Tito Gobbi was a force of nature as a baritone

Se volete ascoltare il vero Corelli dovete sentirlo in tutte le sue interpretazioni live dove lui dava il massimo, Pavarotti il suo Nessun dorma lo ascoltate sempre registrato in studio o con microfoni, provate a sentire Franco in Ugonotti, Norma Poliuto, Trovatore, Tosca, Aida Ernani, opere che Pavarotti non avrebbe mai potuto cantare, si è cimentato in Aida ed Ernani con esiti non proprio brillanti, ciò non toglie che nelle opere del suo repertorio è stato grande

Chenier, Carmen.

Hai mai ascoltato dal vivo Mario del Monaco? Una spada che ti trafigge. Pagliacci, Trovatore, Otello...

The lyric Pavarotti actually sang the role of Calaf 6 times at the Met at age 61. It was not a signature role for him, but for a lyric tenor he did managed it quite well. Calaf was THEE signature role for Corelli. He sang it 53 times at the Met alone and was possibly the premier Calaf of the last 70 years or more. Keep in mind that Corelli officially retired from the Met in 1976 at age 55 after a great 25 year career and Pavarotti was still singing at age 61 and had at least a 43 year career. Just as Corelli was more suited for Turandot, Pavarotti was more suited for Lucia or Boheme. Perhaps a better comparison would be Corelli verses other spinto tenors or Pav verses other lyric tenors singing Nessun Dorma.

Your analysis is spot on. La Boheme better suited for Pavarotti’s lighter lyrical voice. More dramatic roles were not his forte. In recordings his voice was often “juiced up” on the lower register to create a much fuller sound.

Yes, I was fortunate to hear the two of them in Turandot, Tosca, Aida, and Boheme (and many other times in differing roles. The first opera I saw at the Met ("The Old House") was on 23 March 1965 and it was Ernani with Corelli, Price, Sereni, and Siepi with Thomas Schippers conducting. Ruined me, how do you ever top a cast like that. Saw him 19 times at the Met. Got to see Pavarotti in Rigoletto, Elixir, Fille du Regiment, Lucia and other operas. I still have the programs. Two of the greatest tenors ever (the two best I ever saw).

Thanks for sharing

On ne peut comparer deux voix différentes , ceci étant celle de corellli est ici mieux adaptée au rôle de calaf et dans l'opéra moins dramatique on préférera celle de pavarotti moins impétueuse mais plus feutrée. Tout est question de goût et de sensibilité. Pour moi , i'interprétation la mieux équilibrée de ce magnifique air me paraît être celle de jussi Bjoerling , mais bien sûr vous avez droit de penser autrement. Salut à vous.

@@mino7520 Dans cet air, à Jussi Bjorling, je préfère plutôt Aragall qui a une voix de tenore spinto et aussi très belle.

Tube22......je pense qu'Aragall est le meilleur ténor espagnol des quarante dernières années bien que beaucoup lui aient préféré Krauss à la voix moins brillante et moins belle. C'est un choix que d'avoir préféré Aragall dans cet air qui ressort à votre sensibilité et c'est bien, cependant je crois que Bjoerling est vraiement la référence dans cet air et dans beaucoup d'autres, et selon beaucoup de connaisseurs il a été le second caruso du siècle écoulé .

@@mino7520 Aragall était de nature timide et souffrait tellement du trac qu'il risquait d'abandonner le chant. Des problèmes qui lui ont valu des succès étonnants et des débâcles absolues !

@@iTube22100 . Il faut savoir que Pavarotti a dit qu'Aragall était le meilleur de son époque, donc meilleur que lui même. Et je suis d'accord avec cette appréciation.

@@Domani02corelli est biennn au dessus techniquement et des émotions qu’il procure

Correli transpire l'émotion dans sa voix mais c'est pas celle qui me procure pour autant le plus d'émotion. Tout ceci est subjectif. Comme j'aime énormément Mario Del Monaco et d'autres grand ténor

Absolutely correct I feel Franco in this role was superoir but pavarotti say in the fille of regiment was brilliant

​@@andrewwalker3312 Pavarotti has cracked in Fille of regiment. You can listen on youtube

Did Corelli do I purtani?

Pavarotti was a Light lyric at the beginning, at the end he had a pure lyric voice

Pav had never been a leggiero tenor. Full lyric.

Light lyric tenors do not sing operas like Turandot, Tosca, Gioconda, Trovatore, Aida, Chenier, Luisa Miller, and Ernani. Corelli told Stefan Zucker that he sings with a floating larynx.

Dear pipogalli, Corelli never used the term ''artificial lower larynx''

Zucker.. AKA take a grain if not a mountain of salt Zucker.

Correct. That's all there is to say. All the useless discussions always come from the uneducated who are neither able to sing that way themselves and/or have no clue about tone production.

I couldn't agree with you more🤗.... addressed to Stephen Lord

Dear stephanlord9, How would you compare Corelli to Pavarotti in Lucia and Corelli's diction to Pavarotti's?

Pavarotti had incredible diction...not quite that of diStefano but it was very clear. But the voice was much more narrow than that of Corelli. Spinto tenor vs Lyric tenor. LUCIA is for the latter.

@@stephenlord9 Dear Stephen, My question was, how do you compare Pavarotti's diction to Corelli's? But you included Di Stefano in your answer instead of Corelli. Do you know of any lyric tenor who's voice is NOT narrower than Corelli's? Yes Lucia was for Pavarotti, while Corelli did not answer the bell for the 2nd act in the 2nd performance of Lucia at the Met, after getting a poor review in the first performance. Perhaps the better comparison would be to compare Corelli to other spintos and Pav to other lyric tenors singing Nessun Dorma. Of course Corelli was the premier Calaf of the last 70 years, but it's also very interesting when a tenor takes on a role outside of his repertoire, like Pavarotti has. Chenier, Aida, Turandot. Luisa Miller, Gioconda and Ernani are much more suited for a spinto, but Pavarotti did mange these heavier roles quite well. He was also singing these heavier operas after Corelli,Tucker, and Del Monaco were gone from the Met.

I think each tenor type has his strengths no tenors sings everything better then any others depends on type of tenor voice and type of role corelli was a great tenor but so was pavarotti but there have been many more who was best well its subjective on opera and type of tenor and listeners taste

Dear Brad, I always wonder what criteria a poster uses when they state a tenor was the best of all time? Corelli's voice could fill any opera house, but it was ''NOT'' absolutely the most powerful. I usually don't get an answer, so don't worry about not responding.

+ Daniele Barioni

Mario lanza was the best of best

Franco Corelli per sempre, senza alcun dubbio. ❤

💯🎯💥

Pavarotti a lyric tenor? First time I hear that 😅. Pavarotti was an instrument, he's the greatest of all times.

@@tampe3358 If you've never heard of it, it means you're not informed! Pavarotty tenore lirico, Corelli tenore eroico, heldentenor in German. Pavarotti's voice has a beautiful timbre and he is very good at graceful pieces. For example, he's very good singing "Bella figlia dell'amore" (Rigoletto). But when he goes up in pitch, his voice thins out and he sounds a bit like a strangled chicken! Another singer, lirico spinto, with an exceptionally beautiful voice, is Jaume Aragall. Unfortunately he is not that famous because he is very shy and suffers from stage fright. But very good at both, pieces of grace and pieces of strength. He studied with Pavarotti and Carreras and even Pavarotti said he was the best of the three.

Wow, the best of all time!? Was Corelli the best in Elisir, La Sonabula, Rigoletto, Butterfly, Lucia, Manon Lescaut, Traviata, Boheme, and Ballo? Corelli is one of my favorites and one of the best tenor voices ever, but he was NOT the best of all time. Simple

I like being a member of Team Corelli for some challenges and of Team Gedda for others! Vive les différences!

Oops, that's "Vivent les différences" (plural).

Dear medardofranco, light lyric tenors do not sing Calaf, Radames, Tosca Luisa Miller, I Lombardi, Trovatore, Chenier, and I Pagliacci.

They actually had similar technique, although Corelli was better with diminuendo, the difference is one is is lyric tenor and one is dramatic spinto tenor.

​​@@ZENOBlAmusic To my ears, Pavarotti's diction was more crisp and he tended to sing intervals more cleanly (with less "scooping") than Corelli. These are characteristics I always listen for in classical singing. I'm sure there are facets of Corelli's technique that outshine Pavarotti's. It comes down to personal preference.

@@LydellC You are right Corelli did portamento, it is not really scooping but somewhat similar. It is a stylistic choice not technique. Some people don't like it. I don't mind, it is similar to what rock and blues singers or guitarist does, it creates soul in the voice. But I do understand if you don't describe it as good characteristic. All singers have their faults. Pavarotti did have good dictation but he was very loose with his tempo, he sometimes speeded up, or slowed down passages where it is not written in the score. I also don't mind this aspect from Pavarotti, I see it as a personal touch, I think these small measures are personal touches, but it is something that can be criticized by some people who like to abide by the score. Of course I think the whole point of the video, was that these are different types of tenors. With different types of voices and skills. Nessun Dorma is meant for a dramatic tenor, but everyone just sings it these days. Pavarotti's Nessun Dorma is good, but there are many other tenors such as Corelli, Del Monaco or Giacomini who does sing it better, it is simply more suited to their voices. Franco Corelli is known as the Calaf, he played the role many times, next to Brigit Nilsson of all people, Pavarotti never performed Turandot on stage. It is a role that requires a dramatic voice, with exceptional high notes. Check out 'In questa reggia" Brigit Nilsson & Franco Corelli. Brigit Nilsson was a Wagnerian soprano she had one of the biggest voices of all time. The tenor in Turnadot has to keep up with the dramatic soprano. Pavarotti is a fine lyric tenor, one of the best, some people will say that Björling, Wunderlich or Gigli were the best lyric tenor, I would still pick Pavarotti ahead of them. Different tenors have their roles, Corelli and Pavarotti had completely different voices, with different expectations and different roles. Dramatic roles are more about dramatic impact and emotional content then perfect bel canto singing. Corelli's diminuendo is actually extra ordinary, it is very rare for a tenor with such a big voice to have such a good ability with diminuendo. That is something you would expect from Pavarotti to be better at then Corelli. Of course both Pavarotti and Corelli have been accused of holding high notes for too long, or for adding unnecessary high notes. I don't mind, I think all tenors would like to be able to achieve this, everyone just doesn't have the skill. Of course the trouble is when tenors start to perform outside of their repertoire. They are fair game, to criticize then in my opinion. But as I said practically all tenors do it from time to time. Corelli himself often performed La Donna E Mobile in concert. He never played the Duke on stage, his voice was far to big and heavy for coloratura, so he does not perform it very well, but he did it. Of course Pavarotti was excellent at La Donna E Mobile, he had the right flexibility in the voice for that role.

@@ZENOBlAmusic Dear Zenobia, Pavarotti sang Turandot 6 times at the Met in 1996. Other than not being able to climb the steps, he received decent to good reviews at age 61. He was not the greatest choice for the role of Calaf, but the other big name options at that time were Domingo, Carreras or a young Alagna and of course Corelli was long gone. I don't think the excessive portamento was a stylistic choice, but a crutch when Corelli appeared live. Even though I enjoy his live recordings more, where the pulsation is different and more exciting, Corelli stated to Zucker that he liked the studio more, rather than appearing live. When Zucker asked him why? Corelli stated '' there's less moving around" Zucker just grunted. Corelli also stated that he used portamento''to be sure''. Scooping is a term that is used loosely at times. Corelli occasionally scooped, for example when interpolating a C in Poliuto, where he uses portamento to come up to the note before the C and then hits his great high C'' Io Solo Addio Lo Rendero'' . But, who the hell really cares if he scooped or not hearing the beautiful way he sang the aria and hit the exhilarating last high note. I was humming and whistling the aria for days and couldn't get it out of my head. I think you may have touched on this before, but it's not so important as for a tenor to sing perfectly, but more so how a tenor or singer reaches you emotionally. Corelli had that innate ability. As much as I like Pavarotti, he at times sang some arias and songs as seemingly a vocal exercise, but when he did apply himself emotionally, he was also fantastic. Enjoy

Corelli had a warmer voice than Del Monaco, but not clearer. MDM had impeccable diction where Corelli was not known for his diction as was Pavarotti, Di Stefano and MDM

Corelli always did dramatic roles, right from the very start of his career, he was born dramatic which is quite rare. One of his first roles was Pollione in Norma, that is an extremely dramatic role. He actually did a few more lyrical roles at the ned of his career.

Oh, Corelli, with his exceedingly certain and rock-solid vocal technic, could sing all kinds of roles, including coloratura and lyric roles, and handle them quite well, but his voice was really most at home in heavier, dramatic parts that exceeded lighter tenors' capacities. Both classes of tenors could triumph in spinto roles about equally well.

Most lyric tenors can all sing the same high notes. They all have to sing the same roles.

​​@@ZENOBlAmusicIt's a matter of feeling, Pavarotti's voice affects me more. It is the power that certain singers have on us and at this level it is no longer a question of technique,Just emotion

Dramatic tenors usually have Otello as part of their repertoire. But, you don't have to be a dramatic tenor to sing Otello.

Yes, Pavarotti did say that about Corelli, but Pavarotti's favorite tenor was Giuseppe Di Stefano.

@@sugarbist Yes Pavarotti did admire di Stefano. However Corelli was a spinto tenor which means he had a more powerful voice with a lot of “squillo” and could sing more dramatic roles eg Calaf in Turandot and other similar roles. Di Stefano on the other hand was a lyric tenor. He was known for his “golden voice” and sang with a beautifully open throat which produced that wonderful easy natural sound which is very rare and most tenors envied. As I am rather old I had the good fortune to hear both of them. Sadly none of the modern tenors can compare with either of them.

@@Ariadne-cg4cq Yes, you are correct. Of course Corelli had the more powerful voice but Di Stefano did sing all the spinto dramatic roles as well. Trovatore, Turandot Forza Carmen Gioconda Cavalleria I Pagliacci Tosca Chenier and Manon L However, Corelli's voice was more suitable for the heavier roles. I also heard Corelli in his debut in Trovatore at the Met in 1961and Di Stefano at Carnegie Hall circa 1962. Both terrific. GDS could have had the most beautiful voice I ever heard.

Your comment is a little strange. My brother preferred Di Stefano, Bjorling,Gigli and Pavarotti, while I prefer the heavier voices of Corelli, Del Monaco and Tucker. It's obvious that Pavarotti does light a fire for the people who preferred him. Neither tenor was truly limited as both did sing operas outside of their repertory. Perhaps Pavarotti more so than Corelli, singing Errnani, Aida, Chenier, Turandot, Luisa Miller, I Lombardi, La Gioconda. Corelli did Boheme, Romeo, Don Carlo and Lucia. I would say that Pavarotti also conquers his listeners in Ideale, La Rondine Al Nido, Boheme, Lucia, Rigoletto, Daughter, Elisire, La Sonnabula, Puritani and the crossover concerts that attracted millions of listeners world wide. Enjoy

Totally agree. I'm not an expert in Opera and Corelli takes some beating, but Bjorlings slow version pushes him very close. I call it a tie.

O Rodger! Perhaps Bjorling was the best tenor in your mind, but he never sang Turandot ''LIVE'' Chenier, Forza, Gioconda, Carmen, Ernani, Luisa Miller, I Lombardi, and Samson. He failed in Aida in Chicago in 1958 and received poor reviews in his early Cavaradossi at the Met and Trovatore as well. But Bjorling was great in the lyric repertoire of Boheme, Rigoletto, Faust, Romeo, Don Carlo and Ballo. But, perhaps in your mind is what counts

Corelli does not scoop on dilegua O notte. Do you know what a scoop is? Corelli sounds nothing like Mario Lanza. Pavarotti sang 6 performances of Turandot at age 61 at the Met. Corelli sang 54 performances at the Met alone. Mike Tyson? wow!

Stavo per mandarti a quel paese finché non ho letto il magico nome di Del Monaco. Pavarotti era un grande interprete ed aveva una voce bellissima ed "unica". Naturalmente, a livello di drammaticità, non può paragonarsi a Corelli o Del Monaco. Io, personalmente, preferisco il secondo perché ( spero mi si perdoni l'espressione ) non si piangeva mai addosso. Vedi "vesti la giubba" o classici della canzone napoletana come "core ingrato". In ogni caso, a questi livelli, ogni preferenza è giustificata. Cordiali saluti

Il canto impostato sul pianto e ' un modo di trovare ed esprimere dolcezza , morbidezza, legare, modulare e sfumare i suoni trovando il p ed il PP o anche pianissimo. Corelli sapeva essere virile e dolce insieme oltre a sapere fare una differenza fra " ti amo" e " ti odio". Si avvicinava di più al Belcanto ( come faceva più di lui Bergonzi) Sapeva trovare e diversificare intenzioni ed interpretazione fra i vari atti dell' opera che cantava. Non spianava tutte le dinamiche dell' autore . L ' acuto non lo affrontava mai( spingere ?di fibra?) ma lo " portava " quasi accarezzandolo, poi aveva voce lunga e larga con ppppp come Miguel Fleta. In Corelli , a mio gusto, c' era Anima. In del Monaco più Ego. Due fenomeni del 1900. Del Monaco mi stupisce. Corelli mi coinvolge emozionandomi. Poi a teatro ,non so......

@@massimocassano2545 si può essere dolci, tristi, modulare, eseguire un pp anche senza piagnucolare. Comunque stiamo parlando di grandissimi e ad ognuno di loro va il mio grandissimo applauso

No,no Mario Lanza no Please

This is not baroque, and Pavarotti had no business singing this role calling for a spinto - and being "emotionally driven". He tries to fatten up to make up for it, but ends up pretty thin at the higher notes, where Corelli punches through the ceiling like it's butter, with consistently round voice. Pavarotti's attempt is not technically more sound, how can you call this inconsistent mess "pure", of all things? One can hear a (prematurely, unhealthy living) aging singer singing a way too heavy role. Which is why his thin, chalkboard-scratchy, substance-less high notes here (although used to be "king of high C's") pale in comparison to Corelli's sound that's full-bodied from bottom to top sound. You can claim all is preference like you will, but Pavarotti's (here) broken technique is not "more sound" in any way, it is "past prime guy singing too heavy material". Pavarotti's "Ingemisco" from 1967 or so, that's where he was good. Fille du regiment with a bunch of high Cs in a row, in the 70s, total ace. Later, like so many, he got pushed or was eager to go into ever heaver roles, strting deterioration. AH here it is - listen very closely to the quality of the voice from top to bottom - what he does there is a lot more similar to what Corelli does, technically, in the above video we are commenting under, than what Pavarotti does there. Just that his voice is naturally lighter. Hear how strong and not-scratchy almost all his high notes are: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gpdxY8Vi173bhJs.html

@@tinkerwithstuff - So, you prefer Corelli's rendition. Can't fault that.

Scusi mai pare che vacilli lei!!!!

@@vittoriopreti7412 - I certainly wouldn't describe it as "faltering". I agree.

@@tinkerwithstuff Pavarotti was 61 years old in 1996 when he sang Calaf at the Met 6 times. Of Course he wasn't suited for the role, but unfortunately Corelli who officially retired in 1976 was not available. It's always interesting when a tenor challenges himself singing something outside of his repertoire. Di Stefano, Gigli, and Bjorling, did this, but were not always successful. Surprisingly, Pavarotti received a decent review. The only negative was that he could not climb the steps. He also managed Chenier, Aida, Luisa Miller, Ernani and Gioconda.

Cioè un Aria è una dizione ,solo quello La sua è una tipica osservazione non musicale

Franco Corelli vale 20 Pavarotti, Corelli aveva il doppio della voce di Pavarotti che cantava spesso e volentieri microfonato.

Well they both sang Nessun Dorma so it's okay to compare :)

No,,its not.. @@sophocles1198

@@sophocles1198 Yes but actually no :-)) Pavarotti sang Nessun Dorma in concerts, had some studio recordings like the one presented here, I don't think he's ever performed the role on stage (which would be kinda ridiculous, given he's tenore di grazia). Corelli on the other hand was a personification of Calaf, he owned this role, performed it countless times (which is not surprising with him being powerful spinto tenor). So you can compare, but there's no comparison, this aria is not for Pavarotti's voice

@@alexmashkin863 Thanks for the explanation. I am "discovering" opera late in life.

@@sophocles1198 Then I have to warn you :-) It's a huge rabbit hole and there are a lot of very opinionated people online :-) Opera is a very precise art, that's why there are a lot of categories for everything. I loved listening to opera since my twenties, but really started hearing it closing to my forties :-) Now I take lessons of academic vocals, and that really deepened my understanding of what's going on :-) Anyway, welcome to the club, now you get to be an insufferable musical snob :-)))