Let's get personal: Your favorite singers.

[CBHagman]

This time it's personal. Which singers do you prefer and why? Is Callas your divine inspiration or distressingly mortal? Where do you fall in terms of tenor preference? And am I the only one around here who loves baritones?

Which singers inspire you, and which recordings did it?

[Princess Turandot]

1. well..

Placido Domingo is my favorite tenor. I've seen him in Otello THREE times at the Met, and were I never to see another opera again, that experience would be sufficient.

I like Thomas Hampson, more in operatic roles than in song recordings, since he records a lot in German. He does have a nice Stephen Foster album out.

I like Joan Sutherland, whom I saw perform once at the end of her career. I like her Lucia & Anna Bolena recordings.

[Kellanved]

2. Thomas Quasthoff

Just one concert at the Berlin Philharmonic did it - simply amazing; both, his story and his singing.

[non sociopath skin]

3. There is a certain "je ne sais quoi" about French singers ...

... a warmth of tone which I particularly like. Natalie Dessay is my current favourite.

The Skin

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. I like Thomas Quasthoff, too,

and Kathleen Battle and Dawn Upshaw, since I prefer the lighter soprano voices to the heavy, dark ones.

The most impressive performance I ever saw in person was at the Met auditions in Portland, when a then-23-year-old mezzo named Angela Niederloh dashed off one of those killer coloratura arias from Cenerentola as if it was something anybody should be able to do before breakfast. She made it all the way to nationals, although she didn't win a prize, but it led to a career. The last I heard, she was singing with the Houston Opera.

ON EDIT: There was another stunner. A few years ago, the Oregon Repertory Singers invited a guest conductor from Russia, and he brought along four of his favorite young singers, one in each range. The soprano and tenor were okay, the alto was well above average, but the bass knocked everyone's socks off. Unfortunately, I forget his name, other than Dimitri something or other, but he brought this fairly sophisticated audience to its feet in a real standing ovation, the kind where everyone jumps up spontaneously at once . (Not what I call the "peer pressure standing ovation," where a few overly excitable people jump to their feet just because the performer is famous, even though the performance was not up to par, and the rest of the audience looks around, as if thinking, "Oh, I guess those people are sophisticated and know what they're doing, so I'd better get up, too." So one by one, people decide to stand up. This happens mostly in concerts that attract less knowledgeable audiences. So my advice is, don't stand up unless you were really, really, really, really impressed. Performers know when they've done a superior job and when they're just competent.)

[Princess Turandot]

6. I wonder if you heard Dmitri Hvorostovsky..

although he is a baritone, not a bass. He is well thought of. He was born in 1962.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. No, the fellow I heard was only 26 years old

which made his performance all the more amazing.

[CBHagman]

5. Nice to see all the baritone fans on this thread.

Yesterday at the music store, a customer came in for "Christmas with Thomas Hampson," which is a fine album for those of you who like German language Christmas carols. Hampson's interpretations are delightful.

I also like Quasthoff, who appeared on "Live from Lincoln Center" a while back. It's the only chance I've had to watch a live performance, and I was impressed with his stage presence, as well as his voice.

One of the plusses was that he did an interview in the program. He has a pleasantly modest manner and considerable charm.

As for other baritones, I enjoy Bryn Terfel a great deal, plus all those great baritones of yesteryear, including Robert Merrill.

And let me point out that the hard-working Placido Domingo actually started out a baritone and still sings such roles, as in a recent zarazuela production in D.C. lately.

[Princess Turandot]

7. I like Terfel as well...

Robert Merrill, as you probably know, died very recently. He sang the National Anthem at Yankee Stadium for many years.


I know that Domingo's natural voice is the baritone. He can of course, do almost anything :). I think I admire his ability to sing operas in something other than Italian with a passible accent almost as much as his voice.

[CBHagman]

11. Bryn Terfel's on PBS now.

He and Frederica von Stade are performing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Von Stade brings us to the topic of MEZZOS, of course, another vocal category that inspires some passion (at least I hope it does!). :-)

[Princess Turandot]

8. What do you think of Jane Eaglen?..

The only album that I have her singing on is the soundtrack to 'Sense & Sensibility' (I liked one of the two songs in the movie; Eaglen did not dub it for the movie but sings it on the sound track).

Regretfully, the one time that I saw her live was in my beloved Turandot. I'm a Met attendee who actually likes Zeffirelli's extravagant productions and she looked just grotesque in the role.
I admit the bias associated with that point of view, but it spoiled the performance for me.

I happened to have been spoiled by having the good fortune to be at the performance that the Met filmed for their sales version of Turandot, with Eva Marton and Domingo singing the role of Calaf. The singers are always on for those.

[TrogL]

9. Peter Pears

As much as I loathe tenors, he's my favourite male singer.