I have always held Tito Gobbi in high regard, and this performance just shows what a fine performer he was. His beautiful voice, strong musicianship and outstanding acting ability alone are enough to warrant a place as one of the best performers of the twentieth century. Also, like with Scarpia, in which I feel he is unsurpassed, there is an intelligence and intensity here. While I prefer Sherrill Milnes' more sadistic interpretation where he is all dishevelled, Gobbi wins for tuning and style
I used to love this aria but now I find it a lot less scary. Somehow, basso profondo villains are creepier. People always compare Claggart's aria to this but it's actually a lot darker (and why isn't it EVER compared to Hagen's Watch I can't even)
A friend of mine once said to me that if you could combine Tito Gobbi's brain and Robert Merrill's voice you would have had the world's greatest baritone. He may have had something there.
Tito Gobbi! uno dei megliori "malo" del repertorio! Grande Jago! Grande Scarpia! Grande Tonio! Altro Jago ben fatto era cio di Paul Schoeffler (1950 con Furtwangler come regente e Ramon Vinany come Otello) e Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (James MacCraken era Otello).
Trovo che Bastianini riusciva ad essere nobile, nel canto e nei gesti, anche quando interpretava personaggi spregevoli quale Jago. In Gobbi, invece, trovo una certa volgarità, anche quando proprio non se ne sentirebbe il bisogno.
I absolutely agree with ScoDeu. I couldn't have put it better. Anyway it is what you do with your vocal material that counts and he was really the male equivalent to Callas with what he did as he poured everything into his roles and was utterly convincing. Wonderful! They don't seem to make them like this these days...
It is pretty interesting to hear armchair critics talking about Gobbi. What matters is that Nucci, Capucilli, Dmitri,and almost every recent great baritone refers to Gobbi as the influence on their singing. Something to think about
It's a popular convention of 3rd-hand informed, armchair enthusiasts to refer to Gobbi as not having 'the best vocal material' - what a joke and what fools. But what's it to Gobbi? He was an awesome and magnificent opera singer. His performances are legend and he is the benchmark for all other singers, whatever the voice. This performance is superlative in it's interpretative style, intensity and musicality. His voice is utterly magnificent. Put simply - it doesn't get any better than this.
Perhaps not the best vocal material, but definetly a great performance and one of the greatest singer-actors of the 20th century, as benoniboy reminded us!!!
Even with perhaps less than perfect vocal material, we see here an example of why Gobbi is generally considered one of the truly greatest singing-actors of the 20th Century. Bernie
Bel Canto Society, New York, will sell you this. And I imagine you know already the historic 1960 LP box set of 'Otello', now available on DVD, with Gobbi's electrifying Iago, John Vickers a superb Otello and conducted by Serafin - RCA Victor. Somebody is offering it at this very second on eBay.
There are always people who being useless in life can only spit on what a brilliant person produces. It's a disease. They're ridiculous 'n they never understand that. Nobody's ever interested in their miserable 'n shameful thoughts. Normal people just exchanging their opinions without insulting great names 'n anybody's feelings. The supreme Titan! The million-volted Gobbi!
Great performance with Gobbi? forget that! he is the worst singing technic, and conception from all the opera history! Geth raimondi, morris... and you will really see the difference... Thats student level!
Possibly you are too young to have seen Gobbi live on stage? I assure you, from my many memories of him, that he truly was one of the greatest singing actors of the last century and a magnificent Verdi singer. His unique, unmistakeable voice, with its strong vibrato (and occasionally, I admit, marred by the famous and easily parodied Gobbi snarl) may not be to their taste. For me, however, it is a voice that I would give anything for to be able to hear live once more.
Probably not the most refined baritone, not while there are recordings of Mattia Battistini and Maurice Renaud around! But one of the most passionate, yes.
Just look at he's eyes, he's completely wicked!!!
1993MGB 9 months ago
I have always held Tito Gobbi in high regard, and this performance just shows what a fine performer he was. His beautiful voice, strong musicianship and outstanding acting ability alone are enough to warrant a place as one of the best performers of the twentieth century. Also, like with Scarpia, in which I feel he is unsurpassed, there is an intelligence and intensity here. While I prefer Sherrill Milnes' more sadistic interpretation where he is all dishevelled, Gobbi wins for tuning and style
Beth29252 10 months ago
Gobbi always rocks.
I used to love this aria but now I find it a lot less scary. Somehow, basso profondo villains are creepier. People always compare Claggart's aria to this but it's actually a lot darker (and why isn't it EVER compared to Hagen's Watch I can't even)
Sieglinde84 1 year ago
Gobbi:Jago=Delmonaco:Otello
odontotazio 1 year ago
A friend of mine once said to me that if you could combine Tito Gobbi's brain and Robert Merrill's voice you would have had the world's greatest baritone. He may have had something there.
legatofancier 1 year ago
Greater baritones? Perhaps...Better actors? Well, maybe....
But a greater combination of the two than Tito Gobbi??
Niente, niente, NIENTE!!
docmalthus 1 year ago
i love that sound......"a wild, nasty, animal manhood" kind of sound.......where that sound has gone in today singing?
bajobaritonoAH 1 year ago
Someone can post the lirycs plz? thx :)
Kamlos88 2 years ago
Tito Gobbi! uno dei megliori "malo" del repertorio! Grande Jago! Grande Scarpia! Grande Tonio! Altro Jago ben fatto era cio di Paul Schoeffler (1950 con Furtwangler come regente e Ramon Vinany come Otello) e Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (James MacCraken era Otello).
PhilippeRR1 2 years ago
Ruffo, Danise, Granforte,Tibbett eccc.
bodiloto 2 years ago
Sicuramente Bastianini fu uno dei più grandi,ma Gobbi,oltre ad essere pure lui dotato di grande voce,era più sfumato e di grande capacità scenica...
lpom88 2 years ago 2
Trovo che Bastianini riusciva ad essere nobile, nel canto e nei gesti, anche quando interpretava personaggi spregevoli quale Jago. In Gobbi, invece, trovo una certa volgarità, anche quando proprio non se ne sentirebbe il bisogno.
lerpesdilaga 2 years ago
Mediocre interpretazione. I migliore Iago è senza dubbio Bastianini.
DinDonDan94 2 years ago
Mediocre?!!??come si permette!forse è rintronato come la campana di cui riprente l'onomatopeico soprannome??....rifletta forse le gioverebbe!!
elfomusic62 2 years ago
What a voice! Such power!
BeJtheDJ 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Erwin Schrott has more power and handsome too!
serenade00007 2 years ago
Grande, grande, grande Tito Gobbi!!!
Voce potente ed espressiva al massimo.Grazie
euter55 3 years ago 5
Non solo Gobbi è il miglior Iago, è anche il miglior baritono di sempre!
LeonardoEulero 3 years ago
Gobbi è il miglior Jago che io abbia mai sentito. Neanche Cappuccilli e Bastianini riuscirebbero a fare di meglio.
34fgsfgsdtu48w7qtaqt 3 years ago
Per me il migliore in questo ruolo è Gino Bechi.
Nemorino11 2 years ago
un grand acteur et un grand barython merci pour ce video
girardje 4 years ago 7
Is this the one with MDM and Erede conducting? Great performance of the entire opera, but I did not know it was filmed.
mltube 4 years ago
I absolutely agree with ScoDeu. I couldn't have put it better. Anyway it is what you do with your vocal material that counts and he was really the male equivalent to Callas with what he did as he poured everything into his roles and was utterly convincing. Wonderful! They don't seem to make them like this these days...
catrynn 4 years ago
It is pretty interesting to hear armchair critics talking about Gobbi. What matters is that Nucci, Capucilli, Dmitri,and almost every recent great baritone refers to Gobbi as the influence on their singing. Something to think about
bluluvsrae 4 years ago 2
It's a popular convention of 3rd-hand informed, armchair enthusiasts to refer to Gobbi as not having 'the best vocal material' - what a joke and what fools. But what's it to Gobbi? He was an awesome and magnificent opera singer. His performances are legend and he is the benchmark for all other singers, whatever the voice. This performance is superlative in it's interpretative style, intensity and musicality. His voice is utterly magnificent. Put simply - it doesn't get any better than this.
ScoDeu 4 years ago
Gran actor, capaz de mantener la tensión dramática a lo largo de toda su interpretación.
Wildlatinae 4 years ago
Perhaps not the best vocal material, but definetly a great performance and one of the greatest singer-actors of the 20th century, as benoniboy reminded us!!!
antoheionn 4 years ago
Even with perhaps less than perfect vocal material, we see here an example of why Gobbi is generally considered one of the truly greatest singing-actors of the 20th Century. Bernie
benoniboy 4 years ago
Pity-would love to have got this on DVD-especially if it is part of a complete performance.Many thanks, anyway, Gabba02 for your message. FJMLAM.
FJMLAM 4 years ago
fabulous performance-I wonder if the entire recording is available somewhere?
FJMLAM 4 years ago 2
Not commercially, at least outside of Japan.
Gabba02 4 years ago
Bel Canto Society, New York, will sell you this. And I imagine you know already the historic 1960 LP box set of 'Otello', now available on DVD, with Gobbi's electrifying Iago, John Vickers a superb Otello and conducted by Serafin - RCA Victor. Somebody is offering it at this very second on eBay.
TITO13ITALIAN 4 years ago
DVD? Huh? Do you mean with MDM? I don't know of a Vickers Otello with Gobbi on DVD...
Chiliarches 4 years ago
My apologies! Of course I should have said "on CD" - not DVD. Senile moment! Thank you for pointing out the error.
TITO13ITALIAN 4 years ago
There are always people who being useless in life can only spit on what a brilliant person produces. It's a disease. They're ridiculous 'n they never understand that. Nobody's ever interested in their miserable 'n shameful thoughts. Normal people just exchanging their opinions without insulting great names 'n anybody's feelings. The supreme Titan! The million-volted Gobbi!
pupulique 4 years ago
Great performance with Gobbi? forget that! he is the worst singing technic, and conception from all the opera history! Geth raimondi, morris... and you will really see the difference... Thats student level!
ricordisimo 4 years ago
Possibly you are too young to have seen Gobbi live on stage? I assure you, from my many memories of him, that he truly was one of the greatest singing actors of the last century and a magnificent Verdi singer. His unique, unmistakeable voice, with its strong vibrato (and occasionally, I admit, marred by the famous and easily parodied Gobbi snarl) may not be to their taste. For me, however, it is a voice that I would give anything for to be able to hear live once more.
TITO13ITALIAN 4 years ago
Yes, you're right, he is a unique singer, the most passionate and, in the same time, refined baritone in recording history.
pupulique 4 years ago
Probably not the most refined baritone, not while there are recordings of Mattia Battistini and Maurice Renaud around! But one of the most passionate, yes.
meltzerboy 2 years ago
(P.S. Sorry - in line 6, for 'to thir taste' read 'to everyone's taste').
TITO13ITALIAN 4 years ago
Whoever gave gim a poor rating was a...
Great performance!
francotenelli 5 years ago