With his dramatic presence allied to a burnished bronze tone that could ride over any orchestra, Vickers became the tenor of choice in such roles at Bayreuth, Vienna, the Met and other leading houses. He was born on October 12, 1935, in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, in Northern Italy. Domingo is that rarest of vocal phenomena, a tenor who used his voice in the service of re-creating great art, and not as a thrilling end in itself. So here's the list along with their live performance. Today marks the 30th anniversary of The Three Tenors’ iconic first concert in Rome which is the best-selling classical album of all time. Gedda’s intellect, style and linguistic ability made him the most versatile and recorded of his era. More Luciano Pavarotti 3,420 Listen to his CD In Praise of Woman (on the Helios label: CDH 55159) –  every song lit up by his unique blend of passion, tenderness and sheer beauty of voice. Vote up the best tenors to have ever sung opera or classical music. It’s inevitable that he has been criticised for giving a standardised account of many roles – but then it’s hard to see how individual you could be in many of Verdi’s less famous works. More info: Twitter / Nov 15, 2012. I don’t believe in all this pedantic arranging of things in order.’. The 20 best rock singers of all time have become iconic figures in popular music, timeless legends who will never fade from memory. Hank Williams. It’s easy to see why. Sir Peter Pears will always be remembered for his lifelong partnership with Benjamin Britten, some of whose finest music he inspired. He would have had a career without Britten – he was a compelling and successful operatic performer long before Peter Grimes – but without Pears we wouldn’t have some of the finest works ever written for tenor. In the 1970s, when I saw him, his formerly clarion upper register was showing strain, but he compensated admirably with style and ardour. In his own words: ‘To earn my living, I played jazz music on the side. 1,793 Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) 3. Plácido Domingo (b1941) 2. Although famed for his Wagnerian roles, Windgassen made his debut in 1941 as Don Alvaro in La forza del destino. It is Otello. The Greatest Tenors Of All-Time. Today's best range in age from 38 to 70. A Heldentenor in a new, lighter mould, Windgassen dominated the Wagnerian stage in the post-war era. He made his stage debut as Rodolfo in La bohème in 1961 then, in 1963, returned to Britain to deputise for Giuseppe di Stefano in the same role at Covent Garden. In his own words: ‘A singer is more than a singer, he’s an artist, and he’s even more than an artist, he’s a maestro.’. The crazy thing about all of this are these are either bands with real musical skill or vocalists that, to be frank, aren't remotely on the same level of talent as the others. 3 2 toutvas bien However, his qualities as a singer shine through in the recordings and in contemporary accounts: a dark, lustrous voice with a rich palette of thickly spread colours that enabled him to explore the psychological depths in the great Verdi and Puccini roles. What is most surprising is that, almost alone among tenors who made their name in Italian opera, since he was about 50 he has been equally involved with German opera, primarily Wagner, some of whose greatest roles he has not risked singing in the theatre, but has recorded in part or whole. In 1952, Walter Legge auditioned a young Swedish tenor, and cabled his contacts, ‘Just heard the greatest Mozart singer in my life: his name is Nicolai Gedda’. Jonas Kaufmann — born July 10, 1969, a German tenor, particularly known for his spinto roles. His early parts included Gustavo in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, Don José in Bizet’s Carmen and the title role in the historic Visconti/Giulini production of Verdi’s Don Carlos; but the potential of his voice to take on the most demanding roles in the repertoire led him towards Berlioz’s Aeneas, Beethoven’s Florestan and Wagner’s Siegmund, Parsifal  and Tristan, plus Britten’s Peter Grimes – a role he effectively redefined. He nevertheless continued to perform until shortly before his death in 1957. Nor has he neglected either French opera, including Berlioz and Massenet, or Russian. 6. Quite apart from that, he was of course one of the Three Tenors, and has recorded Christmas albums and discs of popular Italian and Spanish songs. In his own words: ‘I never forced my voice. Here are what most believe to be the ten best male country music singers of all time. In 1924 Melchior sang at the first post-war Bayreuth Festival and that same year triumphed in London as Siegmund in Die Walküre. The role of Tamino, which he had recorded the year before in Berlin under the baton of Karl Böhm, framed his all-too brief career in major roles. Since it is such a rare gift to not only have the ability to become an opera singer, but to also have such a high singing range, tenors are highly sought after and are some of the greatest opera singers in history. One of the most important things you can do as a singer is listen to and study the greats — after all, many of them got their start by imitating the singers that came before them. In that case, this nice article is for you. In his own words: ‘At five o’clock I stop work and become a father – I don’t believe in being the star singer who just “visits” home.’. Barbra Streisand. The outstanding German lyric tenor of his generation, his life was tragically cut short as his international career was getting underway, but thanks to his many recordings his unique voice has remained unforgettable. Tamino was the last role he sang on stage, ten years later, again with the Stuttgart ensemble, at the Edinburgh Festival barely a month before his fatal accident. I would not like that to happen.’. Nicolai Harry Gustav Gedda Ustinov possessed an elegantly lyrical sound, enhanced by polished diction. He is still singing, including such demanding roles as Siegmund in Wagner’s Die Walküre, as well as in carefully selected Italian operas. Featured peformers: Ron Blake (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone), Roy Hargrove (trumpet, producer), Cyrus Chestnut (piano), Rodney Whitaker (bass), Gregory Hutchinson (drums), Larry Clothier (producer, aka_text mixing role_id … Even if the date he prefers is correct, he has preserved his voice in an extraordinarily energetic career for almost 50 years, having made his debut in 1959 in Mexico, where his family moved when he was eight. 10. After debuting as a baritone in 1948, Bergonzi’s international career as tenor took off in the 1950s, when he began long-term associations with the Metropolitan, La Scala, and Covent Garden. The top 20 contains only three singers currently before the public, and one of those - the English soprano Emma Kirkby - has had no career to speak of in opera at all … He never made an ugly sound, and yet his voice was the most human, emotional instrument.’, Irene Dalis thought ‘he was the premier tenor in the world. But even then, when one thinks of that role and the kind of voice and presence it requires, Domingo’s isn’t necessarily the first name to come to mind. Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song? I never sang what I could not sing. 314 523 019-2; CD). In his own words: ‘It must be like a ride over the Bodensee, you must do it without showing any fear.’ (Schreier speaking about the coloratura Alleluia from JS Bach’s Cantata 51). Now in his eighties, Bergonzi teaches and runs a hotel in Verdi’s birthplace, Busseto. Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn cut her first album in 1960, and has enjoyed a career that’s spanned over 50 years. A global superstar, he became a fully-fledged matinee idol in America, which even forgave his fascist sympathies during World War II. Over the years his growing bulk and the developing imperfections in his voice hampered his opera appearances, and in 1992 he was booed at La Scala when, as Don Carlos, he cracked a note. See all 3 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions. (1923-1977) Soprano (Lyric) Click on and check out this list of the greatest male country singers of all time. His art wasn’t just about Britten, of course – Klemperer’s St Matthew Passion recording, so unfashionable these days, is dominated (but never overwhelmed) by Pears’s Evangelist. In a career spanning over 40 years, McCormack sang and recorded opera, oratorio, Lieder, popular songs and folk song from his native Ireland.