Nicola Rossi-Lemeni "Ella giammai m'amo" Don Carlo

[DonPaolissimo]

Great characterization & even if he is "only" a bass-baritone, he sounded wonderful!

[stefanbassi]

I really have to disapoint you BorisGoudunov. Lemeni really didn't have any low notes, simply because he wasn't a bass but a baritone by nature. He simply chose to sing bass parts because he found them far more interesting charactervise. And as a singing actor he was superb. You want an example of how bad his low notes were? The Filippo - Inquisitor duett between him and Giulio Neri on the latter's recital cd issued by Preiser should do it. He simply barks out a nearly inaudible sound.

[stefanbassi]

I really have to disapoint you BorisGoudunov. Lemeni really didn't have any low notes, simply because he wasn't a bass but a baritone by nature. He simply chose to sing bass parts because he found them far more interesting charactervise. And as a singing actor he was superb. You want an example of how bad his low notes were? The Filippo - Inquisitor duett between him and Giulio Neri on the latter's recital cd issued by Preiser should do it. He simply barks out a close to an inaudible sound

[acsorm]

I worked many times with him. Was a very god teacher and also very god singer.

One of the best actor.

And a very nice person.

[minnie888444]

There is definitely something wrong with the recording: maybe it was badly digitalized or something happened during uploading. Both he and the orchestra sound distorted. What a pity. Can you re-post?

[tenorismo]

He he he. Woooooo.

[louvet66]

Il est superbe, vocalement et théâtralement, mais la prise de son me gène parfois. Il y aurait comme une sorte d'écho ? Surtout dans le récitatif.

[Katiuszkasanda]

Quel bonheur d'entendre chanter avec une telle souplesse!La voix n'est jamais écrasée,elle plane en permanence ce qui lui permet d'avoir un "mi" final de toute beauté(pas évident pour les basses chantantes!).Sa sensibilité et ses nuances m'enchantent! A souligner la place de la voix exceptionnelle,jamais engorgée.Superbe!

[menglong1221]

bravo

[tenorismo]

He had a nice wooooo quality to his voice .

[colibridelapampa]

OH...Estupenda voz e interpretación!!! Me encantó.....aparte, la dirección orquetal está fantástica!!! Gracias Oneguin.

[nicopsico]

Que voz.. porque ahora no hay voces como esa?????????

[manumaltes]

Nicola Rossi-Lemeni made important recordings, nothing obscure about him at all. He is the basso on the first Callas Norma, also on Puritani and Turco in Italia.

He was as much a name Gobbi and Di Stefano. One of the bassos of his time along with Siepi.

[carloss63]

Thank You for posting this. The best recording of Rossi-Lemeni I ever heard. Very convincing and dramatic presentation of this Aria, althougt some lacks of Style, but very, very epressive.

Much better than Ramey, but not so beautiful voice as Siepi or Ghiaurov.

[Orfeus80]

Of the 'acting comes first' school. Interesting at first, tiresome shortly afterwards. Still prefer Siepi

[CharlotteinWeimar]

Nicola Rossi Lemeni had a Russian mother and an Italian Father. He was a principal Basso a la Scala in his mid twenties and very highly regarded. He had a serious illness when quite young from which vocally he never fully recovered. But he was a really great actor and had a long, successfu"l career. Pizetti wrote Thomas a Becket for him in his opera Murder in the Cathedral" and T S Eliot said he was the ideal Thomas he had imagined. Virginia Zeani is his wife.

[jdeslauriers]

well, actually, I'm an opera singer and in the same fach as he (we do the same roles). So, yes, it was stupidity on my part. I bet there are some obscure recordings somewhere. I must ask around. I've been getting myself in trouble by commenting on voices with bad recording quality. Funny, because all I listen to are the old singers on old recordings!

[jdeslauriers]

sorry... i hate it when baritones drop down to bass rep. So tired of it. He sounds wobbly. Just my opinion. I respect those that like him. But he's not my cup of tea.

[HeyMrA]

Good grief. He was NOT a baritone and never sang baritone rep. He was a prime example of the Italian Basso Cantante ("singing bass") as opposed to the typical blustering bass of today. One of the great all time performers! (this was obviously filmed when he was older)

[jdeslauriers]

really? I need to research him. I'm embarrassed i don't know him. oops. Just sounds thin to my ears... also, you know, if he is a huge dark voice, those voices just don't record well. My stupidity... sorry.

[HeyMrA]

:) Not stupidity, you just were unaware of that particular voice type, and the difficulty judging from these clips. It's a voice type rarely heard today. His voice was actually quite... generous... but he was always more interested in the drama and character than making pretty sounds. Unfortunately, his prime singing years would have been during WWII, so most of his recordings were done when he was older (many with Callas can be found).

[SteveBell1942]

This is simply not true. He was born in 1920 and made his debut in 1946 so his best years were certainly not behind him as a result of the war. His singing range was baritone but the tone colour was bass. He had a weak low register and even low F was a problem but he had a high extension. He even recorded baritone arias from WILLIAM TELL and NOZZE DI FIGARO for example. His training was faulty and his voice deteriorated quickly into hoarseness.

[HeyMrA]

What isn't commonly known is that his actual debut was before the war, not in '46. The years spent in Russia during the war took a big toll on him physically. Although his range also encompassed that of baritone, I personally heard him sing easy low Cs. A basso cantante is a true bass that has a much stronger high register than low. The technique and training had nothing to do with it. Top notch all the way. Too bad young singers today aren't allowed to develop into such engaging performers.

[SteveBell1942]

Rssi-Lemeni ducked low notes consistently and nothing can ever alter that. He ducked them in the recording studio (Nabucco arias) and when the notes were within his compass (Sonnambula, Forza, Puritani) they were breathy, unsupported and weak. A mile from bottom C!

[HeyMrA]

You're obviously mistaking what you want to call "ducking" for something technical. He never sang anything unsupported. His low range wasn't the cream of his voice, but that does not mean he wasn't a true bass or one of the greatest performers of his time. Recording at the time was not always the best circumstance, and often you got one take, good or bad (no digital "fixing"). These recordings were done AFTER his best years when he had already made his mark on the world's stages.

[SteveBell1942]

One example. 'Vi ravviso' from Sonnambula recorded early 50s. Tell me ifthat low note is 'supported' or not. Take the Prophesy from 'Nabucco' and tell me that lowest note is supported or not. I am not trying to denigrate a great great artist but we have to be truthful Also in the intro to that Nabucco he 'ducks' the low last note and substitutes an octave up again. That's 'ducking' in my books.

[Obaysch]

Despite the slams against this poster, he is correct. I knew RL and worship him, but the comment I had heard was that he possessed a superb low baritone, but chose to sing the bass roles because of the challenges theatrically. He also began his career extremely young and the voice had lost it's beauty by his early 40s. He had his father-in-law to promote his career, which pushed him on the international scene in his mid 20s. Great artist and man, but the criticism is fair.

[BorisGodunov]

I have a live recording of Don Carlo with Rossi-Lemeni, 1950s, and he sings the low notes with ease. His low F at the end of the Inquisitor scene is superb. Would you be able to cite examples (specific recordings) with these purported bad low notes?

[SteveBell1942]

I have cited a number already. He also misses the F in studio D.Carlos though it is clear from live in Tokyio. To say he never ducked is easily disproved. In 2 seperate recordings of 'Sperate o figli' from Nabucco he transposes the lowest note up an octave. The low note in Forza duet with Callas is breathed and the low note from the Nabucco 'Prophesy' is so weak it is almost inaudible. I am a great lover of this charismatic artist but not blind to what is easily proved.

[SteveBell1942]

Yes. On the Tokyo live Don Carlo he manages the low F. On the Cetra recording he does not. On the 2 recordings of Zaccaria's act 1 aris from Nabucco he transposes the lowest note up an octave. As Baron Ochs live with Pobbe he missed 2 low Ds and cannot even touch the low E at the end of Act 2 and substitutes a loud yawn. F was the absolute bottom on a good day and on a bad day it wasnt even that. Love the guy though. mesmeric.

[12010830]

it is just a telecast, but alive I heard him great great great in this and Boris what a night had been those colours in his voice he dares to break give sadness a voice unique...

[erin129]

oh my, what a voice. this has to be one of the best recordings of him i've heard. it was another era of singing, wasn't it? pretty breathtaking

[12010830]

yes he dares to have nightmare, singing a dream loud but from inside from the core of his heart, how sad could it be the man in power and lost alone in the middle of loneliness is it a pray? I think so