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From: bbassillio
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  • Bocelli it's a pity singing opera.

  • Wonderful singing! (?). Certainly wonderful from one of them. Please listen, this tenor is not an operatic tenor - HORRID nasty wiry tone. It is perfectly fine for Bocelli to ply his trade as a pop tenor but let us not judge him as anything else. 

  • I see so many people complain about how they always want their opera stars to have bigger voices, yet so few on how they interpreted the aria or duet. Why?

  • A bit "thin" from Bocelli... well, he never was a great opera star :) Spoils the beautiful duet ... Terfel with his baritone again the better of the two :)

  • @tjh58 yep, and you could do it better than Bocelli, right?! I just smell jelousy from you!! This made MY day!! Long live Bocelli and Terfel.

  • Bravo to a couple of my favorite opera stars! (I bet they're both great guys, too.)

  • I cant stop listening to these two. Unbelievably good. Wish i was there

  • arpeggio1358 I agree that Bocelli has a pop type voice but I think the thing that attracts so many to him is the beauty of the tone and timber of his tenor. I believe he has one of the purest voice tone in opera today. It may need amplification but it is still very pleasing to my ear and it is absolutely beautiful in this duet with the incredible and powerful baritone of Terfel.

  • WOW !

    A superb combination of Pant Glas barritone and Spanish flair.

  • Terfel often overpowers others with his powerful and effortless voice, this is an amazing duet. What bocelli lacks in power he makes up for in a smooth and pleasant voice. probably my favourite version of this piece

  • brilliant, thank you

  • I saw them perform this together. It was fantastic!

  • Always thought Jussi Bjorling and Robert Merrill's recording was the best BUT have now found one I like better: Bryn Terfel and Andrea Bocelli's rendition. Superb!

  • @fferocious The Terfel/Alagna version is also excellent. I just wish that Bocelli would have a little more conviction and vigour in his words.

  • this makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, beautiful.

  • astonishingly beautiful

  • Bocelli is not a performer who has an overpowering opera tenor but his tone is beautiful and his phrasing is excellent. Here he does a superb job with the great and powerful baritone, Terfel. Their voices match perfectly and the performance is incredible. Thanks for posting this so that others could see the beauty and genius of Bizet.

  • @Amusiclover1954 I really don't like this version of the duet. The amplification, which was necessary so that popera singer, Bocelli, could be heard, distorts Terfel's voice. Terfel very definitely didn't need the amplification, and it's a shame that his voice sounds like this here. I'd love to hear Terfel sing this unamplified with a real operatic tenor.

  • MAGNIFICENT

  • Bravo

    

  • Bocelli - eh. Lovely voice, but he sounds miked. He sounds like a pop singer. Alagna and Terfel is better. Bjorling and Merrill!! Milnes and Domingo!

    The orchestra is a little overwhelming here.

  • @akarpowicz He does have a very lovely tone, its wonderful; But i agree, he sounds like a pop singer. I only know that because I'm training as an opera singer. Not trying to bash him, he's still great.

  • @lightninghead17 Yeah, I think Bocelli should stick to lighter fare. There is more money in what he does, but maybe he should try more art songs and operetta. I don't like to bash someone with such a beautiful voice, but he's sure out of his league with Terfel here.

  • Meh. I much prefer Bryn's performance of this song with Alfie Boe.

  • Franco Corelli (Bocelli's idol and mentor) even told Bocelli that if he wanted to become a better opera singer, he needed to get away from popular music. I can see the truth in that. It's too bad he didn't listen.

  • the twin towers of bel canto! bravi

  • Bocelli needs to take a lesson from Bryn. Like not sliding into his pitches and hitting them head on.

  • Unfortunately, the sound had to be amplified so that Bocelli's small, thin voice could be heard. The amplification distorts Terfel's beautiful voice, as he needed no microphones.

  • I'm glad I'm not an expert. I just sit here and delight in this wonderful singing and playing.

  • I disagree about the comments about Bocelli's voice. He is a "Bel Canto" tenor, like Tito Schipa. Today this is a lost art. Unfortunately he gets caught up singing the big arias instead of the lyric ones, because it is expected of tenors to do so. It is a misconception that a tenor has to have a big voice! Todays tenors are about voice production and fail to be artists. Bocelli is an artist with a beautiful and unique lyric tenor voice. Corelli had great production, but he was also an artist.

  • @2CalaMo Do you realize Bocelli needs amplification in order to be heard adequately? In his recent Met recital (I guess the Met needed the money, and it was a moneymaker), he had no mic, and was very difficult to hear. His fans were surprised that his vcoice didn't sound the way it does on his recordings or in the large concert venues where he is always miked.

  • I think Terfel acquits himself decently in this. If only he was singing it with an actually decent tenor. Like Shicoff. That would be a little interesting. This is so sad after listening to the Bjorling/Merrill recording. That was some singing!

  • Bryn and Andrea perform this duet beautifully! In regards to pitch, especially at 5:05 and from 5:42 to 5:44, you can hear a third pitch being produced from the resonance and tone of their voices; they blend together pefectly! Absolutely stunning!

  • I was there - quite amazing two larger than life characters and fantastic voices.

  • maravilhoso eu sempre admirei a Bryn terfel, mas en este dueto esta espetacular, e Boceli pra que falar mas escelente.

  • So beautiful and impressive ...

  • there are a lot of great voices out there, and there is a big variety of sound. But the true artist is the composer and the music itself, this was beautifully written, and the words match the sound; in this case, the softer voice of bocelli, not the favourite timbre of everyone, is nonetheless perfectly matched here as two very different characters are worshipping the same girl, their voices are equally passionate in such a different way. Its magical, operatic style or not.

  • I think it is just wonderfull. The mix of pop with classical music is just great. It might even attrack listeners who usually won't listen to classical music at all. Another nice example is Queen with Montserrat Cabballer. Mix is just great. It works both ways. And I could just listen for ever to Bryn Terfel.

  • When one is investigating every bit of life to the last atom, they are going the wrong direction. They should look at the ultimate summation of our existence and look upward, and then they will find true beauty above all our sciences, and here it is. Such a combination of heart and mind goes upward into the skies, and cannot be discovered though we dissect every particle and every universe. Such joy from these voices cannot be had from the material world, but in the full sum of us all.

  • Although I have broad musical tastes, I can't help playing this over and over again. It's beautiful.

  • oh get over yourselves... can u not just accept this as a beautiful duet from a wonderful opera brilliantly delivered its that sort of snobbery puts people off this wonderful genre of music

  • beautiful, beautiful....And Bizet was only 19 years old

  • I am not a Bryn Terfel or a Bocelli fan, heard them on album and TV.only., but I sometimes glance in to other opera channels. I was enjoying this until I read the comments and its put me off. People are affected by the voice, so much negativity,. Bryn and Andre when you read this I have to say I will never be a fan, but enjoy listening to both your voices. create sweeter vibes in the ether.

  • It really is a shame when posters remove negative comments from their videos. All comment should be visible unless they're riddled with profanity. Not everyone agrees on every singer.

  • @arpeggio1358 I agree again. Our comments just express different point of view on Bocelli as an artist. They are not spam and don't contain anything insulting. They should be visible together with praising comments. It's called freedom of expression. YT was created as a democratic institution to allow people to exchange opinions on different renditions and artists. It should be kept this way. There is NO artist in the world whom everybody loves or everybody agrees that he or she is bad!!!

  • @serenaluce Unfortunately, YT will never be completely democratic as long as some posters keep such a tight rein on the comments that are made on their videos.

  • @hollyrr - Just listened to them cut the piece short and not hold a candle to this version, so I disagree respectfully. Besides Nadir's voice is supposed to show his youth and weakness compared to Zurga, which this version clearly resonates.

  • amazing

  • @U2Bocelli You have a right to your opinion. But before you say how no one has a better voice, don't you think you should at least listen to singers that actually sing in opera theaters today? Beczala? Kaufmann? Others?

  • @jewelmarkess

    Why does anyone need to characterize one artist or voice as the best? I won't claim to be an expert in the nuances of opera. But, this is true for all music. An artist who might be incredible in one instance might be bla in another. Each performance and recording is a unique event.

  • @yhgs07 I am not characterizing one artist as the best and I agree that each performance is a unique event. It just bothers me that people proclaim Bocelli a "top opera singer" without even bothering to listen to any the wonderful opera singers that we have today, singers with far better voices and greater artistry. Bocelli is a great pop tenor, he maybe the best from crossover tenors, but his singing of opera arias is far below opera standards.

  • @jewelmarkess Bocelli no es un tenor operático por razones ligadas a su handicap, pero no hay que olvidar que tiene una gran formación como cantante lírico. Aprendió con Franco Corelli, nada menos. Yo tengo dos o tres discos suyos de arias y me parece que sí cumple los estándares. Ha grabado óperas dignamente, y sin negar méritos a otros, tampoco desmerece.

  • @jewelmarkess "Bocelli is a great pop tenor,... but his singing of opera arias is far below opera standards."

    Amen! His voice is not remotely suitable for un-miked singing with orchestra and even his foray in the smallish regional opera house, Michigan Opera Theater, as Werther, was an utter failure. He's not an opera singer, or even close. Terfel's voice is very good sized and if they were singing this together live in the opera house rather than in a miked venue, you'd never hear Bocelli.

  • Why did they bother?

  • Bryn Terfel sounds perfect, as to Bocelli, I Think he is far from standard opera singing. There is something insufficiency in his voice.

  • Bryn Terfel, as always, sounds amazing. Bocelli, as always disappoints.

  • @killabotpegasi Bocelli always sings in large venues where his voice can be amplified, as it is here. Terfel still sounds good, but unfortunately it sounds like his voice also had to be needlessly amplified , to accomodate Bocelli. Terfel really is an amazing performer as you say.

  • @arpeggio1358 eventually someone says it, I heard Bocelli once live and his voice could be hardly heard. He became famous in Italy as a light music singer and only later he, after the fame came, he dared sing classical music. This is the truth.

  • @serenaluce bocelli is not actually a pop singer, as he can't really sing pop, he is a light music singer, you know those type of singers who sing old Italian songs like 'O sole mio'...certeinly he is not a oper singer either...

  • @holikarang Well, I didn't mean that Bocelli is exactly the same kind of a pop singer as Zucchero:-). He is certainly a light music singer. I meant that the way he sings classical repertoire is NOT real opera, but classics in modern interpretation, QUASI OPERA. Pop means popular. That is he sings adjusting art to please people. Nothing bad in it, but it's a DIFFERENT GENRE. According to my dictionary pop art is based on modern popular culture and mass media, not traditional fine art values.

  • @serenaluce if you have read my previous comments on this video, I have heard Bocelli live and live he's even worse, as his voice is very weak. He became famous because he won a famous pop singing competition in Italy, but he has never been an opera singer before. I happen to be half Welsh and half Italian and this video makes me feel more Welsh than Italian...

  • @holikarang Actually, I haven't read all your comments. Only the last ones. It's what I think about Bocelli's singing opera in this case. I haven't heard him live but I can imagine that his voice is weak and only amplified. But I can judge from this video that his interpretation is not in the true classical style but in the pop style. That's it. We haven'tt discussed his other repertoire yet. Actually, I happen to be Russian and some Italian too:-), and this video makes me feel only Russian!:-)

  • @killabotpegasi wonder why in Italy no one dares saying this, I'm glad the world has a good ear!

  • Awesome.

  • Bocelli sounds awful... 

  • @thallocub not at all , a magnificant performance,

  • Utterly beautiful, full of 'tugging on the heart strings' and without doubt in my mind the best ever rendition of this piece I have ever heard. I so wish that my father was alive today as he never knew of or heard either Bryn or Andrea singing one of his favourtie pieces.

  • My dad fought in WW2 and when it was over he went to see the likes of Richard Tauber 'live' in London. I grew up surrounded by music, listening to tenors that both my father and his father loved, (my grandfather was an operatic singer who was asked to go 'professional' but didn't).

  • @annierosebud This was lovely, although as others have mentioned, Bocelli is not of the same caliber as Terfel. Have you listened to the Bjorling & Merrill version of this same piece? Bjorling's high notes were effortless (or at least sounded that way) and Merrill's voice was the perfect complement. Cheers.

  • @hollyrr At first listening to that recording I was like "Merrill? really? this is rough", but it TOTALLY works with them together- perfect balance.

  • awesome.......................­......

  • Only Jussi and Bob did this better. Perfect for Bocelli's limits

    Bryn would blow the lead off a divers boots

  • Totally awesome!

  • Sublime

  • One of the great arias of opera, sung by two of the best singers.

  • My main musical taste is orchestral pop, but like the rest of you, I know exquisite beauty when I hear it!

    2 of my 500 public playlists honor these gentlemen & 300 other artists. 111 lists let you listen to any year since 1900 like you've stepped back in time.

    For those too busy to search, I've done it for you. The lists are beginning to average about 2 hours each & they're always being expanded.

  • This is my favourite duet and I think they sing this beautifully

  • Always thought Björling & Merrill set the benchmark for all time on this duet, but have to waver on the absolutely gorgeous blend of these two magical voices. It is especially pleasing to hear Bocelli open up the stronger, more spinto side of his voice, which still never strays from lush emotional beauty. Two of the greatest vocal sounds today, a match made in heaven!

  • both are fantastic. have all there cds. it does bring you to tears when you hear them.

  • Wow, this one sure got to me, took my breath away, (sniff), - a cynical old curmudgeon. Were they singing about their dogs? I'd guess so.

  • What a shame they had to amplify this for Bocelli, because the amplification distorts Terfel's voice. Terfel doesn't need the amplification in order to be heard, but Bocelli does.

  • Vraiment magnifique. Merci pour 'posting'.

  • It just doesn't get any better than this. Enough said!

  • En este caso las comparaciones son odiosas... Terfel es barítono y Bocelli tenor. El aria, a pesar de no ser de las más famosas, es de una belleza sublime.

  • I know good Catholics are supposed to want to go to Heaven, but after this it will almost be redundant.

    GLORIOUS!!!!!!!!!!

  • The lyrics are in French, not Italian.

  • its french not italian

  • French even.

  • El vozarrón de Terfel se "come" al pobre Bocelli. Pero debo decir que es una de las mejores cosas que he podido escuchar de este tenor. Y Terfel es uno de los mejores cantantes de esta generación.

  • Simply breathtaking,,, utterly superb blend of two majestic voices. Thank you for posting

  • BEAUTIFUL VOICES, THANKS

  • Bocelli meraviglioso, come sempre

  • Awesome!!

  • Beautiful!

  • I expect nothing less from the greatest Italian singer alive.

  • Both men put their heart and soul into this song. Very moving and touching to watch! Hearing Bocelli sing sadly and slowly after the gentle flute played..really got to me! : )

  • Look at the roaring ovation at the end! : )

    Finally, an audience that appreciates real talent!

  • One of my favorite arias and sung magnificently by Andrea and fellow Northwalian Bryn (Pant Glas) Terfel.

    I knew Bryn had a good voice but its one of the nicest ive heard for some time.

    Both their voices compliment each other beautifully.

  • prachtig

  • sometimes I just sit here and click Replay for hours. So beautiful.

  • god! this is good. bocelli totally lost in the beauty of this piece. terfel is wonderful but this is bocelli at his best. i haven't paid too much attention to these two because of the crossover 'pop' stuff...but this is good.

  • - 10 !!!!

  • I am rarely moved to tears......this is a thing of rare beauty.

  • Welsh and Italian together. The 2 best singing countries in the world. In my opinion.

  • Only GODS voice sounds better than this.

  • Gods voice? Tell me about it..

  • i agree that sometimes Bocelli appears to be lost on stage but when he performs good he is the best. i guess the ability to inspire is prior to proper technique.

  • I'd tend to disagree with that first statement. But if you derive inspiration from his singing, then you're right--critiques are ultimately pointless.

  • you can feel your heart lifting up and almost out of your body when their voices soar

  • Ooh simple beautiful...Bliss, tears and ecstasy too, I am grinning manically here watching this post... Yummy... If this were edible I would have scoffed it by now and relaxed sated and smiling in a big comfy chair... :0)x

  • Wonderful..................

  • Regardless of the differences in the perceived quality (opera vs. operatic) of their voices, this is a stunning performance. Absolutely fabulous!

  • Bocelli's voice is really pretty good, but I don't particularly care for it in Operatic rep. I mean, Terfel is holding back and is the dominant voice. And there a lot bigger voices than Bryn's, I'll tell ya.

  • Listerning to Andrea's Aria album and you may change your mind about his Opera repitore.

  • I have listened to Bocelli do a lot of opera (including his selections from his aria CD), and my opinion still stands. It's a really good voice, I just don't particularly care for it in this sort of rep. It's kinda of a straight-tone quality overall.

  • "To each his own" Music is the most beautiful language of all , it would be boring if we all thought the same.

  • I was surprised to read that you think there are many voices larger than Bryn's. Having heard him live many times I can tell you that the voice is absolutely huge. He is holding way,way back here. He fills the MET like few singers can do. When he brings the volume up it pings all over the hall. Bryn is really a baritone who prefers to sing bass rolls. He is one of those singers who does not sound well when he sings past the passaggio. I totally agree with your remarks regarding Bocelli.

  • Perhaps a lot bigger was an exaggeration. I just meant that I think that there are some out there that are quite louder. Perhaps I am wrong. But he is definently holding back quite a bit.

  • Actually I would consider him to be one of the most powerful voices at the MET. I go seven times each year. His placement is perfect and he is a rather large man as well. Among the men his considered among the most powerful. There are sopranos and a few tenors who can compete with him but not many. If you ever get the opportunity to hear Bryn Live I hope that you will take advantage of it. He is wonderful. You are quite correct. he is really holding back here. A true gentleman!

  • I love that you are only 21 and are enjoying this music. Good for you! BRAVO! If you ever get the chance please go and see Bryn live. You will never forget it. He is just amazing. He is a fantastic actor and an incredible voice. The MET seats 3800 and he can blow out the back wall ! It is over 400 feet from the stage to the back row!! I try to get there at least 7 times a year. There is nothing like it.

  • Here is another recording for you to listen to:

    Roberto Alagna & Bryn Terfel "Au fond du temple saint". You will see Bryn work a lot harder when singing with Alagna. The historical standard for a recording of this piece is the 1950 recording of Robert Merrill and Jussi Björling.  Enjoy !!!

  • I actually study voice at a university in Oklahoma, and I really enjoy classical music, especially opera! I would LOVE to hear Bryn live or even go to the MET. I plan to go someday. And yeah, the matchup of Alagna and Terfel works much better. To me, Bryn is one of the most well-rounded vocalists around right now. I have recordings of him doing songs by Schubert, Vaughan Williams, and Roger Quilter, and his voice is equally tailored for that style along with opera.

  • you have to mic. it when you are recording it for tv or vid.

  • I'm not ashamed to say I cried when they sang this at the Faenol Festival (a 50+ ex-rugby player!).

  • Everyone please "get over the microphones" and just enjoy the beautiful singing!!!!. Remember not all venues are designed well enough for preforming without them, so "move on".

  • I never heard nothing so beautiful like those voices. This is music, not that crap of beyonce and their friends.

  • the best pearlfishers duet since the Krauss-McDaniel version.aunque es algo ironico, si entiendo bien se refiere a que ellos "ven" alo lejos a una bellisima mujer....

  • Once again, I'm playing this duet - it's magnificent. Bryn Terfel has such a powerful voice, and Andrea's is so sweet - heaven on earth!

  • Bocelli's voice sounds more beautiful than any other tenor . Sorry for the opera buffs . I like opera too , but I appreciate everything done well . And he does a beautiful job in this as in everything else . Terfel is very good and his tone is very resonant and majestic , but just because Andrea does also pop does doesn't mean Andrea is not as good or better . Right now he's singing Rossini in Washington ,  directed by Placido Domingo .

  • They were pouring their Vocal Magic all over the crowd that day! --Chills!!!

  • Bocelli has long been my favorite tenor, and Tefel my favorite baritone... This song is almost too much awesome (and yes, awesome in it's full, original sense) to handle!

    THANK YOU FOR POSTING IT! ^_^

  • no necesita microfono por que no cantan en vivo .lipsync

  • You know, there are artists, not useless singers like rihanna, or other rnb singer. When they do something, they do it. Lipsync my ass. And criticize such persons shows how dumb you can be.

  • again, where is the terfel microphone?

  • you can see it at 1:06 on his right cheek

  • and this microscopic microphone is as good than a sound recording studio?

  • No of course. But it's high quality material and we can't really feel the difference.

  • really?

  • Yes but their microphones are very expensive.

  • Wonderful piece of art. *****

  • Beautiful. Andrea was late at some point, not a great deal. However I still like Jussi and Merrills version better. Maybe because I'm a swede, maybe because of Jussis voice, who knows? that's rhetorical by the way.

  • Being a great fan of Andrea Bocelli, it is very disappointing the video of the duet of the pearl fishers with Bryn Terfel is faulty and the video kept stopping all the time which is very frustrating.

  • ...........mr terfell dont use microphone?

  • Mr Terfel doesn't need it.

  • hmmmm,eso es muy dificl de creer, por pòtente que tenga la voz, es un concierto grabado y hacen falta microfonos para grabar controladamente las interpretaciones o el micro es muy discreto o es uno telescopico.

  • Buen punto

  • Neither does Andrea if he sings in theatres .

    Here they either don't have it both or they have a mini "hidden" one , both. The voices couldn't blend well at all if one had a mike and the other didn't .

  • very well hidden is teh terfell mic,bocellis mic is very evident.

  • This performance makes me Proud to be a Human Being. Magnificent!

  • Andrea's voice is sweet & beautiful, does a good tenor have to sound as if he swalloed a frog? :D

  • Terfel was perfect. Bocelli was not, if you ask me, He just wasn't immersed, merely technical..

  • subjetivo...

  • ive had the pleasure of sharing a stage with bryn terfel twice in the choir accompaning him and meet him many times a fantastic bloke

  • The greatest love song - ever. When two such voices as these join, it is beyond drama or love.

  • WOW!! BEAUTIFUL!!! I'd have to say from a technical point, Terfel wins hands down.

  • I am not into vocals but when I first heard these two together..they literally blew me away!! Absolutely brilliant..thanks for posting this video

  • You will probaby never ever here a more perfect in tone, qulaity and expression than that full-bodied b flat Bocelli produces at the end.A tremendously strong version. Play it all the time. This is what opera is. This is vocal passion!

  • Every lover of music, no matter the genre, should hear this piece - it transports me to a higher place. It's so very beautiful, I can't stop playing it - it makes me very happy. I've loved Andrea since Romanza came out, and I watch every video I can of him. Love you, Andrea!

  • How I love this duet. Beautifully performed by Terfel and Bocelli. Thank you for sharing.

  • My two favorite singers,singing my favorite duet- I think I am in heaven, just magnificent!!!

  • Andrea's voice is AMAZING, wow, nobody else can sing this well, amazing every note was amazing and unreal yet it was still effertless for Andrea!

    Terfel is great too, but he is not nearly as good!