Good morning, friends! This installment of Opera Daily is free for everyone. We are going to make this simple today and focus on a single opera aria. We will focus on one singer but serve up a couple of different interpretations to choose which one(s) you like best.
I'll enjoy listening to "E lucevan le stelle", and other performances, by each of these legendary tenors (Franco Corelli, Luciano Pavarotti, Giuseppe di Stefano, Plácido Domingo, Enrico Caruso and Jussi Björling). Maybe I love tenors so much because the first tenor voice I ever heard was my father's. Before I was born, he was in great demand as a soloist at churches, weddings and funerals. I must have anticipated today's post because last night I searched for "The Great Caruso", and ended up watching instead a documentary on Mario Lanza ("The Best of Everything" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNjwmQ5kfT0). I learned that he couldn't read music, sang famous arias in recitals, but never once performed in a full opera. With his spectacular voice, good looks and ability to straddle the fence between opera, light classical and pop, he carved out his own lane as both a movie star and the most popular recording artist of the 1950s. Someone commented that he was the first to achieve what we would call today a rock star lifestyle . You know - the screaming girls, the panties tossed on the stage, the publicity, the international renown. Someone else remarked he and Maria Callas were not just singers - they were "global superstars". I recommend the documentary for your viewing pleasure. I think Mario Lanza belongs in that top tier of the great tenors of yesteryear, even with an asterisk by his name.
Each of these performances of Puccini's "E lucevan le stelle" is beautiful. For me, though, the winner is Giuseppe di Stefano. I give him the edge for the purity of his tenor voice, elocution, emotion and technical perfection. Even so, Enrico Caruso is still a favorite. The digitally remastered 1904 original suggests he must have been phenomenal onstage. He conveyed the desperation, the sorrow, the hopelessness of a man who has lost his friend, been arrested, thinks he's lost his beloved, and is about to lose his life. When Caruso's last note gave way to utter brokenness, that was it.
I really liked this aria and all versions were good. I can’t believe I listened to all of them. At times you catch the exact piece of music I need to here. Well done. 💖💖💖💖💖👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I cant help but love Pavarottis e lucivan le stelle his notes just flow together his breath control and his impeccable italian just the most beautiful aria he was so so talented!!!
I'll enjoy listening to "E lucevan le stelle", and other performances, by each of these legendary tenors (Franco Corelli, Luciano Pavarotti, Giuseppe di Stefano, Plácido Domingo, Enrico Caruso and Jussi Björling). Maybe I love tenors so much because the first tenor voice I ever heard was my father's. Before I was born, he was in great demand as a soloist at churches, weddings and funerals. I must have anticipated today's post because last night I searched for "The Great Caruso", and ended up watching instead a documentary on Mario Lanza ("The Best of Everything" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNjwmQ5kfT0). I learned that he couldn't read music, sang famous arias in recitals, but never once performed in a full opera. With his spectacular voice, good looks and ability to straddle the fence between opera, light classical and pop, he carved out his own lane as both a movie star and the most popular recording artist of the 1950s. Someone commented that he was the first to achieve what we would call today a rock star lifestyle . You know - the screaming girls, the panties tossed on the stage, the publicity, the international renown. Someone else remarked he and Maria Callas were not just singers - they were "global superstars". I recommend the documentary for your viewing pleasure. I think Mario Lanza belongs in that top tier of the great tenors of yesteryear, even with an asterisk by his name.
Each of these performances of Puccini's "E lucevan le stelle" is beautiful. For me, though, the winner is Giuseppe di Stefano. I give him the edge for the purity of his tenor voice, elocution, emotion and technical perfection. Even so, Enrico Caruso is still a favorite. The digitally remastered 1904 original suggests he must have been phenomenal onstage. He conveyed the desperation, the sorrow, the hopelessness of a man who has lost his friend, been arrested, thinks he's lost his beloved, and is about to lose his life. When Caruso's last note gave way to utter brokenness, that was it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_lucevan_le_stelle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosca#Synopsis
I really liked this aria and all versions were good. I can’t believe I listened to all of them. At times you catch the exact piece of music I need to here. Well done. 💖💖💖💖💖👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I was so moved by Maria Callas singing "Vissi d'arte" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLR3lSrqlwwI), and enjoyed this excerpt from her 1964 "Tosca" at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT-86OtwzDI). I got a little bored with Luciano Pavarotti and Inés Salazar (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGBlIaiaoXM&t=2849s), so my sister referred me to the film with Roberto Alagna and American soprano Catherine Naglestad (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oezH8Ty79I). I think I am at risk of becoming seriously addicted to Puccini ("Madama Butterfly","La Bohème","Tosca").😮
He gave it everything, magnificent.!!
I cant help but love Pavarottis e lucivan le stelle his notes just flow together his breath control and his impeccable italian just the most beautiful aria he was so so talented!!!