4 great tenors thrown into the cage to battle it out for bragging rights: who sings this very high, very difficult aria the best? Presented in chronological order:
1. Enrico Caruso
2. Jussi Bjoerling
3. Richard Tucker
4. Franco Corelli
Note: Only Bjoerling sings this in the original key of C. The other three transpose it down to B.
Four currently active tenors take on Manrico's aria:
1. Ben Heppner
2. Jose Cura
3. Roberto Alagna
4. Salvatore Licitra
only one can emerge victorious.....
Frederica von Stade sings the closing aria from Rossini's Cenerentola. Conducted by Claudio Abbado, from a cinematic production directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, 1981.
Rosa Ponselle, Maria Callas, and Joan Sutherland go head to head to head with Norma's famous aria Casta Diva. The selection is the first verse to the end of the coloratura section.
As a knowledgeable viewer pointed out, Sutherland sings the aria in the original key of G, while Ponselle and Callas transpose to F, as is common.
The B section of Radames' showstopper aria, leading up to the high Bb.
11 tenors, in no particular order:
1. Carlo Bergonzi
2. Richard Tucker
3. Ben Heppner
4. Beniamino Gigli
5. Jon Vickers
6. Placido Domingo
7. Enrico Caruso
8. Luciano Pavarotti
9. Roberto Alagna
10. Vladimir Galouzine
11. Franco Corelli
Bella figlia dell'amore from Verdi's Rigoletto. Recorded 1912.
Gilda: Luisa Tetrazzini
Maddalena: Josephine Jacoby
Duke: Enrico Caruso
Rigoletto: Pasquale Amato
Sorry I couldn't find any images of Josephine Jacoby.
The duet for tenor and baritone from act I of Rossini's Barber of Seville. From a July 2007 production in Teplice, Czech Republic.
Figaro: Michael Nyby (me!)
Almaviva: Adam Fisher
Bulgarian Soprano Anna Tomowa-Sintow sings Donna Anna's act I aria from Don Giovanni.
In my opinion, this is one of the all around best sung renditions of this aria I have ever heard.
1987, cond. Herbert von Karajan
Soprano Elisabeth Grümmer (1911-1986) sings Donna Anna's second aria from Don Giovanni (1954 Salzburg Production). Conducted by Furtwangler. Anton Dermota sings Ottavio.