Don Giovanni - Fin ch'han dal vino - Thomas Hampson

[hzk31]

no one can equal Siepi as the Don

[ecabrera2]

His voice sounds so tired...

[muso2007]

Sesto Bruscantini rules (in this aria)

[zegermans750]

Ramey is the only person I've seen pull this off without looking stressed or running out of gas

[1401JSC]

This aria shows the life-force and animality of DG. (He'll be in hell by suppertime!)

He's arranging his party. Wearing the mask of gallant hospitality, he talks here of himself and his desires (the only time in the opera).

Wine, women and song; and the greatest of these is... WOMEN :)

[1401JSC]

This is not too fast for a Presto.

I've noted Colin Davis at MM 132 and Theodor Guschlbaur at MM 120.

Hampson averages 126.

Speaking or shouting recitatives is a strange practice often resorted to by singers at the end of their careers. Hampson is only 50 but is short of breath.

Brave attempt at the trill.

Full of musicality and if he souts certain notes, let's remember that the orchestra is usually muffled in the pit.

[JuantasmaDeLaOpera]

Hey!!!! This Guy is amazing... Have you ever tried singing this piece at his tempo??? This Guy Is Insane!!!! Is simply awesome!!!! (and gets a breath like 5 or 6 times.... no time for more!!!)

[Elisabetta611]

Give the man a break, EVERY perforner has bad nights. Even the best. And that he is among today's greatest lyric baritones cannot be denied. His vocal acting is better than Dmitri's and he always takes risks. While hampered by a cold or allergies (I heard he has hay fever) here, his musicianship can still be heard and his dark, intense Don is a breath of fresh air after all the "rogues with a good heart" Dons I have seen.

[blichilde]

no,no,no

[neronnenn]

Volgare e pretenzioso, invece di un hidalgo sembra un..Leporello!

[asisecanta]

He may be singing the Chinesse version isn't he? I can't understand a single word!

[TheCountAlmaviva]

Since this is a recording from the Wiener Staatsoper (ORF2 is an Austrian channel) I believe the answer is pretty simple. Jet lag or an early cold because of the AC on the plane. We all know that Hampson usually sounds much better than that. In some cases it's just hard to say no to a concert if you have to fly in from across the pond to sing it. But I agree, maybe he shouldn't have performed.

[enantiodrom]

disgustoso

[neronnenn]

what a bad performance, horrible...

[axelchanf]

short of breath, no sense of rythm, running after the orchestra...

he sucks, sorry

[patukott]

@axelchanf Yeah, the temperament isn't everything...



[Odeceixelove]

Please have a look at Rodney Gilfry singing the same aria, its also a you tube video, just write his name Rodney Gilfry and you´ll have it. its from zuerich opera 2001 and I think its unbeatable. The pity is that Rod went back to the US and is singing most of the time in california where his family is living.

[rossendahl]

Sorry, very bad.

[dtpac]

Just awful. I recorded myself singing this aria after having several beers. I thought Hampson had stolen my recording and was lip-synching it here.

[kateholli]

as much as I like Thomas Hampson: This is pathetic!

I'd rather hear George London like 50 years ago...

[BethDiane]

Actually, no one would be commenting about his sound if he were singing it as part of a staged production and sounded like this; I think he's doing it deliberately in order to sound drunk, and it's quite convincing!

[wotan20]

Skill and training only takes someone so far. There must be everything in this aria; superhuman volume and insane passion but also clarity, control, and even some elegance too. It's full of contrary elements and its wickedly difficult to sing it.

[Baccalaureus79]

He is really hoarse... he'd better not sung that night.

[elcaos10]

En esta oportunidad Hampson canta terrible, el fraseo es deplorable, en algunos momentos no se entiende lo que canta. Hay mejores versiones hechas por él.

[Amomici]

I can't understand the words..

[richiedrr]

This is one of the hardest things in the whole baritone repertoire. It's almost like a Gilbert & Sullivan patter song. I have heard excellent singers barely make it through. There is nowhere to breathe, and you can't just sing it legato like Caro Mio Ben, or it will sound dull. I think this captures the manic nature of the piece pretty well.

[izar1234]

Hampson sounds terrible here and it's not just the tempo. Listen to Wachter sing it at about the same tempo or even faster on the famous recording and he sounds totally at ease.

[steainsy]

a bit of a train wreck. Why does he always look like he has cotton buds beside his lower teeth.

[ardjoena]

the tempo is ridiculously fast plus a level staged orchestra with horde of violin equal of verdi opera. All you can do with that monstrous wave of sound is to shout-sing with lots of consonants.

[urs1765]

i find the tempo quite good actally gives the aria a bit more drive than normally

[prairieboysings]

boy are you wrong. There are many examples of this aria being sung lyrically here on youtube. Check out Siepi, Hvorostovsky, London, Ramey, Allen, Okulitch.

[urs1765]

its amusing to see the audience clapping so enthusiasticly, bacause this is probably the worst preformace of this aria ever done by Hampson, they should have heard him 10 years before!!

[picapin]

fucking horrible...

[Elisabetta611]

It isn't horrible or lacking legato, musicality, or pitch. It's very exuberant and fiery. This isn't meant to be subtle. He isn't in top form there but the FIERCE way he's applying here is more than appropriate.

[RestlessRusalka]

And it's hot as hell!

*sigh*

[lonelyphoenix7]

This is not a FIERCE aria. He needs to be proud, confidant, and full of himself. He's had better performances, but there's no need to give an excuse for the way he performed, I'm sure he knows it wasn't his best.

[radsvid]

"It isn't horrible or lacking legato [or] musicality". Um, as a matter of fact, that's exactly what it is. Sustaining the legato line with adequate diction is extremely difficult in this rather fast-paced aria. And in this particular example, it's a miserable failure.

[Elisabetta611]

Well, I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree.

[radsvid]

My comments are based on my preparation to perform this aria on stage, which included listening to about a dozen interpretations by different singers.

As a matter of fact, I struggle to think of anything _fierce_ about the role of the Don. The words that come to mind are gregarious and cunning. Sure, he kills il Commendatore, but chiefly because has no choice. He feels much more at home disguising as his servant and serenading the maid.

As always, you're entitled to your opinion, I guess.

[nnmakowska]

"He has no choice"? Surely, the Commendatore had dragged poor, innocent Don Giovanni out of bed where he was peacefully sleeping and challenged him just at whim!

[radsvid]

If you go and find yourself a translation of the libretto, it looks more like the Don is prefers to flee, except that there is that armed guy who is not letting him go.

[nnmakowska]

I`ve already have done it :D Well, first of all, what was Don Giovanni doing in the Commendatore`s house at night? And what, according to you, should the Commendatore have done? Let go the man who attacked his only child and kiss him goodbye?

[radsvid]

That's beside the point, the fact is that there is an armed man standing on the way out of the house, you fight him, whether you want him or not. :)

[nnmakowska]

But WHAT caused him to be there, if not Don Giovanni`s attempts to ravish his daughter and her cry for help?

[radsvid]

Actually, that makes the Don lecherous, not fierce :)

And it still doesn't change the fact that Hampson is horrendous in this clip :)

[Operander]

I think Hampson had flue or something when they recorded this: his voice sounds hoarse through the whole piece and it breaks a little for example in 0:53 and 1:26. I guess even masters have bad days...

[jeffro887]

This aria isn't suposed to be pretty. The role of Don Giovanni wasn't even written for a sing, it was for an actor of the time. Hampson does it just as good as anyone should expect. Check things out before you say something is "absolutely horrible".

[prairieboysings]

whatever. Try listening to Hvorostovsky or Siepi or Ramey, all of whom actually *sing* this piece. Hampson sounded rough, lacking in nobility and poise, breathy, bombastic and just plain bad.

[lullybasblancs]

ouch

[fiesco]

mmm...

[prairieboysings]

Absolutely horrible. Why is he yelling it? No legato, no musicality, no pitch. Talk about a train wreck.

[cdgray2]

Most inferior - simply barked his way through that. Give me Siepi, London - anybody but Hampson as the Don.

[ARReith]

Where was this performed?

[demenciano]

orbazzano, no seas tan duro. Es cierto que tiene poca voz para el papel, pero no es mal cantante

[Orbazzano]

assolutamente inascoltabile!!! veramente indecente!