Customer Reviews

The Art of Singing: Golden Voices of the Century [VHS]

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This is an unbelievable collection of performance footage from some of the greatest singers of all time. I am very grateful to NVC Arts/Warner Music Vision for producing and distributing this DVD. Whether you are an opera singer or an opera lover (or both!), you will love this DVD. This DVD has rare footage that you are not likely to see anywhere else. I particularly recommend this DVD to opera students, as there is so much to be learned from watching and listening to these elite singers, not to mention the insightful commentary from Magda Olivero, Thomas Hampson, and others.

There are 28 artists featured here, and the DVD runs for almost 2 hours. Virtually everything in this DVD was enjoyable, so comments on each and every section would make this review very lengthy indeed. Thus, I'll stick to my favorite sections.

I loved the footage of Enrico Caruso from the early 20th century. It is entirely fitting to begin this DVD with opera's first true superstar. I really enjoyed the commentary of Magda Olivero in the features of Beniamino Gigli and Tito Schipa. She is incredibly charming and insightful. Of course, the peformance footage of these two phenomenal tenors is fantastic, with Gigli singing "Ombra mai fu" from Xerxes, and Schipa singing "M'appari" from Martha. There is the ONLY footage of legendary Luisa Tetrazzini. She is at a retirement party (age 61), and singing along to a recording of Caruso singing "M'appari". It is poignant.

There is rare footage of Rosa Ponselle. You get to see her MGM screen tests, singing "Chanson Boheme" and the "Habanera" from Carmen. She pulls off very committed performances, even though she was all alone in front of the camera. She was 21 at the time, beautiful, and in great voice. You get Kirsten Flagstad singing "Hojotoho!" from "Die Walkure" in a live performance from 1938 introduced by Bob Hope, and accompanied by the Met orchestra.

Being a big "La Boheme" fan, I was flabbergasted to see a live peformance of the final scene from Act I, sung by the dream team of Renata Tebaldi and Jussi Bjorling. It was a live broadcast in 1956, and they were both fabulous.

The DVD ends with some legendary Maria Callas performances. You get a clip of the duet "Parigi, o cara" from the famous 1958 Lisbon "La Traviata", sung with Alfredo Kraus. Then, you get the duet and "Vissi d'arte" from the equally famous 1964 Covent Garden performance of "Tosca" with Tito Gobbi. There is intermittent commentary from Nicola Rescigno. Callas was an amazing performer.

In addition to the above, there is some wonderful footage of Martinelli, de Luca, Tauber, Tibbett, Stevens, de Los Angeles, Sutherland, Price, Olivero, Corelli, Vickers, and more. This is a true cornucopia of operatic legends.

Highly recommended.

The makers of the magnificent "The Art of Conducting" have done for opera what they previously did for symphonic music. "The Art of Singing" is an incredible collection of opera arias sung by virtually all of the opera greats of the twentieth century.Pavarotti and Domingo,however,are notably absent. Yes,Caruso is also included--an excerpt from a silent film in which he is seen (but not heard) singing his great "Pagliacci" aria "Vesti La Giubba" has been rather awkwardly synchronized with his early recording of that piece. The rest of the footage featured in this documentary is amazing. The home video viewer is allowed to see and hear greats that one never even hoped to see before the age of videocassette--Benjamino Gigli, Jussi Bjoerling,Renata Tebaldi, Tita Ruffo, Feodor Chaliapin, Rosa Ponselle, Ezio Pinza, Giuseppe di Stefano, Giovanni Martinelli,etc. as well as Renata Tebaldi, Maria Callas, and Leontyne Price, all singing the music that made them famous. They are seen in screen tests, rare film shorts that have not seen the light of day in more than fifty years,early television appearances,and even excerpts from full-length films like the 1933 Chaliapin "Don Quixote". Nothing is allowed to distract from the performances,although the quaintness of some of those early shorts,as well as the early makeup on some of the male singers, may make you laugh.The early television excerpts are presented on simple,uncluttered sets,and there are no attempts to "gimmick up" the presentations. Noted opera singers and music experts also put in appearances to comment on the art of such greats as Maria Callas (shown singing excerpts from "Tosca" and "La Traviata",her greatest roles). Actors Charles Laughton and Jose Ferrer turn up in rare TV appearances to introduce segments featuring Jussi Bjoerling and Boris Christoff,respectively. And a fascinating silent segment featuring singers obviously lip-synching to an old recording of the sextet from "Lucia de Lammermoor" is amazingly,through the use of digital synchronization, perfectly matched up to the sound of that old recording.

No opera lover who is seriously interested in familiarizing himself with the great singers of yesterday can afford to pass this one up. Younger opera fans whose knowledge of opera is limited to Pavarotti on PBS,will encounter artists who can easily match,as well as surpass, today's opera stars.

Quality rare footage of Great Singers. Excellent commentary by Thomas Hampson and Jerome Hines. Watching the likes of Wunderlich, Bjorling, Callas, Tebaldi, and more...amazing.

There are many wonderful gems on this DVD, but the footage of Jussi Bjorling and Renata Tebaldi performing Final Scene, Act 1 of La Boheme is stunning.

Yes, all music lovers should see it.

But out of the singers with a clip here, not many were at their best. One exception is Martinelli, who is one way or the other better than any of the three so-called greatest tenors today; and Bjorling sang with more ease and musicality than Pavoratti. Gigli sang a song that was most splendid. Tibbet was charming, but Tauber wasn't equally impressing. And the clip of Chaliapin is so short. Sadly we have so little of Caruso and Callas. Each of them deserve 5 to 6 hours (if not days). Caruso only appeared on a silent film taking a part in a sextet however wonderful that might be; and Callas' clip was not quite her best. But we don't have much more available and the DVD is already as long as 116 minutes!

We also have some invalable commentators including Martineli himself, Thomas Hampson, Rescignom...etc. I have gone through it at least 4 to 5 times by now and I will go back to it before long. Great Stuff, simply irresistible.

This is a necklace made of pearls and we have jem after jem. But if your are looking for fabulous recording with excellent sound and visually exciting sights, this may not be the one for you. Most of them are in B/W with only a very few exceptions and even when they are in colour, they are rather grainy.

With Caruso, the greatest tenor of all ages, while we are hearing him sing, we only have his photos, or else a couple of clips singing something else in some other silent films. The only clip that he actually sang and act was the sextet. But the camera covers almost all six singers at the same time and the sextet lasted but a few minutes. And the sound, archive that was, so are most of the other clips, is acceptable: we can clearly hear what and how he sang albeit that there is some slight surface noise.

For Gigli, the one who sang with a "perfect control of his breath", we only have a Handel accompanied by a pipe organ. And even though the sound occasionally slightly cracked in the high register, the recording and particularly the music is wonderful. Simply one of the best rendition of the piece, whatever instrument you're talking about. We also have a bonus of seeing how recording studio was operated at the time.

Then we have a short clip of Chaliapin singing. Rachmaninov the composer/pianist was a great fan of this singer. His singing is a mixture of singing, talking, preaching and sighing all at once, but never shouting or screaming however suppressed that might be (none of the singers in this DVD are, as opposed to some singers nowadays). Similar to Chaliapin would be Pinza and Christoff.

We have two clips of Martinelli, one an operetic aria and the other non operatic. The way he sangs is timeless and his voice is even better than Domingo. We also have de Luca who sang with a most "perfect legato", and then Schipa whose sang so softly "with words falling onto the lips with the breath keeps them running". And then we have Stepheno, the long time partner of callas whose "diction" is unbelievable. We also have Lawrence Tebbett, with his super charisma equipped with such a "dark voice between bass and baritone that is ringing in the top register". We also have Corelli with a most beautiful voice. He is more handsome then any Hollywood film star and his way of singing is the most modern. We also have an intriguing clip of Wunderlich singing an arai from The Magic Flute. And of course, we also have Bjoring who is far more appealing than Pavoratti singing Boheme...

For the lady singers, we have Sutherland. We have lots of her in DVD, but this one was shot when she was at her very prime and this is one of the most technically demanding arias wonderfully performed. We also have the "dramatic intensity" of Olivero which is shattering, not just overwhelming. Yes, there is also The American Beauty of the Metropol, Rise Stevens. This clip is gorgous both sound and sight...

Yes, there are a lot more. A whole varieties of singing, not just the stereotype of singing most audiences are given nowadays. If you want to see and hear the secrets or the limits of human voices, you can't possibly miss this one!

PS: Yet, my maid once told my daughter that she does like classcial singing ( Renee, Price, Sutherland... whatever). She said the way they sing is not natural, even if not awful. Her favourite would be George Harrison, one of the Beatles. I don't argue with her: there was a time when I shut myself away from classical singing altogether, particuarly the female singers. But I advised my daughter to take note of the powerfulness of communication and the emotional depth of the classical singing... Nonetheless, I reckon that classical music lovers around the world totalled about 5% of the population or even less, and very soon the future audience will find even the most modern singers awful, particularly in view of the fact that cultivating the passion for classical singing takes years, if not generations. But there got to be something that is more intransient if not really eternal and that got to be the classics, the real classics.

A wonderful video.Tremendous performances by all.I wish to single out the legendary baritone Lawrence Tibbett.He was possibly the greatest American baritone.He also starred in six movies. Tibbett was Oscar nominated for Best Actor in his first movie role,The Rogue Song,1930.

I study opera singing and my my teacher gave me his video because he wanted me to see it. After watching it over and over again, I decided to buy one of my own. It's a great video in which you can see the best singers of the 20th century.

I'm giving this compilation of great singers in short video film clips 5 stars because it does bring these now deceased artists back to life again for the emjoyment of the present. The one segment that sticks in my mind is the one with Jussie ("The Juice" :o) Bjorling and Renata Tebaldi singing the last part of the first act of "La Boheme" in its ENTIRETY. Bjorling and Tebaldi do a lot of "smiling" which I find very ingratiating in a positive sense--though some may find it "over-acting". Another "good one" is the segment about Magda Olivero---I never knew much about this Diva who had her Metropolitan Opera Debut at age 65! But, even at that age you can tell that she was "one of the greats". Rosa Ponselle does a beautiful aria...and Fritz Wunderlich.....I've heard him sing many times on CD but it is a totally new and beautiful experience to watch him sing with his total personality coming forth to you across the years! Some of the segments I found "boring" (for me)...but that's what the fastforward button is for! If the price is too high you could get it "free" from netflix. boland7214@aol

This disc has a large number of small snippets, and several more extended bands, of very fine singers of the past. For the most part, these selections should be considered as supplementary material - giving an interesting visual representation of the great singers and their performance practices of the past 100 years - rather than as exciting performances, which you would watch frequently for their entertainment value. Needless to say, the quality of the audio and video varies widely from the crude early selections, through the fuzzy cinemas of the 1930's to the relatively acceptable quality of the later singers in the 1960's.

While there are several singers who are also very capable actors presented here, most artists are concentrating on their singing. One also needs to consider that not only is it difficult to accompany what are essentially sung monologs with meaningful gestures, these performers normally performed on stage in large concert halls; thus their gestures and acting styles may seem exaggerated in the close-up medium of the camera.

Side 1:

Band 1: Enrico Caruso (2:38) - a number of very short silent movie and newsreel segments, shown over a background of a 1907 recording of "Vesti la giubba".

Band 2: Enrico Caruso (1:36) - a silent movie segment from 1911, showing six very static (yet mannered) actors miming to a 1908 recording of the sextet from Lucia with Sembrich, Scotti & Journet.

Band 3: Giovanni Martinelli - 1930 (1:48) - a short segment from one of the early "talkie" movies, showing the 45 year old Martinelli (in costume) singing the opening of "Celeste Aida". Commentary by a much older Martinelli - probably shot around 1960.

Band 4: Giovanni Martinelli - 1931 (1:54) - a short segment from another of the early "talkie" movies, showing Martinelli (in a Gondolier costume) singing an energetic and vigorous "Torna a Sorriento".

Band 5: Beniamino Gigli - 1933 (2:21) - The 43 year old Gigli, accompanied by an organ, dressed in the vest and trousers of a three piece suit, in front of a radio microphone, with rows of middle-aged men (also in business suits) sitting behind him, singing "Ombra mai fu". While the setting is bizarre, the singing is glorious - no gulps, no sobs. Reminiscences by Magda Olivero.

Band 6: Tito Schipa - 1929 (3:18) - A studio film of the 41 year old Schipa singing (in rustic costume) "Martha, m'appari". A beautiful performance, which gains nothing from the rather distracting set, costume and acting. Reminiscences by Magda Olivero.

Band 7: Giuseppe de Luca - 1927 (3:03) - a segment from one of the early "talkie" movies, showing the 51 year old de Luca (in costume) singing "Largo al factotum". Very well sung, minimal acting. Commentary (mostly vacuous) by Thomas Hampson.

Band 8: Luisa Tetrazzini - 1932 (1:16) - an absolutely ghastly segment, showing a very rotund, 61 year old Tetrazzini, croaking along to a recording of Caruso singing "Martha, m'appari", while wearing one of the ugliest hats ever devised by man, and letting loose a fearsome cackle when a toady bystander kisses her hand and tells her how wonderful she sounded.

Band 9: Conchita Supervia - 1934 (2:52) - A segment from the movie "Evensong", where the 39 year old Supervia does a nice job with "Quando me'n vo" from Bohème.

Band 10: Rosa Ponselle - 1936 (6:02) - A very memorable segment from some MGM screen tests, where the 39 year old Ponselle does an outstanding job with the "Chanson Bohème" and the "Habañera" from Carmen. Extraordinarily vivacious and charismatic; a real charmer! A very short interview (two questions) with Ponselle.

Band 11: Richard Tauber - 1933 (3:26) - A segment from the movie "Lilac Time", where the 42 year old Tauber drowns Schubert's "Ständchen" in great dripping gobs of schmalz. There is so much portamento and rubato that I seriously recommend taking Dramamine before viewing.

Band 12: Fyodor Chaliapin - 1933 (2:41) - A short, acted segment from the silent movie "The Maid of Pskov" (1917), followed by the 60 year old Chaliapin singing the "Chanson du duc" from Ibert's "Don Quichotte". The presence and acting are very fine. The voice is accurate, penetrating, thin and hard. The music is incredibly boring.

Band 13: Kirsten Flagstad - 1938 (3:15) - A segment from the movie "The Big Broadcast". Introduced by Bob Hope. Another glorious vocal performance in a bizarre setting. The setting appears to be a cocktail lounge or club; an audience (obvious Hollywood extras) is seated at tables in white dinner jackets and evening gowns. There is a smallish (for Wagner) orchestra sawing away. The curtain opens on the very round, 43 year old Flagstad, in full valkyrie regalia, standing on a paper-maché rock, waving a short spear around while trying not to fall off the rock. But, you are not likely to ever hear "Hojotoho" sung better - or by a richer, more beautiful voice.

Band 14: Lawrence Tibbett - 1935 (2:05) A segment from the movie "Metropolitan". The 39 year old Tibbett shows off his fine figure and voice in a very mannered and choreographed performance of the "Chanson du Toreador" from Carmen. The only problem, other than a lack of nuance in his singing, is that sleazy little mustache, which denotes different qualities to different observers - but none of them are admirable.

Band 15: Risė Stevens - 1941 (2:51) - Yet another glorious vocal performance in a bizarre setting. A segment from the movie "The Chocolate Soldier". The singer is standing in front of a piano in what appears to be a cocktail lounge or club; an audience similar to the above. In a short interview the singer discusses the problems of looking attractive for the camera while filming an aria. She does a nice job of singing "Mon coeur s'ouvre" from Samson and Dalila; but exhibits no emotion whatever - whether by the instructions of the director or personal preference is unknown. However, the aria doesn't work when sung without passion, especially in a club in front of a piano. DOA.

Band 16: Lauritz Melchior - 1948 (1:28) - Yet another passionless performance in a bizarre setting. A segment from the movie "Luxury Liner". This time the singer is seated at a piano in what appears to be dinner jacket without lapels; the audience appears to be a maid, seated in an armchair, and two young starlets standing next to each other and exchanging what are meant to be meaningful looks. The 58 year old Melchior croons away at "Winterstürme" in what is meant to be a charming manner. At the end, the maid opines "Wonderful! Just wonderful!"

Band 17: Ezio Pinza - 1953 (3:16) - A segment from the movie "Tonight We Sing". A well sung and acted scene from Boris Godunov by the charismatic 61 year old singer/actor. It's a movie, but it's well done.

Band 18: Jussi Björling and Renata Tebaldi - 1956 (14:08) - This one band by itself almost makes the disc worth the exorbitant prices being asked. A segment of a TV production call "Producer's Showcase", the scene is self-consciously introduced by the great actor Charles Laughton, who seems to be embarrassed by the execrably written introduction he has to read. The scene picks up the first act of La Bohème at "Che gelida manina" and runs to the end of the act. The singers are rotund, the acting is not quite High School level, but the singing is unforgettable! Both singers are in excellent voice; both voices are beautifully plangent and absolutely perfect for Puccini, the conductor is the excellent Max Rudolf. I could go on, but you get the idea.

Side 2:

Band 1: Victoria de los Angeles - 1962 (2:06) - If you are a fan of de los Angeles, and you find "La Vida Breve" interesting or attractive, you will enjoy this performance. I am not, do not, and did not.

Band 2: Joan Sutherland - 1963 (2:29) - "O beau pays" from Les Huguenots by Meyerbeer. Beautiful singing wasted on boring music.

Band 3: Leontyne Price - 1962 (5:43) - "O patria mia". Prime Price. Beautiful, penetrating, rich voice with outstanding lower range, slightly marred by too wide a vibrato...very nice in softer sections...minimal acting, minimal set.

Band 4: Boris Christoff - 1956 (14:28) - "Death of Boris". Outstanding presence and singing...not likely to be bettered any time soon. Nicola Moscona as Pimen, conducted by Alfred Wallenstein.

Band 5: Magda Olivero - 1960 (4:53) - A well sung and acted "Vissi d'arte" by the 48 year old Olivero, followed by the Act III duet from Tosca with tenor Alvinio Misciano.

Band 6: Fritz Wunderlich - 1961 (4:28) - Wunderlich's typical peerless performance of "Dies Bildnis" - unenhanced by silly costume, bouffant hair above a receding hairline, and stiff, unimaginative acting. Just close your eyes and it will be "bezaubernd schön".

Band 7: Jon Vickers - 1974 (5:19) - The century's premier Florestan singing a very fine "In des Lebens". One could find the acting a bit over the top, if one wanted to criticize something, but I don't. Another band that almost makes the price worth it.

Band 8: Franco Corelli -1963 (2:53) - "Non piangere Liu". I have never heard Corelli sing better than this performance. Beautiful voice, fine presence, good acting. Plus it's nice to see an opera singer who doesn't look like an over-stuffed easy chair.

Band 9: Giuseppe di Stefano -1958 (3:40) - "Vesti la giubba". This performance is a real surprise. One expects beautiful singing from di Stefano, but here he instilled the old war horse with a great deal of feeling. To quote Aldous Huxley (speaking of a different tenor): "[This is] a piece, which at ordinary times, I would go out of my way to avoid hearing...[but here] Leoncavallo's throaty vulgarity seemed not only refined and sincere, but even beautiful, positively noble." Di Stefano "nailed it."

Band 10: Maria Callas - 1958 (4:18) - Very dark, murky video, shot from some distance away, of the Lisbon "Traviata" with Alfredo Kraus. Listen to the C/D, nothing to see here.

Band 11: Maria Callas & Tito Gobbi -1964 (4:45) - Duet and "Vissi d'arte". Callas and Gobbi are inimitable. Stunningly intense performance, with her usual problems in upper range. One hears such singing, and what can one say but "Callas"?