Gigli & DeLuca - Pearlfishers duet

[judykay1229]

I know that we should not compare singers... just enjoy them, but I do not GET Enrico Caruso. Gigli to me is so far superior.

What am I missing?

The same goes for Callas... I am a Montse fan and I adore Tebaldi. What am I missing?

[ebony1911]

@judykay1229 Answer---Nothing! You have freed yourself form the Callas hype--- a fueled by a great PR job from Angel records and from the Pirate Industry that  proliferated after her death.

[tagliavini]

I had this on an old Pearl recording. Was always one of my faves. Such clarity

[carolynhope1]

Of all the recordings of this duet, this is my alltime favorite. Such a beautiful blending of voices especially at the end. imo, it even beats the most celabrated recording of Bjoerling and Merrill..

[Beekeeper911]

Viva Licorice-Pizzas! The sound quality for this 1927 recording is amazing. What a treat to hear this vibrant performance!

[jallfjallf]

Many compares this with Björling/Merril, not least in my home country Sweden...

But listen to the old recording of Caruso and Ancona. It's absolutely fantastic.

[raphabenbenjamin]

if you have ears you can hear that de Luca is closer to the mic.

[TheInimitableKaka]

Lemeshev, anyone?

[jhb134]

@TheInimitableKaka - Oh, it DOES stand-with Bjorling/Merrill ... and Caruso/Ancona is very-singular, also. I diagree with "Richard Taylor" about Gigli's scoops, because his exceptional projection and tone are EQUAL to the task, of the tenor part of the duet. de Luca is scrupulous, inimitable, and very-expressive ... on his own. ... I also agree with lpvcrcd, very much ... and it's great to have THREE, exceptional versions to enjoy, from the Bizet pen! opinions only, of course.

[The99Gambo]

Almosty worthy of standing with the Bjorling/Merrill recording: it's that marvellous. Thank you.

[RichardTaylor1630]

Beautiful, but Gigli scoops a bit too much to get to the high notes. I prefer Eric Cutler's way of hitting them straight on.

[reribus]

La technica, la vita d´oggi ci portavano tutto cio che volevamo, ma e tanto strano e triste che scrittori non sanno di scrvivere, musicisti di suonare, Dio tace e cantanti non sanno di cantare. Sono tanto felice che posso sentire tanta belezza di Gigli e De Luca. 

[lpvcrcd]

This is the first of the 3 famous versions I heard years ago. [wtih Caruso/Ancona Bjoerling./Merrill the other 2] This, though sung in Italian, shows Gigli at his height --The expression in his singing- the legato and the blending with the more lyrical Deluca as baritone is definitely first rate. I am a Caruso believer but this duet was never sung better, more musically-- Right up the great Gigli's alley -- This is the type of music Gigli shines in Thanks for the video!

[garlasalle]

Gigli and DeLuca. What a treat. Bel canto. Thank you so much for sharing

[The99Gambo]

Marvellous rendition to sit alongside the fantastic Bjorling/Merrill version and the earlier beautiful Caruso/Ancona recording. What wonderful performers all.

[JawKid]

No more fishing required. The pearl has been found!

The last chord is beauty and truth....

[victoriaangelicaaal]

Listen to Kraus/Taddei duet in 1970 or

Kraus/mcDaniels in 1958!

And Nadir1 s Aria too!

[bodiloto]

Meravigliosi entrambi ! ***********infiniti !

[halavey]

I like this as well as the jussi/merrill version even though it's in Italian.

[Fladabosco]

It's in Italian. It used to be more customary to translate operas for the intended audience.

40 years as a classical musician under my belt, with its requisite jading and skepticism, yet my eyes tear up whenever I hear Gigli...

[MaxtheWise]

@Fladabosco

Like I said, this is still the best version :) And it's hard, hard to be surpassed!!

[MaxtheWise]

It's not in French, right?

[MaxtheWise]

still the best version

[elchengio]

che invidia!

[stevevandien]

Two great singers, two beautiful voices:) --

[paris1100hotmail]

Gigli - one of my late parents' favourites, and with good reason. Thank you so much for posting something which takes me back to my childhood....45 years ago!!! What a beautiful voice still.

[patefon39]

Thank !! Prima recording, prima duet.

[mactopolis]

The original language this was written in was French it does not sound as beautiful in Italian:

pluper222

Put your dunce hat back on.... lol

[dk07dot]

the word magnificent seems so inadequate.

[tenorismo]

Truly the most beautiful recording of this duet.

[spiroberto]

Ladies and gentlemen. this duet is sung in Italian, not French!!

[mactopolis]

the charm with aria is the tonal sounds of the french language which makes this aria such a extremely beautifully written piece of music

[rezyotube]

I agree with you.

[pluper222]

It's in Italian professor!

[Pierre61]

Wonderful.

[1jasonrhodes]

this is sung in italian. cool

[meltzerboy]

Gorgeous singing by Gigli. De Luca has the phrasing and musicianship but is lacking in tonal splendor compared to his partner and to some of the other great Italian baritones of his day. Therefore, the second greatest recording of the duet, after Caruso and Ancona, but marginally better than the Bjorling and Merrill collaboration. That's great enough!

[Lanark8]

Gigli... a golen voice.

[pedrinrj]

This rendition can be defined with one simple word: Tears.

Opera singing can hold hundreds of methods, techniques, nuances and anything you can think about music. But the final goal is the same, for every singer; to bring to the audience the emotion and the feelin that the author and himself intended to express. To lift us up to that unique place that only music can make.

Gigli was a master in this.

[brish1933]

I have been searching for this recording to replace one that was broken whwn we came to Australia in 1972. Sure I have heard it on "Singers of Renown" buit the quality over the radio, even in FM, does not bear any resemblance to the quality of the record. This has to be the absolute best rendition of this piece.

[Republicrat74]

In the late 1940's and early 1950's I haunted Chicago Record Shops, looking for classical 78's in their "used" bins...and happened to come upon this very same recording for a dollar. I still have several single-side 78's with Caruso, Galli-Gurci, etc.

[AulicExclusiva]

Gigli's singing is simply rapturous—what sensuality of timbre, what voluptuous phrasing! I wish Gigli had recorded this with Riccardo Stracciari—another if only!

[markovican]

Great duet, although I dont know why did they sing it on italian. Melody is still there and sounds good of course. Would be better if they sang it on french as it is the language the opera was writen.

[meltzerboy]

Gigli's French was not at all good. Perhaps that was one of the reasons the duet is sung in Italian although Gigli did sing other arias in French (that's how I know it was bad).

[Ivanhoe2]

I haven't heard this recording for many years. Thankyou very much for posting it. Your splendid equipment has served us very well yet again. Best wishes.

[stefakamelpash]

My God, that's divine! THAT is what great singing is all about. Gigli had probably the most beautiful, most easily produced tenor voice of all time. He started out as a child singing soprano, and basically never changed his technique. His voice just matured and grew with time. Living proof that one simply does not have to scream. He in fact sang mezza voce most of the time, saving the big notes for the very end of his songs ,and it worked perfectly. People love that beautiful, lyric sound.

[jimbosyl]

Thank you so much.  Beautiful!

[wollestoncraft]

Gorgeous! Agree w/paulostroff99.

[paulostroff99]

wollestoncraft-Only the Bjoerling/Merrill performance compared to this. I cannot choose between them-and that in itself is not a bad thing!

[lpvcrcd]

@paulostroff99 This is more musical than the Bjoerling/Merrill attempt -- Merrill really too great a baritone to be used [or actually wasted] in a duet such as this-- lesser voices are often better paired with the the great tenors in these lyrical duets- More of a melding in overall sound - Just my observations

[ljquinn]

One can only say "it is enough" - to ask for further perfection would be a sin!

[BARREDA1976]

Mezza voce!!!!!!!!! Gigli is master in that

[paulostroff99]

Only the equally gorgeous Bjorling/Merrill recording dares comparing to this!Glorius indeed!Bravo.

[jdunkeld]

sublime - thank you

[paulostroff99]

This is right up there with the glorious Bjorling/Merrill performance.

[zciweslab]

lovely. thank you for posting this.

[mrrk]

Was there ever such a moving version as this? Gigli was just unique.

[merrihew]

I have a poor quality tape of a 1972 Lily Pons concert (her last). Most of it is SO bad. But towards the end she gets it together and is momentarily glorious.

[merrihew]

Yes, Kreisler after the early '30's started to decline. But he had his moments. I have a 1943 radio broadcast of the Mendlessohn concerto. The first 1/2 is terrible but then it comes together and is magnificent.

[merrihew]

Selectively after 1930. He didn't know when to quit. His records from the 1950's are pretty bad. Its interesting that some voices like Melchior hold up so well but others like Gigli fall apart early. Is it poor training or as Melchior said, singing on the interest and not the principal?

[kspm01]

I agree regarding his 50's recordings. Even the greatest artist wanes after a certain turning point. Listen to Kreisler's last painfully embarrassing recordings and you'll find our viewpoint confirmed.

[kspm01]

Another utterly moving example of Gigli's art. Thank you so much for posting. You may not be a "big" Gigli fan, by this series you could well wind up proving the opposite!

[transformingArt]

Do You have the Gigli's recording 'Nadir's Romance' from this Opera? It's the only record of Gigli that I enjoyed.