100 Greatest Singers: LÈON ESCALAIS

THIS PROJECT IS ONLY FOR THE GREATEST! What do you think about Escalais in this list? Please comment!

Léon Escalais, Tenor (1859-1941)

Giacomo Meyerbeer - Robert le diable
Sicilienne - O fortune à ton caprice
(Recorded 1905)

My personal opinion: We only have few acoustic records of Escalais, but they´re very impressing. Not many tenors were able to hit the high notes in a splendour heroic way just like him. His performance of the famous "Sicilienne" never was repeated by any other worldclass tenor.
Escalais was handicapted with a very short and dumpy physic which was at odds with the heroic roles he sang und played.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Léon
• Escalais
• Giacomo
• Meyerbeer
• Robert
• le
• diable
• French
• Opéra

[Agorante]

He is the exact opposite of Carlo Bergonzi. Bergonzi had a lovely tone and supernal style but a pallid top. Esclais had brilliant high notes but an unattractive basic sound and quite dubious style.

IMHO neither one is a top 100 singer. As a replacement for Escalais I'd prefer that other top note tenor - Mario Filipeschi. Or the power tenor Bernardo de Mura.

[mizofan]

I am a lover of world cinema, e.g the Japanese director Mizoguchi, but this 100 Great Singers collection (and the other 100 Singers offshoots) is for me the best thing on youtube

[WMP777]

This aria was recorded by two historical super tenors. Leon Escalais(1905) and

Antonio Paoli (1909) Both were Meyerbeer operas interpreters of the first order. Paoli debut was at The Palais Garnier - Paris in 1899 with Rossini's Arnold, William Tell, with 6 performances that catapulted Paoli to primo tenore dramatico del mondo. Escalais vocal faculties were phenomenal. Not only brilliant power but caressing messa voce and extreme high notes.

[WMP777]

Great voice , highly educated in the belcanto tradition. Tenors of that era

were expected to have control of voice dynamics, florid singing and

with Leon Escalais the high notes with power, squillo and superb fiato.

Singing Meyerbeer in that generation required a virtuosi singer.

Other of those phenomenal voices was Antonio Paoli

[jacobZ2000]

i would like to see a complete list as to make suggestions on the entire list.... but i do think that Léon Escalais has very very brilliant tenique.

[stevevandien]

Not just power and spine-shaking forte high notes, but a high mezza voce and a TRILL. How many dramatic tenors since have had anything like Escalais' technique?

[greghauser]

Escalais has to be in this list! A tremendous voice!!!

And he was already 46 recording this aria!

[Ranicus]

Ich schäme mich fast zu sagen, dass ich diese großartige Stimme noch nicht kannte.

Außerordentlich, ich muss mehr von ihm hören!

Danke für diese (für mich) Neuentdeckung!

[meltzerboy]

A true heroic tenor, Escalais was almost unique in the clarity and power of his tones, especially on these old recordings. His technique was often just as amazing.

[SENAFOREVER]

Magnifique, merci!

Don't forget Thill, Ninon Vallin and Germaine Lubin.