stevevandien's channel

Singher's accent made his English so elegant:) --

Having said that, I have always been a HUGE fan of Joe Frazier. I loved his aggressiveness, his underrated defensive skill (that thrilling bob and weave) that complemented his ability to take a powerful punch, AND his ability to dish 'em out, plus his sheer courage. All those qualities combine...

Lea was a fine singer, with a good voice and fine style. I'd hardly call her "The High Priestess of Popular Song," as her website does. But an artist well worth attention and respect.

Bottom line: JL stopped singing in public because she was no longer satisfied with her singing. She wasn't meeting her own standards, which were higher than anyone else's. She might have been wrong, but her decision deserves respect, especially since so many others have kept performing far, fa...

Terrific performer, and overwhelmingly sexy --

A true Italianate dramatic tenor. Wonderful balance between chiara and scuro, with extraordinary acuti as well. Thanks so much for this post -- looking forward to more of TLM's recordings:) --

Hagegard is a lyric baritone, not a bass-baritone. I have heard him in person, and the voice is sizable, but its fach is definitely baritone.

A great artist at his best.

Blanc was a fine artist, probably the best French operatic baritone of his generation. His voice was large and powerful, with a rich and sensual timbre:) --

I've loved Merrill's voice since my childhood. I first heard him on the Firestone Christmas albums during the mid-1960s. What a rich and lovely instrument, and so freely produced. That huge, powerful and BEAUTIFUL sound just poured forth, seemingly without effort:) --

A year before his death, JM sounds fresh and full -- he's also strikingly slim:) --

I must first issue a caveat: I never heard either of these great tenors in person.

With that on the table, I favor Corelli. His voice was rounder and warmer, with a greater technical capacity for lyrical and mezza-voce singing, than Del Monaco's.

On the other hand . . . MDM's enormous, bronze so...

One of the great tenors:) -

A true Italian tenore di forza, with an underrated technique. Corelli at his best combined soaring acuti with theater-shaking fortes with lovely mezza-voce singing. Grand opera at its best:) --

@stevevandien By the way, feel free to call me either "Steve" or "Steven."

But nobody, including my much-loved mother and father, has referred to me as "Stevie" since I was five years old. So I'll thank you not to do so in the future:).

I grant that this video does not reflect the best contemporary technology. But in what sense can it otherwise be considered "dated?"

I don't know why some maintain that Faulkner's voice was whiny. I just don't hear that after listening to several recordings of him either reading or speaking off the cuff. His voice was tenor, to be sure, but it strikes me as generally full, not thin.

This man was obviously a great karateka. I'm just puzzled by the nickname "LaPuppet."

Puppets are lifeless. When manipulated by highly-skilled puppet masters, puppets give the illusion of life.

So nicknaming one after a puppet suggests that one has no life unless manipulated by someone else. ...

M. Thill was one of the great tenors. A big, handsome, vibrant and very well-used voice, at the service of an artist with a very impressive interpretive range, encompassing Verdi, Puccini and Wagner as well as the work of French composers.

@jacksonhudgins Brendan Behan, whom we might regard as Ireland's answer to Dylan Thomas, said late in his all-too-short life: "I'm a drinker with a writing problem."

Sir John was one of the most distinguished and powerful speakers of English during the past 100-odd years.

Gielgud was 92 when he recorded this commercial. Not surprisingly, his voice, so magnificent for so long, had lost resonance. But his unique timbre remained intact; and he still treated ev...

"Niggers all work," etc., were part of the original lyrics. Wasn't taboo to use them in the 1920s and 30s, before they became "Colored folks work," etc.

Like many baritones, Tibbett here takes this great song up a note. Some in this fach, however (Robert Merrill comes to mind) sang it superb...

@WMP777 Antonio Paoli's recordings and especially his "Otello" excerpts are very impressive. I first read about Paoli circa 1983 via Jerome Hines' "Great Singers on Great Singing," but his records back then proved hard to come by. Finally heard parts of his Otello and Chenier about two years ag...

@MrSamySara Please define those REAL issues. So that we might also determine your familiarity with the NRA, please tell us why this is "an organization of fanatical nutjobs." Please tell us as well why they are "lunatics."

I'm assuming you wouldn't make such a loaded statement without knowing th...

This is MCC's most powerful album. It's full of rich, powerful observations and statements about the nature of love that embraces romance, yet goes beyond it:) --

Rodriguez at his best had a major-league voice:) --

THE greatest Italian/Italianate tenor of the last two generations. A huge, vibrant, exciting and FREE sound, with high notes to spare and much more skill at varying dynamics than most tenores di forza or tenores robusto, before or since:) --

One of the best Italian spinto tenors of his generation. A passionate artist, with a powerful and exciting voice:) --

Granted, Masini wasn't very subtle. But his voice and renditions were heartfelt and exciting:) --

Some have suggested that London's voice was unappealing, even ugly. I don't understand. To my rather experienced ears, this voice at its best perfectly balanced tonal beauty with power and expressiveness, not to mention a wide-ranging technique, regarding both dynamics and compass:) --

More's the pity, but I've never heard Kauffmann in the flesh. His recordings suggest the voice has ample size for the big roles, with a timbre suitable to dramatic AND certain lyric parts. But he sounds a little dry and throaty before ascending to higher dynamics and the acuti.

I reiterate, howev...

Prevedi's career coincided with those of the last great generation of grand Italian and Italianate operatic tenors, including Corelli, Del Monaco, Tucker and Bergonzi, plus the young Domingo and Pavarotti. That is at least part of the reason why he didn't receive the recognition he deserved.

W...

Kipnis does not sound like a tenor here. No question that his speaking voice is much lighter than his singing instrument. Nothing all that unusual there; many dramatic singers do not command dramatic speaking voices (check out Corelli during interviews, for example:). But his speaking PITCH is...

Man. When was this compiled? Didn't know Jerry spoke French at all, much less this well.

@aseventh Good grief. I hadn't any idea that Rivers was NOT in the HOF. If anybody belongs there, he does, for frick's sake.

@codecracker33 That's good, man, glad to hear it. Hang in there:) --