Mario Del Monaco Tito Gobbi Otello (vaimusic.com)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
- www.vaimusic.c...
Mario Del Monaco & Tito Gobbi sing "Era la notte, Cassio dormia - Si, pel ciel marmoreo giuro!" From: Otello (Giuseppe Verdi)
From: VAI DVD 4425 Otello (Verdi)
An historic live 1959 performance starring Mario Del Monaco in his most celebrated portrayal, partnered by illustrious colleagues Gabriella Tucci and Tito Gobbi, and maestro Alberto Erede leading the NHK Symphony Orchestra.
Includes optional subtitles in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish with embedded Japanese subtitles.
131 minutes, Black & White, mono, All regions.
Live in Japan (1959)
Alberto Erede, conductor.
TO PURCHASE THE COMPLETE DVD,PLEASE VISIT www.vaimusic.com OR CALL TOLL-FREE IN THE US 1(800)477-7146 (OUTSIDE OF THE US, CALL 914-769-3691).
Domingo can play Otello's childhood... Del Monaco can breath like Domingo sings...
Domingo should go Hollywood, darling for carema...
Mario Del Monaco war absolut ein Heldentenor der Superlative! Unbestritten! Leider habe ich ihn auf der Bühne nie live erleben dürfen. Wohl aber habe ich Placido Domingo live als Otello erlebt - 1994 in Verona! Ein unvergessliches Ereignis! Domingo betritt solo die Bühne - und die Bühne ist ausgefüllt! Ich habe viele Sängerinnen une Sänger, nicht nur in Verona, gehört und gesehen. Aber an Bühnenpräsenz war Domingo nicht zu überbieten. Und im Gegensatz zu Del Monaco in dieser Aufnahme hat er auch alle Töne getroffen!
@Barone Vitellio Scarpia, Domingo shouldn’t sing everything, when there are Mario Del Monaco, Franco Corelli, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Franco Bonisolli and other great singers!
Es ist eine Frage der stimmlichen Angemessenheit für die Rolle. Doch kann man Del Monacos dramatisches Instrument nicht mit einer nur volleren, lyrischen Stimme vergleichen.
Über Domingo: Ausser auf die hohen si-Naturalen und das einzelne hohe do (vor "Niun mi Tema") hat Domingo wahrscheinlich alle Töne "getroffen", was mit größerer Sicherheit hörbar ist, wenn die Verstärkersysteme (wenn die leider eben vorhanden war) eingeschaltet war waehrend Spielzeit 1994. Aber ohne solchen ist dieser Veranstaltungsort nur für die größten Stimmen gebaut.
Nobody sings Era La Notte more beautifully than Tito Gobbi .
Yes, Gobbi is great, but there are a few good Era la Notte's out there. Check out Granforte, Tibbett, Milnes and today's Gerald Finley. Hampson (not everyone's idea of an Iago) did a beautiful job with it.
@@kennethwayne6857 Finley and Hampson are not Verdi baritones. The others are all great.
@@xxsaruman82xx87 That is true, however if you're not a conventional 'Verdi baritone', must that necessarily disqualify you from singing his music? (I am a lyric baritone and have had the privilege of studying with the great Louis Quilico and hope to sing a few of the lighter Verdi roles.)
@@kennethwayne6857 No, but it does if you sing with the modern singing technique with no squillo and no chiaroscuro.
Gobbi - the greatest - absolutely the greatest singing actor ever.
Del Monaco too
@@maximtuboltsev6046 Caruso + Titta Ruffo!!
Il più grande baritono della storia con il più grande tenore della storia che coppia ragazzi
You forget Bastianini and Ruffo
Give me a tenor like Del Monaco now a days and I would be supremely happy.
I would think I'd died and gone to heaven!
@Barone Vitellio Scarpia, i like him, but Del Monaco is better! His voice is bigger, technique is better.
@Barone Vitellio Scarpia, yes, i agree with you.
You should watch this video! This man says that Gobbi is bad! And that Shore is better then Gobbi!!! Is he mad or stupid?? ua-cam.com/video/frGvs_t_ATc/v-deo.html
Listening to too much Del Monaco can destroy your hearing. I think it's worth it though 😉
Gobierno excelente!!!
I am so thankful that these live performances were captured on video so that we can enjoy them decades later! Del Monaco and Gobbi were two great artists.
Quando il destino accoppia due giganti:che gioia poterli ascoltare!Quando vado a teatro di questi tempi mi sento sempre orfana!
Io preferisco Caruso con Titta Ruffo, e di gran lunga
@@cruscante да, они лучшие!
Gobbi straordinario come Jago!!!!!!!!!!!Del Monaco un Otello fra i più completi!!!! grazie
Нет ничего прекраснее Гобби и нетолько итальянские певцы вне конкуренции гены вероятно Средиземноморье темперамент прекрасная природа изумительные художники скульпторы и люди всегда сулыбкой юмором вс
Sono stati due eroi della storia della musica
Só com a Internet. O nível de nossos canais oficiais nos esconderam décadas centenas de obras de artes.
Questi mostri sacri... non solo cantano ...ma recitano in maniera sottile e coinvolgono il pubblico come pochi altri riescono a fare...Gobbi-Del Monaco...due artisti immensi...saluti
Titto Gobbi sings like Titto Ruffo...Mario Del Monaco is devine...their voices sound very even, sometimes they are alike because of the common vocal school de l`U...very inspiring, sehr lebendig! Fantastisch!
I was very Lucky i saw both with Tebaldi in Otello in Montréal 1966.
Due grandi artisti italiani
What an Otello!!! Perfectly suiting voice, Mr. del Monaco.
Lal piu' bella rappresentazione dell'Otello di sempre...sia dal punto di vista vocale di questi due giganti della lirica ,sia da quello interpretativo!!poi l'effetto bianco e nero roba d'altri tempi!!!!! SUPERBI!!
grandissimi!!
DUE MOSTRI SACRI
Уникален❤️Но чуй и Джилли❤️
Słuchanie tych dwóch ikon śpiewu operowego to przeżycie. Byli wspaniali. Niezapomniani...
Condivido moltissimo il suo commento purtoppo abbiamo perso quella grande scuola che sfornava grandi cantanti lirici di questo calibro. saluti
A real gem, thank you! 🍷🎩
Sono mostruosamente unici
Can't stop listening to this...fantastic!
L' intonazione di Gobbi e purtroppo un dramma e si sente anche qualche caprino. MdM e favoloso ❤
Tito Gobbi ha sempre cantato maluccio, però è un genio interpretativo!
@@giovannievangelista6218 GOBBI ERA MERAVIGLIOSO IO L'ho veduto in teatro piu' VOLTE DA RAGAZZINA1 SEMPRE PERFETTO NELLA VOCE E NELLA RECITAZIONE DIRE CANTAVA MALUCCIO E' ASSOLUTAMENTE INACCETTABILE!
это прекрасно!!!
I have the radio broadcast of one of these Otello performances in Tokyo and Del Monaco is back on the top of his game.
Both of them are great here despite some flaws. Del Monaco's voice was something. It may be too strong/loud for some roles, but for this role, I love it. Gobbi was able to combine acting and his voice together and Iago was an extremely good role for him. The only competition I can think of for this role is Giuseppe Taddei.
Maybe Tibbett and Ruffo?
2:57 Del Monaco too loud? When he wanted to be, Del Monaco could be incredibly subtle. Not perhaps as often as one would like, but he could sing softly.
Impresionante, la misma sonoridad (proyeccion en potencia) tanto Del Mónaco como Gobbi, difícilmente un cantante podría ponerse a la altura del grandísimo Mario del Mónaco, y Tito Gobbi hizo una interpretación sencillamente espectacular.
Saludos.
Люблю.
what a great thing to hear & see- wow!
I would also like to say that Shicoff expressed feeling,Beautiful quality of voice& he vibrated.Extremely involved with his roles.VIBRATED
I wonder how many times Gobbi sang Iago. He sang Scarpia in Tosca 879 times.
Есть же чудасия на свете - влюбиться в человека, (которого едва знавал когда-то через СМИ) после его смерти..
Greatest Baritone of all time!
Not even close. Ruffo would eat him alive ;)
@@operalover3966, nope. Both of them are great
Per me Tito Gobbi è stato il più grande baritono della seconda metà del Novecento insieme a Bastianini. Ho letto l'accesa discussione... Si può preferire l'uno o l'altro, ma stiamo, pur sempre parlando di una Ferrari e di un'Aston Martin. Se paragoniamo questi mostri sacri a quegli inetti che circolano nei Teatri italiani, ci dendiamo conto di quanto siamo sfortunati a vivere quest'epoca e non quella di cinquant'anni addietro
Warren
Гоббі.. Тіто - чисте золото. Люблю навіки. Маріо- само собою, його всі кохають.
Per dir male di Tito Gobbi, bisogna essere proprio in mala fede...
Cosi vale per Del Monaco... dove sono due interpreti piu grandi di questi?
Tutti i movimenti che fanno , sono consoni a quello che dicono... IMMORTALI!!!
UN SALUTO
Esa forma de expresar de Gobbi "che al moro... ti donó" destacando lo racial es de un vero artista!
Gobbi, Del Monaco, where ar such singers and actors nowadays?
Lovely singing.TY v for posting and Candy for sharing.
MAGNIFICO!
Perhaps the1970swere the best years forPD.He seemed to do everything well.Thanks for reminding me aboutSchicoff.I remember hearing him early on&thought that over time he would be extremely successful as his voice matured.I think he went through a period of time when he did do very well in the lyric reperoire.He seemed to be a little over exposed for a while,singing more than he should have.He usually made a good account of himself early on,then became a little erratic. But,I always enjoyed him
Invidio gli spettatori!
最強のコンビ
great singing......some stage presence!
Dois gigantes do canto. Tecnicamente, dois monstros sagrados da grande escola de canto que enfatizava a voz para as cavidades superiores(caixa de ressonância), com uso adequado da musculatura facial(Mastigação).
I love this historical document and I'm really happy it's on UA-cam, but I listened to it thinking Del Monaco was pretty bad. Shouting, cutting notes short, sometimes not singing at all. Gobbi certainly outsings him. But I go to the comments and everyone is praising him. What on earth is going on here?
Gobbi is better than del monaco. You’re not wrong.
Del Monaco, lui é Otello, gli altri.....imitazioni cinesi.
Pequeña muestra de una gran versión se adi-
vina,pero a Tito Gobbi lo escuché fantástico.
3:26 Who says Del Monaco couldn't hone done his voice?
💖💐💖💐
Both of them were gigantic, second to no ones,,,>JRT
Man, that's a lot of testosterone!
@31122051 Guardi, se lei risponde a tutti questi potenziali critici, diventa matto!
a mio avviso questi due artisti, nel vero senso della parola, sono tra i più grandi interpreti di Jago e Otello, uno per l'interpretazione, l'altro per la voce, e nessuno si è mai avvicinato a tanta grandezza! un saluto, e mi scusi per il (matto). alla prossima
Два гения.
There are no better Otellos than MDM. Domingo is also great, but I wouldn't say, he's better. Here Monaco a bit spares with his voice. One year erlier in the MET he gave more. But the energy he relays is fantastic. I love his agonic pianos, while Jago spaeks about il fazzoletto. Gobbi's voice is full of irony, colours, brutality, mortal game.
Domingo is bad! Nasal and small voice, he is not Otello!
Ma come si possono dare giudizi cosi' negativi su Tito Gobbi! Lo smentisce in pieno la sua luminosa carriera in tutti i piu' importanti del mondo! Mah che pazienza che ci vuole .. . . . . .
Ma infatti non capisco come si possa dire che tito gobbi ha cantato sempre maluccio....poi ognuno ha le sue opinioni..ma secondo me tito gobbi e' stato un grandissimo baritono...oltre che un attore nato...
Why does every baritone become Snidely Whiplash with
Lo vidi in man di Cassio. Verdi makes it quite clear in the score that Iago deliver the line casually.
Listen to Lawrence Tibbett he does it that way
Tito Gobbi....povero Verdi....come sempre un'inarrivabile Del Monaco
Dino Merlo si é vero che Tito gobbi si prende delle libertà me é pur sempre una splendida voce
disprezzare l'interpretazione di un grande artista come Gobbi, per me, significa semplicemente rivelare i limiti delle proprie capacità di giudizio .
Verdade, Bruna. O que dizer, então, da impostação vocal dos dois, senão SOBERBOS !! Lamentavelmente, as escolas de canto atuais não exigem tanto na impostação dos futuros "Cantantes". Del Monaco e Gobbi são grandes, sobretudo na Técnica vocal(impostação e musculatura facial).
Note how fast MDM takes the first verse of Si per ciel - then notable slower for Gobbi - and then...the majestic slower pace for the two of them together...Not sure what effect the conductor seeking...
is (or was) Domingo a tenor.....? please, don't joke... we can talk about Vickers or Vinay. MDM wasjust MDM, you can find critics, but he was a unique singer for one of the longest careers in opera world.
Domingo was so very nasal.
@31122051 e ci risiamo col più grnde baritono della storia del canto. Le ripeto, caro amico, che un cantante ò grande ( figuriamoci il più grande), quando, oltre ad interpretare magistralmente i personaggi, ne possiede appieno tutte le note, stante che, dall'unione di canto corretto e grande fraseggio sortisce un grande personaggio.In Gobbi questo aviene solo parzialmente per gli evidenti limiti tecnici ( nel registro acuto), che tuttora me lo rendono ingrato in Verdi ( Falstaff escluso) A pres
.....comparisons to those two giants on stage are unfair. You might find a few reasonable Jagos, definitely no Otello who wears more than the costume....Trying to sing like MDM would make todays singers aphon within one evening....
Два титана! Bravi!
He's just past his prime and he's also having a bad night.
I did not hear Domingo live in Carmen but 1 of my few positive statements about him on YT,is that he did do a pretty good Carmen,Il Tabarro&early 1970s Trovatore.I think he is a fair to good tenor,so I really don't understand what all the fuss is.I think Tucker had a rock solid production with excellent hi-notes.Although I never heard Tucker live,I always thought it was a very formidable voice.
@31122051 mi perdoni caro amico se rientro in una polemica " Gobbiana". Un grande cantante ( figuriamoci il più grande) nasce da una perfetta unione di grande canto e grande fraseggio, stanti queste due caratteristiche avremmo dei personaggi impersonati alla perfezione. Questo in Gobbi avviene solo in parte, avendo il baritono veneto evidenti limiti vocali nel registro acuto, che oggi, lo rendono ingrato assai in Verdi ( eccettuato Falstaff), e in difficoltà in alcuni passaggi della Tosca
Mario Del Monaco look like Robert Downey jr :O
Se volete,posso momentanemente consigliarvi sempre,rimanendo su UA-cam,un filmato dove,il fenomenale chitarrista Les Paul,l'inventore della chitarra elletrica, "Les Paul",si esibisce accanto ad un'altro grande chitarrista, Chet Atkins.
fatemi sapere,se vi è piaciuto.
C'est beau(je crois même que c'est en mono!) mais j'ai toujours une préférence pour la version de Karajan avec Vickers/Freni/glossop!!!!en 1974.
@8x8MaVerick8x8Just my opinion.As I mentioned earlier.I think Domingo's voice was more suited for roles like Traviata,Butterfly,Rigoletto,Ballo,Boheme,Fedora,Don Carlo,Werther.Louisa Miller,Hoffman Fidelio etc. and then he could have possibly crossed over to some occasional Toscas,Cavalleria,Ernani,Early Trovatore was pretty good.Maybe transitioning occasionally to the spinto roles would have put less stress on his voice.I'm still not sure that would have helped his adventurous hi notes.Continue
Domingo is so nasal. And he was a lyric tenor.
Fidelio is for dramatic tenor.
@@xxsaruman82xx87 I'm not sure if Domingo is nasal, but he squeezes in the passaggio and higher. I HEARD HIM IN A Trovatore on the radio in the late 1970s and He sounded very fine. I saw him at the Met in I Pagliacci circa 1990 and I was very disappointed. He was okay in the few lyric portions of the opera but squeezed in the passaggio and higher, He transposed the Venti Tre Ore down a half tone to B- Flat, shortened phrases in The Vesti La Giubba, just touching the A-Natural, transposed the No Pagliaccio Non Son 1/2 tone to B-Flat and omitting the last high note in the aria. Good acting, but who cares. It was NOT a performance deserving of a supposed World Class Tenor but the group think, brain washed audience gave him great applause. I also had trouble hearing him in the passaggio and higher. I think He had a medium spinto voice and I don't get what all the fuss is about. He does very well in the Zarzuelas songs as the tessitura is low and he sounds much better. He was also on a failed campaign circa 1990s to lower the Universal Pitch. This means that every instrument would have to have been re-pitched to accommodate Mr. Domingo. In My Opinion, He was a fair to good tenor at times, but Domingo was never a great tenor.
@ezev8logos ¿Cuestión de gustos?... es cuestión de sentido común; es bueno (o fue, aunque lo siga siendo), porque así es: cantó en los mejores teatros del mundo, le pagaron espléndidamente por ello e hizo una gran carrera. Puede gustar o no, pero independientemente de los gustos: es un gran Otello. A mi particularmente "me gusta" más Vinay, pero mi gusto es poca cosa y no le resta grandeza a los grandes.
Всё ждала шикарного слияния на 5:25, как у Карузо и Руффо - а слияния нет (((( .... не хватило маэстро дель Монако "мяса " в низах ((((... может просто потому что дальше от рампы стоял?
@8x8MaVerick8x8 Domingo also has a reputation for transposing entire operas & arias beyond acceptable practices.There's is a Di Quella Pira on YT that Domingo sings without a high note, A Ch'ella Mi Creda transposed a Half tone down on a concert platform.(World Class tenor?)PD does sound wonderful in the Zarzuelas,which carry a lower tessitura.Domingo is also a fine actor&good musician when not stressed by the heavier roles.If my profile of PD is accurate,I don't believe he is 1 of the best ever
Del Monaco al limite della stecca quasi sempre...
Lei confonde la stecca di biliardo con il canto..non si offenda...
Se il ruolo di otello fosse facile l'avrebbero interpretato più artisti.Mostri sacri come Corelli e Caruso non hanno avuto il coraggio di esibirsi in questa opera,già il fatto di farla mette MDM su un piedistallo,l'averla replicata 427 volti lo mette sul gradino più alto.Se a lei non piace MDM non lo ascolti ma non dice queste eresie...
Gobbi non aveva più il timbro dei primi anni ma dire che fa schifo è solamente che vergognoso ...
qualche anno fa fu tirata una serie di 15 francobolli con altrettanti cantanti lirici..Gobbi faceva parte di quella esigua serie (15 su 10000)
tanto che Gualerzi fece una trasmissione ad hoc alla radio con molte puntate ...
seguirono tante discussioni ma fu così
Erano le poste inglesi...
basti dire che Gobbi nel 1942 fece Wozzeck a Roma..
Pertile&Martinelli were wonderful Otellos.Some portions of Vickers Otello were quite good,but somehow I have the Italianate siren in my brain.I also enjor Vinay&Zenatello in the role.Enjoy
I saw Vickers at the Met with this role and he received a long standing ovation.
che del monaco sia stato un grande nessuno può metterlo in dubbio. ma che qui canti al meglio delle sue possibilità, beh mi permetto di metterlo in dubbio... tutto a mezza voce prima di "ah mille vite" per risparmiarsi. Dopo di che tutto affrettato e slegato, senza il minimo fraseggio. E aggiungo "sangue, sangue, sangue" non è in tono. Tutt'altra cosa il del monaco diretto da karaian
don't joke please........... Domingo as Otello is jast MDM's shade.
X DonCavagna: "Qui sembrano due amici che parlano normalmente"...non era forse nelle intenzioni di Verdi che Iago fosse rappresentato come un brav'uomo esteriormente?
@8x8MaVerick8x8As a baritone,it's not really confusing.When a tenor sings as a baritone, the tessitura is obviously lower& the voice is more comfortable because it's not being stressed& taxed as it is in the tenor roles.Voices do darken with age &it seems that Domingo is in a comfort zone with Boccanegra,which is fine.I'm really not sure why PD has a problem with his top,But when singing the lighter roles like Traviata,Butterfly&Rigoletto,PD doesn't seem to have too much trouble with high notes,
@8x8MaVerick8x8 When Domingo sings the spinto roles like Aida Chenier Trovatore etc. He seems to labor significantly,shortening his phrasing&squeezing out his hi notes which often fall short,perhaps because of the demanding tessitura or because his voice is not suited for the spinto roles as the voices I mentioned earlier.I saw him in Pagliacci in the 90s & he was hardly audible.He also left out the 2nd B natural in No Pagliaccio Non Son which I thought the 1st was a B flat. A WORLD CLASS TENOR?
Gobbi est vénéneux à souhait;pas toujours très juste sur certaines notes,mais,au début tout du moins, dans le ton du personnage,même si ses aigus droits gâtent la prestation.Cela finit un peu malheureusement en concours de braillements...
This is not either singer at their best,a much better example is here on u tube del monaco and renato capeicki,singing to die for and great acting by capecki
to be honest I think i jumped the gun on saying macneil was better than gobi, but Vickers still IMO was a way better othello, even though he wasn't nearly the singer. His performances were just so intense it was amazing.
I think MDM was more intense.
Sul Iago di Gobbi devo dire che è bravo ma ha colleghi coevi che, secondo me, gli stanno 4 spanne sopra. Penso a Warren e Colzani, più melliflui.
Qui sembrano due amici che parlano normalmente, mentre qui Iago lo mette nella rete... Purtroppo Iago non è Scarpia, comunque AVERCENE oggi!
anyone know the year of this live video?
In the description of this video 1959.
@@denisotello6474 Thanks Denis......two superstars.......pretty good acting as well
Why is Gobbi distorting the vowels? And DM just was not in good voice that night. There are other of these Japanese performances where he is very much his titanic self.
Too many cuts in this performance.
I agree with you, I saw McNeil in 1973 and he was pretty boring as Jago.
cercate Chet Atkins & Les Paul
brano 1/2
jajajaja, las piernitas de Del Monaco!
@8x8MaVerick8x8 Domingo has a fine quality of voice, but as you say he does not have the thrust to be a spinto.Other fine lyric spintos are Bjorling, Bergonzi,Peerce,Lamberti,Prevedi,Aragall,& perhaps Raimondi.Domingo does not compare in size of voice to Spinto tenors like Bonisoli, Tucker,Barioni,Campagnano,Fillipeschi,Volpi,Caruso,De Muro,Corelli,Martinucci,Penno&Limarilli.Aound1990Domingo went on an unsuccessful campaign to lower the universal pitch.Every instrument would have to be repitched
You forget Di Stefano! Perhaps the greatest lyric tenor of them all! Also Lauri-Volpi, Barioni and Filippeschi are most definitely lyric tenors!
@@xxsaruman82xx87 In my opinion, Di Stefano had the most beautiful voice I ever heard. I saw him at Carnegie Hall Circa 1962. His voice is much the same as we hear it on records. Rich round beautiful tone with gorgeous overtones in the theater. Carnegie Hall holds about 2800 and I purposely sat at the back of the Hall and could hear GDS without a problem. The only slighly negative thing I can say is that the B-Natural in the Nessun Dorma was muscular but oddly enough traveled well in the Hall. Volpi was a great High note theatrical tenor. Some people have described his voice as a lyric dramatic or lyric spinto. My Mother and father saw him several times in Rome and said his voice traveled further than any tenor he ever heard. Check out his Ugonotti Bianca Al Par here on YT. Del Monaco said that if Barioni is successful, we could all be looking for new careers. He has a most beautiful Fanciulla. Filippeschi never sang in America. In my opinion, His repertoire and style was much like Volpi's but to a lesser degree
Do you even know what "sharp" means?
Del Monaco has his critics but they usually fall silent regarding his Otello. Here, however, his phrasing is "clipped" and he (and indeed Gobbi) want to get the duet over as soon as possible. Gobbi also throughout does almost nothing with his role whatsoever. A great Otello and a passable Iago giving a relatively substandard performance which has moments of interest.
@williamforever1958Like DelMonaco or not.Vickers voice was very pitchy and fatty, Although he was impressive at times.Domingo is plainly not suited for the role.Domingo is a lyric spinto at best and simply doesn't compare to the great Dramatic Otello's. Like Martinelli, Merli,Zenatello Pertile Piccaluga Vinay.Del Monaco also had impeccable diction&phrasing, along with a capability in the Recitatives that Domingo never had.Del Monaco never had the priviledge of enhancing his recording as PD did
On a relatively trivial note, one can't help noticing the comical effect of the fashion for belting tunics far too high. Such a shame to be distracted by such a detail! And why is Iago kitted out like a nobleman? He is a soldier, and not the highest rank, at that!
qui Gobbi è molto meglio di Del Monaco vocalmente...e lo dice una grande fan di Del Monaco
Ma si, qua del monaco non ce la fa prorpio, urla tutto, non ha fraseggio...serataccia per lui.
Past his prime? In 1959 he still had plenty of voice. But he is very disappointing here. Nothing compared to several of his other performances. I don't think most people going to see these performances has the original score in front of them and so I never take this part of the 'interpretation' into consideration. Verdi may or may not have approved. del Monaco was a great Otello and that was that. Not the greatest, but certainly the best we've had in the past 50 years.
I would say Del Monaco was the greatest Otello ever.