Flaviano Labo- Tombe degli avi miei (1969)

Italian tenor Flaviano Labo (1927-1991) sings Tombe degli avi miei from Lucia di Lammermoor, composed by Donizetti.
I've always thought that Labo was a vastly underrated tenor who would almost certainly be a superstar if he sang on today's opera stages. Unfortunately for him, he had to compete against the likes of Bergonzi, Corelli, Tucker, Del Monaco and later, the young Domingo and Pavarotti. Even so, Labo's attractive, robust lirico-spinto voice ensured that he still enjoyed a very fine career. I hope you enjoy this fine tenor.

Recorded in 1969.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Flaviano
• Labo
• Donizetti
• Opera
• Tenor
• Lucia di Lammermoor
• Tombe degli avi miei

[halavey]

Sounds like a studio recording -- not live and no applause ??

[BigTezza12]

You are absolutely correct. The info I was given was that the recording was a radio broadcast, which would account for the lack of applause. In actual fact, the info was incorrect and this Lucia was recorded in Prague in August, 1969.

[GermanOperaSinger]

It was no bigger than Bergonzi's voice so just a lyric tenor, dark voice like Peerce but just lyric not lyrico spinto. Great voice and technique, he is far better than any tenor today and shouldn't have been considered a second rate tenor in his time even. No comment on him vs. Domingo, because Domingo fans will do me like Canio did Nedda at the end of Pagliacci if I say anything about Domingo again.

[BigTezza12]

Interesting. Nearly everything I've read about Labo, be it summations of his career, first hand accounts of performances or just general discussions on voice size, indicate that he possessed a relatively large voice. Also, although I know it can be difficult to gauge size of voice from recordings, in-house recordings do give a fair idea, and those I've heard of Labo have always suggested power consistant to that of a typical lirico-spinto to me, certainly larger than Bergonzi's voice at least.

[Miguelardos]

I heard live Bergonzi and Labo at the Colon.Labo's voice was substantially larger than Bergonzi's.

The Colon acoustics are not that great.I heard the same singers at the Met, Los Angeles and San Francisco and they sounded underpowered at the Colon.Labo was a Colon favorite among other qualities because of the size of his voice

[SHICOFF1]

No-- a comment here says he could sound as strong as del monaco-- No I don't believe that. I heard Del Monaco in house and he was a dramatic tenor with a very powerful top and I heard him in house and no others who did and also heard Labo and though I like Labo his voice was in the Bergozni mold, he was a lyric spinto, Tucker and Corelli where more true spinto's and both had bigger voices of course. I do really like Labo very much but would never compare him to a tenor like MDM for power.

[SHICOFF1]

Yes medium size voice, not really large as say Corelli or Tucker spinto's but it sounds more pointed on top then Bergonzi. Two older friends heard him and said it was medium size- in the Bergionzi class but just perhaps slightly larger as I said before. Died in a car crash sadly. age 64 they say.

[numetutelare]

Donizetti sarebbe grato a Flaviano...dizione limpidissima nell'assoluto rispetto della tecnica e del belcanto. Spettacolare

[31122051]

TENORE STRAORDINARIO ! ESIBIZIONE SUBLIME ! CHI CANTA COSI' OGGI ??? FLAVIANO CI MANCHI !

[chengducat]

Cette voix me plait beaucoup! merci

[CotaDangelo]

Renato Sassola, a great tenor of Teatro Colon of Argentina, told me once, that he was impressed with many voices, that he heard from the palcoscenico of the Colon, among them it was the Labo voice, because he was short and he could produce a sound as strong as the Del Monaco sound, on the stage. He had a very squillante voice. He was an spinto tenor, but he did not have the technique of the other famous colleagues.