"Pietà, rispetto, amore" - Leonard Warren - Macbeth 1959

[DesGrieux71]

@TommyHaegin Thanks for the tip with Renato Bruson ... he sings wonderful in that Torino 1977's recording. But for me his voice sounds a bit too impeccably for the role of Macbeth. Nevertheless one of the best Verdi baritons of last century.

[TommyHaegin]

Well Warren is Warren, but please guys, also listen to the rendition of Renato Bruson in the clip from Torino 1977 (also here on YT)... :-)

[DesGrieux71]

Leonard Warren, for me the best Macbeth I know. Just the correct mixture of beautiful singing and a bit of bestiality in his voice.

[TELarson58]

The finest baritone to this day!

[rsburton51]

just gorgeous singing

[TheOperadaddy2]

As a teenager I heard Leonard Warren sing this aria on the day of the broadcast. I knew then that this was a magnificent singer, and I have not changed my opinion in more than fifty years. There have been great baritones since Warren, but no one has ever surpassed him. Verdi, himself, would have been thrilled with Warren's voice, although he would have never been happy with the interpolation of the A flat. Warren spoiled me. I am disappointed without that note.

[verdiana116]

I was fortunate to have heard Warren many times at the Met in all his greatest roles. No baritone before or since has been able to surpass his magnificent voice. Bravo.

[iamsingin]

Screw best baritone ever... best singer ever.

[stevevandien]

Great voice, great singer, great artist. I was born four months before Warren's death; sure wish I could have heard him in person, as I did Merrill and Milnes:) --

[raphabenbenjamin]

@stevevandien Walter Foster, voice teacher at Sam Houston State University, said he would open the curtain for Warren to sing I Pagliacci Prologo at the Old Met. He wondered what the fuss was about because he said it sounded to him like an old man speaking on pitch. AH HAH. You can't imitate his voice. You CAN imitate his approach until it becomes natural to your voice. (That being said, he does sing some notes flat in this selection.)

[finetoonanimation]

@raphabenbenjamin You're out of your mind, respectfully.

[federic017]

Questo è un canto che lascia sbalorditi...dalla bellezza dell'emissione e senza il minimo sforzo ...sicuramente uno dei più grandi di ogni tempo...e poi un Lab grande come una casa...immenso...saluti

[dnettles]

WOW! God bless you Leonard Warren. What a voice.

[chediego18]

this is verdi's perfect baritone! nobody else has interpreted this like Warren. Incredible! its like it cant get any better and then he goes to the high ending> Amazing

[kgarmaker123]

This is so perfect, I can ignore the interpolated A flat at the end( I usually hate singers messing with Verdi). But this is so beautiful, so musical, so spot on.. it makes me get goose bumps. !

[dvdgrog]

Great voice, but what in the world was Verdi thinking by putting such heart-felt beautiful music in the mouth of a character whose heart had died long ago.

[kimancuo]

Einfach unglaublich!

[vanderLuedenscheidt]

Absolutely amazing!!! It is sad that I could never hear him live on stage.

[manrico29]

Having heard this incredible voice several times on the opera stages, I believe he was one of the greatest baritones of all times.

[krasikostova]

Fantastico!Unico,Warren!

[DonPaolissimo]

Warren sets the standard & leads the rest by miles! Quilico a distant second. I was so blessed in having been able to see the great LW about a dozen or so times during my operatic "break in" period.

[halavey]

The greatest Verdi Baritone and yes the voice was for me anyhow greater then Ruffo

[MaestroJosephShore]

@halavey Me too! Warren provided us all the goal to shoot towards. No one has reached that goal yet.

[VinylToVideo]

Fantastic; it's almost hard to believe that singing this good is possible!

[raphabenbenjamin]

@VinylToVideo he does sing some notes flat in this selection.

[VinylToVideo]

@raphabenbenjamin And? Find me a better rendition of this aria maybe your comment will amount to something.

[Ricocarrino1]

Einzigartig! Bis heute von keinem Sänger übertroffen. Vor allem nicht in der Gegenwart.

[Ricocarrino1]

Incredibly! Till this day from no singer excelled. Above all, not in the present.

[taxijunkie]

Danke.....Danke..jemand der meine sehnsucht nach verinnerlichtem Ausdruck(Kein paradoxon) teilt...ich hab die "grossen 3" schon vergessen....ich vermisse sie nicht.

[brunosilvershadow]

@Ricocarrino1 Stimmt! Leonard Warren ist und bleibt einer der Grössten aller Zeiten! - Nevertheless, we tryed to do our very best, als wir im Juni 2010 dieselbe Arie aufnahmen! Siehe unten als Videoantwort :-)

[ShawDAMAN]

Fantastic, great quality too. I have his complete studio recording of the role but this is actually better IMO.

[halavey]

Wonderful here and I have learned going to the opera house for over 50 years from 1957 in Chicago that " in house" is different then on studio recordings or even to some extent live like this, in house anyone who heard Warren usually found him above all others in Verdi, he was fantastic could do anything with his voice, tenor high notes, Diminuendo etc. he had it all, died at 48 on stage--tragic.

[embenadorfinearts]

What a legato and effortless sounds with musical meanings ! Thank you for posting this beautiful and deeply moving video !

[gyorgy11]

The aria is in D flat so it's an A flat.

[voltape]

Magnificent as always - But why the high note at the end?

[oakroom48]

When you're hot, you're hot ;)

[voltape]

Is that an A or an A flat?

[oakroom48]

Sorry, I don't have absolute pitch. But I can find out for you if you like?? Either one is fine with me ;) I adore LW ...

[voltape]

I'll thank you very much. I am a great love of opera but have no formal musical education. I used to buy 45 rpm LW records back in 1953, I have sort of 50 year artistic blackhole in my life & only a few years ago I have returned to opera & a lot of fine things I've missed due to my professional engagements. Youtube is a blessing, all you have at the tip of your fingers!!

[posaunistdeluxe]

It is an A flat. Because he could. Does anyone have Capuccilli doing the B flat in Attilla?

[voltape]

@posaunistdeluxe As to baritons singing notes beyond the "sol sostenido"or "la bemol"of "al pari di voi, what about Sherril Milnes? -- Sois immobile of Guillaume Tell with the great "songe à ta mère" and others?

[posaunistdeluxe]

@voltape Siempre sabia que no es tan fuera del comun. Una vez vi a Capuccilli en la Staatsoper de Viena. Se hecho la cabaletta de Ezio tres veces con un super si bemol al final cada vez. Milnes era fuera del comun. Te confieso que hasta recien no habia escuchado la grabacion de "resta immobile" Guau! Un saludo, John

[billyguns2]

What pathos, what nuance, what legato! Singing like this has simply vanished from the face of the earth. How marvelous that YouTube provides us this window in time.

[energyglobal]

billyguns2 :

How right you are ! Youtube is a blessing for all of us music lovers, the amateurs as well as the professionals.

Warren's rendition of Pieta, rispetto, amore is wonderful. What a perfect legato and soft line ! But I also love very much Capuccilli's and Bruson's renditions. Just wonderful !!

Thank you "Rexeterna" for posting this on Youtube !

[raphabenbenjamin]

@billyguns2 he does sing some notes flat in this selection.

[oakroom48]

He is just singing his *heart* out with that impossibly gorgeous voice. I think I am going to faint;)

[rexeterna]

is it not the most beautiful singing you've ever heard? it really doesn't get any better than this..

[oakroom48]

Yes - the most beautiful singing I've ever heard. Heart stopping ...

[mutewoman]

Indeed!! I can't believe it - you're going to convince me :)

[oakroom48]

If anything will melt your heart [and ravish your ears], this will!! I'm so glad:) Thanks to rexeterna!!

[LAZARUSREX1]

@rexeterna Maravillosa y calida voz. Gran Tenor.

[oakroom48]

Seamless velvet from beginning to end. And touchingly emotional, as is appropriate to the aria, as well. Touchingly & thrillingly amazing! Thanks (:

[raphabenbenjamin]

@oakroom48 he does sing some flat notes in this selection.

[baritoneforyears]

and that is why i will be preparing to get myself ready to take on all roles with a fury. i feel the same way. i want to get that kind of singing back in houses everywhere

[eccodandini]

a tepid response from the audience at the met after this aria means one thing: "he's leonard warren. he does this all the time." yet if singing like this were heard in any house today, ANY house at all, the people would never shut up. at least we can look back and hear what great singing used to sound like instead of having to deal with the wannabes that we're stuck with today.