Giuseppe Di Stefano - "Che Gelida Manina" - 4/11/1962 (Rare Video) [Improved Sound] 

This man, with a cold, blows away the vast majority of tenors in their prime. My opinion, of course, but he's the greatest to me and every single time I hear him sing, I involuntarily close my eyes and feel deep, near painful emotion swelling in my chest. If that's not talent, what is?

I was 20 years old when, on an impulse, I attended a packed Melbourne Town Hall in the 1960's to this man's concert. Just one singer with one piano player and NO microphone. I was stunned at the power and purity of sound of this remarkable man's voice filling the concert hall. What a voice!

Maestro Di Stefano sang naturally, and this happened just before his debut in New York - “You know, two days before my Metropolitan Opera debut, no one in America knew who I was, or where I was. I was sitting in my Manhattan hotel room with Luigi Montesanto (my voice coach), and the telephone rang. Montesanto picked up the receiver, suddenly he turned ashen, Maestro Arturo Toscanini, who had heard me sing in Italy, was on the line. After a short conversation, Montesanto said "Si, maestro, si,’ I will tell him. Grazie.’ Montesanto finally put down the telephone and said, ‘Toscanini asked me to “tell that Sicilian boy he sings the way I like. Very simple, and natural.” Toscanini was looking for my type of singer - - one with no affectation, no acrobatics, but one who sang directly from the heart.”

I saw his last three recitals at Lake Garda in Italy in 1986 together with his wife Monica Curth!!His voice was still excellent!!He gave me and my parents a signature and he spoke about his life and his career !!❤❤❤❤❤❤He was really still handsome and he had a still a wonderful voice!!!

Di Stefano ist einfach unglaublich: es ist nicht nur die pure Schönheit seiner Stimme, die Sonne im Ton, der volle Stimmklang, sondern der beseelte Vortrag, der mich ergreift. Vielen Dank !!

The finest Tenor I've ever heard. His voice is so pure and natural no gimmicks. Simply put the greatest of all time.

What a voice, a heaven sent gift, thank you Pepo for the legacy you left for us to enjoy.

THE ONE AND ONLY GIUSEPPE DI STEFANO, ONE OF THE GREATEST TENORS EVER 💖🎶💖🎶💖

The man sings with such emotion and even with a bad cold, it's pure perfection.

Coinvolgente. Quando canta Di Stefano ti senti trascinare in un vortice di poesia e di dolcezza inaudita. Il più bel timbro del mondo. Rodolfo ma anche Nemorino non esistono senza di Lui...

SO natural and beautifully sung.Poor di Stefano whose life was taken by robbers when all he wanted was peace in his retirement after giving his gift of effortless, magnificent singing which is non-existent on the operatic stage since then

Pippo is wonderful.

1962 still in wonderful form...1956 the gold standard, convincing, idiomatic....the golden years 1949-59 mirroring Callas in artistic/personal symbiosis like a brilliant supernova then extinguished...let us all be grateful to them for their generosity in giving their all for future generations to cherish....he had a golden timbre coupled with an honest convincing delivery simply put.

He sure had the power to put out that wonderful sounding voice he had..love this

La musica di Puccini è sempre magnifica ed è esaltata da una voce potente ed armoniosa

Casi toda el aria estuvo cantada perfecta, con su fraseo, su diccion, su personalidad, su sonoridad con su vocal "preferida" la A, una de las voces mas bellas de los tenores italianos. Siempre una alegria poder escuchar y ver estas grabaciones.

I love his voice. It just makes me cry .

La voce di Di Stefano è di una bellezza senza eguali . Il timbro unico, il sogno del canto, la perfetta articolazione del testo ci regalano un Rodolfo-Di Stefano l'unico, tra tanti tenori ,che ha veramente emozionato come nessun altro!

The sun in his voice, his pianissimi and that radiant final top C chased the London weather away, that's for sure.

Di Stefano, e veramente straordinario. Una voce unica.

There is so much job in this performance. With Corelli, Bjorling, Del Monaco. Gedda et al this was a generation of tenors we'll never hear the like of again.

Absolutely beautiful and genuine ❤️

one of my favourite arias sung by one of my favourite tenors, thank you thank you very much

With cold or without cold, I can't but think one thing whenever I listen to Di Stefano: what a uniquely beautiful sound he could make! It's youthful, but still manly, and very clear and open, but not "whitish". One of the most beautiful timbres ever.

I don`t care about the cold it`s just great to see Pippo sing live !!

I had never seen or heard of this clip before. He is flawless, DiStefano: perfect technique, astonishing voice, color, warmth and artistry. He is miraculous.

Bravo Pippo. The most gorgeous tenor voice ever. So naturally musical and yes that crystal clear diction. RIP Maestro 🙏🏼❤️

I remember the first time I heard his beautiful voice singing Neapolitan songs He blew me away with that gorgeous timbre

Thank you for posting and sharing this wonderful, Tenor Di Stefano is truly one of the Best tenors ever wondered natural voice 😊

The great tenors of the fifties and the sixties; where have they all gone?

Such a warm, full, wonderful voice! His interpretation is out of this world. Best Rodolfo ever ❤

And with a bad cold as well! Amazing

Avrebbe potuto cantare anche un elenco telefonico, qualsiasi cosa, con quella voce tocca anima e cuore. Solo lui e Corelli sono in grado di farmi piangere. Grande, immenso super Pippo 🙏❤️

Uno de los más grandes intérpretes del siglo XXI con una de las voces soñadas por los más inmensos compositores de todos los tiempos. Bravo Giuseppe di Stefano.

Pavarotti's Idol, And for good reason. To sing this way with a cold, Fantastico!.

Very enjoyable performance with beautiful singing.

l’unico erede di gigli, la perfezione vocale, in poche parole una delle più belle voci della storia

Вот это дыхание! Поет как птица, ни секунды не напрягаясь. И как поет! Браво.

Une voix extraordinaire. Merveille.🙏🙏🙏🙏

This was not his night. Voice is not in his prime But Pipo is unique singer. Beauty of tone and passagio are unequal. Voice is particular and stage presence is futuralistic. Talent is huge Diction is beyound perfection. Beauty of voice is collosal ♥️♥️

Thank you for posting this wonderful clip, it is a rare chance to see one of the all time great tenors performing in concert and even with a self confessed cold, providing a beautiful rendition of a very difficult aria. The great Pippo, still great in 1962.

I was twelve years old when I first heard di Stefano singing Che Gelida Manina and fell in love with opera.

The only tenor who sings with his natural voice. There is no modification to his voice when he sings. Just pure brilliance

He was one of the best, cold and all.He and Placido are my favorites. Just listen: truly goreous.

Giuseppe Di Stefano è stato un grande cantante lirico. Una voce stupenda. Un talento naturale e inarrivabile. Era una persona speciale. Grande umanità e spontaneità. Un riverente omaggio al grande tenore. Grazie del video.

Cantante Passionale dal Grande Cuore dotato dalla natura di una voce bellissima! Bravoooooo !!!!

A brilliant tenor great voice

I cry like a baby when i hear this piece.

Questo tenore Great cantanto ! Grazie mille!

Amaizing voice👏👏👏👏

Exquisite.I love his voice.Thank you for posting.💗

Brividi In assoluto il mio tenore preferito.

Voce indimenticabile

La interpretación de Don di Stefano, te llega hasta el alma. Muchos lo critican por que no canta exactamente lo que está escrito en la música. El interpreta lo que está cantado y sintiendo en el momento. Para mi eso es cantar. Expresar lo que dice la letra a su manera como él lo siente. Eso es arte.

Voce magica e con pochi eguali 💜

Amazing voice

Una clase de canto, canto con clase.... elegante y bello.❤️

I have never heard this performed better

So artistic! Wow!

Poesia pura!

La verdad es que es extraordinario. Fascinante.

... among the Great Tenors of ANY century, HE was the Greatest of ALL !!

Grazie per questo video. DISTEFANO per sempre vivo, grande.

La voce más bonita del mundo, cantando con el core y el anima, bravooooo

What a natural voice! Great!!

Che fuoriclasse meraviglioso!❤️

Bravo, einmalig gut die Stimme.

Fantastico!! Para Di Stefano, cantar era tan natural como respirar. No se si habra cantado aqui en un tono mas bajo, porque en 1962 ya tenia dificultad con los agudos, pero es igualmente admirable.

Beautiful melody...!!!

Uno spettacolo!

MERAVIGLIOSO!!!BRAVISSIMO!!!

Quelle belle voix. Puissante et claire. Peu de vibrato. Bravo, félicitations et bonne continuation.

Gorgeous

Some of the best phrasing ever. Bravo!

No wonder Pavarotti loved him. Gorgeous tenor voice and the empathy...mmm!

La simpatia dell'uomo e la grandezza del cantante...

Miraculous singing! Just miraculous!

Merveilleux ❤❤❤

Fantastica interpretare ! Voce de o dulceata rar intalnita !

GIUSEPPE DI STEFANO! NUMBER ONE!!!

Una delle voci più belle all'ascolto e grande scuola italiana...

Bel canto... amazing freedom.

Wunderbares offenes und schlackenfreies Singen !!!!!!

Maravillosa voz Giuseppe me entusiasma bravooooo

Maravilloso tenor

Hermoso, conmovedor.

Meraviglioso

What an incredibly beautiful voice ! Tremendously powerful!

Muchas Gracias !!!

Great video, great job!!

❤❤❤❤❤ the best of all

La voce molto bella, e l'interpretazione eccellente, fanno di Pippo un fenomeno del recitare cantando...tuttavia, Gli acuti non sono bene a fuoco...grazie

Superbe☺

He surely meant scuillo by the term "cold"... I wish I had so much cold as he...

This aria changed my life when I heard Bergonzi sing it in the early 60s.

Sorry modern tenors but old school tenors were able to attain this beauty with a cold...

WonderfuI, although he was already nearing the end of his career in 1962 and the high C was really just a B natural. I heard him many times in the Vienna State Opera. He was simply the best. There have been many good tenors since the 60s, but no one ever came close.

Simplemente sublime ¡Bravo Pippo!

Amo Di Stefano! da sempre. senza nulla togliere ai suoi meriti, me é possibile che nel 1962 abbia dovuto abbassare di mezzo tono l'aria?

My greatest tenor ever ❤️