/ vinyltovideo Donations (Thank-You!): Leonard Warren sings Bizet's "Agnus Dei" in a live May 1958 performance in either Leningrad or Kiev, USSR. Willard Sektberg is at the piano.
He converted to marry. Where did you hear he was devout? Lucky for him there was a Monsignore in the audience the night he toppled over on stage and he was given Extreme Unction.
That bio notes that he collected relics and said Catholocism "was very well thought out." Also that he rejected Jerome Hines' arguments for Protestant fundamentalism.
@@stevevandien310 Good to know. Just wish he took it more to heart in his day-to-day life and dealings with people. Of course, everyone can have a bad day and one with a character as large as Warren's could go one way or the other, as can all of us. Look up Fulton Sheen's explanation of this on "Life is Worth Living."
Fantastic performance by arguably the greatest baritone of the century. Vocally only Stracciari could compare and he wasn't capable of Warren's lyricism. Willard Sektberg accompanied several Met singers in concert and was the pianist for many of Warren's Victor recordings in the 1940s.
I have immense respect for your opinion. However, in many ways, I think Pavel Lisitsian was a greater artist. He lacked the enormous size of Warren's voice, but he has always seemed to me musically almost incomparable. It is, of course, difficult to judge as Lisitsian never performed in the West during his prime, and few ever had the opportunity to hear both of them at their best.
America has produced some great Verdi baritones (Tibbett, MacNeil, Calvin Marsh, Merrill, Milnes, Joseph Shore). But Warren is still the best. Where to begin? The voice was enormous and resonant nearly beyond belief. That I know from contemporary accounts, as well as from internet correspondents who heard him live, at the Met and elsewhere. His upper register was of course free, soaring and concurrently thrilling. As was his command of lower dynamics and mezza voce. Many singers with smaller voices haven't approached Warren's skill with either. And note the sheer beauty of this voice. The timbre very rich and very dark, although not dark black; and it retained some lyrical sweetness even at full, wall-shaking volume. Not saying that Warren was perfect. Even the greatest singers have some faults. Warren's vocal production used a somewhat loose initial onset and down-and-back resonance adjustment. This vocal set can be conducive to large, rich tone and excellent acuti, but can also be prone to tonal unsteadiness when the singer leans into the most dramatic moments --
You have clearly evaluated Warren’s enormous talent very much and gave a succinct and valuable appraisal of his priceless contribution to the classical art of singing. I’ve loved many baritone voices, but always come back to Leonard Warren because his voice and passion are so captivating and utterly thrilling.
Dona nobis pacem. Give us peace. Obviously this was part of the Cold War cultural thaw. And what better way for the US to show its side of the argument than by exporting this son of Russian immigrant Jews, trained in America, and how fitting for him to open his recitals with this beautiful song of peace, with the clear subtext of religious freedom. Warren sings it flawlessly, with power and tenderness, at age 47, two years before his death.
Bless his soul!!!!!!! Warren sang this Christian song with deep sincerity and understanding of what "Agnus Dei" meant, better than many Gentile singers. Warren was a Jew from Brooklyn, NY. His real name was Warenoff. Warren sang many Christian songs in his life time. Bravo Warren!!!!!!!!!! Good thing you didn't become a fur merchant in Chelsea,Manhattan.
thank you for your writing, maybe because where he came, tells that his gentle total respect to the origin of work, his honesty and heart felt interpretation of the song, all be a class of his own, no one even close, yes maybe technical singing score high, artistry and humanity I adore him more.
I agree that he is ONE OF A KIND, (In range, size, projection, he remains unsurpassed!), but definitively NOT the best Verdi baritone... One reason is enough, the temperament was n´t Latin, and the pronutiation was n´t either latin, there for he does n´t send, he just could n´t have send the "perfect message".
