Customer Reviews

Great Armenian Baritone 1948-61

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
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This voice is so resonant and alive with ardour and passion that it is a real pleasure to end an evening with it. I also like Gobbi and Tibbet, but -wow, this is an exciting voice that hopefully will never be forgotten. I recomend this disc wholeheartedly.

This album is a real revelation. Lisitsian was mostly neglected since he was active during the closing days of Stalin's rule and the ensuing Cold War Years. But wow! What a voice! His Italian repertoire (in Russian!) is nice, but the real gems are the songs and Russian arias. The Venetian Guest's song is one of the great recordings of the century. And Pavel's "Yeletsky's Aria" from "The Queen of Spades" (Tchaikovskii) is worth the price of the album. Hvorostovsky's version is lovely, but listen to how Lisitsian caresses the first four notes--Ya vas lublyu (I love you). What a wondertul artist!

This is a singer to treasure. He has a beautiful and rich voice with a special timbre...but, there are other beautiful and rich voices. His real and deep appeal for me comes from his authentic and from-the-heart singing completely free of false emotionalisms. My impression is one of honesty of intention and realness of expression. He rivets attention and bathes the heart and ear in his artistry.

This is a singer to treasure. He has a beautiful and rich voice with a special timbre...but, there are other beautiful and rich voices. His real and deep appeal for me comes from his authentic and from-the-heart singing completely free of false emotionalisms. My impression is one of honesty of intention and realness of expression. He rivets attention and bathes the heart and ear in his artistry.

Don't get this disc...if you don't want your view of singing after World War I to be changed forever. Lisitsian is a throwback, an isolate abandoned by hisory due to his singing on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain. And while I love his voice I have actually met people who don't like it. But what no one can deny is that his technique is reminicent of the last century and the singer he supposedly admired most, Battistini. I have called Lisitsian a "freak" and sometimes I think this word best describes him. One cannot classify him: "artistic" singer like Gobbi or MacNeil? Beautifully voiced baritone like Bastianini or Taddei? Comparisons are better to bel canto masters like Renaud, Ancona, and of course Battistini.

This voice is so resonant and alive with ardour and passion that it is a real pleasure to end an evening with it. I also like Gobbi and Tibbet, but -wow, this is an exciting voice that hopefully will never be forgotten. I recomend this disc wholeheartedly.