Vicker's Samson

On Apr 7, 4:33 am, wrote:
> What a great actor he was. Completely inhabiting the role. His huge
> voice in service to the music and not himself like the apalling Del
> Monaco. When he sings that the Lord is within him one can believe it.
> He was unique.
>
> Ben

Vickers was a great Samson, both in the version by Saint-Saens, and by
Handel.
I like del Monaco more than you do, especially in the RCA highlights
album with Rise Stevens.
Luccioni in the complete recording and Thill in excerpts remain my two
favorites.
Best,
Ken
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wrote in message

> What a great actor he was. Completely inhabiting the role. His huge
> voice in service to the music and not himself like the apalling Del
> Monaco. When he sings that the Lord is within him one can believe it.
> He was unique.
>
> Ben
>I imprinted on his studio recording and its still my favorite Richard
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Though not quite in the league of the three Sansoni below, there was
also the fine French spinto tenor, Guy Chauvet some twenty-odd years
ago, whose Samson I saw at a Met in the Parks' concert presentation
(ie, no costumes, no stagings, et al). He and his Dalila, the much-
underrated Bianca Berini,
brought the house down in more ways than one, with a performance of
beauty and emotional impact.

Some fellow-fans and I spoke with them, getting their autographs,
while realizing that we'd just seen an uncommonly fine performance,
not soon to be equalled.

Best,
LT


donpaolo wrote:
> These two titans are my favorite Sammies of all time. I was a teen when my
> uncle, a great fan of Mario DelM, dragged me kicking & screaming to see the
> performance you mention. I fell in love with the opera & Mario's
> magnificent singing!!!
>
> Years later, I saw Jon Vickers in the role & thought that his was THE very
> definitive interpretation & could have wrecked the temple by sheer force of
> his voice!
>
> Still later, I managed to get a copy of the in-house tape of Richard
> Tucker - surprised the Hell outta me in that he blew me away.
>
> So, I have been rather lucky in my exposure to this work!
>
> DonPaolo

> "CHSIII" wrote in message
>
> > Again with the adolescent (and aPPallingly misspelled) adjectives. I defy
> > anyone to find a better or more satisfying performance of Samson than Del
> > Monaco's, live at the Met, 1958, with the incomparable Rise Stevens,
> > Martial Singher, and Giorgio Tozzi, and a kinetic Cleva at the helm.
> >
> > That said, the Vickers with Gorr and Pretre conducting is one of the
> > greatest recordings of all time - and Vickers retirement
> > (unannounced)performance from the Met, 1987 with Horne and Fournet
> > conducting, shows the tenor to be as passionately involved and (in this
> > role) as vocally capable as he ever was.
> >
> >
> > wrote in message
> >
> >> What a great actor he was. Completely inhabiting the role. His huge
> >> voice in service to the music and not himself like the apalling Del
> >> Monaco. When he sings that the Lord is within him one can believe it.
> >> He was unique.
> >>
> >> Ben
> >>
> >
> >
 >> Stay informed about: Vicker's Samson 

Again with the adolescent (and aPPallingly misspelled) adjectives. I defy
anyone to find a better or more satisfying performance of Samson than Del
Monaco's, live at the Met, 1958, with the incomparable Rise Stevens, Martial
Singher, and Giorgio Tozzi, and a kinetic Cleva at the helm.

That said, the Vickers with Gorr and Pretre conducting is one of the
greatest recordings of all time - and Vickers retirement
(unannounced)performance from the Met, 1987 with Horne and Fournet
conducting, shows the tenor to be as passionately involved and (in this
role) as vocally capable as he ever was.


wrote in message

> What a great actor he was. Completely inhabiting the role. His huge
> voice in service to the music and not himself like the apalling Del
> Monaco. When he sings that the Lord is within him one can believe it.
> He was unique.
>
> Ben
>
 >> Stay informed about: Vicker's Samson 

These two titans are my favorite Sammies of all time. I was a teen when my
uncle, a great fan of Mario DelM, dragged me kicking & screaming to see the
performance you mention. I fell in love with the opera & Mario's
magnificent singing!!!

Years later, I saw Jon Vickers in the role & thought that his was THE very
definitive interpretation & could have wrecked the temple by sheer force of
his voice!

Still later, I managed to get a copy of the in-house tape of Richard
Tucker - surprised the Hell outta me in that he blew me away.

So, I have been rather lucky in my exposure to this work!

DonPaolo
"CHSIII" wrote in message

> Again with the adolescent (and aPPallingly misspelled) adjectives. I defy
> anyone to find a better or more satisfying performance of Samson than Del
> Monaco's, live at the Met, 1958, with the incomparable Rise Stevens,
> Martial Singher, and Giorgio Tozzi, and a kinetic Cleva at the helm.
>
> That said, the Vickers with Gorr and Pretre conducting is one of the
> greatest recordings of all time - and Vickers retirement
> (unannounced)performance from the Met, 1987 with Horne and Fournet
> conducting, shows the tenor to be as passionately involved and (in this
> role) as vocally capable as he ever was.
>
>
> wrote in message
>
>> What a great actor he was. Completely inhabiting the role. His huge
>> voice in service to the music and not himself like the apalling Del
>> Monaco. When he sings that the Lord is within him one can believe it.
>> He was unique.
>>
>> Ben
>>
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: Vicker's Samson 

DonPaolo: I couldn't agree with you more!!! Both were fabulous in
the role...but I sang chorus to Vickers...and his performance DID blow
my socks off! Gotta admit...Domingo wasn't bad at all either as the
Judge of Dan.

Haven't heard the Tucker though. I'd bet he'd be quite good in that
role. Landsman and all that.


Jon E. Szostak, Sr.
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On Apr 7, 10:33 pm, jszosta....RemoveThis@comcast.net wrote:
> DonPaolo: I couldn't agree with you more!!! Both were fabulous in
> the role...but I sang chorus to Vickers...and his performance DID blow
> my socks off! Gotta admit...Domingo wasn't bad at all either as the
> Judge of Dan.
>
> Haven't heard the Tucker though. I'd bet he'd be quite good in that
> role. Landsman and all that.
>
> Jon E. Szostak, Sr.

Tucker was really great as Samson, though he only did it five or six
times at the Met, in the 1971-2 season. He didn't get the broadcast,
(MacCracken did) but the in-house tapes that exist are in great sound
and it was something special. And it was his very best "acting" role,
also. Very moving, especially in the final act.

Best,
Ed
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On Apr 8, 2:42 am, Eddie wrote:
> On 7 Apr 2007 19:57:08 -0700, "premiereop...@aol.com"
>
>
>
>
>
> wrote:
> >On Apr 7, 10:33 pm, jszosta... RemoveThis @comcast.net wrote:
> >> DonPaolo: I couldn't agree with you more!!! Both were fabulous in
> >> the role...but I sang chorus to Vickers...and his performance DID blow
> >> my socks off! Gotta admit...Domingo wasn't bad at all either as the
> >> Judge of Dan.
>
> >> Haven't heard the Tucker though. I'd bet he'd be quite good in that
> >> role. Landsman and all that.
>
> >> Jon E. Szostak, Sr.
>
> >Tucker was really great as Samson, though he only did it five or six
> >times at the Met, in the 1971-2 season. He didn't get the broadcast,
> >(MacCracken did) but the in-house tapes that exist are in great sound
> >and it was something special. And it was his very best "acting" role,
> >also. Very moving, especially in the final act.
>
> >Best,
> >Ed
>
> Does the one with Sandra Warfield exist? I'd like to hear that.
>
> E>- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I think so. I know that two with Tucker & Bumby exist, in great sound.

Best
Ed
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On 7 Apr 2007 19:57:08 -0700, "premiereopera@aol.com"
wrote:

>On Apr 7, 10:33 pm, jszosta....DeleteThis@comcast.net wrote:
>> DonPaolo: I couldn't agree with you more!!! Both were fabulous in
>> the role...but I sang chorus to Vickers...and his performance DID blow
>> my socks off! Gotta admit...Domingo wasn't bad at all either as the
>> Judge of Dan.
>>
>> Haven't heard the Tucker though. I'd bet he'd be quite good in that
>> role. Landsman and all that.
>>
>> Jon E. Szostak, Sr.
>
>Tucker was really great as Samson, though he only did it five or six
>times at the Met, in the 1971-2 season. He didn't get the broadcast,
>(MacCracken did) but the in-house tapes that exist are in great sound
>and it was something special. And it was his very best "acting" role,
>also. Very moving, especially in the final act.
>
>Best,
>Ed

Does the one with Sandra Warfield exist? I'd like to hear that.

E>
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