Lauritz Melchior: "Esultate" from Otello

Addendum to Otello Cage Match: Esultate

Recorded live, 1960, near the end of the great heldentenor's career, but he still sounded glorious. But he's not even close to staying with the orchestra.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Lauritz
• Melchior
• heldentenor
• verdi
• otello
• othello
• tenor
• aria
• esultate
• exultate

[javierqatar]

Pretty bad. I am still trying to figure out why Melchior is permanently overrated...

[65attila]

@topmeat69

Totally true about the greatness of the "Ancient Ones"

John

[TomRexdale]

It sounds also in this live recording that he starts off fine and then runs into hearing problems and for the last phrasse seems to have turned away from the mike as if going in the direction of the sound he wants to hear---support in other words--from the orchestra. Knowing so well of him from Edwin McArthur I know the voice is still intact--the will is there--the old courage and all--one almost feels for him as for Victor Capoul who virtually stone-deaf recorded at age 73 the Lullaby Jocelyn!

[TomRexdale]

I believe i can clear up the question of Melchoirs hearing--he DID have trouble hearing for many years beginning in the mid 30s as someone mentioned. I personally knew Edwin McArthur who was Flagstads accompanist and the only conductor to record both she and Melchoir singing Wagner back in the late 30s. I also knew the author of Melchoirs biography Tristanissimo--his hearing became so impared in concert accompanist had to figure out what key he was in! He also wore hearing aids as seen in pics.

[OlegVideman]

Великий немецкий тенор,но 'Esultate...' спел хреновастенько.

[take6es]

Horrible!!!

[inter215]

@rupepill Melchior's was 70 when this esultate was recorded. Anything that's out of sync with the orchestra here results from age and nothing else. The voice is old and he can no longer can sustain high lying phrases so he is forced to rush and gets a little out of sync. This can happen with very old singers. There are scores and scores of complete live Melchior performances from earlier years that show absolutely no hint of wayward singing. What was Barbirolli talking about? Who knows!

[abracadabranque]

Quel dommage qu'un si beau timbre ne sache que s'égosiller dans l'aigu!!

[rupepill]

@primobaritono Congratulations on your typically fair and generous comment.

Always good to read the informed opinions of a singer like yourself who reveres the art of singing one who maintains a level of decent respect for the artists.

[VivaRenata]

@rupepill Long term hearing disability? More like long term mental disability. Melchior was simply a sloppy and unintelligent singer, and lazy besides. Just listen to any live recording of Tristan from the late '30's or early '40's with a score in front of you. It's a nightmare experience! I have never been able to understand why so many consider him one of the great Wagnerian tenors of the past century.