Cesare Siepi sings "One alone" from The Desert Song

[zoz2imus]

Typo: halve a step should be half a step.

[zoz2imus]

It's a baritone-song and Siepi could have sung it easily in Ab, as written, but he decided to take the final note up an octave and not even a baritone can usually do that with an Ab. A high baritone's top note is a G, just above the top line, treble clef. It takes a tenor to sing the Ab, halve a step above that. He transposed it down a minor third to F major so that he could manage the final note as an F, top line of treble clef.

[Agorante]

The reason he takes it down is the same reason Lanza took it up - it's a baritone song. This is the final song of a section called "Ëastern and Western Love". The tenor starts with "One Flower", then the bass sings "Let love Come". Both of these songs praise polygamy. Finally the baritone (The Red Shadow) answers with this song about monogamy. Thinik of it as a rejection of Sharia.

[TotallyItalian1]

Rest in peace Cesare Siepi.

[conniff44]

There are other reditions of this song, and all of them wonderful in their own right, but this original beats them all, sung as it was meant to be sung and with the soulfull sounds of the violins in the background.

Thank you for uploading.

[bonnies1234567]

@conniff44 -- I cannot agree more. 

[eflaspo]

Original key is A-flat. He sings it in F. That is a minor third lower. But he IS a bass.

[operabeauty]

and yet another video that you stole from my post. This is from a private, uncirculated tape that nobody else has.

[Oneguin65]

@operabeauty Stop  stalker me, are you crazy?

[francotenelli]

great Maestro Cesare!

[cairnsjim]

corfu 53 I totally agree with you,I,ve looked for john hanson the only place I can find him on here is a clip of him in a morecambe and wise show

[corfu53]

The best version was sung by John Hanson

[kellydoll14]

i made a mistake on my comment it should have said ... this was my nans favourate not my mums. my nan passed away not my mum.

[kellydoll14]

this was my mums favourate, i wish she was still here to listen.

[laurawhitetail]

i remember this song from my childhood...my dear dear aunt and uncle's song for each other...i remember asking at age 5 what did carresses mean? i received a vague reply...lol..nevertheless, it remains deep in my heart and i cry everytime i hear this beautiful song sung with such elegance...thank you so much

[OperaBaritoneJoe]

I am doing this with the Ohio light Opera and I'm in the mens chorus as a student trainee, the baritone in it is Dennis Jesse and he is incredible, man o man my Italian must be terrible if this guy is an Italian guy singing

English , thats why I am going to do what Bryn

Terfel told me which was to study those language's.

[CENNEEbigfoot]

I saw the opening night this year, it was amazing! What a beautful opera.

[Senseman]

I too saw the OLO performance on the 30th. A beautiful opera indeed. My father, a lyric tenor, had the part of Sid El-Kar many moons ago. I only wish I was alive to hear him.

[BroadwayAficionado]

these words are gorgeous. one of Hammerstein's best (Romberg wrote the music). and Siepi's recording of it adds to its splendor.

[stevevandien]

We have heard many superb basses (Chaliapin, Pinza, Kipnis, Mardones, Frick, Tozzi, Flagello, Hines, Ramey, Raimondi, Pape and am sure I'm forgetting a few)but I wonder whether we've had any with a voice more beautiful than Siepi's -- the sound is so rich and lovely that you just wallow in it:) --

[paulostroff99]

Brilliant!Never realized the beauty of this man's voice so well suited to this beautiful song!Bravo!

[mb4mb]

god I wish my parents were alive to share this awesome website

[frecklenee]

He's Italian from Milan