Robert Merrill talking about Jussi Björling

Robert Merrill talks about Jussi Björling. Swedish Television, 1977

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Jussi
• Björling
• Robert
• Merrill

[devastaticon]

well jussi could've meant the fact that it's his character leading the whole idea in this quartet, but it really looks like merrill didn't mean much by the comment anyway. he seems awesome

[Airbuzz]

Björling and Merrill were personal friends, so I guess Merrill didn't mean anything with his comments, no. It's all said with great love and respect I think.

[sgnmath1234]

Robert Merril is so NOT full of himself. What a pleasure! Just your normal Brooklyn kid who loved baseball.

[Airbuzz]

Merrill seemed like a very nice and down to earth guy indeed!

[Hailstone47]

Merrill reminds me of DeNiro

[stevevandien]

Merrill might have had the best baritone voice, balancing power and beauty perfectly, ever produced in America (I heard him live once, and he was wonderful, although this was late in his career and he was past his prime). And I love his Brooklyn accent! An all-American boy!

[TS57ovr4]

@Hailstone47 I know, right?

[semicroma]

@wattever333 they are saying something like (in swedish) : then he went in to the control room and wanted to hear a tune, and said "great" then we went and it was nothing more to it

[diarci]

Merrill has told that "Rigoletto" story several times in slightly different variations. The one I liked (in Merrill's book) is that when he asked Jussi about it, Jussi said, "But you see, the quartet it is my solo!)

[lawdavisut]

@tacfoley Bella figlia dell'amore from Rigoletto.

[stevevandien]

@99Gambo I've come around on Gobbi. Don't get me wrong; I always regarded him as a great artist. But for many years, I didn't rate him so high as a singer, because his acuti weren't so free and ringing as those that some of his contemporaries enjoyed. But upon hearing Gobbi's top again, it's certainly serviceable; and his intense, precisely-developed characterizations are some of the best in operatic history. Not to mention his voice's sheer thrust and (also) its fine mezza voce:) --

[tacfoley]

Can somebody tell me the name of the four part aria at the end of this interview?

tac

[lpizzella]

Merril cantaste con Bjorling, un lujo que pocos tuvieron. Un baritono acorde para el que fue el mas grande de los tenores de la historia de la Opera.

[jhb134]

Thanks, Airbuzz ... and to Robert Merrill. Robert explained the hows/whys of how certain takes were made, when there were options to accepting/rejecting them!

[jojojo943]

@99Gambo

no. great acting singer, but not so great a singing singer.

[wattever333]

0:15-0:20 WTH was that?