tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post3342301749610383082..comments2024-03-05T22:44:45.962-05:00Comments on Great Opera Singers: Giuseppe Giacomini: Defining Dramatic TenorUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-16490743003229216582013-10-25T14:27:46.165-04:002013-10-25T14:27:46.165-04:00My name is Shawn. With the advent of Youtube and ...My name is Shawn. With the advent of Youtube and finally getting a computer, I am now, at almost fifty years of age, discovering the magic of such great singers as Giacomini--and how I have missed out. I prefer spinto and dramatic tenors over lyrical tenors. To my mind, it is a matter of personal listening taste. But I don't believe one can reasonably deny that this dramatic tenor is one of the giants of the last fifty years. He is absolutely stunning with some of these roles--nothing short of, as you say, thrilling. It is a kind of voice few can match, I would suspect. Thank you so very much for introducing me to him, the great Giocomini! Bravissimo!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-83837056992797508762012-09-03T22:29:21.549-04:002012-09-03T22:29:21.549-04:00Thank you very much for your comment! Glad you li...Thank you very much for your comment! Glad you liked the article. I am extremely fond of Giacomini. For me, he is THE dramatic tenor. You raise a fascinating point at the end, one I will have to think about! Again, thanks!Edmund St. Austellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14490721790447218365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-91230884640529624032012-09-03T20:21:07.483-04:002012-09-03T20:21:07.483-04:00Thank you for a terrific posting about Giuseppe Gi...Thank you for a terrific posting about Giuseppe Giacomini, a singer of whom I have many fond memories. It seemed to me that, during the early to mid-1980s, Giacomini and Franco Bonisolli were the only two world-class dramatic tenors actively singing in Europe (James McCracken was already, at the time, nearing the end of his career). Like many, I thought that Bonisolli had the superior instrument but that Giacomini was manifestly the better singer. He never disappointed!<br /><br />A related question, perhaps for a future posting: why is it that true dramatic tenors like Giacomini are so rare? Many of the prized performances of the dramatic roles have been sung by spintos like Corelli who had enough horsepower (especially in the upper register) to sing them memorably. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-68523679702422645792012-05-14T12:15:08.689-04:002012-05-14T12:15:08.689-04:00Forståelig. ;)Forståelig. ;)Hildegerdhttp://www.vg.nonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-65985661415682374522012-05-14T08:18:50.453-04:002012-05-14T08:18:50.453-04:00Jeg deler din entusiasme for store sangere fra for...Jeg deler din entusiasme for store sangere fra fortiden!Edmund St. Austellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14490721790447218365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-66856837508587825832012-05-14T03:52:26.884-04:002012-05-14T03:52:26.884-04:00Hei Edmund.
Du forstår norsk???? Kult!!
I have a...Hei Edmund.<br /><br />Du forstår norsk???? Kult!!<br /><br />I have alwas been a operalover. The last year I have been obsessed with the voices of Jon Vickers and cult diva Magda Olivero along with Callas, Lauri Volpi and Flagstad.<br /><br />The new singers are somehow not interesting to me. Do not talk about Nebtrenko or de Niese. Sorry.Hildegerdhttp://www.vg.nonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-53275133761425282482012-05-13T14:12:25.138-04:002012-05-13T14:12:25.138-04:00Tusen takk. Jeg tror ikke jeg har hatt mange norsk...Tusen takk. Jeg tror ikke jeg har hatt mange norske besøkende! Yes indeed, Giacomini was a mighty tenor, and I am so pleased to see that he is beginning to receive the attention in this country that he deserved! Possibly the greatest dramatic tenor of them all!Edmund St. Austellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14490721790447218365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-87228844113426999252012-05-13T14:03:03.814-04:002012-05-13T14:03:03.814-04:00Wow, Maestro Giacomini comes right there beside my...Wow, Maestro Giacomini comes right there beside my already beloved Jon Vickers. <br /><br />Ch'ella mi creda was .... It runned shivers up and down my spine while he was singing. <br /><br />Best wishes from NorwayHildegerdhttp://www.vg.nonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-89812390403314575382012-02-07T15:03:37.080-05:002012-02-07T15:03:37.080-05:00Thank YOU, my friend! I am very glad to have you ...Thank YOU, my friend! I am very glad to have you in the group, and I was most impressed with your comment! You certainly are involved! RE Giacomini, I have received more mail, I believe, on Giacomini than another other singer about whom I have written in the last three years. This giant, who has received only a miniscule portion of the credit he deserves in this country, has become, thanks largely to Youtube, an enormous presence. I now hear many people saying that he may well have been the greatest dramatic tenor of the 20th century! I will most certainly have a look at your website. Thanks again.Edmund St. Austellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14490721790447218365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-77904147555002261122012-02-07T13:53:54.815-05:002012-02-07T13:53:54.815-05:00Hello. Mr. Edmund St. Austell, I am very glad to ...Hello. Mr. Edmund St. Austell, I am very glad to have found your blog. Unfortunately, I would have preferred to had seen it years earlier but I guess there's no better time than the present. I am an actor, writer, director in Philadelphia and an opera enthusiast. I am working on producing a feature film entitled "Ideale" about a first Black, dramatic tenor to sing the role of Verdi's "Otello" on the 125th anniversary of the opera's debut at La Scala. I am not sure if many people are aware but the anniversary has just passed, this Sunday, February 5th, 2012. <br /><br />Singularly, I am mostly a fan of rich, dramatic works the likes of Puccini, Verdi, and Wagner. <br />On the subject of maestro Giuseppe Giacomini...I have read your blog and the comments of every individual listed--I personally think and agree with many of you that maestro Giacomini is perhaps the greatest and truest dramatic tenor that has ever lived. His instrument is uniquely and incredibly defined. The first comparisons that come to mind are Russian tenor Vladimir Galouzine and Chilean tenor Ramon Vinay. I think they too had rich dark baritone to their many verisimo roles, especially Otello. I am also thinking of John O'Sullivan, Ludivic Spiess, and of course, maestro Del Monaco. I have to cite some other up-and-coming artists like Allan Glassman, Jonas Kaufman, and Stephen O'Mara. Without going into to much details, I thought I might throw some of these singers in the mix. <br />Please check out my website and youtube channel--www.cameyespro.com and www,youtube.com/frantzexcelent<br /><br />Thank you.Frantz T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13844378622568163965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-66734698968758638792012-01-09T07:40:50.915-05:002012-01-09T07:40:50.915-05:00I agree, about Kaufmann. The sound can be very sex...I agree, about Kaufmann. The sound can be very sexy, and there is a real feeling of tension ( Is he gonna' make it?). Similarly, I have mixed feelings about Jose Cura. There are moments when Cura is really thrilling, but then you have to slog through a lot of difficult passages to finally get those thrills. Kaufmann seems more consistently thrilling to me. I only wonder why I hear him so seldom. Maybe he just prefers to stay at home. Maybe he can't sing very often (or long -I don't see him making it through Tristan, e.g.)Kimoochii21https://www.blogger.com/profile/05053316322627156792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-56091346670916052072012-01-08T14:48:14.658-05:002012-01-08T14:48:14.658-05:00I have not, I'm sorry to say, but your analysi...I have not, I'm sorry to say, but your analysis is very convincing. I suspect you are right.Edmund St. Austellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14490721790447218365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-13412865336705602812012-01-08T13:39:10.187-05:002012-01-08T13:39:10.187-05:00Hello, Great blog! I am a Giacomini enthusiast (ma...Hello, Great blog! I am a Giacomini enthusiast (maybe because the color of my own voice is dark as well). I do marvel at the ringing high notes. Giacomini manages to maintain a «column of sound» that is very consistent, and we don't feel any shifting in his voice production between middle and high registers. I admire that he maintains the brilliance/warmth throughout his whole range. My teacher told me that he was (having heard him live), the real thing with an enormous voice and a very ringing sound. Today, I listen to Kaufmann, and I really wonder about his ability to produce squillo with the technique he has. His darkness seems a bit forced as the sound is rather muffled and sent to back of the throat or head. People very often say he has a BIG voice, when really what I hear is a RICH voice (which I find very beautiful), but not having seen him perform live, it is difficult to say if his voice is as potent as it is rich. Have you had the chance to see him perform? Thank you.RodTenorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17057164030401051553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-77234126928915937762011-10-26T15:49:44.722-04:002011-10-26T15:49:44.722-04:00Superb insight. Thank you!Superb insight. Thank you!Edmund St. Austellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14490721790447218365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-34914701786423549522011-10-25T22:02:57.689-04:002011-10-25T22:02:57.689-04:00Your right. I was forgetting Corelli was in the mi...Your right. I was forgetting Corelli was in the mix at that time and with a similar repertoire.(I've just read your piece on Corelli. Fascinating!). The more I read of your wonderful blog the more I am convinced that a singer's temperament is incredibly important. Not all singers want the pressure that comes with heightened expectation and some cope better than others.<br /> Maybe Giacomini had the career that was right for him in the end, with his temperament.Verdiwagneritenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-16860918162800122182011-10-25T08:13:12.698-04:002011-10-25T08:13:12.698-04:00Thank you again for an exceptionally well written ...Thank you again for an exceptionally well written comment, which reveals a keen discernment of operatic realities. Basically, you have your thumb on the pulse of the matter; Pavarotti and (expecially)Domingo had a near-controlling power in the United States for many years, and were not particularly noted for their generosity in promoting others. However, the real problem for Giacomini was Franco Corelli. It was nothing that Corelli did--he was actually a good colleague--it was simply the fact of his great popularity. The Met offered Giacomini the chance to fill in on the big dramatic operas when Corelli was not able to do them owing to scheduling. That of course was hardly the way to engage Giacomini's sympathies or interest, as he was, rightfully so, a dignified and very highly regarded tenor in Europe, especially in Italy, Austria and Germany. Also, as I point out in the article, Giacomini is a very serious man--very intelligent, and a superb musician. He was a conservatory graduate, with honors, and all business when it came to music. A religious man, he saw the theater as a temple, and music as a spiritual phenomenon. Rather distinct, shall we say, from the show business types like Pavarotti! Thanks again for an excellent comment.Edmund St. Austellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14490721790447218365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-41029028226163578862011-10-25T06:53:47.305-04:002011-10-25T06:53:47.305-04:00Thank you again, Edmund. I am working my way throu...Thank you again, Edmund. I am working my way through all your posts and learning a lot in the process. I confess to only recently discovering Giacomini and being amazed at his rich "sound". Incredible and even though I mentioned in a comment about Wunderlich that I like his purity of sound, I will contradict myself here! In Verdi and Puccini I prefer the Giacomini and Domingo sound - my non-professional way of describing it is full bodied, if that makes sense. As opposed to the Pavarotti style. It's intriguing to me why some singers get all the breaks and others don't. I know luck plays a part in most people's lives but you do have to wonder. Maybe some are more prepared to "play the game" whatever that might be. I'm listening to "Cielo e mar" and it's almost like he has too much voice. Fantastic. Would you say he suffered by being a contemporary of Pavarotti and Domingo but was not prepared to do the game playing? On that note I wonder if to some extent Domingo played the game because he saw Pavarotti was getting all the publicity so he started going on the chat shows and making the crossover records etc. Thankfully he didn't go as far as Pavarotti with the silly games. And the less said the better re: the 3 Tenors fiasco!<br />I must say though, I have huge admiration for all singers! They go out on stage night after night naked - metaphorically speaking - with only their vocal chords and their musical knowledge to help them! And an orchestra etc. Just listened to the last bars of "Niun mi tema" Wow! IMO it's the most complete opera with the most marvellous orchestration - particularly the intro to the last scene - the strings are incredibly foreboding.Verdiwagneritenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-16916447270858334222011-10-05T16:05:27.067-04:002011-10-05T16:05:27.067-04:00Great comment! And good news. I am very interest...Great comment! And good news. I am very interested to hear that. I admire him so much, and have infinite respect for his intellect. I am so glad to hear what you say. Wonderful artist!Edmund St. Austellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14490721790447218365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-24613922788302147482011-10-05T14:49:42.311-04:002011-10-05T14:49:42.311-04:00Great post. However, the Fanciulla del West video ...Great post. However, the Fanciulla del West video was taken within the last five years as I remember the concert. There is no wobble. He at some point during the 90s was cracking and wobbling quite often (unfortunately documented in a really painful Tomb Scene from Aida).<br /><br />However, it's been my understanding that he trained out these problems and only in the last two years developed a bit of a wobble - in the Pagliacci performances. <br /><br />In the face of all this, he still sings magisterially and with musicianship and tone that we'd be lucky to find in any measure among contemporary tenors.<br /><br />coryisawakeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-41523413964828214112011-10-04T07:01:29.148-04:002011-10-04T07:01:29.148-04:00Thank you very much, and welcome to the blog. You...Thank you very much, and welcome to the blog. You are always welcome here, and your comments always appreciated. You make a good point. I know the Peerce recording you refer to, and I actually have it posted on my Youtube channel, high C and all. And you're right, he sings it very well. That was, of course, one of the very few he attempted. Peerce is my boyhood idol, and a man for whom I always had the greatest respect. I knew him slightly, having met him several times and corresponded with him. One of the world's great tenors, and a real gentleman. Such a fine artist! Thanks again for the comment.Edmund St. Austellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14490721790447218365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-72675875564219783382011-10-03T23:14:19.714-04:002011-10-03T23:14:19.714-04:00I appreciate your blog very much - I found it when...I appreciate your blog very much - I found it when looking up Giacomini. <br /><br />Further down in the comments, you mention two of my very favourite singers, Helen Traubel and Jan Peerce. Whilst I will agree with you that Traubel never sang a high "C" (and she never needed it!), Peerce does give a pretty fine top C in the Toscanini "La Boheme" in "Che Gelida Manina". <br /><br />Regards from Australia.Glenn Amerhttp://www.glennamer.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-12631239913550148422011-07-16T08:06:54.525-04:002011-07-16T08:06:54.525-04:00I just had my first encounter (finally -better lat...I just had my first encounter (finally -better late then never) with Jonas Kaufman. Wow. Great legato. The larynx seems "lowered", though maybe not all the way to the boots; a little more than halfway there. Fabulously sexy. A fascinating technique, floating piano phrases between full throated roars. <br />I used your blog search tool, but couldn't pull anything on his name. I first heard the name, some years ago. Now I know what I've been missing. Wow! I want more.Kimoochii21https://www.blogger.com/profile/05053316322627156792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-74438540297124670052011-06-17T09:51:49.612-04:002011-06-17T09:51:49.612-04:00Very, very well said!Very, very well said!Edmund StAustellhttp://gmail.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-68570753403051151722011-06-17T09:43:14.815-04:002011-06-17T09:43:14.815-04:00As always, you are intelligent, informative, gener...As always, you are intelligent, informative, generous and polite.<br />Nevertheless, it disturbs me how I can detect so much knowledge and training in that performance by Stefan Zucker, and yet it is just so wrong. Your first reaction was the same as mine: a comparison to Florence Foster Jenkins. Yet I think Mr. Zucker has studied even harder. I'm sure there's a lesson to be learned here, which we can probably apply to all aspects of life. No matter how much one might love painting, and study painting, maybe one is just not a painter, and should stop trying, at least in public.Kimoochii21https://www.blogger.com/profile/05053316322627156792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166918155946600787.post-56308453040552067092011-06-17T09:22:37.262-04:002011-06-17T09:22:37.262-04:00Well, please permit me to say, with the greatest p...Well, please permit me to say, with the greatest possible discretion, that when I set up my blog, over two years ago, I had a vision in mind of gentlemanly discussions, celebrating known singers of international reputation about whom there could be dignified discussions, and differences of opinion, all within a framwork of seriousness and politeness. I have, to the best of my ability, tried to adhere to that paradigm.<br /><br />It would probably have been possible to have a discussion or two about Florence Foster Jenkins, but it would have been undignified and cruel, and a distraction from more serious discussions. I hesitated about Yma Sumac, but there was a serious side to her career, especially in Peru, and she was respected by many, even though her more notorious exotica; which, incidentally, were the brain-child of her bandleader husband, distracted from her great talent. Similarly Ivan Rebroff, who did what might be called some cabaret or nightclub acts with his astonishing voice, nonetheless had a very serious side, and and a very wide and appreciative audience, as I discovered. In each case, there was a career, a serious reputation, and an international following. But I drew the line at that point.<br /><br />Is it really necessary for me to go on?Edmund StAustellhttp://gmail.comnoreply@blogger.com