Thomas Hampson - Avant de quitter ces lieux (Faust)

[thamestango]

Classical singing should reflect a singers unique timbre like any other singing. Hampson sounds wonderful in this, and does sing it like a prayer unlike Keenlyside. Some baritones sing it more lightly, but that's a matter of choice. Also some baritones have more of a bass quality, some have a tenor ring to their voice.

[Agorante]

Hampson is good on stage - he's 6'5". He's good on records too - a very sweet voice controlled by real musical intelligence. But on TV or YouTube we have to endure all those grimaces and faces. Ugh!

[eddunz]

Lol shit he is good lol

[bodiloto]

Tenore corto.

Da 3:14 grida,non canta il finale.

Poca voce,brutta.

[ian1856]

@bodiloto e vero

[LibbySingsMezzo]

Mr. Hampson can make faces at me any time he wants, just so long as I get to hear the voice! Valentin sounds like a great fit for his voice.

Great singing requires making your body parts do things not necessarily natural in order to make resonant sound. Look how wide the mouth is open on some notes. Looks odd, feels weird, but the air can't get out if the opening is too small.

[htothenan100]

@LibbySingsMezzo

I also love Mr. Hampson, and really don't mind the faces he makes.....but on the other hand, pause it on 1:10 and tell me if you think that's the necessary face for a simple [ i ] vowel.....he sounds great though!

[eddunz]

@htothenan100 maybe for more brightness behind it, and keeping it forward so it doesn't come off the voice? listen to the line he is producing before and after that [ i ] ... lol you really wanna risk ruining that? lol

[CarlosSaenzBaritone]

@htothenan100 its part of the character he's portraying. Its a prayer and he loves his sister and hes getting redy to go off to war!

[alhayse]

Who cares about the faces he's making? Do you hear this sound he is producing?

[mmbriggs]

levine knows every note of the aria? and what do other conductors do, conduct from a cold reading of the score? the question is, what kind of interpreter and musician levine is? do we put him in the same league as toscanini, bernstein, von karajan--no we don't and the reason is, he doesn't belong there. he consistently gets high marks as a mechanic, but not as interpreter, and if you compare himt to the exalted conductors i jsut mentioned, and many more unmentioned, his status shrinks!

[Agorante]

Everyone is so unkind to Tommy! Granted he makes the most bizarre faces and he isn't Robert Merrill but the real problem is that Hampson is too tall!!!

He's 6'5" and baritones should never be taller than 6'3".

(this is a joke, so spare me the death threats)

[frankbaritone]

Hampson's voice is so beautiful on that recording. I'm eager to record that aria too in a few years!

[jpg0901]

@frankbaritone It's not as easy as it looks, I'm not gonna lie about that. Once you get the hang of it though it's really an amazing aria. It's in most Baritone aria books and available on Schubertline...my voice teacher had it out when we were working on it and he uses Schubertline for almost everything. I recommend the one from the Baritone aria book though because it has the little bit before it (Dmitri is the only one I can find singing that part on here)...Good Luck :)

[elizakolo]

Tom please stop trying to compete with Horostovstky and Keenlyside, you just are not in their league. And, by the way, all young opra-goers would do well to check out Robert Merrill.

[stevevandien]

@elizakolo This was 24 years ago. Hampson was singing a lyric baritone aria that was well within his technical and interpretive capacity then and even now. Of course Hampson isn't ideal in most Verdi roles (neither is Keenlyside, by the way; and the jury is out re Hvorotovsky, a self-admitted lyric baritone). But having heard TH live, I can attest that this is a sizable and powerful voice. Of course Hampson's voice isn't as huge as those of Warren or MacNeil. But whose IS today?

[jbrown91287]

He has a splendid voice and a magnificent career along with that, but he makes faces that are really unpleasant to watch when he sings.

[stevevandien]

@jbrown91287 Once more, he's onstage in one of the world's largest opera houses. He's performing for 4,000-plus people therein. Theatrical technique, including facial expressions, must be tailored according to the theater, without regard to PBS closeups, which the peformer can't control. Hampson's gestures, facial and physical, would be much smaller in a much smaller house. AND this vid dates from 1986, before Hampson had extensive experience in big houses. So cut him some slack.

[moviemon17]

Love the music, man. But wow, I laugh every time I see those teeth come out. XD

[stevevandien]

@moviemon17 Why? He's on the stage of the Met, for heaven's sake, trying to project his presence AND voice in one of the world's largest opera houses. Can't you cut him some slack?

[moviemon17]

@stevevandien

Of course I can.

I'm just not used to singing this "operetta" style myself.

[LoudFast1234]

@sillyboydeux dumb. everything u said was dumb.

[BurlyLumberjack]

@sillyboydeux I just don't think he is a tenor. A good lyric baritone needs to have rich high notes like Hampson, but if you just listen to his sound, that is not a tenor voice.

[FFCKH]

@BurlyLumberjack

He is obviosly a baritone... the higher notes he goes through is F, Gb, G, Ab at the most

[Wally773MTG]

@FFCKH I agree, I'm a "high" baritone (or so I'm told) and can hit a B full voice but it sounds like shit haha. The highest note I feel comfortable with is a Gb, G on a good day. I'm still young though. sillyboydeux is a moron

[BurlyLumberjack]

@FFCKH Exactly. They say you should have a minor 3'rd above any high note you use in performance, so i'm sure Hampson can vocalize up to B, maybe even C.

Hampson's a lyric Baritone, with stunning high notes.

[OlegHmil]

Томас чудесный певец!

[funfun42]

i guess when you sing like that you can make whatever faces you want....

ps this guy rocks

[pepeelsordo]

This aria and Barber of Seville and perhaps, Guigliermo and the count of marriage are the only roles that this baritone?? could have sung in eh 50's and 60's.

Now he is a Verdi baritone. Things have chaged!

[operansam]

Fantastico... Fanstastico... Fantastico... Fantastico

[gyorgy47]

nagyon gyönyörű

[wattever333]

more pleasant to hear than to watch. so many facial and hand mannerisms. totally self-indulgent arm movements, I felt I was looking as Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard at the end.

he has a tendency of losing the pitch on the last note of every phrase.

he screams the middle part. sorry, yuck, awful.

at least, he has nice high notes.

sol natal de mes oignons.

[GoApples]

Amazing, amazing amazing voice. I couldn't bring myself to watch his face while he was singing though.

[paulfbrady]

Try watching this without the sound its HILARIOUS but a difficult aria well sung respect!

[calsha025]

DE LO MEJOR ESTE ENORME CANTANTE, THOMAS HAMPSON!

Mis respetos.

[junehilde]

Levine knows every note, every part, every nuance. No wonder singers love him.

And Thomas Hampson is a remarkable baritone: beautiful voice, full of meaning, plus the intelligence to add nuances to his words. He also makes himself available to the public, and is very gracious.

[OrpheuCe]

that is nice...Levine saying the words / or singing whith ....hehehe...great opera conductor is that who knows the parts...singing, and the singers.

Great

[dimoaar]

why are we discussing Verdi baritones at all?...last time i checked, hampson is singing Avant de Quitter ces lieux, which last time i checked was NOT written by Verdi...

and as on offhand, there are many good Verdi baritones out there, just because you dont see them on the cover of Opera Superstar Monthly doesnt mean they dont exist.

[Vexi56]

Yes WE have true Verdi-baritone:

Jorma Hynninen from Finland.

but he is also now over 60 years old, sing still greatfull.

[OrpheuCe]

Dont Forget the old Leo Nucci, stil great voice at 64 y /old.....

[valhan364]

You know why there are no true verdi baritones? And any great singer today? Cause we are all stuck in the past, wishing for things that have already happened instead of opening our eyes and seeing what greatness lies before us. No true verdi baritones? Then I guess those great master pieces written in the past just better lay down and die cause no one can really do them...

[stevevandien]

I don't like Hampson in heavy Verdi parts, like Simone and Macbeth. But in largely lyrical roles that also require some thrust -- like this one -- he is excellent. I wish he'd leave the big roles alone; despite his myriad virtues, he lacks the sheer vocal power and broad range of color that they require. But we have no TRUE Verdi baritones today. At least Hampson approaches these roles respectfully and doesn't pour on a lot of artifcial weight for them. AND he's a good actor --

[OrpheuCe]

this is a lyric baritone part....

[stevevandien]

I had acknowledged as much:) --

[lilibetp]

Re Verdi baritones - well, Toby Keith might have been, but he decided to go with country music so now we'll never know.

[musicmanm2005]

Sorry why are you talking about Verdi parts, Firstly this aria is from Faust, in which the character Valitan sings, and the opera is in french, and written by Charles Gounod

[stevevandien]

@musicmanm2005 Because Hampson sings a lot of Verdi parts today and dropped Valentin from his repetoire years ago.

[gracek703]

Beautiful voice.

[Teqdor]

Devil, LOL.That nobody except for Hvorostovsky takes in the end A ?.......

[Amfortas1985]

it's not an a... it's "a flat"... in german "as"

[magicj530]

also - i have heard recordings of other baritones taking the a-flat at the end, notably robert merrill. but i think most would argue that it is not in good taste, and therefore leave it out.

[sapalass]

the sound incredible, but what hes doing with hes face. never minde, still it is one of the best version of this aria.

[cornificius22vain]

haha yes why those grimaces I wonder

[rovingdesertfox]

It's hard to imagine it being sung better!!!!!!!!!!!1

[interpreterr]

Impressive. Thanks for posting.