Ah, mes amis - Fille Contest - Rockwell Blake

I thought it was time we gave the tenors a turn. There are so many wonderful belcanto tenor aria and one of the most celebrated is from Donizetti's frech La Fille du Regiment. It is a wonderful display of lyric singing, and of course those 9 high c's. When putting together this contest, I was stuck with the absence of some of the "big name" tenors, however, there is some really wonderful singing here. I hope everyone takes the time to watch all of the clips, I found it interesting the differnt approaches taken to this difficult aria.
Again a score of 1-5 for singing/characterization:
Alfredo Kraus - 1983
Deon van der Walt - 1993
Charles Burles - 1972
Bruce Sledge - 2007
Jean-Luc Maurette - 1989
Marc Laho - 1998
Luca Canonici - 1992
Gregory Kunde - 1999
Juan Diego Florez - 2007
Marcelo Alvarez - 1995
José Sempere - 2002
Rockwell Blake - 1995
Paul Austin Kelly - 1996
Rockwell Blake - 1990
Alferdo Kraus - 1986
Juan Diego Florez - 2004

Category:

Music

Tags:

• blake
• opera
• donizetti

[sevoflurane]

What this man has achieved in Belcanto is unbelievable! I have always found his singing intoxicating! In a concert version from the early 80s he even interpolated a D in the cadenza lol 5/5

[Espirtades]

No es casual que los seguidores más fanáticos y viles, curiosamente no viriles, de cierto cantante, carente en su voz precisamente de hombría por la falta de coloraturas, medios tonos/fortes en todas, todas, todas sus interpretaciones, fraseos cortos y trampeados, que suprime frases/tempos para poder respirar tranquilo y dar los agudos, que solo tiene dulzura, CANTÁNDOLO TODO IGUAL eso sí dulce dulce muy dulce, pero no es casual.

[hchristopher1]

Like it matters if he is gay? A GAY OPERA SINGER? OMG, how odd! As for his singing, there is a great deal of it that is quite good. God, youtube has turned into a cesspool for bitter, bitchy opera queens. I feel dirty after having ready 90 percent of the "comments".

[DigaoHagar]

He´s GAY I bet on it hahaha

But he sings very well

Cheers!!!

[erstelage]

Wow. Those are some ringing, brilliant C's. And how many tenors do "Militaire...et...Maaaaari" voicing every consonant and vowel. It's totally unnecessary. And totally badass!

[cogitoergoboh]

ma sta cantando o si sta facendo la barba a casa.?? non sembra neppure un rude soldato ......

[pagerbear]

There are several videos of RB singing this aria on YouTube, and I don't think this is his best performance.

I notice you posted these in 2007--was Lawrence Brownlee on the scene much then? He certainly deserves to be counted among the selection you have here, if there are videos available.

[flaze3]

good top cs. but I don't know why he sometimes drags his jaw down on a note--making it sound darker is not neccessarily better.

The only times Bjorling did that was to go from up high to right down... not on the same note :p

[Espirtades]

All correct.- Thank you.

[ioSonoCallas]

Why make you the comparison of my comment with the voice of Maria Callas? I admit that I was a little bit nasty with R.Blake, naturally he has a lot of talent and a very great presence on stage, his voice is very beautiful but I do not like her technique! I had the pleasure and the honor to speak to him more than 20 years ago, it's a charming man is very pleasant.

Sorry if I shocked you. I hope that you will forgive me :-)

[Espirtades]

If something did not have M.Calas it was a beauty in his voice and if she had something there was precisely haughty in his person.

She sings like a goat!.

[ioSonoCallas]

Stiff, snob and sometimes he sings like a goat! I don't like!