N. Gedda & R. Merrill "Solenne in quest'ora"

Jussi Bjorling Memorial Concert. Stockholm, 1985

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Opera
• Verdi
• La
• forza
• del
• destino
• Alvaro
• Nicolai
• Gedda
• Carlo
• Robert
• Merrill

[tobobba]

Thank God that this is recorded.. Bravo..I must now try to find Elisabeth Söderström singing "Jeg elsker dig". She started this consert with that song..Absolutly fantastic!

[OperaBCDC]

Just amazing for both of them. Thanks so much for posting. What a treasure.

[deutschefach]

I like this recording not because it is perfect but for what it shows. Both are tigers at the end of their big big days, so the leather is a bit worn around the edges. They are both singing at 440 which is higher than Verdi wrote for in his time. Merrill prefers a more veiled tone that is great as long as not too much air is put to it, otherwise it wobbles. Gedda hardly uses any dark timbre or cover. He thrusts rather than coos the pianos. Gedda may have been sick recently too.

[SatchmoSings]

Who is this tenor; he's so overwrought; try Corelli and Bastianini from the 1958 RAI telecast or even Caruso and Scotti from "the old days."

[0Gioacchino]

This is not very good singing from Gedda, unusual!!! Robert Merrill is wonderful, as usual.

[Beth29252]

I am a big fan of Robert Merrill, I have heard him do this a fair number of times my favourites being with Bjorling and Tucker, and I thought he did a great job here and gets the feel of this amazing duet better than Nicolai Gedda does. I do like Gedda, but to be honest I wasn't crazy about him here. I felt especially he could have have sung the beginning softer, and I agree there are times it doesn't feel like Alvaro is dying of his wounds.

[majlizN]

@XP11XP Excuse me, you´re right. I was there and listened to the concert in September 1985 and now I read the program again. Birgit Nilsson did sing Mario, Mario, Mario. This concert was a great experience!!

[XP11XP]

@majlizN Nilsson did sing at the concert, a duet from Tosca act 1 together with Corneliu Murgu. It was issued on the CD of the concert.

[majlizN]

No, Nilsson did not sing at this concert. Gedda isn't my favorite. But Winbergh is!!! Listen to him.

[Lovelytenor1]

@jamesjmertins NG is supposed to be dying of his battle wounds & he sings it as though he were riding INTO battle. He was a GREAT tenor but you are right.

[jamesjmertins]

Just awful and Gedda gets is words wrong all over the place.