Today we don't have even one GOOD bass and in those days it was possible to have such casts:Siepi-Hines, Siepi-Neri, Flagello - Siepi-Giaotti... Only the Greates!
Due veri miti della lirica.Giulio Neri strappatoci troppo presto x maligna sorte.Che voci straordinarie.Cesare Siepi ci ha deliziato anche in età avanzata.Entrambi dotati di grande classe.Emozione
I heard Siepi (and Hines) many times. Siepi was the greatest basso of my time (and I saw Ghiaurov, Christoff, Hotter and many others.) Siepi's voice was big, beautiful and all-enveloping. He had it all: voice, technique, musicianship, brains, looks, acting ability, stage presence and big personality.
My dad heard him sing Mephistopheles. He says Siepi not only had a huge sound with a lot of ring, but had an unbelievably captivating stage-presence as well. Cesare Siepi was perhaps the greatest bass that has ever lived.
I heard Siepi live, as Don Giovanni, Figaro, King Philip, Mephistophélès and Colline in La bohème. He did not have a huge voice, but it was perfectly placed on the breath, and one could always hear him perfectly. It carried, because of the clarity of his vocal emission. One could also always understand every word he sang. He was a first-rate musician, a real bel-canto technician, and a good actor. And very handsome, too. He looked like an Italian Prince. Quite a singer!
A fascinating contrast between two magnificent voices, each perfect for their respective role. I always loved Neri’s dark, massive, ancient sounding voice, which envelops the orchestra, and, to my ear anyways Siepi has a brighter, more focused timbre which sounds like it can cut through the orchestra like butter. How I wish I could have see them in person to get a true assessment
Yes, Neri was surely tremendous. His top was not comparable to Siepi or Hines however. I personally find Siepi was the Greatest basso of his generation and with Jose Mardones the Greatest in the history of recording. I wrote him this in a personal letter a month ago also. He was absolutely stupendous as an interpreter, actor and vocalist. A true legend and inspiration.
This is an incredibly difficult scene, vocally and dramatically. It really separates the men from the boys among basses and bass-baritones. The tessitura of the Inquisitor is very high for a bass with the authority of tone for the part. While Neri is not as effective in the upper range as some, he is quite authoritative in much of this recording. For his part, Cesare Siepi ranks among the finest on account of his tonal beauty, evenness of scale, resonance and projection, and beautiful upper and lower ends of his range. Many King Phillips get caught a bit short on the last phrase, either on the top F or the low F, but not Siepi - beautiful on both ends and everywhere in between!
Basses are required to have the ability to sing up to high F's, and the Inquisitor only has a passing F in this duet. It has a jump from high E to low E though, which is only one off from the lowest note of any bass aria, D in Osmin and a few others. I'd say the focus here isn't the high tessitura, but effectively singing the low E in a beautiful way. In the Jerome Hines and Siepi recording of this duet, you can hear how Hines struggles a little to hit the high F, but it's fine because it's not an important note. You can also hear Hines sing the low E beautifully, which adds that much more to the recording (especially since this is the main struggle point for a lot of basses). Philip has a held high F, which would be that role's focus for this duet.
This duet has become my favorites operatic ensemble piece recently. Siepi is wonderful. His voice was a more complete package than Neri's, although Neri was astounding
Exactly, it was not a huge voice like Hines, or even Flagello, but he was a great singer, with great musicianship, great stage presence. I just get sick of fans inflating the truth....so did Siepi! He would not talk to ANYONE about opera after he retired!
Siepi had a large, resonant voice, extremely velvety and smooth. Hines was also big but a rougher more gruff sound, compared to Siepi. The one who was truly enormous was young Ghiaurov --- just a wall of sound. I heard them all. Neri's home base was Rome and I never heard him live. My heart belongs to Siepi but I was a big Ghiaurov admirer as well. The Filippo/Grande Inquisitore scene which was the most exciting was with Ghiaurov and Martti Talvela (with Abbado conducting). Two titans.
Giulio Neri and Nazzareno De Angelis were really from different generations. Neri was born in 1909 and De Angelis in 1881. However, because Neri died so tragically young he only died 4 years before De Angelis (1958/1962 respectively) but Neri was 49 when he died and De Angelis 81.
IMHO The triad of best basses of all times is Nazzareno De Angelis , Tancredi Pasero, and Ezio Pinza. Cesare Siepi is a legend I would locate him immedately after the above triad, not very far anyway. Giulio Neri is an astonishing deep bass maybe with Jose' Mardones the best beautiful deep bass voice of all times. This of course is only my opinion
Unfortunately he never heard Neri live. I get so jealous when he tells me of the great singers he has heard. Simon Boccanegra with Warren,Christoff and Tebaldi. Or Andrea Chenier with Warren & Tucker....I'm so jealous lol !!!
Preiser does have a Neri CD on their Lebendige Vergangenheit series. It's #89580 and contains brani from BARBIERE, RIGOLETTO, DON CARLO, AIDA, GIOCONDA, BOHEME and MEFISTOFELE. The RIGOLETTO scena with Taddei is very impressive and Neri's final low note is stunning, cavernous, black and just keeps going. A great Sparafucile!
@cameratamaestro The MET finally released that 1980 Don Carlo on DVD - I bought it and it is fabulous. I concur - best Grand Inquisitor scene I have heard.
You wrote a letter to Siepi? I would love to write him myself to tell him how much he has influenced my life. I began the study of singing at age 18 after hearing him and to this day I am still performing and a student of voice, 44 years later! Thanks for this posting!
Neri ha un vocione, dal timbro però non particolarmente bello, pur imponente, l'estensione è corta, il suono pieno d'aria e l'emissione un po' da uomo delle caverne. Siepi per bellezza timbrica unica, classe, tecnica, gestione dei fiati, dell'espressione, grandiosità, finezza, profondità, ritengo sia il cantante perfetto, il più grande che sia mai esistito, superiore persino alla Callas.
What I have heard is similar. I would have loved to have heard him live. As I would have lover to have heard so many of the older singers live. Specifically, did your father have the chance to hear Neri and comment on his vocal size? Other basses to love - Ezio Pinza, Nazzareno De Angelis, Jose Mardones, and Adamo Didur.
@cameratamaestro Did he? I know it does't matter a lot, but I always heard that Giulio Neri died from a heart attack. He was young, anyway, since he died at only 49 years old.
I have that recording and have died also to have seen him in person. And has anyone matched his magic with Philip's aria from Don Carlo? It's overwhelming.
Don't let recordings fool you - Domingo sounds like he has a robust voice on a recording- so they mic him live to make up for the difference. Siepi's voice was ginormous. Listen to Siepi/Hines in Siepi's debut. Same selection - different result. AGAIN both huge voices. Anyone who heard them life able to comment? I would like to know how it soudned live.
@Sieglinde84 You're absolutely right!! I saw Michael Langdon in this (with Christoff in Covent Garden). It was spine chilling. He actually did a CRESCENDO going down to the bottom E in "Allor son io che a voi parlerò, SIIIIIIIREEE" ! (Neri, for all his sterling qualities, just "touches" that low E) It was one of the most amazing things I ever saw in an opera house!
I'll check Michael Langdon since i don't know him. But regarding Neri, you may have the feeling that he just touched the low E because his voice placement was very natural and his voice was not Crystal clear, but I heard regordings of his Baldassarre in La favorita and his Don Sebastiano showing that he could hit a rock solid and throath opened low d and low c. If you are interested there is a video of Angelo Romero, italian fine baritone, recounting hearing Neri live. Many described his voice as a "sound flooding" tidal wave. Another bass with this effect was Mansueto Gaudio, who, according to Lauri Volpi, blasted a low F so loud as Sparafucile that he compared it to a "menacing earthquake". Hearing huge voices is always thrilling.
@@diegoreviati5166 Re Michael Langdon: There is a complete recording on YT of his performance with Christoff. On that particular night, he sang the bottom E OK but not incredibly. But on the night I was there, which was the first night he substituted for Neri, he sang a note that I remember to this day. He authored a book "Notes from a Low Singer". As for Neri, you're preaching to the choir. I'm a big fan.
@rovingdesertfox i haven't logged into this account for a while. funny to see a reply to a 2 year old comment. i should be more clear.... with domingo, the burnished "baritone" sound is misleading. that part of domingo's range does not penetrate. domingo does have a nice bloom and penetration with his high notes. even as of a couple years ago, his high notes were the high point (pun intended). what i know, i know first hand in this case.
@WhiteProfondo Tenor, not Baritone, is the most common male voice in all the world (as my teacher always says). True baritonal "timbro" is not so common as everyone could think. Moreover, Bass singer are very rare, expecially for Profundo repertoire. That's because is so easy to be addicted, as I am too (and I'm only a poor Dramatic tenor ;-P).
it astounds me that the met wanted ghiaurov instead of siepi at some point. hard to believe someone so fantastic (siepi) could be exchanged for someone merely good (ghiaurov).
