Battle of the Basses

The Phillip/Inquisitor duet remains popular because it offers up juicy opportunities for two basses to go head to head. Here's another.

Khovanschina is something of a mess. Its plot revolves around Peter the Great. But the Romanovs didn't allow him to be named on stage. So the plot is largely incomprehensible. Most of the characters are despicable and almost all of them die horribly.

Mussorgsky started it, Rimsky-Korsakov contributed as did Stravinsky, Ravel and Shostokovich. Incredibly it somehow works. Five heads are better than one it seems.

In this scene Ghiaurov storms about in the title role - the evil head of the rebelious musketeers. Burchuladze enters as Dosifei the head of the Old Believers.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Khovanschina
• Ghiaurov
• Burchuladze

[operacaster]

It's best to be a basso cantante if you want to sing the verdi roles. some of the russian and german roles are better suited to basses. but try singing hans sachs if you're a bass... i sang most of the verdi type roles, beethoven 9 and mahler 8 and verdi requiem and considered myself a bass/baritone or basso cantante. as i got older my voice dropped. it's mostly the color that counts unless you can't hit the notes..

[Agorante]

@operacaster

That's funny. As I have gotten older my voice has risen. I am more comfortable with high F#s and Gs now, while my low Cs and Ds have become gravelly. Maybe you're still too young? I auditioned for and was cast in my first baritone role when I was 64. I sometimes call this the Domingo effect - you live long enough and you become a baritone.

[Agorante]

@winnipoo1

Well you can make whatever pronouncements you like but in opera there are no working bassses who can't sing a high F. I happen to have the Schirmer Operatic Anthology for bass on my desk this afternoon. It has 41 bass arias from about thirty operas. A few of them don't have high Fs but most do or have them elsewhere in the role. There are also a couple high Gs or G flats. There are a couple low Es and one optional low D. A bass without a top F is unemployable.

[TheThomas599]

I really enjoy this video. So much that i come back to it every few days. Also, this scene in this production is more exciting than in the other production I found on youtube.

[reynaldomonterrey]

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING,SO INCREDIBLE POWER HOUSE BASS!!!!

[Metaleks]

Dat tenor.

[bibimir]

@07rabo1 The name is Khovanshchina :)

[JackYoony]

Beautiful!

[07rabo1]

WOW!!! What a passage from 3.08 to 4.10 !!!

What's the name of this opera??

[openmind5050]

Someone employed at 64 - At 60 then I can hope- openmind5050 has me singing Ol man river. That is about a year ago and since then I have been training to rid my voice of the phony Baritone quality - one full lyric basso here. But not singing f's etc all the time yet. Work on the middle and the edges will follow. Nice voices here - Luciano Neroni, Jose Mardonas, Mr Rammey of course, Ezio Pinza ans Shalapin - poor recording for these older Golden age singers unfortunately and Modesti, Siepi.

[xOEHLALA]

Lol at all the vocal range experts

[SinisterSkip]

Forgive me if it's a stupid question, but who's the guy in green? He's obviously not a bass, but man, he sings amazing as well!

[mrboombasticx]

That was amazing