Franco Corelli "Celeste Aida" -- LIVE with B-flat diminuendo

[Ivan85504]

Exuberant singing!

[jcab2323]

the disliker is a heavy fan of "the three tenors"..

[anacleto2011]

meraviglioso

[Petro645]

Bravo Franco Corelli! Many thanks to Roberta for posting and Tamara for sharing!

[SuperLuckydream]

A performance for the ages. Thank you for posting, dear Roberta.

[racheleleeba]

@SuperLuckydream Wouldn't it have been glorious to hear this in person...that unearthly, awe-inspiring final note floating off into the heavens.

[jcab2323]

definitely the best tenor..

[jorgepda]

wow. i'm speechless.

[OperaFanCantor]

Extraordinary, thanks for posting!

[slicksteve1943]

Yes, indeed, he did it live! I heard him do it during the MET tour in Dallas in 1971. Brought down the house and astounded two friends who had never heard anything like him!! Bravo, Franco!

[hazelssister]

I was at this performance in Cleveland. I am  his number 1 fan. Verdi and Corelli reign!

[marcoillatino]

Une merveille!!!Marco Balsamo.

[Baritanist]

100% control

[federic017]

Bellissima esecuzione di Celeste Aida romanza tra le più difficili nel repertorio Verdiano...grande Corelli...saluti

[xxavix2]

Es el mas grande en este papel, incomparable, y ése diminuendo en vivo.. hay que tenerlos muy bien puestos para hacer éso con ésa perfección y magnificencia.....

[petelovesbevsills]

The voice of a singing god who , quite honestly is without peer. Franco's voice was exciting and just so expressive.He never failed to deliver the goods. Bravo ! Thank you for these uplifting and incomparable uploads! What a glorious way to start the day!

[coryisawake]

Bravo!

[DonPaolissimo]

Absolute Perfection! And, to think that there are some unfortunate hearing-challenged people who didn't appreciate what a GOD this man was & the greatness that he representerously shared with us!

[TheOperadaddy2]

My Cleveland AIDA is with Nilsson. Is there also one with Price?

[racheleleeba]

@TheOperadaddy2

Frank Hamilton's Franco Corelli Discography of Opera Performances lists a Cleveland Aida with Nilsson on April 21, 1964. The performance with Price took place on April 28, 1967.

[stephenlord9]

where CAN one upload this whole performance?

[jorgepda]

if leontyne price was the soprano this must've been the perfect perfromance of aida. is there any way that i can get my hands on the recording of the complete opera?

[TheDarthsala]

Best Radamès in history!

[CraigFrancisSoto]

E meraviglioso ! One of the great dramatic tenors of any era. Mille grazie racheleleeba for sharing this wonderful performance with us. Bravissimo Corelli !

[minnie888444]

Leontyne Price was Aida, right?

[racheleleeba]

@minnie888444 Yes.

[Glenmed]

I am applauding and cheering. If I were a woman I would be swooning.

[racheleleeba]

@Glenmed Heh. I'm sure I would have swooned had I seen him in the costume at 2:57.

[WMP777]

I prefer the pirate recordings, Specially with Corelli. The voice is totally exposed and you can truly appreciate the technical resources of the artist. Nothing can be hidden, repeated or corrected with electronic manipulations.

The listener can learn the technique, the phrasing and the interpretative challenges that singing entails. Note how Corelli's wave of concentrated sound (squillo) overpower the recording devise. Phenomenal voice.

[dantitustimshu]

An ideal match of singer, song and role. The B flat diminuedo is miraculous. Thank you for posting, Roberta.

[ditogam]

Thank you dear Roberta for Phenomenal recording with such wonderful description... AMAZING!!!

[steakopera]

No other tenor could make that Bb diminuendo as significantly as Corelli.

[robertwbecker]

Hey, I was at this performance, Nilsson was Aida. Cleveland was Nuts over Corelli, the Met always had to bring Corelli to Cleveland. I think it was this tour, he cancelled Tosca, and we almost had a riot in the auditorium, one fan had to carried out of the hall he was so disruptive. Ah, those were the days!

[racheleleeba]

@robertwbecker You're so lucky! Actually, this particular date Leontyne Price was Aida. I may upload more if the audio is good. It's funny you mention his cancelling Tosca as I am working now on a Met Tosca in which he subbed for a sick Barry Morrell, and the audience was delirious with joy!

[WMP777]

After listening Corerlli's rendition of this demanding aria I went back to two old timers, Giacomo Lauri Volpi and Miguel Fleta. GLV used a voice mixtre in a delicate pianisimo before the squillante fortissimo. Fleta could do it at any dramatic moment with such ease and diversity of emotional colors that it was phenomenal given his heroic voice, But when it comes to hit a high B or C to maintain that cascade of sound in diminuendo it feels like a russian roulette. A musical high wire act.

[WMP777]

This historic pirate recording is a treasure. What Corelli accomplished technically

is incredible. The human voice is a gift from God.

[racheleleeba]

@WMP777 Absolutely.

[sospello]

Through all the coughing and scraping and inadequate acoustics and amateur recording comes the magic of this "Celeste Aida." Thank you.

[racheleleeba]

@sospello God bless all those people who snuck tape recorders into Corelli performances!