It's time for another opera review! As always, please remember that my knowledge of operettas is far more extensive than that of opera, and I am not any sort of professional. I do this for fun, and just started this journey a few weeks ago. Having said that, this time, we have two new voices to add to the collection, along with a few familiar ones.

Enrico Caruso - Ideale (1906)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w85mS_Z8OAQ
In the first few notes, it actually sounds as if some instruments are a bit flat here, and I have no idea why! I am accustomed to very old recordings, so that's not it. Anyway, this is supposed to be prior to Caruso's voice change, or right around there of, but to me, I can already hear a deepness in his voice. He's singing it as a tenor, but there is a sort of dark tamber to it. He slides notes very heavily and smoothly. He is also very expressive and rolls his rs a lot.

John McCormack - Ideale (1909)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGqt47GaYAg
I wasn't originally going to include him, but after listening to a bit of his version, I decided to do so. He is the only non-Italian in our list today. His pitch is the same as Caruso's. His pronunciation sounds accurate, judging by that of the others. He has a light l sound. He rolls his rs as well. Not only does he reach the high note, but upon sliding down from it, he ads a special sound that I cannot describe. His voice has more vibrato on those notes. He also ends on a high note, like Caruso, and holds it for a long time.

Dino Borgioli - Ideale (undated)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoPIAlqpNeY
He sings this at the same pitch as McCormac. His voice is light, sweet, and clear. He also slides notes, but has a wonderful control of his dynamics. His rs are not rolled strongly. Interestingly, he doesn't end on a high note as the previous two did.

Ferruccio Tagliavini： Ideale (Tosti) (1955)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQCX0i2mC3Q
I actually have two different versions from him, the other being from 1964. However, I chose this one because he's closer to the age of the other singers. It's worth noting that in the later one, he does sing it in a lower key. That said, here, he is almost parallel with Caruso in pitch. He, too, has excellent dynamics He rolls his rs slightly more than Borgioli. He ends on a higher note, but not the highest.

Tito Schipa Ideale (Recorded 1930)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWZ_8k2l9io
His version is in the highest pitch. His phrasing seems a bit shorter than the others. Like Caruso, his rs are rolled, and I can also hear the dark l sound. His dynamics are also displayed wonderfully, as is to be expected, since he has excellent breath control. As always, the clarity of his words is quite obvious.

Final Analysis
I was surprised at the variations here, from pitch to end-note. Even though I truly enjoy the voice of Tagliavini (one of our newcomers), in this instance, he really didn't impress me as much. His performance seemed not to be as expressive as the others. The reason I kept mentioning rolled rs is that some Italians seem to have it while singing but some don't. I had mistakenly believed that Schipa came from Naples, since he sang so much Neapolitan music, but that's not true. He was from Lecce, which has its own dialect, called Salentino. Still, he and Caruso, who did come from there, both share this characteristic. But what I really found interesting is that McCormac, an Irishman, did this as well! I was also surprised that, even though this is his lighter period, Caruso's voice still had a dark sound to it. Yet he ended on a high note.

And my personal winner is... John McCormac! I was all set to choose the other newcommer to our list, Dino Borgioli, whose performance was exceptional and whose voice is truly amazing. But after hearing McCormac, I was forced to change my mind. It was such a close call, though, that it was almost a draw. But he had that little something extra. I thought, before starting this, that Schipa would win, since he is my favourite singer. In fact, I deliberately went against the timeline and put him last in the list so that I wouldn't be partial to his version! I guess it worked.

#DinoBorgioli #EnricoCaruso #FerruccioTagliavini #JohnMcCormac #opera #review #TitoSchipa

I never thought that I would find anyone to equal Tito Schipa. I still haven't. But I've come very, very close. The man to finally do it is Ferruccio Tagliavini. What a voice! He even impressed me with Una furtiva lagrima (several versions, but I like the one when he was older), and his Che gelida manina is wonderful, too! Sadly, I couldn't find Il Mio Tesoro, but I'm sure he would have sung that marvellously as well. So now, my top five are Tito schipa, Leopold Simoneau, Dino Borgioli, Ferruccio Tagliavini, and Richard Tauber. The first and fifth are steady, but The others might switch around, the more I listen to them.

#DinoBorgioli #FerruccioTaglivini #LeopoldSimoneau #RichardTauber #opera #TitoSchipa

Here is another operatic conversation I had with Perplexity. I literally just found dino Borgioli tonight and I love what I hear. I think he may rate in my top five, the others being Schipa at number one, Simoneau, and though he was very different, Tauber. I don't have a fifth yet, but Borgioli may slip into third place if this loveliness continues. I don't know much about Fernando de Lucia. He seems decent, but not in the way of my immediately loving his voice. As for Caruso, I seem to prefer his earlier recordings prior to his voice change, even though, on a scholarly level, I am fascinated by it.

Me. "Over the last month, I have started to learn about opera. With only one exception, I prefer the singers from prior to the 1950's. I especially love tenore de grazia, but I listen to other types as well. It seems that there is a list of songs that almost everyone recorded, so I use them as a quick determinent of someone's voice and singing style. These are "Che gelida manina", "Un furtiva lacrima", "Il mio tesoro intanto", and occasionally, "La donna è mobile", and "O Sole Mio" if they sang it (yes, I know the last is not opera). But most sang the first three, at least. I love comparing different versions. So far, I think the best "Un furtiva lacrima" was sung by Tito Schipa, and the best "Il mio tesoro intanto" was sung by Leopold Simoneau. I couldn't decide between Schipa and Enrico Caruso for "Che gelida manina". But Caruso may win on "La donna è mobile". I must test him against a few others. Other singers I've reviewed include Richard Tauber, John McCormack, Beniamino Gigli, and Louis Graveure. I must include Fernando de Lucia, and newly discovered (for me) Dino Borgioli in my reviews. Are these good songs? Can you recommend others or will these give a good idea of voices, strengths, etc?"

Perplexity. "Your selection of arias for comparing opera singers, particularly those from the early 20th century, is indeed excellent. These pieces are widely regarded as staples of the tenor repertoire and offer a good basis for evaluating a singer's technique, expressiveness, and overall vocal quality.
"Che gelida manina" from Puccini's "La Bohème", "Una furtiva lagrima" from Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore", and "Il mio tesoro intanto" from Mozart's "Don Giovanni" are all excellent choices for assessing different aspects of a tenor's abilities. These arias showcase lyrical singing, emotional depth, and technical prowess, respectively.
Your preference for tenore di grazia, or leggero tenor, is well-served by these selections, particularly "Una furtiva lagrima" and "Il mio tesoro intanto". These roles often require the light, flexible voice characteristic of this voice type.
To further expand your comparative listening, you might consider adding:
1.
"Dalla sua pace" from Mozart's "Don Giovanni"
2.
"Je crois entendre encore" from Bizet's "Les pêcheurs de perles"
3.
"Ecco ridente in cielo" from Rossini's "Il barbiere di Siviglia"
These pieces would complement your existing list, offering additional opportunities to assess agility, legato singing, and stylistic interpretation across different composers and periods.
Your selection of singers is also commendable, focusing on some of the most renowned tenors of the early recording era. Tito Schipa, in particular, is often hailed as one of the finest exponents of the tenore di grazia style. By comparing these arias across different singers, you're employing an effective method to discern the nuances of vocal technique, interpretation, and artistry that defined the golden age of opera singing. This approach will undoubtedly provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the great tenor voices of the past."

#BeniaminoGigli #DinoBorgioli #EnricoCaruso #FernandoDeLucia #JohnMcCormack #LeopoldSimoneau #LouisGraveure #RichardTauber #opera #singing #tenors #TitoSchipa