German Baritone Heinrich Schlusnus ~ Il balen (1937)

[Amfortas1985]

Wow!!! What a voice! His high notes sound so clear, nearly like a tenor. I like it! Better than so many "barking" Baritones nowadays! That's a Belcanto-singer!!!

[AulicExclusiva]

His style is a bit bloodless, the timbre [colour] ever-so-slightly monotonous, but the quality [texture] is pure silk, his legato flawless. He sings the real cadenza as written, a rare occurrence. A fine disk. But he needs a little more testosterone.

[MrCafiero]

Excellent...thank you for posting!!

[andyrawn]

DOUG ~ This is no doubt one of the most absolutely beautiful baritone voices from the entire legacy of sound recordings, Bravo to you too! ANDY

[immortellino]

Absoluthely great!

[minacciosa]

I'm amazed that a singer of this exceedingly high caliber has escaped my attention until now. Thanks Doug!

[meltzerboy]

Heinrich Schlusnus is the lyric baritone who, above all others (though Janssen and Husch also come to mind), is the German bel canto equivalent of Giuseppe de Luca. His smooth delivery in this aria also recalls that of Merrill, except that the latter--as well as Warren--had a huskier sound. Thanks, Doug, for this wonderful example of his voice and artistry.

[CurzonRoad]

@meltzerboy

Oh, most welcome... my pleasure, Nate... thank YOU!

[Labienus]

@meltzerboy I'd put Warren, Mac, Milnes in one group and Merrill with a very big voice, great line and with a voice of such natural beauty that I can only compare it to Stracciari in another -Merrill didn't havequite the blazing top of the others but generally I found him a boring singer except on those rare occasions when someone pushed him Let's not forget another Amer miracle Tibbett of course the ultimate miracle among baritones Titta Ruffo maybe Doug could offer some of his recordings?

[Labienus]

More famiiar with his lieder-never heard this-always a liability to hear a lyric Ital aria in Germ, even when done with such ease, eloquence and taste

Thanks for the opportunity to hear this

While I appreciate the values he brings I do prefer the true Verdi baritone sound with its mixture of lyricism, darkness and ability to soar on the line-and I don't just mean a huge top

Can't help but think of the late C MacNeil in his prime as a perfect example of the voice type -unbeatable live!

[meltzerboy]

@Labienus I know what you mean in terms of the vibrancy and color of the true Italian Verdi baritone. Sorry to hear of the passing of the truly great Cornell MacNeil. I heard him live and his voice and phrasing were exceptionally beautiful. Later on, he developed a wobble, but in his prime, only Robert Merrill was comparable.

[Labienus]

@meltzerboy Yes, MacNeil just died a few weeks ago at 88-received a moderately good amount of attention-given that he stopped 25 yrs. ago, and in that time classical music has nearly vanished as a general cultural marker. It was a huge voice with a volcanic top = of Warren's, and yet could spin out a line, and include written ornamentation. Wobble,among other problems did develop later,and may have sung too long. But too much emphasis on that-even later any given night could be extraordinary

[cantorandopera]

Beautiful singing, even if it is in German and not Italian. He has a beautiful ring to the top of the voice, blended elegantly with the lower portion as well. A great singer all around. Thanks for posting, dear Doug.

[rupepill]

Good morninbg Doug ... and as always thank you. Your trove of interesting musical items seems to be unending.

[EdmundStAustell]

Excellent! Good voice, well producted, stylitically spot-on. Nice to hear the little grupetti smoothly produced. Yes, very well done!

[mayatatyana1]

Thank you, Doug. Extraordinary voice. Great work on the video. Maya

[Herur22]

Glorious voice, great legato and extremely easy high notes. An outstanding singer.

[SuperLuckydream]

Mr.Schlusnus for me is an example of golden middle: he has everything needed to be a success  and nothing extra, very,too much,etc....He is devoted to good music and to his own style. Deserves respect and admiration.

[listeningtoit]

It´s quite strange to hear this aria sung in German! Anyway, voice sounds huge! Beauty of tone!

[HM0880]

Thank you for this wonderful introduction to Schlusnus's amazing artistry!

[paulostroff99]

A magnificent performance.Exactly as I love it sung.TY Doug for this exceptional posting.

[acordeonhobby]

muy bonito, un placer.

saludos

jose

[stuartliff]

Magnificent! Glorious legato singing, beautiful vocal quality and splendid diction. What more could you ask? I had forgotten his excellence - thank you so much for reminding me. Vivian

[CurzonRoad]

@stuartliff

As always... thank YOU, Vivian!

[eclecticdufus]

@stuartliff Likewise. Schlusnus's vocal magic compels one to believe that German must be the original language and the Italian is the translation.

[dantitustimshu]

Conte di Luna may be the villain in the story, but he is also a man very much in love. Schlusnus is one of the few who got the balance right in his rendition of the aria. Moreover, his legato singing is superb. Many thanks, Doug, for posting and sharing.

[CurzonRoad]

@dantitustimshu

Years and years ago, this recording was my first encounter with Il balen...  and it's still wonderful. Thank you, Tim!

[rupepill]

The high tessitura of Verdi's baritone parts did not seem to bother Schlusnus. One writer (perhaps, Steane again) commented that Schlusnus was one of several well known baritones (John Chales Thomas was another) who negotiated higher songs and arias with so much ease that they might have been tenors, in potential, choosing to "play it safe" and add length of career rather than vocal height to their singing.

[CurzonRoad]

@rupepill

Good evening, Rob, and thank you!

[francesca7564]

Thanks Doug !!!

:-)

[CurzonRoad]

@francesca7564

Thank YOU, Francesca!