Lawrence Tibbett sings " Eri tu "

[schlusnus]

Very fine singing and I see much in Titi Gobbi's voice as similar, to me he's best in opera

compared to musical songs,

[TerryNio55]

Listen to this one ;)

Pavel Lisitsian - Eri tu (1952)

[jcab2323]

he is great but... but Ettore Bastianini!!!

[IRA77GEOTENORE]

Best after R.

[IRA77GEOTENORE]

the best nonRuffo version

[SatchmoSings]

On the recommendation of some of the other posters, I made it a point to check out Georg Ots' version of this.

Ots', I hate to admit handles this aria better; he's the better singer.

Still, Ots' voice is not dark enough and I think Tibbett still projects a much better actor, even though we're just hearing his voice and not also seeing him.

[hswatnik]

a great star-

[65attila]

My favorite version of this aria.

The voice is rich and full from top to bottom and the interpretation is filled with sadness and anger.

[lastofdmelocchians]

The Absolute Greatest/Best Baritone ever!!!

[francesca7564]

Voilà qui s'appelle chanter *****

Grand merci pour le post !

[thebluebunny1]

this guys eyes look like they could melt ice

[SatchmoSings]

@thebluebunny1 Tibbett did very well with the ladies; when he died, his sons found all these little booklets where he'd written down all the women he'd slept with.

Once, one of his sons talked to him about a woman he was considering marrying; his father demurred about his choice, hemming and hawing until the older man finally revealed to his son that he'd slept with her some years before!!!

[thebluebunny1]

@SatchmoSings oh those musicians lol

[Lovelytenor1]

True, greater voices have sung this & they deserve their place. This, however, is more believeable as a betrayed/tortured husband. The meaning of it all goes thru the ears & taps the listeners soul.

[inter215]

Tibbett's voice does sound light here but in other recordings (Il Tabarro e.g.) he sounds like a cavernous bass. Funny how different a voice can sound depending on the recording technique and recording conditions. Nevertheless this is a very well sung version of Eri Tu and I doubt that anyone on the stage today is singing it as well as Tibbett does here.

[OperaBaritoneJoe]

nope

[Leopardikekko]

Ots' voice is not so "big", but I think he uses more giftly other chances to tell the story of the piece. That's still only my opinion, and nowadays I respect Tibbet more than a year ago.

[Leopardikekko]

Perhaps I'm wrong. Recording techniques were quite poor those days, and I do believe that Tibbet was one of the greatest singers of his era. You are right, I'm not an opera specialist, but I think there is more soul and passion in Ots' voice. The voice of Georg Ots hasn't so much power and he's not so dramatic, but with all respect I still prefer Ots' version.

[klokheten]

The tonal quality of a real Renato.

Tibbett acts with his voice and everything,

every second is important and full of emotion.

[phatphace]

In a perfect world, the tenors would be Swedish, the baritones American and the bassists and oktavists would be Russian. Not at all to be taken seriously, just a passing thought...

Brilliant rendition of Eri Tu btw, certainly in contention for the best.

[kizmania1]

seriously awesome

[MrFluffypoop]

HVOROSTOVSKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bodiloto]

@MrFluffypoop HVOROSTOVSKY ??????????????

50 Hvorostovsky insieme fanno 1 LAWRENCE TIBBETT e ancora !

50 Hvorostovsky vmeste oni rovno 1 LAWRENCE TIBBETT !

[gratecourt]

Oh my goodness. Never heard this.  Thanks for sharing.

[caribolas]

great singing. Other baritones who cannot perform such mezza voce shouldn't even be compared.

[otrebor612]

Tibett, the first great american baritone. Before him, all of them were "imported". His Boccanegra in unsurpasable. His succesors: Warren, Milnes & Hampsom

[meltzerboy]

Another successor is Merrill.

[redsox2213]

.......u mean Merril was his successor, right?

[stevevandien]

Great singer, great voice, great technique, great interpretation --

[Rigelcentauri58]

Beauty...just beauty.

His art is like blooming Nature.

He himself IS Opera.

Such a Rich voice touches Heaven.

[adiventini]

Cerca di ascoltare anche Nicolae Herlea

[Twilightsire]

2:00 is that Leonardo di Caprio?^^

[mrm4xim4m]

no its Tibbett, thye do look alike you're right.. both scorpios too!

[tomtallis]

It is telling to listen to the brass in this recording. We all know what a brass section sounds like, and it sounds the same today as it did when this recording was made (anyone know when that was BTW?). The brass sounds tinny and small in this recording. If we assume similar distortion of Tibbett's sound, and adjust our ears accordingly (simply listen to the difference of the brass in this recording and in more recent ones) his true sound must have been spectacular.

Bravo

[blakemooney]

Well when I isolate Tibbett's voice on select arias I feel without question he was the greatest baritone living. Even when several baritone giants are included--Ruffo, Merrill and Warren--Tibbett wins in my heart and soul. But what a fight that would start!

[Leopardikekko]

That was only my opinion. I think Tibbett's voice sounds histerical, and in higher octaves his voice sounds unclean and thin. Georg Ots can sing even high octaves cleanly. No matter how old the recording is, you can hear well the most important things of singing.

[youchowchow]

Hermoso. Great. Listen on youtube the version of Ricardo Yost. You'll enjoy that. Then say me. Sorry for me english.

[lastofdmelocchians]

Thin & small Leopardikekko? I heard Ots's version & I think U like baritones that R very "ringy" sounding. Ots's voice doesn't have much body in it. U have 2 also remember WHEN he recorded this. I don't know how U'r hearin' it but it's far from thin & small! It's a gorgeous, flexible, emotional, big & effortless voice:) Check out the clip where Tibbett sings w/Moore from the film "Under your spell." It's "live" & effortless & only being picked up by old studio movie mics from the late 30's!

[Leopardikekko]

Version of Georg Ots is much better. Tibbet's voice sounds thin and small.

[primobaritono]

Wow...lol...

[OKelleyPaidir]

@Leopardikekko You just described Lawrence Tibbett's voice as "thin and small"... I am in shock that anyone had the nerve to say that...

[abracadabranque]

@Leopardikekko Bien sûr...Une vraie fillette..!

Ton jugement n'est pas très épais non plus...

[francesca7564]

@abracadabranque

:-) *****

[Cavaradossi1981]

Tibbett was the leading baritone of his generation together with Leonard Warren,Frank Valentino and John Charles Thomas.There is also a wonderful comlete recording from 1955 with Robert Merrill as Renato (live from the MET!),conducting Dimitri Mitropoulos.This is my absolute favourite recoding of "Ballo".'There are also 2 more fantastic recordings:with Paolo Silveri, cond.Vittorio Gui (live Edinburgh 1949) and the other with Bastianini and Cerquetti (live, Firenze 1957).

[TommyHaegin]

Rightfully considered as one of the truly outstanding baritones ever. There is something very touching in his singing.

[primobaritono]

Of course you are entitled to your opinion, but be sure of the fact that most people who know something about this artform disagree with you completely.

[HansHottest]

I think the Ruffo version is quite better, mainly because of pitch (this version has some flat notes, but very slight). But to say that this is a bad singer is almost crazy.

Another thing, what are the false vocal chords? I know that theere are in the throat false vocal folds, but I tought that they where unnable to produce an operatic sound. Please explain for the untrained in superior liric singing (as you might be).

[tagliavini]

You cannot compare your perception of Ruffo with Tibbett as the technology involved is such an important factor in the easthetic and they were from different technological eras. Although I understand what you are suggesting I think

[Agorante]

There are no "false vocal folds" as separate structures. Check any anatomy source. Falsetto is acheived by using only the edges of the vocal cords.

[makswen]

@ItellLosersOff What a moron!

[jacquesurlus]

Quelle classe, quelle noblesse. Il me rapelle

Ricardo Stracciari et Carlo Tagliabue.

[cyfieithydd]

Tibbett here is amazing. It is always impossible to say who is "best", for personal taste has to play a part. But listening to this, the voice is wonderfully free when loud, and the piano singing is also exemplary. Thank you!

[fordy42]

The best non italian baritone of his day. Has anyone heard of a russian baritone called Pavel Lisitsian. He also has a great voice and sings this piece extremely brilliant

[shellac78]

very impressive indeed, he reminds me of my favourite baritone Tito Gobbi. And yes, I like Lisitsian very much, his technique and range is really superb. I heard "Pique dame" and "di provenza" of him. Wonderful! Try of the russian tenors "Georgi Vinogradov" especially airs from Manon.

[canzonettasullaria]

this was "my first" eri tu. since that time - long ago - i love the great lawrence tibbett.

[finidi72]

¡Qué elegancia!, ¡cómo es capaz de desetrañar toda la angustia de Renato con un fraseo y legatto extraordinarios! Una forma de cantar que ha pasado a la historia por desgracia. Muchas gracias ppor el video Primobaritono.

[MrCafiero]

Ruffo sings it better, but Tibbett is certainly great here. Also, MacNeil sings it amazingly well.

[primobaritono]

Why do you think Ruffo sings it better ?

[MrCafiero]

Don't get me wrong, Tibbett is awesome here. However, Ruffo's voice is more open, freer, bigger, and the top notes bloom more. The things that Ruffo does when singing this aria are beyond what other baritones could do. That is why De Luca called his voice a miracle. Many baritones sing well and few sing as awesome as Tibbett, but the quality of sound that Ruffo gets in terms of efficiency, openness, power, core in the sound, is unsurpassed.

[primobaritono]

Fair enough. Ruffo is one of the greatest, no doubt. However he is incapable of singing that low A and he never mastered the pianissimo as Tibbett did. His vibrato speeds up too much at times as well. Still, I can fully understand why you care for Ruffo so much.

[MrCafiero]

Ruffo had great pianissimi. Listen to his recording of Era la notte or Visione Veneziana. Ponselle even said that he had amazing pianissimi, but the audiences wanted to hear the full forte all the time which disappointed Ruffo. I agree that his vibrato is fast, however it is personal taste if you don't like it so fast. Very few pieces go down to a low A, but his high A was better than everyone as was his voice from Bb up. That is where most of the singing is.

[meltzerboy]

I fully agree that Ruffo stands apart. I haven't listened to his recording of "Eri tu" in a while (has it been posted on YT?), but I seem to recall his opening words (Eri tu) have an inner quality of disbelief and remorse that only he captures. I think Gobbi is also a contender, at least interpretatively, though his voice has much beauty in this aria as well. But Ruffo's interpretation, as well as his technical singing, is magnificent.