My favorite baritone - who I don't see on your list yet - was Riccardo Stracciari. I never heard Warren live. So maybe that's it. I've never like Warren much.
Another favorite baritone of mine was Ingvar Wixell. He recorded a lot but to my ear he was never captured well on records. Maybe Warren was like that.
Warren died young but his voice died younger. He had gotten quite shaky by the late fifties. Merrill lived longer and kept his voice longer.
His voice was cavernous - awesome - non like him. Merrill? Yea right! For starters, do an A-B with Di Provenza.... followed by Cortigiani.. Si Puo... no comparison. Warren is in a class by himself!
Leonard Warren is my personal favorite for the role of Baron Scarpia. Gobbi was a good actor, but Warren's voice is far better. George London is, IIRC, a bass - or at least a bass-baritone.
Of the modern baritones, only two come close to Warren: Juan Pons (listen to his aria in 'La fianciulla dell'West', here at Youtube) and Bryn Terfel (also at Youtube).
Warren should absolutely be considered as one of the top 100 singers of all time. He defines at least 2 roles in his career: Rigoletto in his early/mid career and MacBeth in his later years.
The Tre Sbirri is not a great showcase of his voice - however his live Tosca with Tebaldi is an amazing showcase of artistic vocal shading and artistic interpretation.
The commercial recordings hardly capture what made him so special and still the baritone that all other baritones try to emulate.
Warren had a 12 cylinder voice trying to reign it in on 4 in this very limited note aria by Puccini. Puccini never wrote substantial music for the baritone This aria never showcases any baritone to his best advantage,certainly not a big free rangey voice like Mr Warren's. Leave those pieces to the pen of Verdi![and Bizet- Rossini etc]. By the way, I 've heard just about everything by Merrill too.Did he record this Te Deum from Tosca?Can't remember ever hearing him sing it. Is it on youtube
wonderful voice and dramatic, smooth, dark-- Merrill more lyric then Warren and so very beautiful, very fine but different from Warren , Mac Neil more a Warren type big sound, heard him and Merrill live but not Warren sadly he did not sing here when I started in going to opera in 1957.
Really, its a shame that you were not around to tell Puccini that. Gobbi did a fair job given his limitations i am sure you will agree. Bass Baritone *%$#@#@#
Although I have never been a Warren fan, you should make an effort to hear the commercial recordings of FORZA & GIOCONDA that he made that were recorded by DECCA/LONDON for original release on RCA. Producer John Culshaw got Warren to sing out more the way he was supposed to have done in the opera house (which you can hear on recordings of live performances). A singer who knew Warren told me that he modulated his voice on other commercial recordings because the engineers took down the big voices.
Definitely one of the 100 Greatest! I don't know, however, why you think that his voice is not as rich as Merrills. Listen to Warrens early recordings, there is no richer baritone voice. I got an 1941 Gounod recording in my profile, very rich voice.
merrill and warrren obviously had two different sounds some prefer one over the other . no denying warren had an outpouring of power and ar ound full sound .merrill more steely or rich [many adjectives are used for his type of voice ] merrill wasn't as flexible a voice but his was golden
Yes Tucker's son was watching his dad who turned white after Warren fell and he ran over to him thinking Warren tripped and the man closest too Warren singing the small part is still alive and well, he was interviewed in the book "The Twilight of Bel Canto" by Leonardo Ciampa a fine soft back about 500 pages about many singers from past to present.
Yeah. I think that was one of his best ones I have it also. First they said he died of a stroke and now they say it was a massive heart attack. He died instantly. Tragic on stage death.
Warren was perhaps the greatest American Verdi baritone. His voice was not only huge but dark and rich, and his technique splendid. I love listening to this big voice sing sea shanties with consummate style on an old LP I bought many years ago.
Warren's recordings don't give an idea of how magnificent and large his voice was in the opera house; it's the smaller voices that record better. Also, this excerpt doesn't show Warren at his best; for that I would pick his 1949 Rigoletto, 1952 Trovatore, or Germont from Rome.
I like to hear them in house to really know and I never heard Ruffo anymore then a man 30 years old heard Warren or Merrill or Bastianini. You can judge tech. but not total sound of voice unless you hear them in the house, voices like Bergonzi and Bjorling seem larger then they really are and Tucker and Del Monaco actually sounded larger then on recordings by far.
Yes, I believe you are correct. Since I have never liked Warren's voice on recordings I have been somewhat baffled by his reputation. So, I've talked to a number of people who heard him live and even someone who knew him. They assured me that in the opera house he sounded quite different than he did on recordings. To use musicologist Henry Pleasants' expression, Warren did not possess a "phonogenic" voice.
Yes Bastianini was great till he got sick I heard him sing Rigoletto in house with tucker in 62-- not the Warren power of course but warren was not so different in appeoach or he would not have been so well received in Italy and he was greater then any Italian Baritone in Verdi ever only Ruffo could touch him and had he been Italian rather then a New York Born Jew they would have said the greatest of them all. Taddei -- no way he was not even close.
Yes- the greatest Verdi singer with such a rich big voice he could sing tenor high C's like in di quella at parties. He was able to sing a dimuendo in any song or aria he wanted too. His voice sounded more mellow then Ruffo if you judge by records not always fair. He as most know died suddenly on stage while singing forza with tucker and tebaldi. Tucker's son was at that 1960 show and saw it and saw his father on the floor holding warren lifeless he was 49 years old. Great big mellow voice.
If he was verdi singer than all the great italian baritones weren't (Bastianini, Taddei, Guelfi, Bruson, Cappuccilli). He had completely different style and approach. I would choose any of those italians instead of Warren.
probably would get a large amount of opinion backing you. Of the tenors- bass -soprano- mezzo and baritone voices that have tended to dominateand garner attention thru history his voice surely seems to appear in so much discussion
49 years.......
MrZhmudenko 2 months ago
My favorite baritone - who I don't see on your list yet - was Riccardo Stracciari. I never heard Warren live. So maybe that's it. I've never like Warren much.
Another favorite baritone of mine was Ingvar Wixell. He recorded a lot but to my ear he was never captured well on records. Maybe Warren was like that.
Warren died young but his voice died younger. He had gotten quite shaky by the late fifties. Merrill lived longer and kept his voice longer.
Agorante 6 months ago
His voice was cavernous - awesome - non like him. Merrill? Yea right! For starters, do an A-B with Di Provenza.... followed by Cortigiani.. Si Puo... no comparison. Warren is in a class by himself!
CD122344 8 months ago
Warren was a consummate artist; but I am a Ettore Bastianinni fan myself.
RPenta 10 months ago
Warren was incredible.
saddleshoe 1 year ago
NICOLAE HERLEA
ah332 1 year ago
Leonard Warren didn't have a voice. He had a miracle. He ruined it for a lot of baritones that came after him. What an amazing voice.
OKelleyPaidir 1 year ago 5
@OKelleyPaidir the bar was set quite high indeed
roselandalvin 1 year ago
SUPERB RENDITION! Whatever the comments from the other listeners...
MrRafael1943 1 year ago
Most beautiful baritone voice were Merrill and Massard which i heard live
monpitt500 1 year ago
I would have chosen his Prologue from Pagliacci!
uniqueattack 2 years ago
@uniqueattack Agreed; his 1953 recording from the Bjorling "Pagliacci" would of been perfect.
VinylToVideo 1 year ago
Leonard Warren is my personal favorite for the role of Baron Scarpia. Gobbi was a good actor, but Warren's voice is far better. George London is, IIRC, a bass - or at least a bass-baritone.
Of the modern baritones, only two come close to Warren: Juan Pons (listen to his aria in 'La fianciulla dell'West', here at Youtube) and Bryn Terfel (also at Youtube).
Well, those are my humble opinions.
Yours, AdL
alandelane 2 years ago
Warren should absolutely be considered as one of the top 100 singers of all time. He defines at least 2 roles in his career: Rigoletto in his early/mid career and MacBeth in his later years.
The Tre Sbirri is not a great showcase of his voice - however his live Tosca with Tebaldi is an amazing showcase of artistic vocal shading and artistic interpretation.
The commercial recordings hardly capture what made him so special and still the baritone that all other baritones try to emulate.
SwingShoes 2 years ago
I want to be Warren. He along with Merrill set the bar for the next generation of baritones.
gvocalist07 2 years ago
warren was absolutely NOT a bass-baritone, so obviously you haven't studied him enough!
MusicMan1519 2 years ago 2
Warren had a 12 cylinder voice trying to reign it in on 4 in this very limited note aria by Puccini. Puccini never wrote substantial music for the baritone This aria never showcases any baritone to his best advantage,certainly not a big free rangey voice like Mr Warren's. Leave those pieces to the pen of Verdi![and Bizet- Rossini etc]. By the way, I 've heard just about everything by Merrill too.Did he record this Te Deum from Tosca?Can't remember ever hearing him sing it. Is it on youtube
lpvcrcd 2 years ago
wonderful voice and dramatic, smooth, dark-- Merrill more lyric then Warren and so very beautiful, very fine but different from Warren , Mac Neil more a Warren type big sound, heard him and Merrill live but not Warren sadly he did not sing here when I started in going to opera in 1957.
halavey 2 years ago
I was lucky to hear Warren many times in Rio de Janeiro. He was idollized by the Brazilian public as the greatest Verdi baritone of the time.
manrico29 2 years ago
Sensational! Bravo!
paulostroff99 2 years ago
Warren is probably the best baritone of recorded history, but this aria is too dark for his voice. It is better suited for a bass-baritone.
bokaba1 2 years ago 4
Agreed.
leadoffeohippus 2 years ago
@bokaba1
Really, its a shame that you were not around to tell Puccini that. Gobbi did a fair job given his limitations i am sure you will agree. Bass Baritone *%$#@#@#
dracher 1 year ago
Not only beautifully sing, but Warren seems to respond to the text with as much passion as he does to the music.
polemius01 2 years ago
In 1991 I met a 97 years old opera fan who told me that the 2 biggest and reachest baritone voices he has ever heard were Ruffo and Warren
bye
Apologranfortisimo 3 years ago 3
Although I have never been a Warren fan, you should make an effort to hear the commercial recordings of FORZA & GIOCONDA that he made that were recorded by DECCA/LONDON for original release on RCA. Producer John Culshaw got Warren to sing out more the way he was supposed to have done in the opera house (which you can hear on recordings of live performances). A singer who knew Warren told me that he modulated his voice on other commercial recordings because the engineers took down the big voices.
legatofancier 3 years ago
Definitely one of the 100 Greatest! I don't know, however, why you think that his voice is not as rich as Merrills. Listen to Warrens early recordings, there is no richer baritone voice. I got an 1941 Gounod recording in my profile, very rich voice.
saiserieht 3 years ago
merrill and warrren obviously had two different sounds some prefer one over the other . no denying warren had an outpouring of power and ar ound full sound .merrill more steely or rich [many adjectives are used for his type of voice ] merrill wasn't as flexible a voice but his was golden
lpvcrcd 3 years ago
Yes Tucker's son was watching his dad who turned white after Warren fell and he ran over to him thinking Warren tripped and the man closest too Warren singing the small part is still alive and well, he was interviewed in the book "The Twilight of Bel Canto" by Leonardo Ciampa a fine soft back about 500 pages about many singers from past to present.
pearlmuth3 3 years ago
Yeah. I think that was one of his best ones I have it also. First they said he died of a stroke and now they say it was a massive heart attack. He died instantly. Tragic on stage death.
pearlmuth3 3 years ago
Warren was perhaps the greatest American Verdi baritone. His voice was not only huge but dark and rich, and his technique splendid. I love listening to this big voice sing sea shanties with consummate style on an old LP I bought many years ago.
meltzerboy 3 years ago 2
His 1951 Rigoletto with Tucker from the met brdcst. is great also in fine sound.
pearlmuth3 3 years ago
Yes Billyguns I agree with you completely you are correct all the way. P
pearlmuth3 3 years ago
Warren's recordings don't give an idea of how magnificent and large his voice was in the opera house; it's the smaller voices that record better. Also, this excerpt doesn't show Warren at his best; for that I would pick his 1949 Rigoletto, 1952 Trovatore, or Germont from Rome.
billyguns2 3 years ago 2
I like to hear them in house to really know and I never heard Ruffo anymore then a man 30 years old heard Warren or Merrill or Bastianini. You can judge tech. but not total sound of voice unless you hear them in the house, voices like Bergonzi and Bjorling seem larger then they really are and Tucker and Del Monaco actually sounded larger then on recordings by far.
pearlmuth3 3 years ago
Comment removed
legatofancier 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Yes, I believe you are correct. Since I have never liked Warren's voice on recordings I have been somewhat baffled by his reputation. So, I've talked to a number of people who heard him live and even someone who knew him. They assured me that in the opera house he sounded quite different than he did on recordings. To use musicologist Henry Pleasants' expression, Warren did not possess a "phonogenic" voice.
legatofancier 3 years ago
Yes Bastianini was great till he got sick I heard him sing Rigoletto in house with tucker in 62-- not the Warren power of course but warren was not so different in appeoach or he would not have been so well received in Italy and he was greater then any Italian Baritone in Verdi ever only Ruffo could touch him and had he been Italian rather then a New York Born Jew they would have said the greatest of them all. Taddei -- no way he was not even close.
pearlmuth3 3 years ago 2
Yes- the greatest Verdi singer with such a rich big voice he could sing tenor high C's like in di quella at parties. He was able to sing a dimuendo in any song or aria he wanted too. His voice sounded more mellow then Ruffo if you judge by records not always fair. He as most know died suddenly on stage while singing forza with tucker and tebaldi. Tucker's son was at that 1960 show and saw it and saw his father on the floor holding warren lifeless he was 49 years old. Great big mellow voice.
pearlmuth3 3 years ago
If he was verdi singer than all the great italian baritones weren't (Bastianini, Taddei, Guelfi, Bruson, Cappuccilli). He had completely different style and approach. I would choose any of those italians instead of Warren.
lenzoltan 3 years ago
According to the late Francis Robinson, Warren collapsed and died after singing the phrase from Forza "Morir, tremenda cosa."
meltzerboy 3 years ago
Comment removed
GermanOperaSinger 3 years ago
If is was a list of the 3 greatest singers ever, he'd probably be on the list.
ElPiconeroalCognac 3 years ago 3
probably would get a large amount of opinion backing you. Of the tenors- bass -soprano- mezzo and baritone voices that have tended to dominateand garner attention thru history his voice surely seems to appear in so much discussion
lpvcrcd 2 years ago
@ElPiconeroalCognac damn close- no doubt!
redgrapeskins 1 year ago