Luciano Pavarotti - Non piangere Liù (Live)

[chaiter1]

This is great singing. And tohell with the few nasty comments I read here. People simply don't understand music. This is not comparison of organs in the shower in high school, this is music and Luciano makes great music. And those who look for belters and sliders don't listen to this and go to your idols.

[JerryJimmson]

He sounds like the little Finger of Corelli...

[pieritlyon]

Il grande Luciano Pavarotti, bella voce, sempre corretto, mai una nota dasafinada: come una figura mediatica che canta ancora con tutti i suoi difetti. Ho letto tutti i commenti, che anche quelli nominati per il pattino adatto per questo ruolo. In tutta onestà, meglio il "Principe Calaf" nella storia della lirica è il Gran Maestro Franco Corelli, assolutamente tutto, voce bella e potente, superba performance fisiche sul palco ed eccellenza sono secondi a o,inigualable, insuperables.

[pieritlyon]

El Gran Luciano Pavaroti, hermosa voz, siempre correcto, núnca una nota dasafinada; como uno mediatico que aún canta, con todas sus fallas. He leido todos los comentarios; que bién los que nombran a los varaderamente adecuado para ëste rol. En justicia, el mejor "Principe Calaf" de la historia de la lirica es el Gran Maestro Franco Corelli, absolutamente en todo, bellisima y potente voz, magnificas interpretaciones en fisico y prestancia en el escenario son insuperables, inigualables.

[sabbath7081]

Corelli was the best calif his range fit perfectly. Poverotti's voice was just to high.

[malamutet]

Voce stupenda ma, se proprio vogliamo fare gli esigenti, non adatta al ruolo. Quì ci vuole un canto eroico, come Corelli o meglio ancora, per i miei gusti, come Del Monaco.

[bence778]

Why does he sing it in D minor instead of E flat minor?

[scopizzo]

La critica della didascalia al filmato è perfettamente condivisibile, Pavarotti, oltre al fisico(questo sempre) nonaveva la voce "giusta" per interpretare Calaf, un giovane principe eroico e innamorato, Corelli era molto più credibile sia fisicamente che vocalmente (un fenomeno naturale quasi unico nel 900)

[shrnksrv]

RIP

can't get enough of listening to his voice

[tdeane34]

strange that he only rang the gong once.

[atrinka1]

@tdeane34 agree... very strange......!

[operalament]

This clearly to heavy for pav, Of course he wanted to sing every great role, as most singers do, but the fact is it was to much for him , as was travatore, and pagliaci. And I want to stress, I thought Pav had an extrordinarily beautiful voice, but his technique was not great . It diminished for whatever reason relativley early on in his career. And it took its toll.

[stevevandien]

On hearing this performance again -- some time after first hearing it:) -- well, let's see . . . Pav clearly lacked the tonal amplitude for an ideal Calaf (think del Monaco, Corelli, Merli). Yet his voice was then so well produced that its clear, pealing resonance offsets its lack of size. Tozzi, near the end of his operatic career, retains plenty of voice. Mitchell, relatively early in hers, sings pretty well -- wish this excerpt contained her share of the aria --

[HU1914]

Miss Mitchell was superb in this aria. She was holding her own even though she was a young singer in her twenties here.

Brava Diva Leona

[Aetion]

Very nice peromence indeed!

[LivaDena]

Miss Mitchell as Liu on this memorable performance was outstanding. She probably was in her mid-twenties,

What a fantastic performance.!!!!

[cmurgiuc]

His voice and emotion are great, but the lower timber of Corelli's voice is more spectacular for this role.

[jackylen57]

Superbe ! Sa voix était unique !

[malfada22]

Mr. Pavarotti was one of the finest lyric tenors. I heard him in Lucia when he was covering for Mr. Corelli. He was extraordinary. The ring in the voice left hm when he took on heavier roles such as Calaf. He should have left it to the big guns, i.e, Vickers,. Corelli, Del Monaco (I know, before his time).

[mysong42]

Agorante,

Jessus it seems that you sure have a knock on miising on great things ...ha..!

[palymusic]

Il timbro è magnifico...

per il ruolo la voce sembra mancare di un po' di sostanza

ma è un piacere sentire fraseggiare così bene.

[TraVoiBelle]

Calaf may be is a little heavy part for Pavarotti, but I like this. I've the record with Sutherland, Caballe and Metha and find it for real treasure!

[crwv]

but unlike some tenors, he resisted temptations to push for volume, so he still sang wonderfully in the big verdi stuff.

he's not my preference for very many things, but he is a great singer...

[TraVoiBelle]

yes, in my opinion in all parts where we get used to hear more volume (like Cavaradossi or Canio) he sing with more tenderly and elegance... I love this singing

I think that his Radames is the best in the end of 20th cent.

[Operaandchant90]

look up Corellis' cavaradossi here, and you'll find he performed one of the greatest diminuendos ever.

[blktenorpower]

lowered 1/2 step? or recording?

[aguacun]

seems the recording

[Agorante]

By coincidence I listened to the Martinucci Calaf DVD last night. I had heard Martinucci live in 1982. He was great then and he was great last night. I had tickets to hear Pavarotti a few years later but I skipped it for another engagement. I knew that Pavarotti was not right for this role. No regrets.

[Pavarotti4eva]

are you sure it wasnt worth seeing?

[Agorante]

No, I'm not sure. Maybe Pavarotti and Caballe would have surprised me. But I thought then as I do now, that they were too light for Calaf and Turandot. Caballe was about perfect for Liu and Pavarotti was nearly perfect for Rodolfo.

The Calf arias are not representative of the rest of the role. In Non Piangere and Nesun Dorma the orchestration is very light and there is almost no chorus. In most of the first act Calaf has drammatic outbursts over the chorus and orchestra.

[Kalidor85]

?_? Forgot your medications?

[Agorante]

I heard Pavarotti on stage many times starting in the sixties with Elizir and Lucia. Later I heard him in concert and in Trovatore, Tosca and some others. If you read about his career you will learn that he was very cautious about moving into the heavy parts like Rhadames, Otello, and Calaf. He was such a good vocalist that that he could manage but he was never a true dramatic.

The role of Calaf is best sung by tenors like Del Monaco, Corelli, McCracken or Martinucci.

[Kalidor85]

You may actually be right, but saying you don't regret skipping his show for another commitment seems a little far fetched... I am young and never had the luck to witness a live exhibition of his'. I'm very very sorry about this.

[Agorante]

I was singing Zuniga in Carmen and I had a rehersal. As it happens I met my future wife in that show - she was singing Micaela.

At the time it seemed more important to establish a reputation for reliablity than to hear Pavarotti again. Some of my friends however thought I was nuts.

I missed Vickers singing Don Jose and I skipped hearing Gedda because I didn't like the opera he was doing. I regreted those. My greatest regret was skipping hearing Tucker, Tebaldi and Bastianini in Chenier.

[tena2]

Well, I dont agree exactly, Luciano started fairly early singing Il trovatore and Aida, he did not choose the correct repertory and worse has domingo.

[Agorante]

There is an old Warner Brothers movie with James Melton singing Celeste Aida (twice!). He was regularly doing Don Octavio at the Met at that time but the movie producers wanted Aida. He sang it easily of course. Any good lyric tenor could do so too. The real test for the tenor is the Temple of Vulcan scene not the aria.

I heard Pavarotti sing Manrico live at the height of his career. He was IMHO too light for that and too light for Aida.

[gonzalojosevb]

Pavarotti was the TTT, it means The Titan Tenor, his voice is unique!!

[zzzLUCIANOzzz]

bad quality audio

[operabitch77]

miguel fleta was a spinto tenor. he had dramatic qualities and was a lyric early in his career. corelli was not a dramatic tenor nor did he turn calaf into a dramatic tenor role. if anything the germanic voices that sung calaf along the way made the role alot heavier than puccini had invisioned the role. along with the beefier turandot's that sang this role which required a heavier tenor. keep in ming that gilgi was to have created calaf but puccini wanted a heavier voice so fleta was his man

[GermanOperaSinger]

Oops...you are correct...Fleta always sounded lyric on the record to me. Sorry. Indeed a spinto.

[mannail888]

@operabitch77 You really prove yourself a bitch, through and through.

[operabitch77]

this role was PERFECT for pav!!! he had the squillo and power to sing ANY of these heroic roles. when i heard and old pav in andrea chenier in '96 he stood toe to toe with aprile millo(dramatic soprano) and he could be heard over the orchestra and her at ALL times. these recordings don't do ANY singer justice. you have to BE in the theatre to REALLY hear the voice. corelli was a great calaf but i didnt hear it. as for pav, the most beautiful voice to sing calaf by a long shot. NOT even close.

[GermanOperaSinger]

Actually, you do have a point...the role of Calaf was originally not written for a spinto/dramatic tenor, but a lyric one...if you recall Puccini's pick for Calaf was Miguel Fletz, a tenore di grazie with a beautiful lyric voice...it was Corelli who turned Calaf into a hero prince...good observation.

However, Pavarotti's voice, although gorgeous, was not large...I heard him in Boheme (really late in his career) and it was quite small...still, good comment.

[phantom4087]

However, (pertaining to your first comment) if Caruso had lived at least 5 to 6 more years, he would've originated the role, (and hopefully recorded some selections).

[stevevandien]

@phantom4087 Even imagining Caruso as Calaf is exciting. What a voice for "Non piangere, Liu" and "Nessun dorma":) --

[djura3]

Superb!!

[stevevandien]

Where was this performance? I agree with GermanOperaSinger that this role was rather heavy for Pav (Corelli was the Calaf of the century), yet he still does quite well with it, because of his excellent technique. Mitchell and Tozzi are fine.

[HU1914]

This was from a well received new prodution in San Franciso with Monseratt Caballe's firs Turandot.

[Mooorhe]

War Memorial House in SF.

[stevevandien]

@Mooorhe Thanks very much!:)

[TheInquisitive4Ever]

Male-OpB-Italy is too large of a country, offering a very vast tapestry for musical education (institutional or private) I doubt that chap has sampled enough of a cross section to come to representative conclusion as such. To each his own I suppose. One has to speak Italian at least well enough to sing the Italian repertoire in a stellar fashion (I assume the instrument is conducive for such an endeavor and properly tuned) -that's my opinion.

[TheInquisitive4Ever]

Male OpB-Take Vivian Genaux as an example. There is a good reason why she lives in Europe. As she said many times, she wants to absorb the culture which has produced the repertoire she is singing. If memory serves me well, Krause spent quite a few years in Milan, Italy, as well. A European experience would also enhance your "market value" (for the lack of a better term) in the English-speaking world. Again, hit the road...work hard and have some fun in Europe!

[TheInquisitive4Ever]

Male OpB-It's not a matter of patriotism. Having exposure to the international scene and culture would enrich you personally and professionally, which would have a positive reflection on your artistic development. It's also make you learn other languages, or if you alreayd know, would help you lose your accent. Just don't wast any time...HIT the road.

[operabitch77]

i love italy and when i was there i found all of the europeans coming to the US to study and found many old school teachers to be un-helpful.  as marcello giordani said"i had to come to america to learn how to sing the italian style'. i disagree with his assesment but, to each his/her own. cheers!

[TheInquisitive4Ever]

(Male)OperaBitch-Time is working against you. Hit the road. Consider going to Europe..Italy, Spain, even eastern European countries. Actually, there you would have more flexibility. Start somewhere. For as long as you start, it a step forward. Do not wait until you hit your prime, for which there is a guarantee..not for you, not for anyone). Consider it risk management. Remember, Pava learned his breathing technique from La Stupenda on the road, while working.

[operabitch77]

i feel you. lots of my colleaugues have been disgusted with the american way of a career and have already left for europe. i tend to still have faith and i wont leave until i have either lost or won ALL of the major competitions in the US. i want to show singers that staying here is also an oppurtunity and advantage. besides, in europe you get to learn the roles but sing them with incompitent musical directors and coaches. another minus with europe is well, its europe. boo!

[TheInquisitive4Ever]

(Male)OperaBitch-You might want to reconsider your choices. Every day you do not "move forward" in your 30s, will be used against you later on when you will attempt to make a major stride. It's true in every "professional" profession to which opera is no exception. You should be hitting the road, and singing on stage no matter how humble the venue is. Just keep it real.

[operabitch77]

thanks for your info. the greatest thing about an artform with the vigors and and technique that it requires to facilitate its greatness such as opera, it basically comes down to, CAN YOU DO IT and DO IT well. as for me, I CAN DO IT and I CAN DO IT WELL. great? well, only longevity will tell that story. but easy on the'lets get out there and do it' talk. just sit back and relax. time will tell my story.

[operabitch77]

but, i did a humble concert for opera boston last month and i was sickend to my stomach at all of the putrid singing done by the YOUNG singers at 26, 27. the level was so mediocre and the competitions that they were entering and winning concerned me. but, as you see with GREAT competitions with the age limit at 35, 36 and even NO age limit. there are some serious people with intelligence and concern to see the artform grow and prosper into the NEW millenium.

[TheInquisitive4Ever]

(Male)OperaBitch-Yet, I agree with you on the fact that the excessive commercialization of opera has put too much stress on the artists, and pushed them down the crap chute. I consider it a systemic failure.

[operabitch77]

believe me, I KNOW you agree with me casue my information is NEVER opinionative. ONLY facts. as for pav's and jose's early debuts, well, one worked and the other didnt. as for me, ill be fine. your info. needs some work though. good luck

[operabitch77]

also keep in mind, i have NO excuses. my technique is just where it needs to be. im sure you could hear it in the grainy upload on my page. talent, i know you know what that is.  listen to the legato and the top. nice and easy nothing pushed and hooty. just lyrical. forgive my soprano in the video. suzel is just too low for her. i can send you the whole dvvd for your collection if you like. cheers!

[TheInquisitive4Ever]

Nice excuse (Male)OperaBitch. Pavarotti made his debut 1961, and in 1963 had sung at Covent Garden. Shortly thereafter, he was singing along side La Stupenda. And he surely is not the only exception. Carreras made his international debut in 1971 at age 25. Don't even assert that you're waiting for your mid-30s to blossom. You're dreaming. If you haven't developed your technique fully by age 31, you most likely are well behind. I'd suggest you start somewhere and start building a track record.

[TheInquisitive4Ever]

But I should add. Someone aspiring to be a top tenor (e.g Villazon), should have developed a very good technique in his younger years. Pava did his debut at age 25-26 and learned how to breath from Sutherland by age 27. After that hsi technical development was pretty much complete. There cannot be an excuse to not develop a good technique. What's Villazon's excuse I wonder?

[operabitch77]

no excuse other than chasing the cheese buddy boy. keep your dates clear though. its not good when your dates(info) are wrongI PAV didnt sing with joan until his 30th b-day in australia. rich(joan's husband) heard pav in london and chose him to sing a run of lucia's, sonnabula's and l'elisir's with spiro malas(my friend). PAV ONLY learned his breath technique during the next 3 years whent they toured and sang everywhere.b4 then his technique was the basic scale singing of his modena named POLA.

[operabitch77]

also keep in mind that the tenor voice usually doenst settle into its force of nature until your mid 30's. unless the voice is a light tenor which MOST are, it still takes about ten years of the correct technique to LEARN how to use the instrument. as with villazon, his fault is too too many roles at too early a stage in his development. his lack of frontal vibration is also bad. thats the problem with my artform today. too many ignorant people pushing the limits with terrible consequences.

[operabitch77]

so, since you now know WHy i dont sing for pennies. i WONT push my beautiful gift to please the ignorant directors and so called fans of these putrid companies that teach nothing but comprimario singing just to build a bullshit career. ill just sit and wait until im completefly finished learning and serving my art. good luck on your search....

[TheInquisitive4Ever]

(Male) OperaBitch-Thanks for re-iterating the well-known facts about Villazon, which the sheepish Villazon supporters chose to overlook. For once, you helped me making my point! LoL It seems you have your uses every now and then.

[operabitch77]

you usually dont have a point but im happy to continue to teach you stuff about MY artform. good luck on searching for a place to swindle and play the clown!

[TheInquisitive4Ever]

Ahh..communication is everything indeed. Now the message is clear. And yes, it makes sense which I knew but couldn't infer from the previous post. Maestro Pava was surely an intelligent man and knew how to protect and preserve his voice. Villazon should learn from him for the sake of self preservation.

[operabitch77]

rolando wont ever learn to preserve the voice because his technique doesn't allow him to. plus, the constant media and recitals and touring doesn't allow his voice to grow into roles such as carlo, jose and other so called heavier roles. its a shame. such a godd instrument that has been abused by his handlers. its not ALL his fault. he's just chasing after the dough. i'd rather work 9 to 5 and continue to LEARN how to sing than make pennies to ruin my instrument.

[TheInquisitive4Ever]

Marokt-And your point is?

[operabitch77]

his point is, PAV sang this role in the late 70's and 80's and realized that it was affecting his lyrico roles vocally and mentally. he decided to put calaf and la gioconda away so that he could continue to sing his lyric roles. he felt those roles damaged his sweet sound to a point. and they did. or so he says....hope this cleared it up for you. thanks for the comment Marokt!

[GermanOperaSinger]

But he didn't stop with the heavy roles...he did Aida, trovatore, tosca, etc. and never went back to lyric roles.

[boyswatc]

the magic voice!!

[forevertenor]

bravo

[marokt]

Pavarotti sang Nessun dorma thousands of times, but the role very rare. Thanks fot is.