I am a fairly young guy but I think that Alagna is one of the best tenors ever heard! At La Scala, when he left the stage, he was not sang well, but in his best years had a voice in the world's most beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful! Has always the same color, the same stamp! Acute large and beautiful! An accurate passaggio, larynx always in position! A voice so beautiful that it moved! Great Alagna!
He's an opera singer. He's entitled to his tantrums. You could say he's carying on a tradition that dates back to the days of Cafarelli and others. I think he sang this beautifully. For all you Pav fans, alagna was once hailed as the next Pavarotti. Btw, his walking out after being booed at La Scala wasn't a tantrum. In his interview, he reveals that he was absolutely mortified and felt like "the floor opened up beneath me." He couldn't sleep for days.
I cannot watch this aria without tears welling up. Alagna may not be the greatest tenor today, but he is IMO the greatest acting tenor, and he infuses this piece with all the passion it demands.
Continuing from prev comment: Alagna's interview about the incident can be found on youtube. It's all in Italian, however, so if you don't speak it, you'll be up a creek if you don't have a translator. The jist is that he thought the audience didn't want him and he was respecting their feedback. He also mentions that he lost considerable sleep and suffered enormous mortification as a result of it. People need to let that lie. His singing is wonderful.
Thank you sincerely for sharing this. This quintessential love story is a profoundly moving experience. If it does not bring tears to your eyes, you have no heart. If it does not make your spirit soar, you have no soul.
Superb wonderful performance his acting is amongst the best I have ever seen his voice is wonderful made me a sad yet happy person ...........kandyman ....
This video is fantastic! I never heard Alagna sound so magnificent............absolutely beautiful performance! incredibly glorious voice. I know what others have said, but, Listen to this!!!!!!!!!!!! and there is a recording where it's very close to this! by him.........How I'd love to have been there! Elizabeth, Salinas, CA
And, by the way, best high C I've ever heard. Of course a high C, or any high note for that matter, is hardly the most important thing to comment on, but I just wanted to share this, it's really the most magnificent high C I've ever heard.
The lovely Mimi is played by Leontina Vaduva. This is wonderful music and warms the soul...and he is marvelous as Rodolfo in La Boheme. Thank you for posting it.
WOW! Wonderful! That's Alagna as I would always like to hear him. Beautiful timbre. I expected a more explosive high C but still, the colour is superb!
MUY BIÉN ALAGNA, se escucha buena voz y con potencia, en resumen, hermoso. En otra interpretación comenté que estaba mal y recibí insultos, pero sí estaba mal; ahora no, es hermosa y gran interpretación.
Okay, "Happy Actor" , by my count, Alagna has appeared as the lead tenor in (at least) 25 operas since he won the Pavoratti contest in '89, somehow he has managed to function even though you guys still keep writing him off - he just got great reviews for his "Trovatore" at Covent Garden in London & will do a "Carmen" there in October & in NYC in January at the Met. Maybe the voice is not the same, but he is still Alagna.
@Loganberrymusic You're quite correct, it's a biological impossibility to sing anything above the passagio (around E-F-F# - all tenors are different) without head voice. Anyone claiming to sing entirely from the chest or saying that it is possible is wrong.
He has such a beautiful sound here...open and natural. I've heard him lately and the voice sounds very dark and pushed, most unfortunate. I think he is following the same path that Di Stefano did, in singing roles that are inappropriate for his voice. Oh well, at least we of clips like these...
@JohnnyBlowstar There actually is a version of this song performed by Alagna available on iTunes. Though it's not quite as mesmerizing as this performance, it's actually pretty close.
@viv3147 I think you mean head voice, which is not the same thing as falsetto. Chest voice and falsetto do not mix - that would be like trying to whisper and yell simultaneously. Also, I don't think it's possible for a man to sing a full voiced high C without using some head voice.
Grande Alagna! Es una lastima que su elección en el repertorio no ha sido el mas acertado y ha influido en su emision vocal. AUnque aqui estaba aun su voz sana, creo que el Rodolfo podria haber esperado un poco mas. Sus Nemorinos y Romeos son memorables. PAvarotti en una entrevista dice que cuando le escuchó por primera vez notó que a Alagna le gustaba cantar cosas mas grandes de las que debía, y se lo dijo. No hizo caso.
If you put it on mute and watch him sing, you would think he is a bass. This is why his sound is so dark and covered (even on E flat). He does a great job with this aria, but would sound better with some brightness in his upper middle register.
Well he is fantastic, but also see the mexican army like Villazon or specially David Lomeli singing this, the winner of Operalia is singing this also with Domingo at Los Angeles Opera this year. Alagna is great but this guy too and is a little more humble
i'm with you on that one... i used to be so so on him. But his early stuff is actually quite good. His voice has just really declined in recent years, yet continues to sing roles not suited for him, i.e. Aida at La Scala... but thanks to youtube, we can enjoy some of his better performances like this one...
Actually no, even yelling a high C still has "head" voice in it. It's actually physically impossible to phonate that high without using the cricoid cartilages to stretch the vocal folds, and the chest will no longer be the predominant resonance at that range.
Yes, that did sound a bit constricted or something. Rest was all very good, although it was SLOW. Still, that could well be the MDs doing, not his. The C was good, and there IS more to the aira than that one note.....
Alagna est de très loin le meilleur ténor actuel, seul Marcello Alvarez sur quelques interprétations se hissent au niveau.... Les autres sont trop inconstants pour le moment. Celles et ceux qui n'aiment pas Alagna sont les mêmes qui n'aiment pas Domingo......et ce sont donc les mêmes qui se trompent!
If you like Alagna, you'll like James Valenti. He's on youtube and has a website, jamesvalentiDOTcom. He's an American just starting out but he has landed a gig at La Scala. Enjoy
You can keep Pavarotti or Jose Carreras, this man is so obviously the natural heir to Caruso. And sang rather better before he got involved with La Gheorghiu. Sadly, this version isn't available on CD. :-(
I first met Alagna in !994 and thought we had a new star, sadly he frittered his talent away and became what I call a "ten year tenor". They sing all they can all over the world , often outside their repertoire and ruin their God given talent. Here he is extremely good.
Dejense de estupideces Roberto Alagna es un gran tenor, que no sea como Luciano, es otra cosa, pero canto perfectamente esta aria, y no necesita de ningun calderon ni ocho cuartos.
I didn't know you could decipher voice types just by watching, so you must know something I don't. Either way, his voice certainly has changed over the last 10+ years, no more ring, more scooping, it's a shame...
I have a lot of troubles in my life, but I must say when I can listen to beatiful music like this, they go away for a while.
I am a fairly young guy but I think that Alagna is one of the best tenors ever heard! At La Scala, when he left the stage, he was not sang well, but in his best years had a voice in the world's most beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful! Has always the same color, the same stamp! Acute large and beautiful! An accurate passaggio, larynx always in position! A voice so beautiful that it moved! Great Alagna!
His singing here is really exquisite. One of my favorite renditions of this aria. I believe I became a fan of Alagna after hearing this.
Bravo Alagna, superb singing and one of the sweetest high C's ever...
He's an opera singer. He's entitled to his tantrums. You could say he's carying on a tradition that dates back to the days of Cafarelli and others. I think he sang this beautifully. For all you Pav fans, alagna was once hailed as the next Pavarotti. Btw, his walking out after being booed at La Scala wasn't a tantrum. In his interview, he reveals that he was absolutely mortified and felt like "the floor opened up beneath me." He couldn't sleep for days.
Je crois que Roberto Alagna a atteint la perfection.
I cannot watch this aria without tears welling up.
Alagna may not be the greatest tenor today, but he is IMO the greatest acting tenor, and he infuses this piece with all the passion it demands.
What a majestic singer - fabulous voice. If I could sing like that I would not be living in this kip.
Continuing from prev comment: Alagna's interview about the incident can be found on youtube. It's all in Italian, however, so if you don't speak it, you'll be up a creek if you don't have a translator. The jist is that he thought the audience didn't want him and he was respecting their feedback. He also mentions that he lost considerable sleep and suffered enormous mortification as a result of it. People need to let that lie. His singing is wonderful.
Thank you sincerely for sharing this. This quintessential love story is a profoundly moving experience.
If it does not bring tears to your eyes, you have no heart. If it does not make your spirit soar, you have no soul.
Long time ago,but allways marvellous to hear.He has such a voice,his high tones and breathing technique are high class.
Perfect Rudolfo. Amazing voice, looks right. Acts well. All the right ingredients!!
1 of the best! this was him just hitting his prime!
Superb wonderful performance his acting is amongst the best I have ever seen his voice is wonderful made me a sad yet happy person ...........kandyman ....
This video is fantastic! I never heard Alagna sound so magnificent............absolutely beautiful performance! incredibly glorious voice.
I know what others have said, but, Listen to this!!!!!!!!!!!! and there is a recording where it's very close to this! by him.........How I'd love to have been there! Elizabeth, Salinas, CA
Alagna is a terrific tenor, and a delight for us opera fans. Thanks for posting
Gorgeous. This excerpt epitomises all that is wonderful about opera. Absolute 5*.
Such beautiful music.... and he is wonderful. A joy to watch and brings tears of pleasure to my eyes. Thank you for posting it. Judi
And, by the way, best high C I've ever heard. Of course a high C, or any high note for that matter, is hardly the most important thing to comment on, but I just wanted to share this, it's really the most magnificent high C I've ever heard.
Beautiful and lyric... wish he sang like this all the time!
alagna it`s amazing! what a voice...
The lovely Mimi is played by Leontina Vaduva. This is wonderful music and warms the soul...and he is marvelous as Rodolfo in La Boheme. Thank you for posting it.
he's so good and a beautiful voice!
What a wonderful high C! probably the best I've ever heard!
WOW! Wonderful! That's Alagna as I would always like to hear him. Beautiful timbre. I expected a more explosive high C but still, the colour is superb!
fantástico alagna,bravo!!
One of his Best Performances ever!!!!
He's very good, isn't he? And a convincing actor as well.
wow, this is the alagna that i love
What a performance! I'm touched! it moves me very much, especially the end... what an end my gosh!!! :o
Thanks for sharing this masterpiece!
i miss this alagna, he was so good here!
MUY BIÉN ALAGNA, se escucha buena voz y con potencia, en resumen, hermoso. En otra interpretación comenté que estaba mal y recibí insultos, pero sí estaba mal; ahora no, es hermosa y gran interpretación.
Okay, "Happy Actor" , by my count, Alagna has appeared as the lead tenor in (at least) 25 operas since he won the Pavoratti contest in '89, somehow he has managed to function even though you guys still keep writing him off - he just got great reviews for his "Trovatore" at Covent Garden in London & will do a "Carmen" there in October & in NYC in January at the Met. Maybe the voice is not the same, but he is still Alagna.
Bravo!
Bravo, bravo!!
Bravo Roberto!!!
Wow! what a voice...
Bravo Roberto
Roberto alagna me fascina, su tecnica, su bella voz, los pianisimos, en fin todo lo que canta, es uno de los grandes de este siglo.
Bravoooooooooooo!!
Indescribably beautiful.
Meraviglioso!!
Beautiful couple...
Alagnia en su mejor momento.
So touching ...
stupenda opera
totalmente de acuerdo contigo
me gusta mucho especialmente Alagna en la boheme
Beleave me, if I had a voice like that I would not be living in a kip like this.
@Loganberrymusic You're quite correct, it's a biological impossibility to sing anything above the passagio (around E-F-F# - all tenors are different) without head voice. Anyone claiming to sing entirely from the chest or saying that it is possible is wrong.
okay, he is GOOD!
Roberto and Angela both were very young!
un 10!
genial
k'moet zeggen====mooie stem ,gaat door merg en been
He has such a beautiful sound here...open and natural. I've heard him lately and the voice sounds very dark and pushed, most unfortunate. I think he is following the same path that Di Stefano did, in singing roles that are inappropriate for his voice. Oh well, at least we of clips like these...
He is the 4th tenor for sure.
he smacked it.
@JohnnyBlowstar There actually is a version of this song performed by Alagna available on iTunes. Though it's not quite as mesmerizing as this performance, it's actually pretty close.
Le va bien este rol, si señor.
Wonder!
i just wanted to comment that too!
@viv3147 I think you mean head voice, which is not the same thing as falsetto. Chest voice and falsetto do not mix - that would be like trying to whisper and yell simultaneously. Also, I don't think it's possible for a man to sing a full voiced high C without using some head voice.
in fact, this version/acting might even top ol pavs in my opinion xD
freu mich schon auf st. margareten
Alagna at his best here. I hear that he has burned out in recent years. Tis a shame if true.
de acuerdo
Grande Alagna! Es una lastima que su elección en el repertorio no ha sido el mas acertado y ha influido en su emision vocal. AUnque aqui estaba aun su voz sana, creo que el Rodolfo podria haber esperado un poco mas. Sus Nemorinos y Romeos son memorables. PAvarotti en una entrevista dice que cuando le escuchó por primera vez notó que a Alagna le gustaba cantar cosas mas grandes de las que debía, y se lo dijo. No hizo caso.
C'est magnifique vocalement ca meriterait peut etre un peu plus de liberté musicalement. Mais ca reste exceptionnel
If you put it on mute and watch him sing, you would think he is a bass. This is why his sound is so dark and covered (even on E flat). He does a great job with this aria, but would sound better with some brightness in his upper middle register.
Well he is fantastic, but also see the mexican army like Villazon or specially David Lomeli singing this, the winner of Operalia is singing this also with Domingo at Los Angeles Opera this year. Alagna is great but this guy too and is a little more humble
i'm with you on that one... i used to be so so on him. But his early stuff is actually quite good. His voice has just really declined in recent years, yet continues to sing roles not suited for him, i.e. Aida at La Scala... but thanks to youtube, we can enjoy some of his better performances like this one...
And the difference between Pavarotti's and Hadley's is even further.
Sorry, by 25 operas, I mean 25 different roles; he has appeared in many more than 25 operas since '89.
@iltrovatoremanrico but it was a falsetto/chest c, not just chest
This is the original key
well,if the "high C part" is in F sharp major, than it is high C sharp =o)
i agree, his phrases are all cut up!
Listen to Aragall, he sings this perfectly and with respect to the score.
Actually no, even yelling a high C still has "head" voice in it. It's actually physically impossible to phonate that high without using the cricoid cartilages to stretch the vocal folds, and the chest will no longer be the predominant resonance at that range.
I know ex. what you mean; bless you.
Yes, that did sound a bit constricted or something. Rest was all very good, although it was SLOW. Still, that could well be the MDs doing, not his. The C was good, and there IS more to the aira than that one note.....
Try Mirella Freni :P
The difference between this high C and a real high C is that this is a B and not a C!!! Just a thought!
Alagna est de très loin le meilleur ténor actuel, seul Marcello Alvarez sur quelques interprétations se hissent au niveau....
Les autres sont trop inconstants pour le moment.
Celles et ceux qui n'aiment pas Alagna sont les mêmes qui n'aiment pas Domingo......et ce sont donc les mêmes qui se trompent!
Much as I dislike Alagna as a person, if he sang this to me, and this well, I'd fall for him... He is simply irresistible here!
If you like Alagna, you'll like James Valenti. He's on youtube and has a website, jamesvalentiDOTcom. He's an American just starting out but he has landed a gig at La Scala. Enjoy
You can keep Pavarotti or Jose Carreras, this man is so obviously the natural heir to Caruso. And sang rather better before he got involved with La Gheorghiu.
Sadly, this version isn't available on CD. :-(
that didn't sound like a High C... that sounded like a High C sharp! O.o
who is? Puccini or Alagna?
Che son?.....
You shoul see though Pavarotti in Scala 1979. Maybe the finest version of this aria ever!
you are wrong friend, you are picking holes in paradise!
This is not Angela
I first met Alagna in !994 and thought we had a new star, sadly he frittered his talent away and became what I call a "ten year tenor". They sing all they can all over the world , often outside their repertoire and ruin their God given talent. Here he is extremely good.
Menos mal que no es Pavarotti, porque si así fuera el mundo de la lirica sería muy aburrido poues todos los tenores cantarían igual!
Gefaellt mir viel besser als Kaufmann!
why
Dejense de estupideces Roberto Alagna es un gran tenor, que no sea como Luciano, es otra cosa, pero canto perfectamente esta aria, y no necesita de ningun calderon ni ocho cuartos.
I didn't know you could decipher voice types just by watching, so you must know something I don't. Either way, his voice certainly has changed over the last 10+ years, no more ring, more scooping, it's a shame...