two of the most celebrated basses in the operatic world, both originally from Bulgaria. They sing the famous Gremin's aria from Tchaikovsky's opera "Eugene Onegin ". Who wins the face-off?
I would listen to them over and over without the slightest desire to pick one over the other. Just two divine voices. Glad they are from Bulgaria, homeland of Kabaivanska and Gena Dimitrova
Ghiaurov - far more powerful voice, beautiful ringing bronze-like sound, easier high and low notes, superior vocal emission overall. Christoff - elegant phrasing, superior musicianship, more noble interpretation overall, more nuanced, sensitive and exquisite singing, better feeling of text and character. Last but not least - gorgeous dark and velvety soft timbre. On recording I prefer Christoff, but I believe than Ghiaurov was far more exciting live. Both of them are great artists.
I met Ghiaurov in Buenos Aires when he came to sing Mefistofeles in Gounod Faust. He was an unbelievable bass as well as "un homme à femmes". I was very young then and ran away as fast as I could. In spite of my dazzlement of those days, now I vote for Boris Christoff!!!!!
As a Bulgarian and a singer myself, I have always admired Boris Christoff, not just for this aria, but for his entire repertoire, including Orthodox religious chants. He is by far the most amazing bass on earth. The way the two basses were treated by the Bulgarian communist governments, admittedly, may slightly color my opinion, but only very slightly - Ghiaurov was their darling, whereas Christoff was treated like dirt - a defector, traitor, etc. His dying mother was not granted an exit visa to join him in Italy for treatments and he couldn't even attend her funeral for fear of repercussions. But, when he died and was brought to Sofia, all atheist communists from current and former governments filled the Alexander Nevski Cathedral for the funeral mass and closed the doors under the nose of Christoff's true fans. Ghiaurov, however, was also a great singer. I love his velvety timbre. Both singers have been God's gift to Bulgaria and the world. May God grant them eternal memory (which He has!)!
Do not manipulate, please. Ghiaurov was recognized all over the world and the comunist state has nothing to do with this, except from discovering his talent and giving him opportunity to develop it. The same can be said for a whole bunch of wonderful Bulgarian opera singers from the second half of the 20th century who made Bulgaria's name known. Now the Communist state is gone - where are the artists, the singers, the musicians? Those who manage to break through do it not thanks to, but despite the state.
Не ми казвайте, че не знам какво говоря, това е грубо и невъзпитано. Гяуров е признат и доказан талант, певец със световна слава, басът с най-много записи в историята на операта, и е манипулативно името му да се свързва задължително с комунистическата партия. Унизително е в обидно кратката статия за най-великия бас на 20 век в Уикипедия да се споменава, че бил брат на комунистическия функционер Костадин Гяуров. Никой не помни Костадин Гяуров, а и какво значение има за американската, френската, италианската, руската, та дори и българската публика, кой е бил братът на певеца?! Хирург и певец не се става с връзки, там или го можеш, или не. Ако ще брат му да е бил Тодор Живков, ако не беше талантлив, нямаше да стане Гяуров. Не той се е подмилквал на тогавашната власт, а тя на него, защото обичаше да се "кичи" за пред света с талантите и заслужилите личности и така да печели популярност за себе си, но истина е също, че без тази власт нито момчето от Лъджене, нито момичето от Беглеж щяха да станат големите Николай Гяуров и Гена Димитрова. Така че спрете с манипулациите и противопоставянето на страдалеца изгнаник Христов и глезеника на властта Гяуров. Всеки от тях е велик по своему и ние можем само да сме щастливи и горди, че сме техни сънародници и съвременници.
@@mariaruskova6054 Аз пък смятам, че е невъзпитано и арогатно, да казвате, че някой, че манипулира и да нападете по начина по който го правите. А да не говорим, за Вашия псевдоним, which speaks volumes. Всеки има право на мнение. Никой не отрича таланта нито на Гяуров, нито на Христов, нито на другите български певци, с които България се гордее. Талантът не зависи от никакъв политически режим. Но е истина, че Борис Христов е низвергнат от тогавашния режим и няма право дори да посещава България. И за това само в края на кариерата си има записи в България.
Не ме преразказвайте, не ми давайте определения, не ме поучавайте и не адвокатствайте. Ако има засегнат от коментара ми, да отговори сам. А "псевдонимът" ми в случая няма нищо общо.
@@mariaruskova6054 votre pseudo dit tout ... j'ai vu vos autres commentaires sur youtube. Tout ce que je peux dire... en France il existe des bons psys qui peuvent vous aider.
Be happy that you live in an era when you can hear recordings of these great singers and others. This is not a contest of Miss World, each has his own virtues. And I am happy to be able to listen to these great colleagues.
I would say I prefer Boris overall, mostly because of his artistry and the uniqueness of his voice, but both are great. I will say the size of christoff's voice should not be a major factor in judging him, because he wisely spent most of his career doing recordings.
Most impressive voice: Ghiaurov Most beautiful tone: Christoff Legato: both Dynamics: both Smoother passaggio: Christoff Effortless extremities of the range: Ghiaurov I think they were equal in talent and importance in the Opera history. My personal choice is Ghiaurov but I can't say he is better. It is only a matter of taste.
Вие знаете, че моят род произхожда от този край на България, в който Вий живеете и който се нарича Македония, която е била и ще бъде център на най-здравия български национален дух, така като цар Самуил е бил и ще остане в световната история цар Болгарский. Желая Вам и на Вашето семейство Честита нова година. 12 януари 1969 г. Борис Христов
Boris Christov and Nicolai Ghiaurov are FANTASTIC BULGARIAN VOICES !!! DIVINE VOICES !!! World voices !!! PRIDE FOR BULGARIA !!! PRIDE for The World culture !!!.
Nadeto Mirkova Ne e vqrno tova , koeto pishesh ! 1 Nicolai Ghiaurov = 10 Boris Christoff . Moito momiche,ti ne si chuvala na jivo nikoga tqhnite glasove ,tova e edin tujen fakt .
due vocalità molto diverse dal vivo . Nicolai Ghiaurov - basso cantante . Boris Christoff - basso nobile . dal vivo : 1 Nicolai Ghiaurov = 10 Boris Christoff insieme e ancora ... due giganti della lirica . Christoff - vocalità fonogenica , registrazioni di una bellezza rara .dal vivo era un'atra cosa... Ghiaurov - dal vivo una vocalità immensa, purtroppo i microfoni odiavano la sua voce Meravigliosa !... mi ricordo ancora il suo Seneca qua à Parigi -durante la recita la voce di Ghiaurov era semplicemente sublime di una bellezza artistica rara !!! NICOLAI GHIAUROV . BORIS CHRISTOFF . due vocalità molto diverse ... dal vivo preferivo la vocalità di Ghiaurov, ma era davvero difficile a dire chi tra i due era il migliore . il vecchio
Thanks for posting! Really interesting to hear them contrasted so closely. I love both voices - not interested in picking over how BIG someone’s voice is , which is a youtube obsession for some people. I prefer the forward-ness of Christoff’s voice, that edgier sound, but I think Ghiaurov’s is the better instrument on balance. I just prefer Christoff’s sound. However, it’s like Sophie’s choice - it’s swings and roundabouts - why choose one when you can have both?!
I love many of their records, but never heard either in person. BC sounded so much like Chaliapin, and was such a powerful artist. NG in his prime had one of the most beautiful basso-cantante voices in recorded history, second only IMHO to Siepi. Yet he was no mere emitter of lovely sounds. He was a fine artist, though again IMO not quite so fine as Christoff, who also had better low notes.
Ghiaurov, of course. He has so much variety, nobility and tenderness in his phrasing. I saw him many times in this role in various theatres: he also looked magnificent and princely as Gremin, with such inborn elegance and class.
I never heard Chistoff live but I did hear Ghiaurov several times. At the time Christoff was said by the critics to have a small to moderate size voice. He was very popular on records for his vocal color and soft singing. He also had a strong Slavic accent. He sounded very different from other singers in Italian opera. Many associated Slavic with basso. Ghiarurov of course was famous for his vocal size. He sounds Slavic here but sang Italian like a native.
First off, I'm replying six years later, but..it's true that Christoff had a really pronounced Slavic accent, but it never seemed to make a difference in his case, at least to me. Both are absolutely magnificent!
А вот это великолепное исполнение, хоть запись и студийная, но сразу слышен огромный потенциал певца, мощный, красивый голос, чудные обертона. Чистый точный звук и прекрасное эмоциональное наполнение. Текст иногда неправильный, но это уже мелочь.
Deux très belles interprétations, deux très grands interprètes. Le premier fait la basse, alors qu'il avait un timbre naturel de baryton. "Les résonateurs placés dans la mâchoire "lui permettait d'enfler sa voix, à la russe. Ghiaurov avait une voix de basse naturelle. La comparaison est toujours difficile et subjective. Elle est ici impossible tant la prise de son, seul élément objectif, est à l'avantage de BC (très près du micro). Question orientée qui n'appelle par conséquent pas de réponse.
The conclusion of this somehow useless discussion is that there were at least two great Bulgarian basses to dominated world stages during the second half of 20 c.
I adore them both. Boris is usually more artistic with his studio recording voice, with restraint and deep emotion, letting the natural thimble of his powerful colouration to impress. Ghiaurov has open voluminous voice, natural with less restraint. I agree Ghiaurov gave more colouration and his high notes are more impressive. In this role the singer is to be in content of his love life in a self expression, Boris interpretation is more appropriate, normally I prefer Chiaurov in other roles.
Ghiaurov on the low notes more secure buts it’s interesting that bass voices without great top notes are just like food without seasoning like the voice of Miller who is boring after the first amazement of his deep base voice. Any singer who cannot negotiate passagio into the higher tesitura is without a paddle to steer the listener
From my position ,in this aria from Oneghin,Ghiaurov was better.I will explane why.Ghiarov demonstrated in this context more Legato,and it is very important in Chiaikovskii opera music,but Christoff sings that with more Glissando,but it is no on the style absolutly.And in the finish part of the Gremin,s aria ,the Ghiaurov,s low G-bemol was absolutly better,because the Christoff,s low sound was really not very sure,but it is alsow very important...
Both of them fail to sing with genuine Russian accent. Here Christoff wins with a small margin. The text isn’t always accurate. Here Ghiaurov wins. Ghiaurov’s voice is more on a “bass” side than Christoff’s (and even though you cannot tell from a recording, Ghiaurov is reported to have much larger voice). Now, I personally prefer Christoff’s colour, which I think was unique. Christoff wins, but I am biased. I would listen to his voice even if he just did “aaaa, eeee, ooooooo”.
Comment peux t on se prêter à ce type de comparaison ? Si la musique et l'opéra ont l'importance qu'elles ont pour moi , ce ne sont que vanité et futilité. La voix est une " clé " ouvrant une sensibilité , une reaction , pour atteindre parfois a une osmose avec une " oreille " ,elle est une une Ame propre à chacun . Un passe partout n'existe pas en matiere de musique et notamment de Voix . La Voix est la signature d'une personne ,d'une Âme . Le seul parallèle me venant a l'esprit est l'allergie : nous ne sommes pas tous sensibles aux mêmes allergènes , donc ....... Fou d'opéra et de voix profondes , je suis interpellé par la force de projection et la noirceur de Kristoff ,mais j'aime la volupté et la profondeur de Ghiaurov . Pourquoi quand la grâce vous offre 2 " élixirs " sublimes se priver de l'un d'entre eux . Ma passion pour les femmes ne m'a pas intime de choisir entre brunes , blondes ou rousses . Oubliez - vous Neri , Siepi et tant d'autres ......
I will agree that Christoff is very good, and his voice is an great instrument, but, he rushes, there are moments when the orchestra is racing to catch up with him, plus his high notes don't have the same ring and clarity as Ghiaurov, and his vibrato is a little fast for my taste. Though this is the same role, technically these are not the same voice type, where Ghiaurov is a slightly lighter Basso, with Christoff obviously the heavier profundo, but his darker sound does the better singer make.
Slightly unfair. For Christoff, a well-engineered studio recording; for Ghiaurov, a somewhat pale and distant live recording. Should have used Ghiaurov's 1974 studio recording under Solti. Still prefer Christoff, though
@bodiloto Я думаю, что спор здесь неуместен. Свое мнение я ни в коем случае никому не навязываю. Но поскольку речь зашла о сравнении (если это слово уместно в данном случае) двух прекрасных певцов, то каждый высказывает свое мнение. У Вас своё, у меня своё. И каждое мнение имеет право на существование. Лично мне больше нравится Христов, как певец и как артист. Вам - Гяуров. В живую, к сожалению, ни одного из них мне слышать не посчастливилось.
@bodiloto Я думаю, что как и в Италии, так и в других странах, были, есть и будут поклонники обоих этих прекрасных исполнителей. То есть кому-то нравится певец, а кому-то нет. По поводу Рикардо Страччари - я все же придерживаюсь мнения, что в становлении певца решающую роль имеет его педагог и его вокальная школа. Кстати говоря - ария Гремина в интерпретации Гяурова мне нравится больше, чем у Христова. Но в целом, мне больше импонирует Христов. Собственно, больше добавить мне нечего.
As an overall bass I prefer Christoff, however here Ghiaurov just wins for me. Christoff is still very good, but Ghiaurov's high notes have more ring and the tempo feels more assured.
Boris Christoff è stato chissà con Siepi e Pinza i più importanti bassi del secolo XX. Ghiaurov grande basso e bellissima voce, ma molto sotto questi 3 giganti
@bodiloto По-хорошему завидую Вам!!! Великое счастье учиться у таких мастеров! А уж о дружбе с такими людьми может мечтать каждый. В мыслях не было Вас чем-то обидеть. Думаю, что раз Вы знали обоих певцов лично, у Вас больше оснований для суждения о них. Я в своих выводах могу ошибаться. С уважением, Сергей.
christoff is the best,justa little difference in voice quality between those two best bass singers in the world, I read someplace that Christoff is with macedonian blood, as Alexander the gread
Christoff très fin artistiquement,très bien retranscrit.Musicalement:Quasi-idéal.Les graves finals sont écrasés. Ghiaurov beaucoup moins artiste,peu inspiré,pâlichon tant au niveau du timbre que de l'interprétation mais graves bien mieux assis.
for this song ,i like more nicolais interpretation.after my opinion boris seems to have a much stronger and lower voice and that is why this song isn't really for him.anyway i can say only that this kind of songs fits more for nicolais . voice .listen song of volga boatmen by boris.thats a song for a strong voice.there i'm sure boris is the boss.
In Italian opera there is a tradition to have Slavic accented voices for Attila. Otherwise a heavy accent like that of Christoff makes little sense. Phillip II shouldn't sound Russian. I prefer Ghiaurov here and the difference would be even more noticeable in Italian. Nesterenko and Reizen are also great in the Russian language but are less worthy in French or Italian. This is not Ghiaurov's best Gremin recording. Never heard Chritoff live. Christoff's bottom is a little weak.
I almost got to sing this myself for the Russian Center in San Francisco. I went to an open audition for some opera. I sang what I always sang at auditions - "Il Lacerato Spirito" from Simon Bocanegra. I always sang that because it is quite easy. It has no high notes, it has no fioratura, and it stops and starts providing many places to catch a breath. Of course this is only true if you actually are a bass. Occasionally I would hear some baritone try to sing it at an audition - that never went well. But if you are a legitimate bass - which means you have the low notes and the vocal color - It's quite easy. At this audition it went well. The other auditionees applauded and a Russian guy asked me if I knew this aria. I did, but he hated my accent, so it fell through. BTW this aria is also rather easy.
I'm having problems understanding the Bulgarian language, so I do not know if I understand correctly your Contribution. I have to clarify: I'm not talking about ethnicity of Boris Christoff, I'm talking about Macedonians and Bulgarians. And I have to confirm his words. Macedonians are Macedonians,Macedonian are NOT Bulgarians. BTW:. I am not Macedonian.
No, they were not. Bulgarian, Serbian, Greek, even Albanian and specially Turkish politics, of course, they denied them the right to be what they are. Some (or many) of them still doing this, together with those without knowledge.
А что вы судите по одной греминовской арии, она мало показательна. Вы сравните исполнение Верди, например. Христов учился в Италии и у него итальянская школа. А Гяуров в России учился. И если б не Френи, неизвестно, как его карьера сложилась бы. Хотя, безусловно, певец прекрасный.
SerPetKo Насколько я знаю, Гяуров учился у выдающегося болгарского педагога Христо Брымбарова, так же как и многие прекрасные болгарские певцы, ставшие мировыми звёздами. В Москве он стажировался.
Гяуров окончил Софийскую госсударственную консерваторию и после этого Московскую консерваторию. В 1955-ом он выграл Гран при в Париже и Первую награду и золотую медаль на Молодежном фестивале в Праге. Его международная карьера началась в 1959-ом году. Так что когда женился на Френи в 1978-ом, Гяуров был уже знаменит.
Гяуров и Френи поженились вскоре после совместной записи студийной версии "Фауста", второй в карьере Гяурова. Сами понимаете, что такие фирмы, как Decca и EMI, не стали бы брать в 60-70-х гг. кого попало на ведущие роли.
These two bassos hated one another and never performed together. Some political disagreement about the government of Bulgaria. Each would spit if the other was mentioned.
Yes, they sang once, in Don Carlo, in Met. It is a nice story about the young Ghiaurov as the Great inquisitor who merely blew Christoff away from the stage.
I saw both these singers many times. On the stage together no doubt Ghiaurov's larger voice must have told. However, it is hard to believe that Christoff was ever blown away especially in the part of Philip. His stage presence was towering.@@mariaruskova6054
@@judithbereczky4114 Unfortunately, I haven't heard either of them live, let alone the two together, and I'm just saying what I read. In this story, told by an expert, I do not remember who, it was claimed that after the incident Boris Hristov asked the director of the opera to promise him that he would not appoint the young Gyaurov, to which the director replied "I'm sorry, I already appointed him." I'm not saying the story is true, but you didn't hesitate to describe me as evil just because I quoted it?
