Martti Talvela - Songs and Dances of Death - Trepak

[Zndwls]

Mr. Talvela began to have premonitions about his death since the mid- or late 1970's, when his health began to decline. He developed diabetes and gout and had a near-fatal sudden illness in 1977. Around 1982 he developed heart disease. Despite these illnesses, he kept singing - and since 1981 he was also a farmer in Juva, Eastern Finland. In July 1989 he died of a heart attack while dancing at his daughter's wedding. This video was thus filmed only one year before his death.

[OpernDriver]

Great Voice and this is all... Im Sorry but i dont understand some words, and im from Russia... In europe all sad to great Singers from East if they have Accent, the Language are terrible, but all european mean they can sing Russian Opera, and nobody care about Text... Shame.. If he will sing for example Sarasto in this art, all german will say hes horrible... Voice is not all...

[Tyhjis1988]

What are you talking about? He sings good Russian in my opinion. Which parts you don't understand?

[sebarobissengo]

@OpernDriver the best Sarasto i ever heard(unfortunately never life) excellent German

[BorisGodunov]

@OpernDriver

Talvela was celebrated for his Russian opera roles, especially Boris Godunov, Pimen, and Dosifei. He was also regarded as one of the great Sarastros of his time--there's a video here on youtube of him singing "O Isis und Osiris," and I don't think anyone could argue that he's awesome.

[gallferi]

TO ALL THE EXPERTS ON VOICE AND INTERPRETATION:

Listen to Shaliapin's version.

[MichailGalchine]

Очень хорошо!

[anselgoya]

como me gusta este timbre de voz,la opera rusa es de las mejores.

gran portento de musica. y que interpretacion.

[bosiljca]

Magnificent!!!

[Twilightsire]

So that's an opera bass? It just sounds like a baritone who has no high notes at all!

[pechorin1841]

that has to be one of the dumbest things I have read on youtube. you obviously do not know much about music or voice. He most certainly is not a baritone. look up sherill milnes and paul plishka in don carlo to see the striking difference between a real baritone and a real bass. And one more thing, just because the song doesnt call for many high notes does not mean he did not have them.

[lutece2007]

Trepak : "A drunken peasant stumbles outside into the snow, and becomes caught in a blizzard. As he perishes he dreams of summer fields."

[stevevandien]

Talvela had one of the most beautiful voice basses of the last quarter-century -- RIP, Maestro Martti --

[bopri9]

That is right about his, voice but to me hvorostovski is much better than Talvele. The latter seems to tell the story in some moments while the former is sining it.

[bassovoice]

Thank you...

[Nugnugs]

MT was one of my favourite basses. I saw him twice at the Met in New York (as Boris Godunov), visited him at his relatively simple NYC appartement, where he stayed with his wife, a former Finnish schoolteacher (Talvela's original occupation). Martti Talvela recorded the Songs & Dances of Death twice, first for Decca with piano (Ralf Gothóni), the second time for Bis, in the new orchestration by Kalevi Aho; I assume it's this version we're hearing here.

[clymnestre]

What do you think about Boris Christoff interpretation of that repertory?

A darker voice sould be more adaptated, suitable.

Nevetheless Martti Talevla remains a very great singer!

[Nugnugs]

Alright, Christoff was a phenomenal bass, but he managed to overdo all too many things. His Songs and Dances... is a historical version (for EMI, the first for a major label, I think) and for once he then kept things beautifully under control.

[clymnestre]

To Nugnugs. I share your point of view, Thanks a lot!

[MichaelDPorter]

@Nugnugs Yes, it's the Aho orchestration, but I didn't know BIS had recorded Martti Talvela singing it.. In the BIS recording I have, Mattii Salmonen is the singer. He has a bleaker, colder, almost frightening voice, absolutely perfect for these songs. (Of the three recorded orchestrations of the song-cycle, I think Kalevi Aho's is the most impressive. Many people will prefer the Shostakovich - it's a matter of taste. But the Rimsky-Korsakov / Glazunov version is an absolute travesty!)