Joseph Shore sings at the Asti in New York

[kharlitoz]

He was more like a Heldentenor.

[TheVoicelesson]

orgasmic performance!

[jewelmarkess]

Beautiful singing - can't believe I haven't heard him before.

I went to Asti once in the 80s for New Year's eve - my most memorable New Year's eve. Such a great place - all the pictures of the stars from all times posted all over the place, music, singing. How I wish it were still there!

[maryloustark1]

I am thrilled to find this video. I often went to Asti's in the 50's and 60's with my parents and loved the music and atmosphere. Oh that it were still there!

[Trelawny333]

This was an Italian restaurant in NYC called ASTI's. Waiters, wait-staff, patrons, bartenders would get up at random and just sings. Sometimes a waiter would start singing at your table!. Went there a few times. But it closed. It was a NYC landmark.

[wattever333]

Does the Mariani family still host events like this? Do they own that restaurant or did they just rent it for the occasion? Is this something they used to do regularly?

[wattever333]

very nice, smooth, perfect color, etc. much better than Quilico. // and hot!

[blakemooney]

[part 2] As I said to you before, Joe, if this song had been given the lead on any fair-to-middlin CD retailing across the country you would have been #1 in Canada and the USA and virtually be beatable! These few sad competitors you have at various opera companies aren't of the rank required to equal your voice let alone beat it. You simply sing too flawlessly for them and your voice has "IT."

[leadoffeohippus]

I saw your post on your website: "How Low is the Low Larynx?" I found it very helpful. Thanks.

[picapin]

Wow! Unbelievable voice!! A true baritone.

He has so much power that you would think that the voice was amplified or that someone turned the mic on as soon as he opened his mouth to sing.

He kept nothing for himself, he gave it all on this generous performance. What a great artist and how lucky the ones who were there. I would have happily paid lots of money to see this live!!

[Leone1208]

Joe!I really love this video of you.For anyone that hasn't ever heard Joe personally,let me just say that after hearing him sing live for 15 mins in 1989 at UBC as a freshman,it was enough to inspire me to change my life and want to sing,which I still am doing professionally in Europe to this day.He made a professional tenor soloist out of me with his endless God-Given generousity in less than 2 years of study and his technique is ALL I ever learned and needed to this day. God bless you Joe.

[cameratamaestro]

I appreciate all the good comments on this aria but what amazes me is that there are few if any comments on the rest of my arias posted on this channel. Maybe it is because you can see me and my actions better in this one.

[blakemooney]

Sung by a voice that could be said to be "the perfect voice" for this beautiful song Shores personal involvement is emotionally correct! and makes it ZIINNGG to the point of being "thrilling." Ashley Putnam knew this would be the case and after listening to the one-way nonsense the producers wanted to apply, she nixed that thus additionally increasing the emotional content heard and seen here. A smart woman who knew Joe Shore would not disappoint helped produce a great moment we cherish!

[mosifchi]

This is simply some of the best baritone singing ever. His voice color is spectacular and his high notes rival any baritone.

[cameratamaestro]

Ashley Putnam and I were apprentices together in Santa Fe. I always liked her. She came to see my New York stage debut in 1980 as Sir William Walton's THE BEAR with The Chamber OPera Theatre of NY and had good things to say about my work. The next year A&E came to the Asti Restaurant to do a special featuring Ashley. The owner of the Asti insisted that I be permitted to sing, but the producers would not allow me to be introduced as an artist,or even named. Ashley wanted to give me the credit.

[izar1234]

This is amazing singing for any voice, not just a baritone. Please note that the normal key for this Tosti song when sung by a baritone is in C Major, where I've heard singers like Bruson, Nucci and Cappuccilli sing it. Shore is up in D-flat which means that last Warrenesque high note is an A-flat! A simply fabulous voice. What would those now cooing over Hvorstovsky think of this?? Probably wouldn't like it!

[wattever333]

Hvorostovsky is a one-trick pony and a robot.

[lukebrainard2006]

I just got this info from Maestroshore about this video. He said, "Ironically, this TV program was to star Ashley Putnam and I was not to be allowed to get any publicity for singing. The Asti Restaurant insisted that I be allowed to sing, but I was not to be introduced as an artist or even named. I was just to be called another opera "hopeful" from the audience, even though I had sung leading roles in major opera houses by then. Ashley Putname insisted on naming me at the end."

[Holovanov]

How on earth is it possible only 11 comments under a singing that is simply unique, phenomenal .... if you watch closely you can learn more from this 2 min. song, than from the whole Manuel Garcia book !!!

[lukebrainard2006]

I have watched this phenomena a long time now. I know Maestroshore very well. When someone has as much extraordinary talent as Shore did, a lot of people are envious. Every baritone wants to sound this way. Envy does crazy things to people. It makes them hate. A lot of people hated Shore because he was SO good. THEY wanted his talent.

[izar1234]

Holovanov: If you go to the version of this song posted under the "cameratamaestro" moniker, you can talk to Mr. Shore himself, who is very nice and approachable about technique.

[ciociosan]

BRAVISSIMO!

[blakemooney]

BEST SINGING ON THE INTERNET!

[blakemooney]

"l'alba separa dalla luce lombra e la mia volutta dal mio desire. O dolci stelle, e l'ora di morire, un ppiu divino al ciel vi sgombra. Pupille ardenti o voi senza ritrono stelle trists spegnete vi incorrotte. Morir debbo. Veder no volgio in giorno per amor del mio sogn e della notte. Chiudi mi o notte nel tuo sen materna. Mentre la terra. Palida s'irrora. Ma che dal sangue mio nasca l'aurora, e dal sogno mio breve, il sol eterno." Gratis Jos. Shore.

[steainsy]

surprising audio quality. This is a fantastic baritone rendition, I don't know how much is stands as the actual song

[lukebrainard2006]

There are many ways to sing any song. Obviously a Verdi baritone will this differently than a lyric tenor. It was published early in the baritone key so it was obviously intended for a baritone as well.

[steainsy]

interesting. Well I guess you're right.

[blakemooney]

It's beautiful in any voice but especially appealing in baritone--the most common voice-- and Shore does a wonderful rendering here that I wonder why he never recorded it earlier thus launching a whole other career in love songs ala Jan Peerce and others.

[blakemooney]

I've clicked this thing twice, friends at their places clicked it at least three times while we were celebrating a new Chief of Police coming in to "clean up things in New Orleans," yet I just now noticed it was back to three (3) and that's 14 days later! This song by Shore is so well sung that I will say few baritones have or will ever sing it better. If YouTube has a better baritone version let them put it up and we'll all compare it ourselves, but stop messing with the damn counter!

[stevevandien]

I remember seeing this in 1981 on the then-embryonic A & E Network and wondering who the heck this terrific young baritone was -- AND why the hell I, a dedicated operafile, hadn't heard of him:) --

[MaterDolorosa26]

This is a great video, thanks for posting. But what happened to Ashley Putnam singing "Mattinata"? Can we have it back, please?

[blakemooney]

This is great--you hit it in a spectacular fashion! Well done Joseph!!!

[blakemooney]

Maybe I was wrong and this is Robert Merrill as a younger man--that is--in tonal quality. Listen....