The 5 Greatest Tenors of All Time 

I heard a collection of tenors render Nessun Dorma. Bjorling stood out as the one with the best vocal line. No one else came close.

Remove Placido, and then add Jussi!

Completely agree Jussi was the greatest

Absolutely RIGHT ON

And he put him in the honorable mentions while mediocre Domingo is in the list. Some people I cannot understand.

He died in 1966. Wunderlich recorded on LPs. Maybe you're thinking of Richard Tauber? He was also a fabulous tenor.

@@ducadimantua Yes, Wunderlich never recorded on 78's as that ended by the late 1940s completely and Wunderlich was born in Sept . 1930, so in 1949 he was still in his teens.

1 Bjoerling 2 Corelli 3 Caruso 4 Wonderlich 5 Gigli

I’m searching for a modern pairing for the Pearl Fishers duet that compares. Nothing yet.

Best none Italian tenor. But most of the greatest tenors have been Latino / Hispanic.

@@stephenalderson6279 who are most of the Greatest tenors that have been Latino, Hispanic?

@@dellonman How about David Bryne and Rufus Wainwright....old school

@@johnroberts4078 not for me, way too thin. Lacks richness of tone in both voices.

And what about the great tenors from before the thirties???

@@carlosmonzo4102 Just fine!

Bjorling great, Volpi Great, Coreli Great, Martineli, Tauber great Caruso great but I think the greatest tenor was Francesco Tamagno

@@carlosmonzo4102 Correct, Gigli, Lauri Volpi, Martinelli, Jadlowker, etc.

@@shicoff1398 ...und alle vergessen immer George Thill...

YES!!!!!

Of course!!

@@sugarbist I know it's not my fucking list. I didn't say it was my list.

@@andrewblackmore9705 Nice!

@@sugarbist Correct, no Tucker etc. but it's his list and picks, no big deal.

Jussi Bjorling,

And "Il trovatore", "Rigoletto" (for me the best Duca di Mantova ever, although I also like Alfredo Kraus).

This is what happens when a younger person puts together a greatest tenor list. Jussi being Swedish and passing away in 1960, means he has not gotten the exposure and airplay of many other tenors, so tends to be overlooked. He was voted the favorite worldwide male operatic singer in the 20 th century, which the author of this video is wholly unaware of.

Of course, bjoerling is a greatest of all times ....

There are many other tenors who sings Nessun Dorma better.

Corelli is unsurpassed Calaf ! As if maestro Puccini, havi g travelled in a" time machinine ", happened to hear Corelli sing, which fact imspired him to composing Turandot, the one and only Calaf.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

I'm very sorry for your loss! Opera music helps.

@@marinellabakken7491 Thank you ❤️

Gigli and Bjorling may belong on your list. The poster did say,'' you may not agree'', but it’s “his top 5” not anyone else’s. Why can’t you and others on this page understand this?

@@sugarbist its fun, silly

@@johnroberts4078 Yes it is

This is his list but I had a very old vinyl record of Il Trovatore with Amelia Gallicurci and Gilgi, I cried every time I listened to it.

A reasonable list. The one tenor missing who has to be included somehow is Bjoerling. Otherwise you did well and some of the tenors mention by other commentators are very misguided (e.g- Shicoff)

No question he was outstanding. La Scala recently honored Caruso, Corelli, and Di Stefano. Interesting they omitted Pavarotti, who remains my personal preference. I do agree with TheBrandon425. Well said!

I agree 100% and as an ancient grandma ( back in my Salad Days ) was a student member of Covent Garden Opera House . I have been fortunate enough to see and hear the very best . Giuseppe Di Stefano , Pavarotti , Carrera , Domingo , Caruso and that much loved British comedian and devout Christian Tenor Harry Secombe (spelling prob ) . I have a little stack of Theatre Programmes from those beautiful few years when my career in London was at its peak and my house mates , best friends and lovers are as clear as yesterday . In my mind they are forever young . ack in my salad days ,

I will say this. Nobody had better vocal control than Di Stefano, who could go from fortissimo to pianissimo seamlessly.

@@cynthiavalasin6199 I can't understand why Pav would be a personal preference. He lacks both the size and emotion to be the best.

Hi John. He was. Di Stefano sang for my uncle and his friends in 1944. My uncle was an ambulance driver.

Pavarotti was also a huge Mario Lanza fan.

I went on RU-vid to find some Mario Lanza, in my mind #2 with Enrico Caruso #1

Lanza hatte eine tolle Stimme, aber er war leider nur ein Schlager und Filmtenor - meines Wissens nach hat er nur 2 oder 3 mal eine Oper durchgehalten...

I agree!!!! Love your list!!!

Agree only with the first two; not Corelli and di Stefano for me, but Fritz Wunderlich it's a must, he died so young and he was already on the very top, had he lived longer, then we would have been much richer.

You can’t have a top five of tenors But…these are my top several Jussi Bjorling* (voice) Mario del Monaco* (drama) Franco Corelli* (pathos/dedication) Giuseppe do Stefano* (truth of sound and acting) Enrico Caruso* (enough said) Mario Lanza* (verisimilitude/evolution of voice) Luciano Pavarotti* (versatility) Giacomo Lauri Volpi Cesare Valletti Kurt Böhme Mario Fillipeschi And the list could keep going but theses are just a few

Agree, he is one of my first three; Mozart is my favourite composer, maybe it make sense, but Wunderlich sings the most beautiful Granada too and other amazing things.

​@@marinellabakken7491 I absolutely agree with you. His Granada is out of this world. Greetings from Montreal, Qc, Canada

When did you last hear Villazon sing anything? His voice is trashed and he was impossible to watch.

I have a dear friend, 87, who heard all of the greats. She heard Pavarotti live 5 times. Without a doubt, the very finest voice. His voice, heard live in the opera house and in concert halls, far surpassed his recordings. She counts these performances as the highlights of her life. It is a good thing to remind ourselves that we listen to opera singers under a variety of circumstances: recent recordings, older recordings; in this opera house, or that opera house; on a good day, on a poor day; at the height of a career, in the twilight of a career; studio recordings, opera house recordings, concert hall recordings, stadium recordings; a challenging aria, a simple aria, and so forth. It's almost impossible to compare two singers under the same circumstances. All things will never be equal.

Yes, indeed!!

Dang. Sorry I never got to know that dude.😮😢

Bravo, I absolutely agree with you. I have the CD. Greetings from Montreal, Qc, Canada

Mario Lanza was wonderful. Never been anybody like him since.

Surprised to hear Lanza in the role of Caruso. His son was probably persuaded by the $ on that score.

@@williamrbuchanan4153 Enrico Caruso, Jr, stated in 1991 that " I can think of no other tenor, before or since Mario Lanza, who could have risen, with comparable success, to the challenge of playing Caruso in a screen biography". The film was made in 1951. I don't think Caruso's son was pursuaded by the money 40 years later. Also, in 1951, there were very few, if any Tenor/actors who could have successfully played Caruso. Lanza held his own throughout the film as he performed with Metropolitan Opera stars on screen. The film was a great success for MGM and many opera stars credit Lanza and the film as the inspiration for them to become opera singers, Carreras and Domingo especially. Lanza also looked the part since he and Caruso were similar in height and build. Lanza's voice was as extraordinary as Caruso's. You should see the movie. It is great.

@@williamrbuchanan4153 Why were you surprised that Lanza played the part of Caruso? I saw the film in 1951 over and over again. I was only 13 and I was mesmerised. He had a superb voice and there has never been anyone like him before or since.

@@maryleone2023 The movie was a hit in when it came out in 1951 and the recordings Lanza made for it in 1950 are available and still popular today.

Yay! Thank you friend!

Hahaha sounds like a strangled cat! Sooo funny!!

Wunderlich was a Miracle, unfortunately he had an unhappy childhood and a terrible tragic death by an accident at a very young age. Had he lived longer, the face of the Opera World would have looked different. Huge, huge talent! RIP Fritz Wunderlich!

If Fritz had lived to the age of 45, you would have never, ever heard of Pavarotti.

If the cat was strangled wouldn't it be silent as in ex-cat?

A beautiful informative statement

@@sugarbist Yes--- he is spot on!

Excellent comment !

I totally agree with you, but you see, you can't name the 5 greatest painters of the world without mentioning Van Gogh; as well you can't name the 5 greatest opera tenors without mentioning Jussi Björling. This guy, the "tenor" who is making the statements doesn't say that these 5 are his favourites, he means that they are the greatest and he even puts Corelli as one of them, that is really stupid because Corelli is not a first class tenor, this is for sure.

@@marinellabakken7491 My dad loved Bjorling the most, and saw him a few times in recital.

My pleasure!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Sé que es cuestión de gustos pero no pueden dejar afuera a Di Stefano. Gracias.

Thank you Danny! I'm so glad you've liked them and have been watching! Much love!

interesting, I saw all 3 of them, JB first in 1958.

@@shicoff1398 You were so lucky! I would have liked so much to see Björling, but had no chance at all, should have been born earlier.

@@marinellabakken7491 well, yes I have my memories and still the interest in opera!

The best marketing singer today is Jonas Kaufmann (probably a multimillionaire).

Yes, Corelli had the beauty AND the passion. Pavarotti's voice - even great - always sounded cold and I felt it had no heart.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aM3ySVZPrqY.html

Where is Bjorling?! Come on,

As a person, Pavarotti was a jerk. I know because I met him. Big time jerk.

I don't understand the tearing up because for the most part, Pav lacked passion.

@@Mikep487 I know. But there is a quality to his voice that gets to me.

No, Björling is the very best. He was Pavarottis idol and he tried to sing like him.

@@6828tom Many divas, opera singers, are... 😅 I grew up with a grandfather who played the piano and used to play with opera singers.

I desperately wanted to see him in his last appearances at Verona, very near the end of his normal career in 1975 (excluding the Tokyo concerts with Tebaldi etc). Unfortunately, as a poor penniless student, I just couldn't find the money to get me from England to Italy. Therefore, like you Cathy, I never got to see the great man live - as Anthony Leon says in his piece, he really was the whole package!! I too noted the day of his 100th birthday.

No. Merli was way better than Corelli.

@@meyerbeer13 First time I ever heard that one.

@@labienus9968 corelli de Mónaco and domingo are all tenors who had prestige in their own era but there was nothing homeless about any of them. Francesco Merli and Giacomo Lauri Volpi are great beyond just their time frame. Alfredo Kraus and Psvarotti too.

Timeless

My pleasure!

He didnt retired early because of stage fright,he over came his fear by constantly practicing ,remember he starting singing at 33,you are absolutly right about Roberto

@@raulc398 i don’t think he ever overcame his performance fear issues but you’re right it wasn’t garden variety stage fright. It wasn’t fear of the audience. It was anxiety that his performance wouldn’t be 100 percent of what he expected of himself and know he was capable of. And although he did retire earlier than people expected him to, (age 55) it was prompted by his own concerns about his vocal decline and in fact he did experience some discernible decline within a few years. So, my comment was off the mark.

@@epona9166 I don't think it is that simple. The stage fright grew over the years, and I think that effected his vocal performances. His vocal performances was still better then most, he could easily have continued, he did not lose any range and never sang with a wobble in the voice. His breath control. one of his strongest attributes were affected. He sang a few recitals at the age of 60 and his voice sounded better then ever, the time away from the constant pressure of the opera stage seemed to cause added stress that effected his voice.

YES. Another Shicoff fan!!

@@thesilvershining me too!

Agreed, not Florez but add others .

Carreras had the most beautiful tenor voice in the world. My husband, a Pavarotti fan, agrees.

Thanks, Maestro! 🙌🏼

Yes, Jussi is one of the greatest for sure! The truth is I love them all. It's so hard to pick favorites sometimes. I believe every tenor is better at something than the other. Long live Björling's legacy!

Pavarotti does not belong there. Bjorling and Gigli are missing

But wasn't the big intro bjorling?

But then I here fritz wunderlich and he sounds almost identical to bjorling so maybe it was him

Thanks for the recognition of Bjorling - who surely belongs in the list of 'Greats'. Listening to Bjorling and Merrill do the duet from Pearl Fishers is a 'once in a lifetime' experience!

I love that! "Voice of Steel"! I'm glad you enjoyed and agree!

What happened TO Mario la za

Very good looking but the voice was inconsistent, sometimes he would hit the top note right on the nail but a lot of the time he was a scooper, had to slide up to it. To use an old saying, Handsome is as handsome does.

And also passionate singing, full of feelings

1FRANCO CORELLI = 20 PAVAROTTI.

I saw / heard Cura as Samson and he gave a stellar performance, born for the role perhaps. Cura unfortunately was an inconsistent performer and music directors began to shy away from hiring him. Here on RU-vid one can see his sensitive but powerful Turridu (with W. Meier).

@@phil2u48 Have you seen the 2000 live “La Traviata” with Cura? There were some rough spots, but I loved it - very cinematic (even tho the plot is pretty ridiculous).

Cura's career was short-lived, so he didn't leave much of a legacy.

@@rawvision6701 Loved Cura's first recording, saw him in London at the Festival Hall and he was great, but then he lost his touch somewhere along the way. Bit like Jonas Kaufman - wonderful at first, now I have to turn off the radio if he's singing.

@@phil2u48 Saw him sing Samson long ago in Chicago, not really greatly impressed, he was OK though.