[Bellinilover]

one singer who comes to mind immediately for me is Samuel Ramey who, the more I think about it, is a freak of nature as far as male voices are concerned, possessing a bizarre combination of
- the deep, resonant timbre and lower extension of a basso profundo
- high notes which puts most spinto tenors to shame
- agility which puts most coloraturas to shame
- the elegance of a bel canto soprano

it's hard enough finding basses who possess even one of these characteristics, but in combination (especially when combined with a charismatic stage presence).....wow. I have yet to find a bass who comes even close. there are basses I can objectively recognize as great singers (Ciepi, Hines, Ghiaurov, etc), but not of them really thrill me the way Ramey does. frankly, with a handful of exceptions, he's almost ruined the entire fach for me.

I love Nicolai Ghiaurov but agree with you about Ramey, at least when it comes to Rossini.

For me it's more a case of certain singers "ruining" certain arias. For instance, I cannot imagine anyone singing "The Soldier Tired" by Thomas Arne better than, or even as good as, Joan Sutherland.

 

[Bellinilover]

Sorry but when I hear clips like this I just wonder what all the fuss is about. It may be the ancient recording but this guy doesn't compare - let alone surpass - some of the modern singers. He may have been considered great in his day but when I hear him I just ask, "But why?"

I'm in a library so I can't listen to the clips, but speaking generally this is what I think: while I do believe you have to allow for both limitations in recorded sound and "the style of the times," as well as the possibility that some of these singers weren't totally comfortable in front of a microphone, I have sometimes had the same experience as you, DavidA -- with, for example, Aureliano Pertile. No matter how many times I listen I cannot hear why he was/is considered so great. So while I do love certain singers from about the same time (Ponselle, De Luca), and I can easily hear their greatness on recordings, in general I just prefer more modern artists.

 

[Bellinilover]

Having read the posts several times, I'm honestly puzzled as to what precisely the above conflict is all about. At any rate, I don't think I'll be participating in this thread anymore.

 

[Bellinilover]

Well, I just had to return to post this, because I should have posted it initially. I don't expect ever to experience a better performance of Figaro's last-act aria (Le Nozze di Figaro) than Bryn Terfel's here: