Gigli sings Donna non vidi mai

[canpete1]

beyond belief

[Puccini33]

Wonderful! Magical! Another of my favourites is Jussi Bjorling "Donna non vidi mai" M. Lescaut Live 1960

Jussi Bjorlings last concert.

[crapfacejoe]

@crapfacejoe I don't how that came out, in plain english Jussi is rubbish, Gigli is king.

[MrSkylark1]

As compared to the ludicrous contemporary operatic world today with its bellowing singers (?), sumptuous scenery, costumes, props, and questionable stage directing, GIGLI'S VOCAL SUPERIORITY required NONE of the artificiality of the aforementioned since recordings, radio, and, when made available, films," were the ONLY means of TRANSMISSION. It was "AUDIO" that made him famous to listeners who had no other means of access to opera.

[ikmarchini]

Wow!

[crapfacejoe]

Gigli topped Caruso on this one.

[wiseroldfart]

Hard to pick a favorite for this aria. Gigli was amazing in this performance.

[3Sunnyboy]

Definitely an all time best rendition of Donna non vidi mai! Hard to believe without all the electronics, the voice is so pure, precise and powerful.

[crapfacejoe]

@3Sunnyboy I think electronics and advances in technologies somehow tend to artificially enhance a voice and it loses it's natural touch. So in a way this sounds more pure to me.

[Aetion]

An angelic voice!

Thank you.

[justabrit]

Take the mike away from them today and watch them squirm as they try to sing...Some of them can only sing arias no opera!!! short cut to fame Paul pots come to mind

[baritoneortenor]

What a magnificent voice Gigli had. Out of the many versions of this aria on youtube, this one is probably my favorite. Beautiful.

[crapfacejoe]

Beautiful in every sense of the word. All his performances are electrifying, even today in the 21st century his voice runneth over with passion.

[wiseroldfart]

Great example of Gigli's talent! One of the very best!

[1Markofff]

классно.сейчас так не поют .браво старики.

[31122051]

GIGLI SEI MERAVIGLIOSO !!!

[martinaelred]

Great composition from Puccini....legendary vocal performance...Immortal

[shiicoff1]

Sorry I mean NOT RECITAL NOT (rectal) spl error!

[shiicoff1]

I mean live recording for the film, not rectal of course.

[shiicoff1]

GIGLI HAD THE VERY SWEETEST LYRIC TENOR BUT THIS RECORDING MAY BE WHEN HE WAS OLDER SO NOT FAIR TO COMPARE TO BJORLING.ETC. HE HAD A BEAUTIFUL SOUND IN HIS PRIME AND WAS WARM AND SO ITALIAN! AND THIS IS LIVE, CONSIDER THE SOUND TECHNIQUE THEN FOR LIVE REC. HE PROBABLY WAS 61 HERE SO COMPARE HIM EARLIER TO OTHER LYRICS LIKE JUSSI OR PAV. . HE WAS WONDERFUL IN THE EARLY 40'S, 30'S AND 20'S ESPECIALLY. LATER SURE HIS TOP WAS NOT AS EASY BUT SO PASSIONATE ALWAYS. CHECK EARLIER STUFF!

[ezayi]

He was a great tenor, but I don´t agree with most people here. He sounds a little like he´s struggling. Too open sounds then he has to cover a lot, etc. Not a very good example of what he could do.

[esclarmonde1]

Give me Aragall, this man sounds so bland without an easy top or long breath. Are we brainwashed into believing that the first singers to be heard, were better than than those who followed?

[Mooorhe]

@esclarmonde1

Gigli's top came much more easily than Aragall's, and he had far superior breath control and legato.

[CotaDangelo]

@Mooorhe Gigli was one of the best singers of all times, Aragall is a very good singer (even with a beautiful voice) but not among the best in his generation. Gigli was the most recognized artist at his time: the golden age. Rivals were Martinelli, Pertile, Lauri Volpi, Lazaro, Fleta, Schipa, Thill, later Del Monaco, Di Stefano, Bjorling, Tucker, etc. All of them were much better than Aragall. Gigli had a technique incredible. He could fill the theaters with his fortissimo, with his mezza-voce.

[artedelcanto]

Guardate la postura di Gigli, avete mai visto gli usignoli quando cantano, tengono esattamente la gola ed il petto come lui. Questo è il canto naturale! Magnifico!

[inchiavedido]

Grandissimo, grandissimo, grandissimo!!!

[The99Gambo]

I prefer Bjorling's versions, but even so this is truly magnificent. Caruso also. God bless you all three gentlemen.

[YoucefVincennes94]

A great tenor singing great subtile aria! Rest in Peace Beniamino!

[MrFrancogianni]

qualunque apprezzamento rischia di essere banale......aggiungerei: SOMMO!!!!!!!!!!!

[paulostroff99]

Superb

[65attila]

@paulostroff99

Thank you for sharing this brilliant voice and singer. i have Live highlights of this opera from 1951 with Gigli and Elizabeth Barbato. Gigli to put it mildlu aged very well.

Thanks to Calaf2006 for posting.

Regards-John

[The99Gambo]

A most wonderful rendition. There are three versions that I like above all others. First, that of Caruso; second, Gigli; and finally Jussi Bjorling. All three are the A*** of tenors. We are lucky to be able to listen to their recordings.

[liEder89]

NON UMANO!!

[31122051]

A dir poco meraviglioso, voce, tecnica e interpretazione ! SPLENDIDO.

[MegaSiegmund]

The Top !!!!!

[bodiloto]

Sublime Gigli Grazie .

[dickdomino]

Of course he's never died. While we live he will always be alive. Sadly, soon, the Muslims will be given dominion over us by our 'Marxist Masters' and then, all of our culture will be erased from history.

[796824]

This is known as the ART of BEL CANTO

[Apollogranforte]

Ah....Gigli, Gigli....

I can still recall the shock I felt when in 1957, at the age of about 14, I heard the radio announcement that he had died.

I could not believe it; A man with a voice like that could not die...And for us he has not.

[IlgruppoDiDocci]

bravissimo, una bellisima voce

[gcarlos03]

Esempio sublime ed assoluto di padronanza ed onnipotenza della tecnica del bel canto!!

[AleBro83]

un miracolo della lirica

[796824]

There was no one like Gigli, superior to all the tenors today

[aguacun]

@796824 I think there are a lot of tenors superiors of all tenors we have today... as well vocal teachers

[lpvcrcd]

@796824 Can't disagree with you there!

[Aetion]

His velvet voice and his unique technique are unrepeatable.

[gpin1779]

I you were a tenor then all the ladies would stare in you in that way..

[OrpheuCe]

in Gigli´s voice the music flows easily

[EnricooCaruso]

我一直很诧异，在音乐修养歌唱音质方面，现在还活着的男高音们难­道都没有吉利的追求吗？

[Aetion]

ναι έχεις απόλυτο δίκιο!

[Vendimi3]

With Di Stefano the most beautiful voice ever.

[pacoykaren]

What a voice!! It always makes me teary-eyed. So beautiful, effortless, perfect! Thank you, Maestro.

[tomfroekjaer]

This incredibly lyrical voice makes me shed a tear, but Caruso's version for some reason makes me sob...

[1982zzc]

Guru! I love both Gigli and Bergonzi. Thanks for posting.

[mrsexy300]

Mamma mia! Che bella voce! Magnifico!

[emiliano52]

Please stop the stupid coments about how Gigli looks. If you want looks buy a PLAYGIRL issue............and a vibrator...........

[796824]

GIGLI was the greatest tenor of the century The voice was what counted in the Golden Age

of Singing not the rubbish heard while garbed in expensive costumes today to obfuscate the lack of singing on the operatic stage.

[tomfroekjaer]

Spectacular, fantastic singing and empathy. Only comparable to the great Caruso - non since...

[paulostroff99]

Gigli is as always-great! Bravo! TY.

[Ankhsnammon]

UNICO,MERAVIGLIOSO,AFFASCINANT­E,LA VOCE DI PLATINO,LA GOLA DEGLI ANGELI..NON CI SARA UN'ALTRO COME LUI!!!MAI!!!!!

ankhsnammon

[narury]

Precioso... que tenorazo...

[bobtemming]

deze man is een echte grootheid,in mijn beleving de beste lyrische tenor aller tijden.

bravo,maestro

[tenoregermania]

Amazing voice! Just take a look at the faces of those women listening in the wings. That's what makes it all worthwhile.

[justabrit]

The women in the wings are actresses..this was taken from a film

[Andante735]

Prima la Voce!!! Who cares what he looks like?? We witnessing the death of Italaniate Tenor singing- and someone mentioned looks. I would gladlyk look at a 300 pound tenor who looked like a gorilla to hear singing like Gigli.

[picolodaemao]

Well.

You folks are talking about the looks.

We have a very good example of it in the Idols show. Were a guy that sales cell fones sings Nessun Dorma.

They ask him almost what the F... he is doing there after all here doesn´t have the LOOKS.

And he amazes everybody singing Nessun Dorma.

Gigli is a prove that what you nedd is talent.

[aguacun]

I wonder if nowdays Gigli could do a siger carreer. He doesn´t looks like a model or macho man. MAy the today "empresarios" will listen a voice like this without the filter of their eyes? Beyound that, could the opera fans do that? This is a voice that is able to act without a body... the caracter is in the voice and not necessarily in the body. WHo could dot hat nowdays?

[singspiel35]

it is true. opera fans today feast with their eyes rather than their ears. sometimes it seems that long gone are the days when a voice like Gigli's could emote and touch an audience with simplicity of line, allowing the text to flow freely as in conversation. Unaffected singing is rare to find on today's opera and classical stages.

[bellatrix58]

This voice is bliss....

If God spoke to me, i wish he approached my ears using this marvelous sounds.

[hanbelx]

Gracias Calaf2006

[benkozs]

Sublime, flawless... Everytime I hear it, it touches my heart, my soul. The voice has such a presence not overhelming with its power but still being able to fill the whole opera. Mild and shining tones. Nothing compares to him.

Bravo senior Gigli i grazie mille!

[cmfhcl]

carlo bergonzi...

there is no one better then him, trust me and get it,

it made me cry, its amazing, he is one with the music...

[JuillHope17]

the voice is fine at times, in my opinion, but the acting was sadly very bad. it's funny that most opera singers back then wouldn't make it past a few regional companies or concerts here and there... operatic taste changes through the years i guess.

[796824]

In those days, you had to be able to sing and that it is the reason it was known as the Golden Age of Singers, unlike today where costumes, scenery, sound systems, stage directors and other nonsense cover for the lack of quality in singing.

[iwannafuckjkresz]

and what opera houses are you talking about, because the GOOD opera houses aren't like that. you must have a bad perception of modern houses if you're thinking like that. there are PLENTY of AMAZING voices out there now, but the thing is with the fact that audiences are smarter and want real drama from opera as a whole (which people like nellie melba failed to show), you need to be able to act and really show what you're singing about. as anna netrebko has said "you can't just park and bark."

[796824]

The person you mention is not a criterion of vocal prowess. Operatic History bears out the fact that opera was always measured by "Voice, Voice, and Voice." There is NO relationship to thespian skills which covers for a lack of technique which is precisely why opera was popular when the ONLY access for many Americans to listening to the great singers of the past was the "RADIO. Goodday

[singspiel35]

well said. thank you!

[rm946]

iwannafuckjkrez: Gigli acted with his voice. How many singers now can even claim that? When I watch the supposedly great Jose Cura at Covent Garden today, I don't see (not to mention hear) a dramatic artist. I see a man shouting melodically.

p.s. the person you accuse of having 'a bad perception of modern houses' is one of the finest sopranos I have ever heard.

[rm946]

And as for 'the fact is the audiences are smarter' today, that's just amazingly patronizing to our elders. People are as smart today as they were in the past. Unless you really are 107, I'm quite confident that you never saw Nellie Melba peform. Why are these singers so famous so many years later? Because they were damn good, that's why. I'm 22, a student singer, and I think there's nobody in my generation to compare to the likes of Gigli. Many singers would agree with me.

[Andante735]

Finally someone who knows the truth, and at 22 no less.

[justabrit]

Yes i agree with you ..and may he be a good insperation for you in times to come ...

[diomipoteviscagliar]

Agree. He only using his arms.

[orlando098]

@JuillHope17

Most operas are hardly very realistic anyway; most opera fans don't go for the acting, but hoping to hear great singing. If you want great acting you can go to see a play. Something well acted but with mediocre singing would always be less preferable to seeing a great singer, who maybe doesn't completely look the part he's playing or move around the stage particularly dynamically etc but sings beautifully.

[tenorotti]

The great Italian tenor I was refering to was Gianni Raimondi.

[tenorotti]

The great italian tenor told me that one cannot imagine what the word tenor means if you hadn't heard Gigli. For him not only was he the greatest tenor he ever heard in his lifetime but the greatest singer ever. He said the voice was enormous and his F naturals could make the public go nuts, they were so large.

[viverito]

Why is the average rating here only 4 stars? What kind of a dummy would give this less than 5 stars?

[MARIADECORONADO]

bravo!

[796824]

There will never be another Gigli, the greatest.

[emiliano52]

A medical advice free of charge: Listen to this aria at least once a week and your nerves and mood will improve.......

[RudySunseeker]

Such power and voice control. For me, Gigli is the best italian. If he was emotional at times, what is opera for?

[dwa8167]

wow

[Checco1983]

The best lyrico-spinto ever ! Absolutely !

[green07094]

Wow! Such passion....

[999best]

Bravo, Gigli, bravo !!!!!!!!!

[paulostroff99]

Bravo!

[maldoror26]

Thanks!

[arone64]

Dio mio!Fantasico!If could sombody post Guardate Pazzo son from film Du bist mein gluck?

[aguacun]

Bellisimo!

[mariomandini87]

fantastico

[davcos22]

Gigli is a master, lovely voice. Pavarotti took some details of his singing way, if you listen carefully, you will see.

[796824]

The Art of singing from the Golden Age of Singers, no longer evident in the world of opera.There has been no one like Gigli since that era.

[Voic3mast3r]

Excellent Rendition!!! Bravo Maestro!!!

[justabrit]

This song got me ..i keep coming back for more..BRAVO this is hard one to follow..umm what is meant when you speak of sob in his song??

[Corenero]

He is one of a kind. Today that place is empty. I still wait Luciano...

[jukkendahl]

Today new singers can't do this. Gigli was a super star of his time. His voice was and still is one of our time most remakabe voices.

Look at the choir girls, they can't but staring at him!

[allinvideo]

If you compare a singer to a guitar player, Gigli is the Manuel Barrueco, the Andres Segovia of the bel canto. His technique is perfect, he doesn't leave any note "calante". Today the new singers forget how to do this.

[dustmondo45]

it's just fantastic!!!!

[goodrichjoseph]

fantastic!

[ramnnj]

Some film; besides Gigli there is Isa Miranda =his admirer in the wings, wringing her hands. Great acting

[ramnnj]

Anyone know what opera house is show in this film?

[BristerHay]

it looks like the same opera house on front of the G. Schrimer scores

[Glenmed]

For Gigli fans (and I am certainly one) there is an excellent hour of him on one of the Handelmania podcasts - all reasonably sob-free!! On another of these podcasts Bergonzi, usually a model of non-sobbing, goes a bit overboard!

[ramnnj]

Does anyone know the name of this film, year it was made, anything at all.?

[Bondinero]

love hes "sob" love hes singing.

[blakemooney]

How do you get past such a beautiful voice? When Gigli reduced the amount of vocal warbling or exaggerated trilling at the end of a highly dramatic line in certain tenor arias--as in this aria--I believe Gigli was the greatest singer. But his perfect singing was ruined by a tendency to introduce a "sob" into an aria at what he deemed to be a necessary place for special dramatic expression. (continued)

[blakemooney]

(continued) He [Gigli] was wrong. Bjorling, Bergonzi, Schmidt, Peerce, McCormack, and Crooks, to mention just six, dropped all such pretenses. (NOTE: YOUTUBE'S counter is at odd with WORD and WordPerect which have similar "character counts." Youtube should finally fix this problem).

[xralph1968x]

sorry, I meant _francesco_ tamagno

[puukarhu]

Kyllä kiitos

[rowley555]

absolutely wonderful,