Jon Vickers Eva Likova sing Puccini (vaimusic.com)

[puccinislarondine]

I too would listen to him sing the phone book! I have always loved Vicker's voice and intensity. Interestingly here though, he who is usually such a great actor, seems hot & cold. There are moments where he is absolutly convincing (Manon, mi fai morir!) and others where he looks disinterested or worse- like he's counting the beats! (see "dolcissimo sofrir" towards the end where his head is bopping up & down a bit.

[jfbarros]

Bravissima Eva in 0:50!!

[monpitt500]

Vickers never had the romantic voice sutable for Puccini despite the fact that he was a great artist and singer

[berlinman46]

Vickers is allways Thrilling to listen to-He could sing the telephone directory and that would be fine , many Thanks for the posting-

[JeeRant]

You shouldn't be so cynical. Opera is enjoying quite a surge of public interest, I think. Take, for example, the Met in movie theaters. It's bringing opera to a whole new audience who might never have encountered it otherwise, and without any drop in artistic standards.

[ConnonTenor]

Did Vickers ever perform La Fanciulla del West? I would love to hear his Che'lla mi Creda if he did.

[vickersman]

There is no record of him singing this role as far as I knowI would love to have heard him sing 'Che'lla mi Creda'.He would have made a scary cowboy!

[ConnonTenor]

I think he would have had the same problem del Monaco had, where their voices were so big that the baritones playing Jack Rance would sound comical in comparison and lose their venirs of power.

[lido2008ve]

Vickers dimostra di essere un buonissimo Des Grieux, con la giusta voce per la parte, che appunto richiede un tenore con grandi "centri".

Molto più scarso il soprano.

[johnnybouhaha]

I didn't like Vickers' acting in this video. It is so fake, the same goes for the soprano, too. Just turn off the sound and you have the impression that you are watching a viennese operetta, and the two of them are dancing some sort of waltz. However Likova is vocally suitable for the role, and Vickers is not. Surely Puccini was not his style.

[mariahelleberg]

abs.right you are - horrible acting

[marokt]

Not good. Manon is old, Des Grieux is not charming. Conductung is dull. But also interesting.

[rovingeye5]

It's interesting to hear Vickers in this role. His voice has the quality of sound similiar to Richard Tucker, which gives him access to the more dramatic tenor roles as well.

[vickersman]

wow...what a treat.One can hear the lighter side of the young Vickers -just 28 here.Great to compare this sound with the mamouth sound he was going to give in a few short years.I would love to have heard him performing at this age-a totally different Vickers. BTW, I love the beauty spot on his left cheek-none would turn that granite face into one of a dandy!LOL

[stevevandien]

Just imagine Vickers performing "Pazzo son, guardate" -- whooaa, what a rendition that would be:) --

[tonydermota]

I was thinking the same thing! Maybe if he'd put off Otello and the Wagner roles we could've heard more Puccini and Verdi from him.

[stevevandien]

Let's see, he did Ballo at Covent Garden, Aida at the Met, San Francisco and I forget where else -- oh, also Forza at the Met in 1975. There were some critics who didn't think his voice was as suited to Italian roles as French and German. But the man was a great artist, and I think it a privilege to hear him in any repetoire:) --