Robert Merrill sings Rodgers & Gounod !!!!!

[JRobbySh]

If he had been three inches taller.  Trivial, of course compared with that God-given voice.

[einherzundeineseele]

Robert Mill wohl einer der besten Stimmen, die mir besonders gut gefällt-

Ein Bariton mit einer wunderbaren Stimmfärbung!

[brrynefin1946]

Don't feel anger for those who dislike this beautiful singing,. feel pity that the person fails to get the joy that is there for the taking.

[brrynefin1946]

Beautiful voice. So easy to listen to.

[SHICOFF1]

Yes he was about five ten without special shoes, not short at all.

[Wally773MTG]

god the way he breaths into and moves with those g's...I see what my teacher is talking about opening up and growing into them. I love Thomas Hampson; its very logical to assume this was one of the guys Hampson grew up idolizing. If Hampson is my idol, and this was Hampson's idol...what does that make merrill to me? I wouldn't feel fit to kiss his feet. Thanks so much for the video.

[seektheforce]

@Wally773MTG Merrill covered properly. As opposed to Thomas Hampson who opens everything up.

[Wally773MTG]

who the fuck disliked this?!?! I'm angry now...

[legatofancier]

Jim Svejda of KUSC's THE RECORD SHELF said that he once told Robert Merrill, when he was a guest on the show, that he thought that Merrill had the most physically beautiful baritone voice that he had ever heard. Svejda said that Merrill was quite taken aback by the statement. Most people would be very hard pressed to mention a handful of baritones who voices compared on the basis of physical beauty. Is there one that equals it? I can't really name one.

[heesendr]

You will notice on "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" the lines don't rhyme on the first verse. That's because he sang "Ford every stream" instead of "Search high and low."

[lpvcrcd]

What year was the Faust aria ? Merrill at his absolute vocal peak This is a dfficult aria and he absolutely dominates it I have always truly admired Merrill as 1 of the 4 greatest baritones who ever lived ... American or not! This is truly a special performance by Mr Merrill .. The sound of the voice goes without saying .. Thanks for the video We can remember what great singing used to be by watching these old masters!

[halavey]

He was not short . five feet nine or ten -- I am five seven and he was a few inches taller. Moffo is wearing heels here and she was a fairly tall woman without them. I stood next to Tucker, Bergonzi, Tagliavini. and and they where not as tall as Merrill so he was not really short but medium height.

[robmanrico]

Such a magnificent sound

[Gemini730]

Just Beautiful. Robert Merrill had one of the most beautiful. classically trained baritone voices of the mid/late twentieth century. Thanks for sharing with Us.  Lorraine

[ensconse]

Magnificent! I've always been interested in the, shall we say, non-Opera Merrill.

Thank you.

[klokheten]

This was a great and glorious surprise!

Thank you for sharing this magnificent document of singing at the highest level.

Two unforgettable singers conducted by the composerlegend Richard Rodgers.

Extraordinary moving stuff.

[Ruffiello]

Does anyone know if this has been issued on DVD? I have it on VHS, but would like the new format as well. I love Merrill and I think Moffo sounds absolutely gorgeous. IMO, she was also one of the most beautiful women in the world.

[redhead529]

In regard to the comments below on smoking, I saw Merrill on the Johnny Carson Tonight Show years ago. He polished off an aria and then came over to talk to Johnny. Merrill sat down and lit a cigarette. Carson did the biggest double-take I've ever seen. "YOU SMOKE!!!, Carson said, incredulous. Merrill replied that he'd been smoking all his life.

[Doromir]

Was she so tall or was he so short? Anybody ever see either of these singer up close and live?

[vonmeppen]

Robert Merrill was a very big singer but not a tall man;))

[Yitzhakhazak]

Beautiful singing yes..no doubt! Who is the lovely lady with the face that goes so well with her voice?

[welshwoman13]

That is Anna Moffo!

[saiserieht]

Anyway, the duet is so beautiful. I am and will always be a friend of high quality "light music"

[ShawDAMAN]

Wow, I've never heard that one before- maybe it has something to do with relaxation? lol :P

Seriously though, I would never dream of smoking even if it DID make my voice "sound better." And it would be quite ridiculous to think that smoking long-term would do anything but harm your voice. :) Aside from the obvious, I have read what singers have said on the subject. Plenty of great ones got away with it but I'm sure they sounded good in *spite* of smoking, not because of it.

[hermanzoon]

he's singing in a room filled with cigarette smoke. But he sounds great!

[VinylToVideo]

What difference does that make? Many singers of that era smoked like chimneys anyways and if I recall Merrill was a Camel smoker.

[hermanzoon]

The difference is the times have changed. That is the difference. You would not see such a thing today: the room of smokers as you see in this clip.

[VinylToVideo]

Yes, unfortunately the times have changed. Your point is that he sings great even though there are people smoking in the room(?). Mine is that it wouldn't matter if he himself was a smoker! As a smoker myself, I find my voice sounds FAR better while smoking a cigarette. If you're a singer try a cigar; I couldn't believe the difference the first time I compared! What a stupid thought; perhaps one of the reasons the singers today aren't as good because they're not smokers! Yep, times have changed.

[GermanOperaSinger]

That's an interesting theory. I've always believed there's no correlation between vocal damage and smoking (Caruso and Pinza are two singers I know for certain were regular smokers and we all know how great they sounded)...but a correlation between a better (!) sound and smoking? First time I've heard that. But I'm not a regular smoker so I have no personal experience with it.

[saiserieht]

Question is, how will the smoke affekt the vocal folds. Dehydrate? That would affect the closure in a negative way.

[hoelette]

@GermanOperaSinger

Singing in the chorus of Aida in Montréal, I saw Cappuccilli smoke in the dress rehearsal. Unbeliveable, but true. Can you beat that?

Oh... DFD was a great smoker too.

[alcoemdge]

I played in an orchestra in the 1970s and Merrill was our big name soloist for the season; an all Mozart/Verdi program (encores by Bizet and Rossini). By that time he was I think retired from the Met but the voice was still beautiful and cleanly produced. His plane was late for our only rehearsal and he enterred the hall from the far end of the building as we rehearsed an aria. He immediately began singing and could be heard from -- almost a block away! An affable man and a fine artist.

[halavey]

The most beautiful Baritone of all.

[january301973]

Merrill was born in Brooklyn and has Polish/Jewish heritage.

[ceccopisa]

Grazie per questo video stupendo. Merrill è stato un grande baritono veramente, grande personalità, tecnica superba, voce ampia e brunita. Complimenti.

[pechorin1841]

i think the reason he sounds different when singing rodgers as opposed to gounod is that he realizes that they are both different genres of music. most opera singers that try to sing musical theater sound great but over sing the songs. He was an intelligent singer because he knew there was a difference. he sounds fantastic sing both!

[jayboytheplayboy]

This "Avant de quitter ces lieux" is stellar. You should put it in a separate video.

I heard a duet of Merrill and Moffo sing the Germont and Violetta duet a couple of weeks ago. Just outstanding.

[stevevandien]

I've been listening to Merrill for 40 years, and I've been baffled all those years. Please tell me how could any baritone have a voice so perfectly poised between beauty and power, not to mention an absolutely free production?

[axelmimi]

Hermosísima y elegante voz de barítono lírico, uno de los mejores de todos los tiempos. No obstante en el aria "Avant de quitter ..." de Fausto, prefiero, por su delicada interpretación, la versión de Leonard Warren. La razón es que ésta no es un aria de fuerza sino de dulzura y en ese aspecto Warren lo entiende y lo ejecuta como tal.

[bevsoprano]

I love this! Thank you so much for posting this video. I LOVE Robert Merrill and miss him terribly. "They don't make 'em like that any more...!"

[yankeeangel26]

Wow this guy had a beautiful voice!

[Glenmed]

The "Rolls Royce" of baritones.

[wowyourgaiy]

Ha, beautifully put.

[sgnmath1234]

Notice the puff of smoke from the audience!!!!!

OUTRAGEOUS!

[jontew]

Positively hysterical!!! Nowadays the guy would be led out in cuffs.

[pearlmuth3]

Moffo in Chicago some 14 years ago was asked who was your favorite Baritone partner? She said without any hesitation "Bob Merrill, his was the most beautiful Baritone voice ever"

[roadboyIL]

Good heavens, what a grand Emile de Becque he'd have made. A beautiful voice ...

[patjan92]

My favorite operatic pairing EVER!

[pearlmuth3]

The most beautiful baritone voice of all and she was just beautiful in every way.

[km2711]

What a great pairing with Anna Moffo...the range on both is just magnificent.

He is surely missed and was always a friendly face to see walking around New Rochelle.

[qklq42]

He's a fine baritone. She's adorable.

Hans NL

[mrrk]

Two great voices.

[MusicalArtists]

Magnificent