Tancredi Pasero, The Great Bass
Many thanks to my dear friend Françoise Crameri for having introduced me to this wonderful
bass some time ago. Widely known in
Europe, Tancredi Pasero (1893-1983) is
not as widely known in America as he should be.
La Scala, where he debuted in 1926, became his artistic home, and
although he sang abroad, including at the Met during the early 30's, he was
primarily based in Italy. His first
debut was in Turin in 1917, as Ramphis in Aida.
It is possible that to many Americans, Pasero sounds very
"old-fashioned," having been trained in a traditional bel-canto
technique, one of the characteristics of which (or in Pasero's case almost a
trademark of which) was a rapid vibrato, very rare in the age of verismo. I personally love it, and many Europeans also
are fond of it, but it is an unusual sound in this country and many are simply
unaccustomed to such singing technique, which is a pity, actually, because he
was extraordinary. Here is one of his
best recordings. If this is the first
time you have heard Pasero, be prepared to be amazed; this is one of the great
voices of the 20th century:
Isn’t that simply extraordinary!
I know of no other bass that has that sound. And what about that amazing vibrato!! Oh, how I wish that bel canto singing would
return. We have lost so much in the last
100 years. It is such a pity. Here is one of the most famous of all the
great bass arias, “O Tu, Palermo”
Bring Back Bel Canto, PLEASE!