Gedda's high D's (Vieni fra queste braccia) with Sutherland

Nicolai Gedda, the Czar of High D's, sings the duet 'Vieni fra queste braccia' (from Puritani) with Sutherland in a April 1963 concert. Conducted by Richard Bonynge.

Rumors are that when Gedda started singing he could barely muster anything above a G (above middle C)...and that two years later he was sliding easily to D's above high C. Not sure whether these rumors are true, but it cannot be denied that Gedda's top register was the most glorious sound that ever came from a man's throat.

If you love dazzling stratospheric high notes and Russians, then Gedda is probably your favorite tenor. Here you will hear him sing two D's and a high C.

Name me one tenor who sings better D's than Gedda.

Trivia: Some of you probably know that Gedda's real name was Nicolai Ustinov. In fact, he was a distant relative of actor Peter Ustinov.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• gedda
• sutherland
• high
• puritani
• duet
• vieni
• fra
• queste
• braccia
• joan
• nicolai
• tenor
• soprano
• arturo
• elvira
• bellini
• live
• opera

[ChrisStockslager]

Wow, the only tenor I've ever heard, who in the high register, wasn't blown into the orchestra pit by Sutherland. NOW THAT'S AN ACCOMPLISHMENT!!

[pointemeout]

holy christ! that first high note almost caused me to fall to the ground. he establishes himself, in the first minute of this duet, as one of the finest. I dream of singing notes that are soooooo precise and beautiful.

[tenorissimo1986]

@muchogustavo1: have we forgotten Giacomo Lauri-Volpi?

[lazatarra]

love those high D's. And live, not a recording. Amazing.

[raigekimaru]

Gedda was some sort of bizarre combination of leggiero tenor and lirico spinto (not unlike a male version of sutherland now that I think about it)

[profgv2011]

Gedda's high Ds were amazing......Full voice no head tone....He was Sutherland's first great partner...Often over shadowed by Pav.....This performance I believe was in Philadelphia and the opera house is still rocking.....

[poolification]

@tklogan111809 well, she certainly didn't have any problems making herself heard with neither of them..

[tklogan111809]

unsteady and screamed D, Sutherland found a partner more to her caliber in both Kraus and Pavarotti.

[muchogustavo1]

@08071939 bjoerling??? NO, THE ONLY WHO CAN MATCH WITH GEDDA IN HIGH C'S AND HIGH D IS THE GREAT MARIO FILIPPESCHI!!!!

[08071939]

Please, don't forget JUSSI BJOERLING!

prinz von hacking

[Agorante]

You want a guy with a better High D than Gedda? That would be Helge Roswange. He was known at the "Knight of the High D". For years Roswange's recording of the Postillion was definitive. In the sixties Gedda also recorded it. You decide.

[SavHub]

check out the recently uploaded rendition by Bogdan Mihai & Angela Gheorghiu (Tokyo, Japan, October, 2011)!