Believe it or not, that Del Monaco clip is from the end of his career, early 70's I think, and his voice was still unbelievable, and able to carry phrases that long!
MDM is not one of my top 5 favorite singers, but more often than not I'm amazed at what his voice was capable of doing, and of course his dramatic commitment and passion (if often "over the top") was always terribly exciting. I think he sang Otello a couple hundred times.
I also really love Vinay's Otello, moreso than MDM's I think. A more profound voice to my ears. I dug the Tamagno clip. How wonderful that we have a record of his interpretation! I read that he made those recordings after he retired from singing! Imagine how amazing the voice must have been to sound so clear through such crude recording technology!
Sadly I've never seen the show live. Who are the good Otellos today? I think Glassman sang it recently, and I imagine he would be very good in the role.
-RH
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