Richard Tucker - Vesti la giubba - Live 1974

A 61 year old Richard Tucker sings Vesti la giubba from act I of Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci. This wound up as Tucker's last ever performance at the Metropolitan opera house as he died about a month later of a heart attack. He sings tremendously here. He had great technique and a voice that was built to last as a result, his voice aged very well.

Live 1974 - I Pagliacci - The Metropolitan opera orchestra conducted by John Nelson.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• richard
• tenor
• american
• jewish
• pagliacci
• canio
• opera
• italian
• vesti
• la
• giubba

[GermanOperaSinger]

Excellently sung for a tenor of any age, certainly at 61. The voice has lost some of the beauty it possessed back in the 1950-60s, but still as exciting as ever. Never mind this isn't the one I have, this is a different one. Are you sure this was THE last performance? Thanks for posting.

[Mooorhe]

I'm 99% certain this is THE last performance.

[VinylToVideo]

The easiest way to tell if this was Tucker's LAST performance with the Met is if Anna Moffo is the Nedda. If not but you're sure it's from 1974, the Nedda would have to be Atsuko Azuma.

[Mooorhe]

Anna Moffo is singing Nedda in this performance. I'm quite sure it is the last one.

[jmccracken1963]

What an outstanding and absolutely SEARING performance. Tucker IS Canio here. Thank you VERY, VERY much for sharing this with us. A great artist and a great MAN to the end of his life. Too bad he didn't live long enough to broadcast CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA and LES VEPRES SICILIENNES later that season, or UN BALLO IN MASCHERA and LA GIOCONDA the following season - or LA JUIVE in 1976-77!!!!!

[jmccracken1963]

In one of the Met intermission features from the tapes the Met and Texaco released in 1990, Tucker said that Mr. Bing had wanted him to sing Canio as early as the Quintero production in 1958, but that he had turned it down - too early in the day for Canio!! I'm glad he waited: he really did become the "aging, love-mad clown" that Zeffirelli wanted in this production. And we have the strike to thank for his 1970 broadcast, because that would have been McCracken on 12/6/69 otherwise!

[Bjoerrelli]

Compare this to Domingos singing in 1941+ 61=2002. Tuckers voice was always more open throated and more squillante then the overrated spaniard.

[petrina1022]

Truly spectacular performance! I believe Tucker had cantorial training, which accounts for his expressive use of the "wailing" or "crying" sound, used to masterful effect in this aria.

[jmccracken1963]

His last performance of I PAGLIACCI was on Tuesday, December 3, 1974, with Norman Mittelmann, Anna Moffo, Lenus Carlson, and Robert Schmorr, with John Nelson conducting.

[jeiversen]

It was an honor to be there. All of us cried on stage.

[OettingerCroat]

I love the "bah!" here. lol

[OettingerCroat]

yah I think so too, he applauds on the line "e ognun applaudirà," in English "and everyone will applaud." :-D

[Yoni89]

You've definitely been missing out! To my ears he's a darker spinto tenor, bordering on dramatic. Wonderful!

Heck, even when he was considered lyric in his earlier years he had that wonderful rich spinto tone.

[VinylToVideo]

I'd have liked to hear the applause!