I also sang with him (at The Music Academy of The West...in Santa Barbara)in the late 1970's.He was only about 20-21 at the time.Even then(as a "post-teenager"),it was indeed, quite evident,that Mr. Hampson was destined for great(world-wide,grammy award winning) success.

Thomas hampsons rule britania in 1998 was among The Best ever!

ahahahaahah I loved his "good morning" at the end, after he was like ok so this note is not coming out...

Ye who judge such an accomplished artist are judged yourselves for being so small that you cannot imagine another version of the classic song. this man is possessed of immense vocal gifts and hugely gifted in delivering the many forms of art and folk songs. your hateful and jealous negative comments are just the ticket that prevents many homegrown talented artists from being saluted in their own Land, America! Thomas, the MAN when it comes to tops for Lyric Baritones today. THANKS!

Amazing singer, incredible voice,I love to listen on it ❤❤❤❤❤

I feel as thou I've awaken from a night of love making to bask in the morning light. This is simply brilliant, and well - sublime.

He does have a great voice. I went to grade school with him in Pasco, WA and to high school near Spokane. He was a grade ahead of me.

Interesting to all the comments from people who know nothing of music (no music lessons) or nothing about Thomas. I went to grade school with him for six years and high school for one (he was one year ahead of me). So I heard him sing before his voice changed and after. I also attended one of his Masters Classes in 1995. He indeed is one of the best baritones ever.

the way he talks sounds like he wants to burst out in singing.

Thomas, Spokane is SOOOO proud of you--such a nice, nice man. And talented beyond belief. I could listen to him sing the phone book.

oh my god! we've just heard thomas hampson fucking up a high note because it was too early in the morning. somehow it just feels good to see that worldclass singers sometimes have the same problems as you and me ;-)

He's a great orator. I was lucky enough to see him perform this piece live. That was before I knew what an amazing singer he was. I was able to "discover" him on my own :)

Could he BE more handsome and more talented?? Love, love, love him.

i think the raspiness is magnified by the microphone here. I saw him sing this live, during the Song of America tour he mentioned in the brief interview, on a stage without a mic and it was just beautiful. I concurr with you about the end in this rendition, but when he sang that night on stage (without a mic) the ending was absolutley gorgeous.

i agree that nelson eddy was the baritone to beat all others,,,lets hope people will always remember this brilliant singer and keep his memory forever fresh. nelson and eddy and his singing partner jeanette macdonald should never be forgotten

No one has sung this song any better than the great Tennessee Ernie Ford who had a big vocal instrument, knew operatic technique, but knew how to deliver a folk song such as Shenandoah. For someone as good vocally as Hampson, this ham-handed.

He might crack up the last note, but his overall performance made me cry. He does these things so brilliantly!

love this one. best version online -imhop- sure cause mine`s not online yet... well done and faaaar beyond talking rubbish about opera or not. if some guy is able to move our feelings: enjoy, don´t destroy!

for god sake you people his not perfect, and even memorable but his performance is quite moving, he's sensible and shows great humanity in his voice and i think that is already great, thanks for posting!

Fantastic!

my choir sang this for our last concert of the year.

Hello, Kristy! Talking about his live performance,well... I was had a great expectation because I knew he is a wonderful, refined singer. But,like you, I only have heard his voice on cd or dvd. The concert was better than what I was expecting. Kindertotenlieder is a moving repertoire, Mahler is his favourite composer and he was able to put us ( the audience) in the heart of the songs. I mean,was able to share his emotions.

Amazing...

That's odd, he says he grew up in Spokane but he also is from Elkhart, Indiana.

A bit spotty for such a highly regarded singer. If you want to hear a great full blown operatic version listen to Leonard Warren's recorded in the late 1940's. For a less grandiose but gorgeous male version try Tennessee Ernie Ford's recorded in the early 60's. For women's versions try those by Marilyn Horne and Sissel Kyrkjebo.

Bing Crosby was from Spokane, too. The ending was unfortunate. He should probably sing later in the day. Sinatra recorded in the evening.

@sumalumajumjum Thank you for introducing me to Ernie Ford. So far, I've really enjoyed his song, titled, Try a Little Tenderness.

It's the acoustics of the room that matter, not its size. How can you make a comment about his voice being to big for the room when you are listening to a recording that is now through your computer speakers? You aren't hearing his voice reflected off the walls of the TV studio (which may be designed to absorb sound) - you are hearing it via the mike and your speakers. You probably think I'm being pedantic, but you'd have to be in the concert hall listening to him live to get what you want.

what year was this?

I agree. Jo Stafford's version is my favorite.

Yeah, the end is a bit strained, probably because of the hour. Nonetheless, Hampson is the leading baritone in the US today, no question about it. He also has a high-end that any baritone in the world would kill for.

Did anyone else realize the slide show pictures had nothing to do with the actual theme of the song?

Perhaps I shouldn't have used the term "nonsense". I was thinking more of those who claim it cannot be art unless it is done exactly to opera conventions. There are a lot of singers, like the 3 New Zealand so-called "popera" singers who have had some "classical" training (voice coaching) for the the sake of vocal health. But I just read somewhere that the technique used to project over an orchestra is not that good...? The basics of opera style may be healthy vocalism.

If you are a fan of opera, then it is probably the amplification of his voice that you find unpleasant. Think how voices in the hallway of an apartment house or shouting across a canyon can be amplified. But in a tiny room with properly sound-proofed walls, you can't hear someone shout across it (literally). There is such a room at the local university, and a TV studio may use similar techniques (but not to the same degree).

LoL KZfaq comments crack me up... wonder what some of these professional critiquers sound like. :)

:P:P my name is james hampson!! :D haha

@joelflorew ahahahah epic comedy

Thanks for your reply. I just listened again and I agree with you that it was not perfect opera technique. But Shanendoah is not opera and I liked what he did. The ending may not be what he intended, but the fragile break in his voice seemed to punctuate the nostalgia. After such power, the weakness at the end just works for me.

It seems that it was very early in the morning, and if he didn't get the proper warm up time, which is what seems to have happened with that airy ending, you can't do shit about it.

Listen to Paul Robeson

He sings Stephen He sings Stephen Foster's Hard Times brilliantly..go get it sham! f

Skip to 2:12

The voice... I was in second line(one or two meters from the stage), so, obviously I could hear the voice,better than the orchestra. About the power? Oh, yes,power enough. In the piano, pianissimo, or forte, I could hear everything. And even every consonant, If you are a singer you will know how important it is. Thank you for asking me the question about live performance. It is a good question because sometimes some singers sound different when they are on stage.

Huh?

Thomas Hampson is famous for his piano singing of the American repertoire. That last note, not his best Piano singing for sure.

wikipedia say he's a kavalierbariton

I will probably be vilified for saying so, but I feel like I am being shouted at. This is supposed to be an intimate song. It's true that opera singers have to project over orchestras, but any decent singer sings to the room he is in. Hampson is screaming. Correct opera technique allows for piano as well as forte, and Hampson shouts on the highs and goes nasal and breathy on the lows and softs. His ending where he goes hoarse isn't intimacy, it's raping the song.

There's no single way to sing "Shenandoah". i like this version though my personal favorite is Jo Stafford's.

Bernstein worked with Hampson when the voice had not significantly deteriorated. Hampson never did sing as well as Cappuccilli or Milnes. For those who enjoy Fischer-Dieskau I suppose Thomas Hampson's Mahler is adequate. I see that you have exposed your own motives, in as much as "The thief thinks every man is a thief." All the best for your holidays.

@zolluuu yeah, right.... a comment from some one who clearly has no idea what true art is about

you must like justin bieber then

Apparently in England it's racist to call a blackboard a blackboard - it has to be called a chalkboard. On the other hand the felt pen version - the whiteboard - is called a whiteboard. Nobody asked me if I was offended! Besides how can someone be offended by a board of his skin colour? That's political correctness for you...

this recording didn´t make me cry....too commercial, a slap in the face for all black people

I'm sorry. I completely disagree with you. It was a majestic performance with a tender second verse. Who said that the song has to be intimate? Just because it is loud, it hardly means he is shouting. Usually people who don't understand operatic technique hear it as shouting.

24 people prefer to start the day with Lady Gaga's songs.

I didn't like that ending. And I think it could have been less shouty, but overall, pretty good.

well done but ernie fords rendition is my favorite.

I'm an opera singer so I know a little about its technique. Proper technique allows for the flow of air past the vocal chords and into the sinus cavern and create a "loud" or "resonant" sound by the production of overtones in the head voice. Hampson has none of these when he sings this song. This can be conclusively determined by the fact that at the end, the air is "whispering" past his chords... meaning his production of sound relies on vocal tension. Ergo--shouting.

maybe. Let's hope he takes the time to warm up properly next occasion!

I am not a fan of opera or opera technique, but I thought this singer did better than most opera singers do attempting songs like this. I see sluring the words into a continuous line as more of a folk trait - Joan Baez and Hayley Westenra (whose forte is really folk ballads) do something similar. That operatic technique is REALLY good is nonsense. More complex, yes; better, no. He'd be asthetically more pleasant if he let go of even more of his opera technique for songs like this.

No doubt, but it's easy to be pedantic on youtube.

Hahahahahaha are you serious?

Done almost as an operatic piece? Nah!

Lew Dewitt and the Statler Brothers have a much better country rendition on KZfaq.

....und das soll der beste bariton sein-lachhaft!!!! wirklich lachhaft!!!

Operatic singers may not sing every thing as if it's opera but, of course, some do a much better job singing popular music than others. Eileen Farrell, for example, sang pop music wonderfully well, more often than not singing it in an alto voice rather than in her operatic soprano. To be honest, however, Hampson just isn't very good here. Compare this version to Ernie Ford's more relaxed, conversational version.

You reckon? A toupee is simply a sign of vanity, of not accepting yourself for the way you are, and since no toupee is even remotely convincing, it just makes you look ridiculous (in my opinion). And compared to Paul Robeson's version, this was pretty bad. That last, high raspy note was particularly painful. Sorry folks, if this offends anyone.

"a slap in the face for all black people" Contrary to trendy popular opinion, not all music in America was invented by Americans of African descent. Both the melody and lyrics of this song go back to the Scott-Irish who immigrated to America. Also, "Shenandoah" refers to the river in Virginia, not the Native American chief as referred to in the video. This is a common misconception. wikipedia "oh shenandoah" for more history. White people are "ethnic" too! Omigod!

do americans also see how EPICALLY fake these people behave?

He's got a great voice, but he's oversinging this, I think. This kind of folk tune is meant to be simple. That's when you get to really hear it. Opera singers always sing everything like it's opera. I'd like to hear him do something like Amazing Grace without all the showiness. I bet it'd be terrific.

The Good Lord give me strength. Another braindead opera fan who thinks TV can be broadcast without it being recorded... Not Miking him makes as much sense as not putting a camera on him.

come on - everyone wants to look good. I mean singers have to give a good impression - Hampson simply wouldn't look good without hair.

Generally a nice moving rendition, I was about to say "very nice" until that raspy, breathy attempt at a 'piano' ending.... :-/

He should stick to Opera...

he clearly has talent... but i think he should stick to opera.. This song doesnt really fit him that well... He is good though so dont hate on me... Hearing his other stuff that is better... Plus this is just a weird arrangement of the song.

I don't know him personally of course, but thomas seems to me to be a bit too self-centred for my taste. He definitely enjoyed the comment on the richness of his voice from that reporter didn't he? anyway, his voice, is (used to be) astonishing.

Hampson is one of the worst singers ever foisted on the public. His tragic lack of proper singing method was not so obvious when his voice was young and the unsupported mixed voice allowed him a decent baritone range. As he's aged the faulty production has left him with a strident top and a breathy unsupported soft voice. The worst of it is his staying onstage to spread this caricature of "serious" art.

This song exposes his poor technique.

Horrible.

I am not a fan of opera or opera technique, but I thought this singer did better than most opera singers do attempting songs like this. I see sluring the words into a continuous line as more of a folk trait - Joan Baez and Hayley Westenra (whose forte is really folk ballads) do something similar. That operatic technique is REALLY good is nonsense. More complex, yes; better, no. He'd be asthetically more pleasant if he let go of even more of his opera technique for songs like this.