventions of civilised behaviour prevent me from expressing what I think of your offensive opinion.

[@gomongio]

Tosca... mi fai dimenticare Iddio!!!

[@cris88acquario]

Bella interpretazione... anche se un pó lenta per i miei gusti... gran voce il Gobbi!!

[@francescop1023]

per questo ritengo lo Scarpia di Gobbi un grande capolavoro incompiuto, a causa di evidenti limiti vocali. Peppino Taddei ha fatto uno Scarpia forse meno rifinito ( ma di poco) ma immensamente superiore vocalmente, e Sesto Bruscantini ha dato nel fraseggio una vera lezione, paragonabile a quella di Gobbi ma direi diametralmente opposta come impostazione, pur con qualche forzatura dovuta al bisogno di scurire la voce per dargli volume, McNeill poi unisce tutti questi pregi, Scarpia ideale per me

[@francescop1023]

allora questo è quello che penso dello Scarpia di Gobbi ( e solo dello Scarpia): è il primo cantante veramente innovativo nel ruolo per lo scavo psicologico del personaggio reso con bravura magistrale. alcuni incisi sono tuttora insuperati ( penso all'apparentemente banale "avrà pranzato", o all'"entri, in buon punto!")ma, anche in questo ruolo dove alcuni suonacci sono ammessi, gli acuti sono uno strazio dell'anima, il birignao è francamente eccessivo e il parlato abbonda

[@CarloQuinto]

Yes, definitely, the greatest Scarpia. I use to go back and forth between Tito Gobbi and Giuseppe Taddei. As great as Taddei was I have to give the edge to Gobbi. Gobbi is at times suave, cunning. Most baritones are all bluster in this role. Gobbi is almost seductive at times while tempering the bluster. "La povera mia cena fu interotta." "Have a seat, Tosca, the kinife is freshly sharpened!"

[@shirleyrombough8173]

I wish I could give your remark five likes. It's people like you who are the ones I look to for intelligent, witty comments.

[@armandogabba1364]

When i was young i did not like him so much.in fact he had'nt exactly a perfect way to project the sound but i used to like after a while because of his intense "personaggio".a great artist