R. Tebaldi & R. Tucker "Vicino a te" Andrea Chenier

[profgv2011]

I agree Mr. SHICOFF1 No soprano can with possibly one exception. Arroyo in the grand scene from Aida she matched him at the great high C moment.

[SHICOFF1]

No Soprano ever drowned him out. The last note he sings must have been heard in the street!

[adolfoa1961]

@SHICOFF1 Sorry but nobody noticed that the most bright tones of the woman voice mark the top of the sharp sound the of recorded of the TV used at that time ? Richard Tucker had not a bigger voice than Renata Tebaldi. Listen the '56 Chicago Chenier final duet also in youtube. Aside that , in the 1957 Andrea Chenier studio version Tebaldi breaks into ashes Del Monaco and Tucker voice was not bigger than Del Monaco voice at all !

[31122051]

LA PERFEZIONE ASSOLUTA !!!

Sublimi entrambi !

Grazie !

[VinylToVideo]

Imagine one night being able to hear the top opera singers of the day (more like of the century) on a show like this and then the next night being able to hear someone else like perhaps Elvis on the same show. What a hell of a time that would of been to grow up in. I feel like I've been shortchanged.

[ThePavafan]

Match her??????? He drowned her on every note they sung together.

[Dymension]

@ThePavafan Even if he had only matched, that would be a feat by itself. The fact that he better that challenge makes it all the more remarkable.

[SHICOFF1]

the reason she seemed a few inches taller as was commented on here was that she wore high heels and he never ever wore raised heels like many tenors did and she was slightly taller then tucker to start with.

[2groomers]

BRAVO!

[topmeat69]

Tebaldi said Karjan asking her to sing that part over and over and over again fatigued her voice so much , she had to cancel her following concert,"I never forgave him for it" she said in the video........and Karjan used the FIRST take on the record, DUH !!! noone knows the music OF the soloist better THAN the soloist, conductors are NOT GOD

[VinylToVideo]

It doesn't get any better than this!

[SFOtter]

While they are no match for the acting skills of today's singers, they certainly placed great attention to their vocal production. I love their recordings for that reason. Beautifully matched in this performance. How I long for the days when you could see high brow art on sunday evenings with ed sullivan.

[Cantormatis]

I never realized she was that much taller than he was. But Tucker sounds great here- I think better than she does in this particular performance. Don't get me wrong- I LOVE TEBALDI. But this isn't my favorite recording of her.

[halavey]

Kurt Baum's, big voice and perhaps not beautiful, thats up to you but Tucker? Well again it's all personal we all hear things differently.

[halavey]

You don't need a big voice like Tebaldi had to be heard with a big tenor etc. I have heard Dorothy Kirsten carry on a high note or Roberta Peters with Corelli because they had point on top and that can cut through. Jussi Bjorling did not really have a powerhouse voice but he had that point and so he could sing roles like Don Carlo and Manrico. Tucker had a big voice and point, listen to his last note. Del Monaco was a true dramatic tenor and I heard his Otello in 59' in house, it was great.

[halavey]

The comment tucker"s voice was not beautiful is just not true, in the house and on certain good sounding you tube's it was always beautiful-- the sound here is not great but it's TV in 57. Tucker's voice was big and beautiful and his top easily matched any soprano he sang with, even Nilsson live. You don't get paid the highest fee for a tenor at the met in 1962 or sing 30 roles over 700 times at the met alone in 30 years and sing in Italy too fine reviews with a voice any less then Beautiful.

[laxjetbear]

@halavey His diction, enunciation, and phrasing are perfection. He was not anything to look at, I'll give you that, and, as Canio, certainly makes you understand why folks are afraid of clowns. But the voice cannot be denied. It is not a matter of taste--it was just great. There is a very famous story about Corelli coming to Tucker, asking him how to sing Cavaradossi in Tosca, to which Tucker replied, "Well, Franco...to sing Italian opera, you have to be Jewish!".

[sugarbist]

@laxjetbear Tucker created beauty thru this voice and was also a gentleman.

[MrCafiero]

I wish Tebaldi would have been facing the same direction as Tucker. AMAZING singing.

[HChambers60]

Listen to Corelli and Tebaldi sing this duet in 1966 on the Ed Sullivan Show and compare. They too are a remarkable team.

[TheValdoro]

wonderful Tebaldi and Tucker together were combustable. Tucker being one of the few singers to be able to match Tebaldi note for note. Remember BJorling said that singing with Renata was like singing with two sopranos at once.when Karjan recorded the Triumphal scene in the Famous Aida he made poor Renata sing it 20 times and printed the last take. beacaus her voice always came over orchestra and chorus so loud and clear.poor Karajan , he could not defeat Renata!!

[paternostro63]

Yes I read maestro Karajan made sing 12 times the complete triumphal scene with the two ensemble scenes in Karajan's Aìda in Sofiensal Vienna september 1959 and all the soloists complained.However even in the last take Tebaldi gets her way I mean she obliterates all the soloists, the chorus and all the instruments.I would like Decca let the first takes to be published, I think it would be very exciting too

[paternostro63]

yes Tebaldi series of high B are unbeleivable huge and of great beauty at the same time, I never heard another soprano who had what Tebaldi had.

Tucker voice was very big too but it wasn't beautiful.Mario Del Monaco was Tebaldi's greatest partner

[adolfoa1961]

Tebaldi is the greatest soprano voice ever.Nobody had what she had

[halavey]

I knew him very well and thats what he did and so what as you say who would take teeth out and in fact be able to sing, they would have sludge for words. The guy who made the comment is trying to be funny, another comment, maybe his said Tucker took nitro pills in his mouth before he sang but that was vicks cough drops also. I heard Beczala in the opera house he was very good, his voice a good size lyric on top carries well with no bad habits I wish him a long fine career and he has it now.

[ShawDAMAN]

Thanks for the review of Beczala, hopefully I'll get to hear him.

[halavey]

By the way I read a comment about Lanza that he held his hands like pitch forks which has nothing to do with his singing whether you like his sometimes Hollywood renditions of opera or not, his early live concerts in the mid 40's where very well sung with a fine lyric voice, later he did some not so fine operatic aria recordings and some good ones a year before he died like the last vesti he sang for the public and still got Domingo, Jose C and myself interested in opera, we are grateful.

[halavey]

By the way-- the silly issue of teeth, RT and NOBODY ELSE CAN SING OPERA WITHOUT TEETH so you either never saw him in London or you are making stuff up, you have to understand he used VICKS COUGH DROPS WHEN HE WAS GOING TO SING OFTEN FOR HIS THROAT, SO BEFORE HE SANG HE MAY HAVE SPIT IT INTO A HANKY BUT NOT HIS TEETH. I HAVE 2 FRIENDS WHO BOTH SANG AT THE MET FOR YEARS AND AGREE NO TEETH NO SING.

[ShawDAMAN]

Cough drop sounds more plausible and I doubt he would be so uncouth as to take his teeth out before an audience anyway.

[halavey]

If you did not hear him in the house then it's really not really an opinion I would rely on, his live in house sound was fantastic but of course some will not agree, I am not a lover of some voices I have heard on radio and rec. but then when I heard them live in house myself it was different so since I never heard people like Masini or Pertile in house it's hard to judge and as far as Lanza he had a great voice in semi popular songs and some arias

[halavey]

HIS hIGH C WITH HER IN THE 59 Lescaut duet at the met WAS TERRIFIC AND VERY BIG AND WHAT DO TEETH HAVE TO DO WITH SINGING, CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING BUT THE VOICE.

[ShawDAMAN]

This is a fantastic performance right here, I love him during this period of his career especially and they were very good together. Its OK to just not like the voice very much, to be honest I never did fall in love with the color of the voice itself but I've learned to love it because his singing was generally of such very high quality. The teeth thing is unnecessary and has nothing to do with his singing. It is a bit amusing though if it's true, hehe.

[halavey]

Tucker with or without teeth was the greatest spinto tenor of all. I can't help a stupid comment about his teeth, some people are nasty and should drop the remarks, personal attacks are not necessary they just show ignorance, if I don't like a tenor I don't listen. Sounds  foolish talking about teeth.

[jamesjmertins1]

Tebladi was always good in this. Tucker was a great tenor I suppose but I can't stand the sound, I know it's me but I will never like this voice. Saw him sing La Juive in London , he took his teeth out and put them in a handkerchief before starting to sing.

[jampudd1]

i know what you mean

i saw the great ventriloquist sandy powell do the same with his teeth at the Hippodrome in 1945.

the strains of vesti la giubba coming from his pocket was really wierd.

[promptersbox]

An amazing lie. Can you really be that ignorant?

Answer: YES

[GermanOperaSinger]

Tebaldi and Tucker's voices blended together very well. It was always magic when they sang together.

[URLy2Rise]

This brings home what a great loss it is that we no longer have the Ed Sullivan Show or any variety show like it to give performances of the best, those at the top of their game, or the most popular professionals in their various fields.

[girardje70]

great tenor and great soprano

[jonaspiano]

maravilhoso

[claraprellitensky]

Tebaldi is the greatest and most perfect soprano voice.A vocal glory

[iongalleriu]

Thank's for the videos. La Tebaldi, in my opinion, is the greatest soprano voice in italian opera.

By the way listen to Shirley Verrett singing Santuzza. Very good. Ion

[pearlmuth3]

The speed may be slightly off in the chicago duet but the sound is great and without being cut it still is great to hear and this of course is terrific.

[jmccracken1963]

OUTSTANDING - all I can add is "WOW!!!!!" Thank you so much for posting this remarkable document. If you want to hear another take on Tucker and Tebaldi in an equally remarkable complete "Chenier," search for the Met broadcast of 3/26/60 - it's out there on LP masquerading as "Buenos Aires" on HRE and MAY now be available on CD.

[pearlmuth3]

HE WAS FIVE FOOT SEVEN INCHES TALL AND i WAS BACKSTAGE AFTER HE SANG MANY TIMES. HE WAS MY SAME HEIGHT FIVE SEVEN AND OF HUSKY BUILD WITH A LARGE CHEST ABOUT 180 LBS.

[pearlmuth3]

yes, I agree with you it is outstanding and I had the pleasure of hearing him sing this live in the house but it was not with Tebaldi to bad, she was great here. He was outstanding when I heard him do it after this in later years.

[tuerquita11]

which was Tucker height? I think he wasn't short

[pearlmuth3]

Yes I understood you perfectly but I was sorry they did cut it but glad to have it , the sound on my VHS copy of this is better as I originally bought it many years ago but still I am glad this is out and even though the Chicago speed is fast I still am glad to have it also defective or not with the extra singing, he also sang the opera in perfect studio sound in 1958 on a met record club label of course at correct speed, very rare with Mary Curts-verna.

[pearlmuth3]

Sad they recorded on different labels and for that reason we have to hear them together live and they sang together very often live, he loved being paired with her and she felt that way about him. They really liked each other and I have read articles she wrote in Time magazine where she has great praise for Tucker, both where RT!

[pearlmuth3]

The cut on this show was at 2:12 Chicago at that point because of speed was at 2:32 but not cut of course except at the end, no bass.

[bisigato]

I think you didn't understand me.The tape of nov '56 Chicago is sharp, it is a defect of the copy.

On this march '57 Telecast the audio tape of the Telecast is in the perfect pitch and both Tebaldi and Tucker are in glorious voice in absolutely top form.Never mind there is a cut in "salva una madre...Maddalena all'alba...".this '57 Telecast is an outstanding, remarkable document.Amazing RT nad RT "live"

[pearlmuth3]

Checkout the post from vinyltovideo on the right for a comparison, I believe it also is very fine and in good sound, only a few months apart, the other was 11/10/56 I believe.

[bisigato]

Both Tebaldi and Tucker are in superb form in nov '56 Chicago and in this march '57 New York Telecast.BUT the copy of VinylToVideo of nov '56 Chicago isn't in the right pitch, it is speeded up, of course it is a defect of the source

[bisigato]

Fortunately the source of this video of '57 march Ed Sullivan Chenier Telecast is in perfect pitch

[pearlmuth3]

Yes the sound on the Chicago version I supplied to vinyl to video is much better and not so cut. Tucker always sang it as written (near the end) and was singing instead of Bjorling in Chicago with her because Jussi was sick.

[MusicaParola]

Sublime singing. Time constraints on the Sullivan show resulted in this abridged version; their live performance a year earlier in Chicago is truly magnificent.

[bisigato]

Tebaldi series of fff high Bs natural are thrilling.Her very big voice becomes even bigger on top, huge and she has steel in her voice.The earlier Chicago duet was only 4 months earlier , this is New York march 1957 and Chicago was nov, 1956

[bisigato]

I have pitched it.Tebaldi sings a do bemole in the last "Amor!".It is un unbeleivable full body gigantic note, one of the biggest notes I ever heard came out from a troath.

[A7sogno]

two giants, great souls. what amazing singing,.

[timkendal]

had she hurt a hand?  why does she keep it hidden?

[VivaTebaldi]

Two great voices - Superb singing -

Thanks for posting this.

[mrrk]

This is what great singing is all about. Fantastic.