Listen to Ildebrando d'Arcangelo pour out sound in this rendition of "Votre toast" from Bizet's Carmen. If you think there is a better version post it in the comments. We'll put up a post of the best ones for comparison.
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Robert Merrill
ReplyDeleteEscamillo doesn't wear lavender.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved his voice- big, masculine, and he has no trouble with the highs and lows as most men do. You can't argue with his high notes. But I think he gets the feel of this character completely wrong-- this is all anger and rather harsh, there's no swagger or suavity. He never cracks a smile- he isn't seducing these women, he looks like he is about to rape them.
ReplyDeleteHe's far better than average, but his French is atrocious, his bottom is weak and he fails to make musical points that can make all the difference. A diminuendo on the sustained note leading into "Toreador, en garde" would do wonders, and if he didn't take a breath there, that would be great. While I would have been happy it to hear him rather than Kwiecen, say, it was not a wonderful version.
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