Franco Corelli destroying mediocre tenors (Kaufmann, Beczala, Villazon, etc.) 

You don't really get opera, do you? 😂 It's singing and acting

@@dowal199 bad acting is acting for you? Lets see: I saw LIVE: Souzay, Cotrubas, McCracken, Pavarotti, Kraus, among others. Does that count ?

@@dowal199 Opera singers are suppose to act with their voices. In a theatre you cannot see their facial expressions up close.

@@dowal199 He gets it perfectly well....

@@ZENOBlAmusic right, they stay in one place and just sing... 🤦🏼‍♂️

👍🙏👍

Why does Kaufman always sounded so muffled ?

@@yuenkoi cuz his sound is woofy and throaty

Cierto

@@yuenkoi he sings with a technique, an incorrect one, called la voce ingolata basically meaning throaty voice. Doing this artificially darkens the sound and creates an unfocused tone that has no ring to it. The effect is that the sound that comes out is woofy and dampened. Many singers today sound like this unfortunately.

Very true. Di Stefano always wanted his audience to forget that he was singing, vs just speaking. Verdi and Wagner both wanted the same from their singers.

its the older recording techniques, which emphasize the highs and middle.. you can't compare recordings with 30+ years in between them in a serious manner.. having said that i love Corelli more than any other tenor today..

They didn’t manufacture their timbres back then. Kaufmann and Villazón artificially darken their tones, and somehow Beczała graduated being allowed to sing with a throaty tone. Also, the conductor in the Kaufmann examples is over the top: it’s distracting and likely doesn’t communicate anything to the orchestra.

Well, no. The sound isn't necessarily bigger, the Corelli videos are way louder. And that's a cheap trick by the channel. Because louder videos/voices are often quickly received as better. Not saying that Corelli is bad. But the videos are way too different for as face to face comparison without adjustment

@@dowal199 No, the sound is very similar. In the old sound you are losing mid range and bass sounds, the old sound only accentuate the high treble. The modern sound just has a more wider horizontal range and disperses the sound more evenly, there are far more mid range and bass in the modern sound, which makes it sound lower, but it is actually very equal. You are losing Corelli's lower and deeper sound in this recording, if you heard the studio version his voice will sound far deeper. Corelli had a much bigger and louder voice then any of these others, he had one of the biggest tenor voices, and he was better on high notes then these three as well, despite the big voice. He barely had to open his mouth and there were columns of volume and sound. Kaufmann barely sings without a microphone in front of him, for the last few years. Their problem is that they don't have any squillo, it is squillo that makes an opera singer's voice really loud and big, especially if you are performing spinto and dramatic repertoire, you can get away without squillo in the more lyrical roles. Corelli and Del Monaco had incredible amounts of metal and squillo in their voices. That being said Beczala is okay in lyrical roles. Kaufmann could have been fine if had squillo and he stopped artificially darkening his voice, Villazon was fine as a lyric tenor at one stage. These three are not the worst, Corelli just had an extremely exceptional voice, that you are not going to find very often.

100% and those eyebrows make it all worse

Mr bean singing opera

✋✋✋

He is constantly off pace

Well, you just described the correct singing technique 👍🏻

i don't think he was a naturale, distefano was, corelli (i believe) had to work on it.

As was Beniamino Gigi who probably was the greatest of the "naturals." Caruso however, in my opinion was the greatest tenor ever and probably will never be equaled. That can also be said of Maria Callas who "was" the part she sang in every role.

All of these tenors are superlative.

he worked extremely hard, was a perfectionist, AND was a natural. his virtuosic and hard won technical mastery is just as essential as his instincts

Голос необыкновенный!!! А какой Красавец!!!!!

io come timbro preferisco Pavarotti e come armonia Gigli.

Cierto. Corelli era hermoso!

Proprio codi:insuperabile ❤️💜🧡

Corelli, creo uno de los tenores con más presencia de la historia, pero a la vez de una voz extraordinaria por su extensión. Una interpretación, técnicamente superior. Si estuviere con los tres restantes, su voz resaltaría sin lugar a dudas. Un timbre parejo, voz dosificada, con fraseo, emisión agudos claros potentes no gritados, sin recurrir a facilismo de la expresión sensacionalista, ridícula en unos casos y hasta fuera de gusto en otras que no va con el sentido con el texto sino para causar sensacionalismo, protagonismo; creerán que la mayoría del público no se interesaran por el texto. Villazón lo que conmueve no es lo que canta, a mi me escarapela el cuerpo que pueda quedarse sin voz por exagerar y así pasó después con las operaciones por los nódulos que se le formaban en sus cuerdas vocales, bueno ahora es más sobrio pero no puede cantar mucho. Los demás cantantes Kauffman y Beczala no son actores, ese dramatismo para la ópera que les ayude la dirección escénica. Aquí son solo conciertos, deben hacerlo con sobriedad, más es el instrumento lo que debe destacar, sus voces. Cada uno de ellos parecen que fueran dos por lo diferenciado de sus tonalidades. Ahora que son tenores talentosos, por supuesto tienen muy buenas voces, son entregados y son destacados, por supuesto sólo que están tan lejos de Franco Corelli, en la gloria, como de las estrellas.

Los maestros clásicos son insuperables; pero es una pena que haya tantos aprendices, que se hacen llamar tenores, y pretensiosamente figuran entre los grandes de este tiempo, cuando realmente solo se les podría considerar no Muy buenos estudiantes, y engañan al publico que no conoce los básicos del Bell Canto. Molesta mucho toda esa parodia que hacen, hacen ver todo dificil y no tiene nada de Bello, ni de Bell Canto y todo lo hacen un gran drama, que hasta causa temor, y parece que van a colapsar o quieren hacer colapsar a los que escuchan, para que los consideren majestuosos o espectaculares. No tienen la técnica, sino que se ve feamente que la Técnica los trae del cuello. Fuera del Argumento de la obra, pregunto ¿Eso es Bell Canto, todo esa esa fea ejecución sin ninguna naturalidad, que por el contrario, parece que se esfuerzan en hacerlo más dificil y todo más parece una tragedia, que solo ellos pueden realizar? la verdad, muy mal. Seguro deben tener sus méritos de estudio y práctica, pero como público, debo decir que no suman, sino restan al hermos arte del Canto y sobre todo el Lírico.

Of course, Corelli is one of the best tenors of the 20th century, but the comparation ist nevertheless stupid: The recording technics is not comparable, and the voice of Corelli is made artificially louder. Kaufmann f. ex. is not so metallic in his colour, but much more nuanced in his interpretation. He is neider better nor worse than Corelli. Baczala, ok, this is an operette singer.

@@danielungermann7055 dumb comments over a non plus ultra tenor. just f.t.s.u

@@danielungermann7055 ...Indeed, one of the reasons modern tenors like Kaufmann look a little more strained and intense in their faces is that now they think a lot more about the expression in terms of the character and role they're playing out in the aria...Whereas if you watch singers like Monaco, you can see all their thinking about is whether they can put extra high note or two in the next few bars!

@@tenorandguitar Totally wrong!

Mr. Ungerman you have no idea. Corelli was one of the loudest, the modern ones heran are no voices compared to him. I did sing with two of them, believe me, they have absolutely mediocre, not really developed voices. Woofy, ingolato, squeezed and constricted sounds and throats. Corelli s throat is completely open and free. Who cares about nuances if not one sound out of their mouth is good??? Who has ears, listen! The others should be quiet and learn.

Aynı fikirdeyim yanısıra Mario de Monako’yu da unutmıyalım

Yeah, Turiddu wearing a suit and tie. So natural. It's not the look, it's the sound. And what a sound.

@@davidgould9431 you sound dumb af. He’s talking about his technique. It makes it look like his singing is easy as hell. Which is far more difficult than people think.

Que mal gusto...tan solo el de asignar este título al vídeo! ... que exceso de soberbia y pedantería.

Los muchachos que titularon este video fueron excesivamente generosos en calificar a estos dos de "mediocre tenors". Los "monos aulladores" hubiera sido más preciso.

I have to contradict: Franco Corelli was not 'divino', but he was 'un Dio' among the tenors. Devo contraddire: Franco Corelli non era 'divino', era 'Dio' tra i tenori.

Only if you are judging by this video. Corelli was great, but Beczala (who?), Villazon and the budget heldentenor Kaufmann are hardly appropriate comparisons. Look for "Mamma! Il vino e generoso" with di Stefano, Gigli, Bjorling - others, lots of others. Corelli tended to scoop to his high notes - he hit them, but it took a while. This isn't a musical judgement, but I think Corelli sounds like a thug - the kind of guy you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. Probably just me.

@@davidgould9431 qqqqqq

@@davidgould9431 LOL

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏....BEN DETTO... ❤❤❤CORELLI NON HA PARI❤❤❤...MI DISPIACE PER TUTTI GLI ALTRI...CHE MI SCUSO PER IL PARAGONE,MA MI SEMBRANO DELLE PENTOLE ATTACCATE AD UN CARRO IN MOVIMENTO...😂😂😂😂🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

anche Gigli, Caruso, Pavarotti? Comunque le registrazioni dei tenori precedenti a Corelli sono tecnicamente penose.

CERTO‼️‼️

Questi in confronto a Corelli sono coristi. Vadano a buttarsi nel fiume piu' vicino a casa loro.... MA IN FRETTA.. DAI DAI DAI PIU' VELOCIIIII WOOOOOMMM 😂😂😂😂😂

0:27 …. portati la carta

Anzi, se ne devono fare!

@@DiomedesDioscuro Si devono fare perché la lirica é da salvare!Leggetevi l'intervista di ieri al proposito ,rilasciata dal maestro Muti...leggetela davvero!

What bollocks. Music is subjective. Your personal opinion is not an irrefutable truth. Furthermore, there are many genres of music, and you may not care for them or about them, but that doesn't mean they're not valid, so calling anyone the voice of the century is utter bullshit. Anyone who tries to prove that their favourite singer is the best is just trying to convince others of it, and they then get all flustered and angry when others disagree. How childish. Music should be enjoyed for what it is. Why turn it into a contest? There are no winners in what is a subjective art form, as is any that affects human emotions. Just enjoy the music without trying to prove the unprovable, for Christ's sake.

Sooooo. My favorite is Mario Lanza, and he isn’t even in the category. What a shame.

The category was comparing Corelli with few other operatic tenors. Corelli was a spinto tenor with huge voice and equally skillful in soft pianissimo. Lanza also had a powerful voice but his operatic career was interrupted by making Hollywood movies. He was known as tenor and Hollywood film star.

@@joeblack8915 I guess you are the one who gets angry when people discuss their favorite singers that you do not agree. In fact you probably like any voice in all genre including rap singers. The person who put this up is comparing Corelli with some mediocre tenors. So get angry with him. Many critics have said more than any others, Corelli was the voice of the century. So get angry with those critics as well. As a bel canto trained classical tenor myself, I happen to agree with them wholeheartedly.

@@joeblack8915 music is not subjective. There are plenty of objective parameters that can be discussed, you can even mesure them. Singing technique is one of them.

Meraviglioso

No lo hay ni lo habrá, porque la opera cambió, la opera antigua sin microfono creaba cantantes potentes y con largos fraseos, hoy en dia la potencia se sustituyó por los parlantes, y el stablishment de la lírica no permite que no canten quienes no se adaptaron a la nueva opera, por eso los cantantes nuevos admiran a los old, pero saben que si se convierten en alumnos del viejo estilo jamás conseguiran papeles importantes en los grandes teatros.

Where do you place di Stefano and Alagna?

@@oldmacmillan di Stefano was a lyric tenor and ruined his voice trying to sing heavier rep. To my ears, he sounded like a pig when he sang roles too heavy for him. Carreras, Alagna, and Araiza follwed in his (Di Stefano's) footsteps sadly. Lovely lyric voices that pushed and forced and trashed their voices.

Que piensas de Juan Diego Flores, peruano. Yo creo que es excelente como para agregar a la lista

@@oldmacmillan Alaña no existe!!!!

@@craigcollins6904 Exactly..you are quite right

Yes, it seems so effortless when Corelli sings. When you look at the faces of Villazon, Kaufmann (and others of today) singing the same arias as Corelli (example: Turridu Mama) their faces are deformed, tortured and frightening to us who see them and Corelli's face is normal, and still with lots of passion and feelings. No comparison.

Corelli seemed he was charging the whole orchestra like an Anteus.

@@judithbereczky4114 They sre pushing their voices. None of them have any business singing roles like Turiddu. They simply do not have the goods for it. Corelli sings it without all these contortions because he had the vocal resources to do it. If you want to see something truly horrific, I suggest you watch Villazon obliterate the song "L' alba separa della luce l'ombra " by Tosti, from about 2011. It's like some kind of demonic possession going on when he "sings" it.

@@paulennini3655 Ha ha. Villazon looks sometimes like he is demonically possessed.

Not about louder sound but a sound that carries through the theater. Actually, mediocre is a nice thing to say about the other tenors since they don't really know how to sing. Very few know how to these days. Unfortunately. True singing is almost a lost art.

Corelli was nervous to sing, because he had a stutter when speaking. But speaking and singing use different parts of the brain, and we didn’t know that back then. He was worried to stutter onstage.

His wife used to push him onto the stage at his worse moments.

@@toscadonna Dear Toscadonna, I've heard Corelli speak on many interviews both in Italian and English. I never heard him stutter in Italian. Corelli suffered from terrible stage fright which plagued him throughout his career. Even people who stutter when they speak, do not stutter while singing.

@@williamadolphe7921 Dear William, Corelli was NOT a perfect singer. He simply suffered from stage fright throughout his career.

His stone timbre and because he ownes spint.

Tenors today perform heavy roles too early, and it seems that they do not have enough time to rest. Careers like tenors in the past had are not possible in our times.

@@evandrosantana3670 careras cracked even on lyric. He was like unstable wood on che gelida at 1973. So awful. Too much attention on freaks. Tenors can cracked even on lyric, thats horrible

@@maximus1295 when you think of Villazon, for example, you see the problem: Don Carlo, Werther, etc. Today you don't see him very often in opera roles (he is almost restricted to recitals).

@@evandrosantana3670 vilazon poor guy. Cracked tenor. Throaty. But he sang not good at young i guess. Only young Alagna from modern stars got a good technique, not perfect, but more operatic. Much more pitty story

And here we have the oh-most-musically-sensitive argument of all time: who was louder, Corelli or del Monaco? Because that's what it comes down to. I've read far too many YT posts about it and that's what they all boil down to.

Fritz Wunderlich

@denny b IMHO del Monaco only had forte and fortissimo but Corelli also had piano and pianissimo.

ich liebe nicht Italienischen oper

@denny b Fair point - I was being a grumpy old man - sorry for that.

Tutto vero.

Analisi perfetta!!!!

Non c'è storia!!!!!!! Corelli! Prodigio!!!!!!

La chiusa finale è particolarmente efficace, brava.

Viva Corelli! 😍

Ma Kaufman é un tenore drammatico perché dovrebbe sembrare che si strozzasse? Io non l'ho notato

@@davidecostanzo9752 Kaufmann senz altro ha le sue qualità... anche Beczala... ma in altro repertorio...

@@davidecostanzo9752 Kaufmann e' nato ingolato.e morira' ingolato.

Exactly, I thought the same.

It's so infantile, isn't it? People like that really do think in terms of "My 10-Best All Time (fill in something)."

It is called EDUCATION.

Thank you!!!

This literally the kind of stuff that turns people away from the art form. Because it seems so snobbish.

I disagree. If we don’t point out how bad current day singing is, we will lose track of what is great. Mediocrity becomes the new standard. Those of us who have heard the truly great tenors like Corelli, Pavarotti, Bergonzi, 👍Vickers,Gedda, etc. cant let that happen! Sorry if that offends you.

Concordo!

Oooh yes!!!!!!!! The biggest!!!!! Meravigliosa creaturaaaaaaaa

There’d be no sopranos today who could share the stage with Corelli today. He’d destroy them all.

@@toscadonna Corelli or any tenor did not seek to destroy their sopranos.

You do know you're hearing them all, including Corelli, through a microphone, right? Compare the orchestra sounds of all these examples and you'll realize the biggest difference is in the recording technologies. 😏

@@mikeobrien1559 Microphones for amplifying the voice in the rooms, not for picking up sound.

@@FranciscoArvizuH Exactly!

@@FranciscoArvizuH and how are you supposed to record them then?

@@hectorrobertocontrerasmiranda I reiterate. It is one thing to capture the sound in an acoustic auditorium and another is the amplification of the room. As far as it is known, Franco Corelli did not act with his voice electronically amplified, which is common today, and not only since The Three Tenors, who turn the art of operatic singing into a simulacrum.

Corelli voce pura gli altri tre sono facchini della voce

Non si può fare un paragone con il Grande Corelli!!!

No han cambiado los gustos sencillamente hoy elevan a lo mas alto a aquellos que por una razón u otra manejan el mundo de la ópera, dejando al margen voces mejores que las que elevan con un marketing brutal.

Corelli era espectacular, pero no pueden tratar de mediocres a los demás tenores... tener en cuenta la nacionalidad , el contexto y son estos tiempos. No nos han ido cambiando el gusto , el canto también tiene cambios porque vienen otros intérpretes. otras tecnologías... y mucha competencia. No me parece acertado comparar son individuos.

@@mariagracielacowan1587 Corelli no era espectacular, fue y es único. Es verdad que son técnicas distintas y personas distintas, pero dígame: ¿Qué sería de la ópera sin la comparación? Se compara versiones según directores y según el elenco artístico de la misma. Sin la comparación, la ópera habría muerto. Yo no digo ni hablo de mediocres, pero sí que le digo que uno de ellos no canta, berrea. A ver si adivina quién. Un saludo y a seguir disfrutando.

@@cosme9899 de acuerdo, comparar es una posición distinta a tratar de mediocres a otros tenores como dice el título del vídeo. No son intérpretes mediocres ,son distintos ,con sus peculiaridades vocales y su origen ... Cosme escuchar a Corelli en el aria de Calaf (NESSUM DORMA) -Turandot de Puccini- Es absolutamente emocionante a pesar de las imperfecciones de las grabaciones. Saludos y a disfrutar . Amo a Corelli .

@@mariagracielacowan1587 Nunca dije que lo fueran, solo dije que uno de los tres, en vez de cantar, berrea.

Bien dicho!!!

Corelli aveva qualcosa " dentro" che hanno avuto pochi tenori. La malia e la suggestione che lui esprimeva col suo modo di cantare.

Well said

Using microphones of course.

@@lazatarra ......uh, no

@@rugby8-Philadelphia of course! Haven’t u heard these singers live? You’ll be disappointed as I was.

@@lazatarra I have, and I like different ones different amounts - but of course they didn't need mics. Perhaps you've heard them in an outdoor park setting where the sound always dicey...

PR + sound engineering can do literal miracles for the presentation and even career longevity of voices of mediocre quality; but at the end of the day, as one incontrovertibly hears in the stark disparity between Corelli and countless other tenors, the sow's ear constructs only so much of the silk purse before betraying its identity. Optimally, but not categorically, one needs to experience live the drastic distinction between many tenors and, for example, a vocal and technical titan like Franco Corelli, comparable only to less than a handful of other tenors, none of whom appear in this example. Villazon had/has, at the very least, a very good lighter lyric instrument (and a terrific and charismatic actor); but, like so many (even for those without his native quality) pushed himself beyond the reasonable limits of that instrument.

Coincido!

I respectfully disagree. There is nothing stunning about these modern tenors. Nothing at all compared to Corelli, Del Monaco, Gedda, you name them. They are squeezing out high notes as if they are struggling with some powerful constipation

@@romankotov9914 totalmente cierto. Todos estos tenores modernos cantan igual, no impresionan, ni emocionan. Saludos cordiales ❤❤❤

Each has brought his own God-given gifts to us all.

Claro que no todos son buenos. Hay cantantes líricos con gran fama pero que son una blasfemia para la opera, por ejemplo. Kaufman, Netrebko. Gagaranca. El trio de engomados.

Beczala no...

@@sgonz9475 Sos demasiado generoso. Yo lo haría extensivo a Flórez, Villazón, Cura, en fin, a todos desde la década del '90 en adelante.

@@sergiotelechemhhtt5a31 sobre todo Cura y Alagna, dos paquetes de los buenos

@@EmilioSanchez-jq9eb Alagna en sus comienzos era un buen tenor, yo lo escuché al comienzo de su carrera varias veces y era de lo mejorcito de su generación, pero después de poco años lo volví a escuchar y ya su voz era un desastre.

Bien dicho.

ДаКорелли принц теноров он неповторим

Tal cual

...indeed, LP spoke about FC always with the greatest respect and admiration. About Björling he said: „ I am only human...“.RDS

@@mk5244 What do you mean?

...LP considered Jussi Björling extraterrestrial if I may express it that way. He was full of admiration for him. Being himself one of the best lyrical tenors of all time, what a statement. RDS

@@mk5244 It seems like the Bjorling tapes are scratchy sounding. I would like to hear him on better equipment.

@@kathrynmolesa1641 ...I am sure you find plenty of excellent recordings of JB. „Gifted by God, taught by the angels,“ as one critic praised him. RDS

Pavarotti would have been considered a goat...

@Jorge Miranda Lopez - noted, thanks As for the reference Goaneta made to *a * goat - there were some critics that had dubbed Corelli « Pecorelli « , which is the italian for « small sheep « .

@@musettina6adina224 Greatest Of All Time = GOAT

@@thaiselizondo-cantanteboda8861 Se quedaron cortos. El título del video debería ser "Corelli y los perros aulladores"

Se puede reconocer la bella voz de Franco Corelli,sin hacer comparaciones de valoración para los otros maravillosos tenores.

How wonderful to hear your praises for Corelli. Thank you. Tell us more if you can.

​@@maggiedeveney It's nice someone liked what I said enough to want more. I self edited myself on the original post and it still came out longer than most. In thinking what can I add I find it somewhat difficult because I can't even pinpoint one particular performance that I can say was my favorite. They were all magnificent to my ears, but like all artists he had some performances that were better than others, but when you've seen so many and it's decades later it is somewhat of a jumble, and add to that decades of listening to his recordings both studio recordings and live performances (which are almost universally better than his studio recordings). But, some performances do stand out in my mind because of the totality of what was going on. The 1964 Tosca where he replaced Barry Morell to thunderous applause and partnered Tebaldi and Gobbi (returning to the Met after 8 years, himself receiving such an ovation at his entrance they had to stop the orchestra, the only time I've seen Tosca stopped at Scarpia's entrance!). The very next year, same opera, same baritone this time Callas' return. She may have been passed her prime (it was one of her last complete opera performances) but even with diminished vocal resources she could still enthrall and what electricity between her and Corelli. Then there was his first Enzo in Gioconda in 1962 partnering Zinka Milanov in what I believe was her last Gioconda, a role she owned at the Met for over two decades. Of course several seasons later he did the new production of Gioconda with Tebaldi and I saw tons of those, but I still remember that first one at the old house with Milanov fondly. Then there were those Turandots over a period of a dozen years with Nilsson, never less than thrilling. Aida's at various times with Nilsson, Price, Arroyo and others. Also Trovatores and Ernanis with Price, etc. Andrea Cheneir, first with Farrell, later Tebaldi. As noted in my original post, his Dick Johnson in Fancuilla was among my favorite of his roles, but he only did it in one season (all opposite the perhaps underrated Dorothy Kirsten, with whom I also saw him do Tosca and I believe Boheme). I could go on and on, but I have a personal story that might be of some interest to Corelli fans. Back in the mid-late 60s I often went back stage to see Corelli after his performances. He was always gracious but somewhat aloof, perhaps because his wife Loretta was very protective. There were many of his fans there and I'd maybe say a few nice words about his performance and move on. I'm sure he didn't even know my name. One September day in 1968 I had gone to see a movie at the Museum of Modern Art (in the days before cable, TCM, You Tube and streaming it was on of the few places you could see rare vintage films). Coming out of the Museum just after dark I was walking down 53rd Street toward Sixth Avenue and my memory is there was no one else on the street (which seems strange to me now, after all there wasn't a pandemic!) The I see only one person walking in my direction and as he got closer I realized it was Franco. I was so shocked that when he got closer I blurted out enthusiastically "HELLO FRANCO". I figured he would say Hello and walk on. To my surprise he stopped and we chatted for several minutes. To this day the only thing I remember of that conversation was that he said he was currently rehearsing Adriana (which he was doing opposite Tebaldi to open the Met that season. It's also the only reason I can place the year). I probably knew that or could have guessed it, but it wasn't the content of the conversation that was important, it was just how friendly he was. (Was it because Loretta wasn't hovering over him.) Anyway, that's my personal Corelli story!

@@leslieepstein4700 I appreciate so much your lengthy response! I am so glad to know you found Corelli polite and courteous! I loved hearing about his entrance with tumultuous applause! I only found Corelli 2years ago, and have been so entranced I’ve been interested to learn about him ever since. I’ve read the books, and wish there was more live video. Like many others, once introduced to Corelli the other tenors seemed lacking, (except McCormack and Fleta) . Corelli’s live performances are fantastic! I really liked the story of you meeting him on the street; how fortunate you were! What an unusual and special memory. I’d be tempted to speculate he was especially polite because Loretta wasn’t with him; I gather this from Segher’s book and others. All the best to you, and thank you again. Regards, from Canada

@@leslieepstein4700 Lucky you to have been born at the right place and time to have heard Corelli so many time alive and to have spoken with him when Loretta wasn't there. I envy you! Thanks for sharing with us your memories of him.

Your so lucky to have gone to opera. Were your parents the ones you went to the opera with?

Exactly Peter, that's the point the majority here don't undesrstand. We can not compare a spinto-dramatic tenor to a lyric-light one.

@@luisantoniodejesusgarciasa2141 Exactly... All these clowns forcefully darkening their voice “ingolatti” Kauffman, Villazón, Piotr Beczała... What a shame... I studied under McCray (direct student of Mario Del Monaco) and thus learned what these giants of the past used to sing with such power and flow. There are no more Corelli, Del Monaco, Checcele etc... we have lyric tenors forcing their throats and producing the ugliest of sounds “alla Geddah”. Great channel!

@@wolfon2s : Why has del Monaco lost the most interesting characteristics of his voice rather soon? Because he sang forte, forte, forte most of the time. The use of a messa di voce or the mezza voce was not his "thing"...Corelli based his singing on the same principles. But they were lucky: they had by nature incredible voices and could survive in spite of their strange techniques. Villazon didn't last very long because he hadn't based his voice on a solid technique.There are certain scientific facts about building and pertaining a singing voice that fill hundreds of books since 4 centuries. A solid technique and remaining within the natural boundaries of your voice- that's the secret. A lyrical tenor cannot sing Tannhäuser or Siegfried!!!

Why is Corelli especially appreciated today? because Italy has fallen, now it is nice, it no longer harms anyone! when Italy is strong Corelli sucks and mediocre as well as all the excellences of Italy, do you understand?

@@sheruffa6032 NO !

For many of today's tenors, this is still very elegantly spoken. I was very fortunate to be able to hear many great singers live since 1953. There were also numerous tenors there, whom nobody speaks about today, but who were all much better than the highly acclaimed tenors of today. Age often also has its advantages.

@silver bud First: LOL: You can tell a fool by laughing. The stupidity can also be recognized by the fact that you mention both names in the same breath. I cannot see the connection. You would have to differentiate a little more. What should one answer to that? Disgusting. N.B .: Life experiences are very important. You ('bud' or 'seedling') seem to have an infant's experience. You still have to develop!

@silver bud What kind of nonsense is that? Should your contribution have anything to do with the discussion about great singers (especially with Franco Corelli) or with my early visits to the opera? I would like an explanation on this. And by the way: I usually understood my teachers very well, which is most likely not the case with you. Do you (still) have difficulties reading a short article in a meaningful way? Otherwise I cannot explain your infantile and nonsensical contribution. If you know too little about Hitler or Roosevelt, then I see enormous deficits in your general education and advise you to close these gaps in knowledge quickly.

@silver bud Two of my grandchildren both work in the United States in the field of research-based medicine. By chance they read the posts by "silver bud" and me and asked me (by email) to add additions. Hereby I do this: I was 5 years and 10 months old when, thanks to my parents, I was able to experience the incomparable Maria Callas (Aida) and the great tenor Primo Zambruno (Radames) alongside other wonderful singers in the Arena of Verona. So much for my Methuselah age, if it's not too difficult for you to calculate my current age. Without being vain, I don't feel like one of the old men, which you (presumably) think it is. I still work today (if necessary) as a doctor and consultant with a doctorate and habilitation. Despite my (very) childish age, I can still remember my first live performance very well. From then on I was crazy about opera. I grew up with beautiful voices. One of my grandmothers had a wonderful lyric soprano and worked at a renowned German opera house until she married a doctor and gave up her career. I think that I can give my opinion on Franco Corelli with a clear conscience, whom I particularly appreciate and admire and whom I have experienced in New York and Europe around 50 times in absolute dream and top form. I will never forget how enthusiastically he was celebrated by the audience in Verona with ten thousand shouts of “Caruso-Corelli”. I remain sincere despite our conflicting views and disagreements Yours Gerdt Bayer

@silver bud Thank you very much! I am also in favor of a factual discussion. This brought with it my profession. If you have chosen opera in general, not just the singers, but everything else that goes with it, to be your unsurpassable hobby, then you react more critically to the relevant articles. But I also know what's going on on the internet. It is clear to me that, of course, I did not understand all the facets of Maria Callas' great singing art during my first visit to the Arena / Verona. But it was clearly she (and my parents and grandparents) who got me excited about the opera. I am German (you guessed that correctly), and I spent some time with my wife in New York for medical study purposes and to prepare for our specialist training or further training. There I have a large number of friends among doctors (including some of our mentors) who are almost all opera fans and who will hopefully soon be able to see performances again at the MET. Unfortunately we didn't get to know each other personally. Finally, I apologize for my (now) poor English. With best regards and all the best, Gerdt Bayer, born and living in Bayern-Bavaria nearby Munich / Germany

Fare PARAGONI TRA CORELLI (MAßIMO TENOR EROICO DRAMATICO PER SEMPRE!)E JUAN DIEGO FLOREZ MASSIMO TENOR DI GRAZIE PER SEMRE E VILE BASSO COME UN PESSO LEGGERO E PESO MASSIMO. IL LORO REPERTORIO E TALMENTE TOTALMENTE DIVERSO. IO AMO PIU DI TUTTO IL BELCANTO E IN PIU DI 60 ANNI NESSUN MI SODDISFACEVA!!!JUAN DIEGO FLOREZ MI PORTA IN PARADISO CON SUA UNIVA VOCE E BELLEZZA APOLLINARIA TECHNICHA AUTOCRITICA COME MAI NESSUN CANTANTE NE SARA UN ALTRO. ORA DA 25 ANNI . CERTO LEGGE DIVINA HA 48 ANNI E LAVORA PIU MA SEMPRE UNICO.PERFETTO DIVINO!!!MARTA BEATRICE DARDAY

Well, but Kaufmann really sucks.

These comparisons are not to trash the singers but to demonstrate the insufficient techniques displayed by them in addition to show that they are lyric tenors punching above their weights.

@@UranusRising No, it is pretty obvious that this video was meant to trash other singers.

Do not Forget Mario Lanza !!! An incredible voice !!!

agree with everything you say here. It is not all the singers fault. Conservatories with poor pedagogical skills, agents pushing talent too young, the triumph of stage director over music, one could go on. The industry is in crisis and things have got much worse since Covid if only because of fiscal shortfalls. Certainly the case in London. Great comment, thank you.

Liste to me. And. Tu ll. Finf It. Germaine. LUBIN. Was. Fan of m'y voice. And. PAVAROTTI. S PRODUCTOR. TOLF. ME THAT. HE. SEARCH. All. His luge. A. Voice. So. Incantevole

My favs, Bjoerling, del Monaco, and great admirer of Bergonzi.

Dimentichi Mario Del Monaco?

¿Sono bravi tutti e tre? Comparar a Corelli con dos canes ladrando no amerita ningún comentario.

@@sergiotelechemhhtt5a31 Hai ragione su tutti i fronti, è un sacrilegio farlo gareggiare con quei tre che sono stonati, ingolati, e cantano a gola stretta...che sofferenza!

@@sergiotelechemhhtt5a31 ha ha ha , dai Villazon non è poi così male.

Sos demasiado generoso con esos dos perros ladrando arriba de un escenario.

@@sergiotelechemhhtt5a31 You are just mean spirited.

@@werterwalice6407 Las normas de la decencia y el buen gusto me impiden ser más explicito a la hora de describir apropiadamente las "virtudes" de esa triada de antropoides aullantes.

@@sergiotelechemhhtt5a31 You have your recordings, so just listen to those.

Scusa mi pare che tu ci sia dentro. quale è secondo te il migliore giovane tenore odierno?

Erano come i Samurai mentre oggi sono degli sportivi di sicuro talento ma manca l'ardore patrio. Sono come chi recita ma non ci crede . Oggi è roba da turisti.@@marcomalpassi7655

Cos they sing in the mask.

Excellent comment. Thank you. "trapped" is a good word for describing their deficiencies. The tenor named Jonas Kaufman, in particular, has a fake dark sound, imitative of Corelli. He does something way back in his throat, to imitate the sound of a great tenor who has worked hours and days and years to develop a truly great sound.

@@ceceliaclarke9147 Jonas Kaufmann is iterpeting note for note, there , where Crelli is singing only loud. But it's a nonsense to comare this. The acces to the opera arias are too different to compare them. Fact is, Kaufmann is actually perheaps the best tenot in the world.

@@danielungermann7055 The best tenor in the world? Do you mean now? In comparison to living tenors? He could be...and that would not be saying much, because we have reached an extreme low point with tenors.

@@ceceliaclarke9147 I dont thing so: Each time has ingenious musicians, also singers. Now it's Kaufmann and Flores, 60 ears ago it was Corelli or 80 years ago, it was Björling. It's a nonsense to compare it. I dont want to hear a Schubert song executed by Corelli...!

Absolutamente de acuerdo en ambas opiniones

No hay actitudes soberbias. Se trata de educar a la gente en como se canta bien. Quiza asi tal vez, recuperemos estandares artisticos como los de antes. No se trata de pobres diablos, hablamos de caballeros q cobran sumas ingentes por realizar mal su trabajo y eso hay q ponerlo de manifiesto cuanto menos.

@@ComteAnckarstrom Es interesante que digas eso. En los '50 Corelli no estaba visto como un gran tenor por los 'conocedores'. Una voz caprina que no era particularmente apreciada y una falta de elegancia (como la que tenian Gigli, Schipa y hasta di Stefano) fueron bastante criticadas. Creo que tu comentario sobre 'como se canta bien', es muy subjetivo. Esta claro que en el video ni Villazon ni Beczala estan en su repertorio aqui, pero ambos han hecho cosas muy interesantes en el repertorio mas liviano. Kaufmann crea una sonido muy oscuro que no va de mano con el volumen de su voz, pero es un cantante elegante que tambien ha hecho muy buen trabajo en algunos roles como Don Carlo, Don Jose, Cavaradossi, etc. Yo adoro a Corelli, pero si hablamos de 'cantar bien' como tu lo describes, Corelli tenia una pronunciacion peor que mediocre en el repertorio frances que tanto cantaba (Don Jose, Faust, Romeo) y en vivo, sobre todo en Italia y NYC, cantaba para las tertulias que se entretenian con los agudos sostenidos por largos periodos y el caudal de voz, por sobre su elegancia. Cada uno con lo suyo. Hoy en dia hay grandes cantantes y otros no tan grandes - como los hubo en los 50, 60, 70....)

@@Wotan123456789 Entiendo la reflexion y entrar en el terreno del gusto es batalla inutil. Lo q me han enseñado años de aprendizaje y contacto con quienes saben mas q yo es q hay una tecnica y una calidad en la emision, caudal y linea de canto q hoy francamente con una o dos excepciones no existen. Por las razones q fueren, falta de maestros, falta de talento, cambios en la estructura orquestal... ponga la razon q quiera o sumelas todas. Mas alla del frances ramplon de Franco Corelli, un bostezo suyo vale mas q todo lo hay en la escena hoy. Los criticos y los publicos del pasado, como señala, eran muy exigentes. Celleti q sento catedra maltrato a cantantes como Bastianini nada menos. Pero de esa exigencia nace la excelencia q hemos perdido en todo ambito artistico. Ya todo nos parece bien, las horribles puestas en escena bien, los cantantes a los q no se los oye( y lo digo literalmente pq voy mucho a la opera) tb fenomenal, ya todo vale, nadie protesta...bueno en el Teatro Real de Madrid a Jose Cura le liaron una gorda hace años y no volvio. Pero de esas habria q liar muchas, sin faltar al respeto, con protesta educada, pq la opera y el arte en general han perdido calidad y excelencia y si todo nos parece bien, no mantendremos ni esta estandar actual, lo cual ya es penoso.

No creo en un irrespeto. El. problema es la prostitución del tenor, años atrás en un teatro sabias que si era un tipo de obra te tiraban a este o al otro por sus características vocales. Hoy en día, todos ya hacen desde el bajo al tenor, como Domingo y al final no logran nada. La gran voz de Kraus se conservo como la de Sutherland usando los roles adecuados, hoy el jueves sale Villazón haciendo un muy buen Nemorino y al sábado esta haciendo muecas de dolor intentando golpear un agudo en los cuentos de Hoffman.

Yes, they sing too difficult roles too early. And if you have no sound technique, your voice will be gone fast. A tenor with a lyrical voice can't sing "Othello"...di Stefano, Carreras are the best example. Corelli has a great voice, but he is not a master of mezza voce or messa di voce...he is often a forte singer without any finesse-but his incredible voice will make people dismiss that. (Same with Mario del Monaco) Björling had technique, Wunderlch, Tucker Tagliavini, Bergonzi and many others too. They had long-lasting careers. Björling gave a concert with 60 at the Carnegie Hall -and displayed still a beautiful, intact, and powerful voice. That's only possible if you have a sound technique.Helge Rosvaenge sang with 70 in Vienna. Villazon had no sound technique-his voice is long since gone. Alfredo Kraus was very wise and sang only those roles fitting his lyrical voice-and had a very long career. Technique, technique, technique, a good teacher, and taking your time and carefully developing your voice helps to have a long singing career. And if you are lucky enough to have a nice timbre, some honey and steel in that voice all the better!!!

I also heard Kaufmann on video at his concert in Budapest. I couldn't believe. He sounded like a third class singer. It was awful.

@@judithbereczky4114 ...Thank you for this judgment. If a singer had the well educated and perfect fitting voice when he/she was young, it will - combined with smart role planing- stay like that until old age, so God will. The great Hans Hopf sang Tristan at full voice in his 70s. Remarkable however normal, when considering his wisely planned career. Mr. Kaufmann doesn ´t belong into this category.RDS

@@stranraerwal Are you saying Bjorling gave a concert at 60? He died at 49.

You are so right. Kaufmann's concert in Budapest was a disaster. I don't like his voice, but he is better than at that concert. Maybe he was sick? Then he should have cancelled it. The audience gave him applause because Hungarian people are very friendly and grateful (I know, I'm Hungarian born in Budapest) and also because today's audience is made up of all sorts of people, the majority doesn't know much about the opera, and for them such concert was similar to Andre Rieu shows, which are today extremely popular. For me this concert with Kaufmann as not very different from Andre Rieu concerts (shows).

Exactly what I thought!

I thought the same.

I think Mr Bean is better. Very funny 😆

Me pasó igual!!

I feel the same about Kaufmann. And this is not about Corelli. You could replace him in this video with any number of non-modern tenors and it would still be obvious. So I don't think the comparison is so unfair. It's not about being gifted, but about the way they sing. Look at Kaufmann when he opens his mouth. All you see is tongue. How can the sound he produces not be muffled?

@@mbrackeva Very true. Tkanks for your comment.

He has a beautiful lyric tenor some conductor or teacher destroyed.

Y'all talk like a cult you know that?

@@tobiasandrews3778 It was never really beautiful, but it is already much worse than 10 years earlier. He literally has nothing left. His heft is gone too.

Son mediocres.

Perfeito comentário.

Which of these three has a better technique than Corelli?

I said may have, not that necessarily they did.

Corelli has a better technique. Enough said.

@@BodilessVoice You only really know by how long the voice lasts...singers with the best technique can sing without wobble into their seventies or even more...most singers wobble once they pass 60...

Same with modern singers, hah

Today's tenors don't get any better with other conductors either. The dilemma: It is not the voice that is important, but the appearance.

You should mean Bel Canto ;)

Levine's debut was 71-I was there by chance-really there to see Franco-it was I believe Bumbry's first Tosca, Not sure what " Even the upper balcony was blown away." Don't you mean especially it was blown away. You knew he was a legend as he was singing-the total package.

I agree completely. Nobody is the best in every piece of music. Different people have different connections to different pieces. Different voices match or fit different arias or songs. Nobody is the best in the world! There are so many people (not necessarily famous) with amazing voices that you don't even know exist!

Corelli was a great tenor, but never known for his diction