Er ist der beste Wagner interpret.Ich wage zu behaupten ,daß er den Vorstellungen des Meisters am nächsten gekommen ist. Habe noch W. Windgassen zu bieten.(geschmackssache)
I rarely use superlatives, but in this case I will say that Melchoir was truly THE HELDENTENOR of all time. No one could match his voice in this singing realm. If only Wagner could have heard him!
Melchoir's style appears so effortless. He makes some of opera's toughest roles seem easy. He started out as a baritone. That must have something to do with his unique tenor style & why the term "heroic" probably describes him best. If anyone has a better description, I'd like to hear it.
@unclejuniorsoprano I agree. Unlike many of todays tenors & baritones, he never carries the weight of his lower voice above the bridge. He lets the head register take care of the top notes, & so each register naturally assumes its rightful place without force. The lower register full open & sonorous, & the upper steely, pealing & loaded with squillo. It isn't just a big sound, it's also beautiful & freely produced, which is why he could start an opera feeling tired, & 5 hours later end fresh.
@hiyadroogs Your description of Melchoir is the best I've read. I'd swear you were Walter Piston or the like. You seem to have a good understanding of the complicated physics of sound. I'd like to use some of your ideas in the novel I'm currently writing. I am deeply impressed with such a brilliant analysis/assessment of this truly phenomenal heldentenor.
In the Steersman Song fr: Hollander he outshines Daland & The Dutchman with his power which must be very hard to compete with.
@unclejuniorsoprano Thank you very much, you're very kind. I believe that the modern obsession with uniformity of tone is to blame for the lack of truly moving & exciting singing. The voices are certainly there, but they are strait jacketed by forcing the voice to sound the same at the top as at the bottom of the range. This is completely unexampled in nature, or indeed in any strung, brass, or reeded instrument. It's the register tone changes that allow a singer to express feeling & thought.
Merci pour cet video. Melchior est mon heldentenor préféré. Que de noblesse comme ce Georges Thill. Il me semble que Cage a repris une partie de cette musique pour son opéra sur Gandhi. Est-ce que je me trompe?
@minnie888444 In regards to the conductor being "brutal," don't forget that this is a hammer song & not a love sonnet. The conductor is right on target with Wagner's music & so is Melchoir. If you have a better version in mind, I'd love to hear it.
The greatest Wagnerian tenor, and the greatest heldentenor ever. Name one other Wagnerian tenor who sang at this level for over 30 years, and kept his voice. It's impossible to do, because there never was a Wagnerian tenor of Melchior's caliber. No composer is as hard on the voice as Wagner. Thank heaven I'm a 'cellist.
i believe kaufmann is the BEST nowadays -technique, beauty, power, control, command, etc.- absolutely no comparison with anybody else at the present moment, i consider myself a huge fan of him, but i don´t think he is a heldentenor :)
Listen to Ramon Vinay. He is (or was, sadly) the tenor with the deepest voice I know.
You get the feeling that a bass-baritone is singing Radames, Otello, etc... and indeed, later in his career he sang Telramund, Scarpia and Iago (!), too.
There are 'Si pel ciel''s with him both as Otello (in the 50's) and Iago (in 62, with MDM as Otello) on YouTube, for example.
No, the first full Ring that was recorded officially was that conducted by Georg Solti featuring Windgassen as Siegfried and Nilsson as Brünnhilde. Then there are some earlier pirate recordings, such as the complete La Scala conducted by Furtwängler and with Flagstad. Melchior belonged to an earlier generation and had moreover been dismissed from the Met by the early 50's by Rudolf Bing for his arrogance and refusal to attend rehearsals etc. See Bing's memoir.
Onegin65: Me gusta mucho tu espacio,que presenta artistas que la juventud hoy no conoce. Te agradecería si tuvieras, publicaras actuaciones de Ramon Vinay, el mejor Otello de siempre. Laurits Melchior actuó también
My dad had this on 78 rpm records, and I'd listen to it on an ancient player all the time. (Of course, before its re-release on LPs and CDs.) Melchior and Jussi Bjoerling were my father's favorites. He heard Melchior in live performance several times and once told me "he recorded well." My dad could listen to Melchior on a recording and hear the same voice he heard years earlier in an opera house. With some other singers this might have been less so, particularly in the era of 78s.
His superiority is simply frightening. It's like comparing ordinary, mortal pianists to Horowitz in repertoire such as Scriabin. You just can't go there. Thank God we have these recordings, so we know what Siegfried was meant to sound like.
Couldn't agree more; Georg "Screaming Skull" Solti should have been crucified for describing the glorious Melchior in his memoirs as "not very musical".
Wie entsetzlich deklassierend für alljene Tenöre, die sich seitdem am Siegfried versucht haben und gescheitert sind: Goldberg, Jerusalem, Kollo, Brilioth etc.
Not only is Melchior's voice stentorian, but it is supple, flows beautifully with freely produced emission, & has a gorgeous ringing timbre too. Truly THE heldentenor of all time.
A bit harsh on Jerusalem. Every tenor who's tackled the role seems pretty weak when compared to Melchior, perhaps the only true heldentenor of the past century.
@Sieglinde84 What a terrible thing to say. Are you capable of singing the role of Siegfried? It's so sad how vicious people are about opera attacking people doing things that can not even dream of attempting
This was one of the very first classical music recordings I ever hear as a child - it was on a 78rpm disc from my father's collection. I almost wore it out listening to it so many times on his old RCA phonograph.
yes, Melchior is one of a kind- and surely frowning at alot of his so-called colleagues. But not all the tenors of today deserve to be dismissed entirely. Keep an open mind(and Ears!)
I think this is about as close to a perfect recording as any singer has ever made. I for one haven't heard any other Siegfried who could match Melchior here. Albert Reiss is also quite good as Mime.
This is the 1929 recording, with Albert Reiss (Mime); Albert Coates conducts the London Symphony Orchestra. No one, in my view, has ever sung "Notung! Notung! Neidliches Schwert!" like Melchior. Seine Stimme war einzigartig. Sein vernehmbares Instrument wird vom Stahl, wie der Schwert Notung hergestellt. Ein Klassiker der Opernaufnahme.
I SHIVER AND FEEL MY MEDULLA FREEZE WHEN I LISTEN THIS MUSIC AND THIS SINGER
MARCTULATAI 1 month ago
Lauritz pute
Tamoulmitchel 2 months ago
No one could have been better suited for the role other than...Lauritz Melchior :)
ThulePrincess88 3 months ago in playlist ThulePrincess88's favorites
Definitely the best vocals for this part :D
ThulePrincess88 3 months ago
Er ist der beste Wagner interpret.Ich wage zu behaupten ,daß er den Vorstellungen des Meisters am nächsten gekommen ist. Habe noch W. Windgassen zu bieten.(geschmackssache)
MsWombat66 4 months ago in playlist 7777
I rarely use superlatives, but in this case I will say that Melchoir was truly THE HELDENTENOR of all time. No one could match his voice in this singing realm. If only Wagner could have heard him!
Melchoir's style appears so effortless. He makes some of opera's toughest roles seem easy. He started out as a baritone. That must have something to do with his unique tenor style & why the term "heroic" probably describes him best. If anyone has a better description, I'd like to hear it.
unclejuniorsoprano 7 months ago
@unclejuniorsoprano I agree. Unlike many of todays tenors & baritones, he never carries the weight of his lower voice above the bridge. He lets the head register take care of the top notes, & so each register naturally assumes its rightful place without force. The lower register full open & sonorous, & the upper steely, pealing & loaded with squillo. It isn't just a big sound, it's also beautiful & freely produced, which is why he could start an opera feeling tired, & 5 hours later end fresh.
hiyadroogs 3 months ago
@hiyadroogs Your description of Melchoir is the best I've read. I'd swear you were Walter Piston or the like. You seem to have a good understanding of the complicated physics of sound. I'd like to use some of your ideas in the novel I'm currently writing. I am deeply impressed with such a brilliant analysis/assessment of this truly phenomenal heldentenor.
In the Steersman Song fr: Hollander he outshines Daland & The Dutchman with his power which must be very hard to compete with.
unclejuniorsoprano 3 months ago
@unclejuniorsoprano Thank you very much, you're very kind. I believe that the modern obsession with uniformity of tone is to blame for the lack of truly moving & exciting singing. The voices are certainly there, but they are strait jacketed by forcing the voice to sound the same at the top as at the bottom of the range. This is completely unexampled in nature, or indeed in any strung, brass, or reeded instrument. It's the register tone changes that allow a singer to express feeling & thought.
hiyadroogs 3 months ago
@unclejuniorsoprano Good luck with your novel. Feel free to use any material you like : )
hiyadroogs 3 months ago
Superb! TY for posting.
paulostroff99 8 months ago
Merci pour cet video. Melchior est mon heldentenor préféré. Que de noblesse comme ce Georges Thill. Il me semble que Cage a repris une partie de cette musique pour son opéra sur Gandhi. Est-ce que je me trompe?
Bonne journée à vous
vautour23 8 months ago
He is great!!!
Kenshin22able 1 year ago
Wonderful singing but the conductor is brutal. Must have been hard on Melchior to put up with such conducting!
minnie888444 1 year ago
@minnie888444 In regards to the conductor being "brutal," don't forget that this is a hammer song & not a love sonnet. The conductor is right on target with Wagner's music & so is Melchoir. If you have a better version in mind, I'd love to hear it.
unclejuniorsoprano 7 months ago
Wow!! :D
themfromspace 1 year ago 2
he stoled my name his name is lauritz ;C
thecoolboys888 1 year ago
This is beyond words. Melchior basically defines here what a Heldentenor is. All future Heldentenors will be influenced by his legacy.
geordiezhang 1 year ago 2
The greatest Wagnerian tenor, and the greatest heldentenor ever. Name one other Wagnerian tenor who sang at this level for over 30 years, and kept his voice. It's impossible to do, because there never was a Wagnerian tenor of Melchior's caliber. No composer is as hard on the voice as Wagner. Thank heaven I'm a 'cellist.
willy1514 1 year ago 6
@willy1514 And did he smoke? It seems almost impossible to me :P
albi7 10 months ago
The first time I heard Lauritz Melchior sing, I was so shocked by that astounding voice that I almost fell out of my chair. :-)
grumpyjellybean 2 years ago 4
I like Kauffman but -in my book- it's impossible to compare him with Melchior; nevertheless there's ground enough for everybody's opinion, isn't it?
Mister Kauffman has to write his story yet, Lauritz Melchior is already a true legend!
halesk81 2 years ago 6
Will any of us ever hear a heldentenor half as good as Melchior. For me nobody comes close.
nog55 2 years ago 16
This comment has received too many negative votes show
jonas kauffman
Gaigaia 2 years ago
What about him? We're listening to the greatest heldentenor of all time right here!
hiyadroogs 2 years ago 4
The closest I think is Wolfgang Windgassen, who is fantastic.
ArnoArtner 2 years ago 2
Yes W. W. is v. good
nog55 2 years ago 3
@nog55 Amen to that!!!
UncleNathan 1 year ago
Now i know how hard it is to sound like Siegfried!
Dominicussen 2 years ago
What a magnificent heldentenor, he is !
antigonosphilos 2 years ago 4
I believe he's THE ONLY HELDENTENOR ever (not my favorite though)however what a gigantic voice!
dimakauffman 2 years ago 4
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I think Jonas Kaufmann has a darker and brighter voice, but Melchior had a very, VERY good technique
If Jonas improve his technique, he might be one of the greatest of all time. But for now, still a newbie...a very remarkeble one, indeed
^^
Gaigaia 2 years ago
i believe kaufmann is the BEST nowadays -technique, beauty, power, control, command, etc.- absolutely no comparison with anybody else at the present moment, i consider myself a huge fan of him, but i don´t think he is a heldentenor :)
dimakauffman 2 years ago
Impossible. If he isnt a heldentenor, NO ONE is
I've never seen any tenor with such deep voice. None.
He is THE helden tenor, and he MUST get the role of siegfried! Im not dying before I see him singing Nothung!
^^
Gaigaia 2 years ago
i stand for my opinion, but i respect yours. but speaking of SIEGFRIED, have you heard of LARS CLEVEMAN? he is admirable too
dimakauffman 2 years ago
Listen to Ramon Vinay. He is (or was, sadly) the tenor with the deepest voice I know.
You get the feeling that a bass-baritone is singing Radames, Otello, etc... and indeed, later in his career he sang Telramund, Scarpia and Iago (!), too.
There are 'Si pel ciel''s with him both as Otello (in the 50's) and Iago (in 62, with MDM as Otello) on YouTube, for example.
piasecznik 2 years ago 2
Nice horns, Gaigaia. You almost tricked me into defense.
^^
ElPiconeroalCognac 2 years ago
my friend, I do not get your comment. Would you mind to explain it for me?
Gaigaia 2 years ago
Who's Mime?
ilswk 2 years ago
Mime is a dwarf in Wagner's Ring der Nibelungen Opera.
kindin10 2 years ago
Albert Reiss.
piasecznik 2 years ago
Just sing along with him make my voice feel alive!!!
kidd32888 2 years ago 3
Wonderful how Melchoir sounds simultaneously jolly and sinister. Amazing voice.
astroboy1960 2 years ago 5
They don't make 'em like that any more!!!!
patrocles369 2 years ago 5
is the full Ring availible on cd with this tenor?
kindin10 2 years ago
No, the first full Ring that was recorded officially was that conducted by Georg Solti featuring Windgassen as Siegfried and Nilsson as Brünnhilde. Then there are some earlier pirate recordings, such as the complete La Scala conducted by Furtwängler and with Flagstad. Melchior belonged to an earlier generation and had moreover been dismissed from the Met by the early 50's by Rudolf Bing for his arrogance and refusal to attend rehearsals etc. See Bing's memoir.
VivaRenata 2 years ago
Onegin65: Me gusta mucho tu espacio,que presenta artistas que la juventud hoy no conoce. Te agradecería si tuvieras, publicaras actuaciones de Ramon Vinay, el mejor Otello de siempre. Laurits Melchior actuó también
en Chile, como mi compatriota Vinay.
Tubelindo 2 years ago
My dad had this on 78 rpm records, and I'd listen to it on an ancient player all the time. (Of course, before its re-release on LPs and CDs.) Melchior and Jussi Bjoerling were my father's favorites. He heard Melchior in live performance several times and once told me "he recorded well." My dad could listen to Melchior on a recording and hear the same voice he heard years earlier in an opera house. With some other singers this might have been less so, particularly in the era of 78s.
prchristman 2 years ago 3
His superiority is simply frightening. It's like comparing ordinary, mortal pianists to Horowitz in repertoire such as Scriabin. You just can't go there. Thank God we have these recordings, so we know what Siegfried was meant to sound like.
123mortimer456 3 years ago 3
Couldn't agree more; Georg "Screaming Skull" Solti should have been crucified for describing the glorious Melchior in his memoirs as "not very musical".
rabengeraun 2 years ago
I cannot imagine another tenor approaching Melchior's extraordinary performance -- he is the young Siegfried for the ages:) --
stevevandien 3 years ago 5
Wie entsetzlich deklassierend für alljene Tenöre, die sich seitdem am Siegfried versucht haben und gescheitert sind: Goldberg, Jerusalem, Kollo, Brilioth etc.
ES LEBE DER KÖNIG!
CraneParty1901 3 years ago 4
A M A Z I N G! my absolute hero
SMMHELDENTENOR 3 years ago 2
Just amazing me everytime I hear this song sang by Melchior.
kidd32888 3 years ago
Not only is Melchior's voice stentorian, but it is supple, flows beautifully with freely produced emission, & has a gorgeous ringing timbre too. Truly THE heldentenor of all time.
hiyadroogs 3 years ago 6
Oh, yes. THIS is a Heldentenor.
Jerusalem, go and drown yourself.
Sieglinde84 3 years ago
A bit harsh on Jerusalem. Every tenor who's tackled the role seems pretty weak when compared to Melchior, perhaps the only true heldentenor of the past century.
jukeboxtheater 3 years ago 3
@Sieglinde84 What a terrible thing to say. Are you capable of singing the role of Siegfried? It's so sad how vicious people are about opera attacking people doing things that can not even dream of attempting
MrDsmalls 9 months ago 2
This was one of the very first classical music recordings I ever hear as a child - it was on a 78rpm disc from my father's collection. I almost wore it out listening to it so many times on his old RCA phonograph.
palcsi 3 years ago 3
...whenever I hear a ...so called...heldentenor.....I remember there is only one, Melchior...and see Melchior staring down, from above.... frowning!
j72050 3 years ago 21
yes, Melchior is one of a kind- and surely frowning at alot of his so-called colleagues. But not all the tenors of today deserve to be dismissed entirely. Keep an open mind(and Ears!)
Singerputsch 3 years ago 3
Titanic...
WiseMonki 3 years ago 2
I think this is about as close to a perfect recording as any singer has ever made. I for one haven't heard any other Siegfried who could match Melchior here. Albert Reiss is also quite good as Mime.
jws2718 3 years ago 4
This is the 1929 recording, with Albert Reiss (Mime); Albert Coates conducts the London Symphony Orchestra. No one, in my view, has ever sung "Notung! Notung! Neidliches Schwert!" like Melchior. Seine Stimme war einzigartig. Sein vernehmbares Instrument wird vom Stahl, wie der Schwert Notung hergestellt. Ein Klassiker der Opernaufnahme.
MusicaParola 3 years ago 5
Superb! Bravo! TY.
paulostroff99 3 years ago 2
Extraordinary.
Do you know who is playing and conducting?
kgus123 3 years ago 2