I agree...outstanding. The fussy critics can't understand the way Gedda touches the heart with the sheer purity of his voice and sensitivity. Does it matter if their particular fixation isn't satisfied? Gedda is a master and a true artist.
@cyeh2 I am German, and I think his diction is perfect. The consonants are definetly clear enough. There is really no accent in his pronunciation. And especially in such a soft song, one wouldn't like to hear hard consonants. Wonderful singing, isn't it?
Classical singers are the worst trolls in comments sections. Can't we just appreciate someone's voice for what it is or was... Why do we have to argue about random stuff in the comments section? Ridiculous. No wonder no one wants to listen to classical music anymore, it is so elitist.
He sang this many times. Later performances are much softer, more tender. But even this is excellent. How versatile this man was. He was able to sing softer than Gigli. On contrary, in selected parts, his ringing voice shines as a super-nova. I also like Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau performing this song. It is indeed beautiful composition.
As a baritone, I'm used to hearing this in a lower range, but wow... I'm struck in awe just how good these gentlemen are. Makes you wish TV had more stuff like this on it nowadays. Thank you for sharing.
Heil’ge Nacht, du sinkest nieder; Nieder wallen auch die Träume Wie dein Mondlicht durch die Räume, Durch der Menschen stille Brust. Die belauschen sie mit Lust; Rufen, wenn der Tag erwacht: Kehre wieder, heil’ge Nacht! Holde Träume, kehret wieder!
@cyeh2 yes - the diction is very clear and if i i didn´t knew that he wasn´t a native speaker, i would rather believe that he was - maybe that´s because swedish and german language are quiet close?!
steven fromer Baritones sing it lower and therefore it takes less breath pressure and they don't have so much ring in the voice which is more appropriate for this song... Do not get me wrong, this is nearly perfect singing. Tenor voices like Gedda's just ring, this is piano in this voice.
@dziady1 Souzay's bleat ruins it for me, though his tone is gorgeous. I also prefer this piece sung and played in this key - it has a prettier feel for my ears. Gedda sings this so masterfully, although I wish he had started softer. Then again, this is LIVE. Find another live male singing this that can touch it. You won't.
Gedda was what... 30?... 31 when he sang this? I LOVE his tenor in the operatic genre. The difference between Gedda and say... a Wunderlich...( who too sadly died at this very age), is that tenor Wunderlich had a mastery of BOTH genres.... "Art Song" ...as well as in operatic venue. THIS is what separates the "men" ...from the "boys:... not to be unkind to Gedda.... many opera/operetta recordings of him of tremendous merit! However...all of these critics. ach...mein lieber Gott! yes, it is true that he does not observe the "nuances" in terms of what Schubert had written on paper. However, I am grateful to baritonoguapo.... for sharing this piece of history with us! p.s. as far as THE master of Deutsche Lieder.... es hat nie einen Mann, der deutsche lieder zu verstehen...... Ich spreche von Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau-. ja... baritone, aber.... (oh the heck with it) I will just say that even though one cannot compare a tenor to a baritone/bass.... from a technical AND artistic viewpoint, HE WAS...... "THE" MASTER! :-)
For those who complain that Gedda is too loud (I must admit, I agree), please listen to this recording ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2BYfKkaduT0.html That is Nicolai at his best, incredibly wonderful. By the way recorded 2 years before this one, live...
They r masters, ok... Gedda has a beautiful tone.... but what happened to the pianissimo and the "Sehr langsam"? This Nacht und Traume sounds like Schlaflose nacht :I
Listen to the English tenor, Ian Bostridge, in his recent version of Nacht und Traume, those of you who want a more intimate, languid pianissimo. It's amazing. I say this with immense respect and love for the singing of Nicholai Gedda. It's a question of personal preference when it comes to singers of this quality.
To compare the audio technology of 60 years ago with that of a few years ago is a non-starter. I listened to both versions. Ian's voice is mixed right into the piano, which created a lot of the atmosphere. The digital effects of today is also a lot more advanced. (Microphones, etc...) I'm sure Ian would be honoured to be mentioned in the same sentence as Nicolai. They are both exceptional artists and the only place to really compare them would be live in the same space. Not possible. I worked with Nicolai over a period of three years, and I'm sure if Ian Bostridge get to live till he is ninety will hope to leave the legacy that Nicolai did. He still has some way to go.
Uh.. no comparison. First beauty of the voices and vocal production on different levels completely - Bostridge's is scratchy and hollow (breathy?) and sort of nasal, i couldn't quite even find the voice within the sound. It's kind of like pop music. Gedda actually SINGS effortlessly and with a beautiful very pure, rich, dense, yet easy, consistent sound, extremely consistent, which is what classical vocalism is all about, here we have high quality vocal arts, which for the fans of such, are sheer joy to listen to. Interpretation is up for grabs, can vary, whatever, but personally for me everything starts with vocal beauty and definitive presence, and a singer without that is not a classical singer. To my ear these two artists are in different categories entirely. Also i find delayed vibrato very annoying and stressful to listen to, a sort of gimmick used by amateurs for pseudo interpretive effect. Gedda has a very consistent and easy, natural sounding vibrato. Unfortunately for me most current singers are very hard to listen to because as i'm listening i find that in my mind i am having to constantly make excuses for their uncomfortable and mediocre vocal quality. What is the thing with that constant buzz in the voice????? WHY??????!! Gedda is pure, full, rounded velvet, ALWAYS. No buzz. No audible gimmicks of 'placement' and squeezing and all that kitchen mess. Just full, rounded singing, the finished product without affect. That's the starting baseline on which everything is built
@@carinatigrino With all respect, 'atmosphere' in classical singing is meaningless without the classical vocal quality. Pop singing, different story. I don't want to insult anyone, but the content of some of the negative comments here, especially the ones making comparisons with certain other singers, I find amusing, because i can't help but conclude that those people came here for the pop sound (Bing Crosby's White Christmas anyone?😊), and were sorely disappointed by a supreme quality classical rendition of a classical composition.
people always say I sound like Gedda. Check out my video and tell me what you think. If I sound even a little like him, I will be happy. He is my favorite tenor of all time
Gedda's singing and voice quality is a marvel. No shilly-shallying about that. But I would like more pianissimo at the beginning. Moore's touch is amazing, almost ghostly. But then Gedda comes in more like a trumpet. It's not really his song. In fact, it's almost as if the song--- granted, a difficult one, comes near to doing him in. And yet, having said these things, I think he brings an intense humanity to it.
Yes, Gedda's pitch is not stable throughout and sings much too loud and casual. I think I heard Hans Hotter singing this and he was the best. Moore of course is perfect here.
@aarontenor Just a question; You say that Souzay's rendition is a bleat? (had to look that up) I can see where it can be heard as that, but to be fair, isn't the song supposed to be sung softly? And don't get me wrong, this rendition is fantastic, but it seems a bit louder than what I've been led to believe is how the song should be sung, unless I'm missing something.
Gerald Moore's autobiography was "Am I too loud?" No, Gerald has the perfect measure of the song as he describes it in his brief spoken introduction but Gedda is too loud and too closely miked. It comes over more as an exercise than a beautiful poem.
Well said by Moore, and of course he is such a god on the piano. Then Gedda opens his mouth and completely contradicts what he says, trumpeting the first note and basically does not go below an mf. He is a good opera singer, but should have left Lieder alone.
I don't feel ok with this interpretation by Gedda. His great opera tenor voice has troubles entering into such an intimate pianissimo lied masterpiece. It tends to cover the piano part, which should be at the same level of sound as the tenor's melodic line (and Gerald Moore knwe wellthe right level of sound necessary for this lied!). It is like asking a big guy to wear the clothes he had when he was young. Well, this is an old recording, and at that time the sensitivity for the "original sound" was not so developed as it is now. Anyway, Gedda's interpretation remains interesting, and his greatness as a opera tenor is undisputable.
Please Catharina don't be silly: first of all I am not stupid; secondly, I do not put on airs, but just judge according to my feeling; thirdly, I argue you are not an expert in lieder, but a fan of Gedda. But here we are not at a football match where each one has to support the tenor of his/her own country: I also think Gedda is one of the greates tenors of all times, for sure, and probably the most "complete and versatile" voice of XXth century. However I think that there are better interpretations of this lied: if you want to have a direct comparison with another tenor texture, please listen to the same lied sung by Christophe Prégardien. I don't even mention Fischer Dieskau, for two reasons: a) he has a barytone voice, so the comparison is not equal; b) the choice would be too obvious. How do you say in Gedda's country...Ta det lugnt ? Bye, and cool down please.
Any softer and it wouldn't be singing...it would be strangled in his throat. No! Piano is a color, a color, not a volume. This is masterful singing by a master singer.
I had the same reaction. I love Gedda's approach to singing in general -- amazing technique and sound -- but I was jolted out of my seat, after such a subtle and lyrical introduction by Moore, by the blastissimo entrance of the singer. I kept waiting for him to do something with that first sustained pitch, but he just sat on it and laser-beamed it out like Verdi. Yuck! Couldn't finish listening past the first phrase.
This is Gedda when his voice was at it's most beautiful. Later on, I think his technique changed and the voice became less beautiful. This is unaffected singing.
Heil’ge Nacht, du sinkest nieder; Nieder wallen auch die Träume Wie dein Mondlicht durch die Räume, Durch der Menschen stille Brust. Die belauschen sie mit Lust; Rufen, wenn der Tag erwacht: Kehre wieder, heil’ge Nacht! Holde Träume, kehret wieder!
