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me, myself, and I
Lv 7
me, myself, and I asked in Entertainment & MusicMusicClassical · 1 decade ago

Which opera singer do YOU think has the most beautiful vocal tone/color?

I'm simply asking about the VOICE (the tone and color of the voice) itself, not so much about the technique or skill etc. Just purely about the VOICE.

Just curious to know others' opinion here. I personally like the timbre of Kathleen Battle's voice, but there may be many other vocally-gifted opera singers out there I haven't heard about yet. How about you?

Update:

Okay, when I say opera singer, I meant that as in REAL opera singers, NOT popera (pop classical) or classical crossover artists. So please don't give me answers like Josh Groban, Charlotte Church, Sarah Brightman, Andrea Bocelli, Katherine Jenkins, Paul Potts, Hayley Westenra etc. For those of you who don't know yet, they're all popera or classical crossover singers, NOT real opera singers. Please learn to differentiate both genres. Opera is NOT the same as popera or classical crossover. Thanx in advance.

p.s: Enya is NOT even a classical musician. Love her, but sorry she's not a classical singer.

Update 2:

Btw, besides Kathleen Battle, VOCALLY I also love Leontyne Price and Joan Sutherland.

Update 3:

Again, please read my Q's carefully. I only meant the VOICE and just the VOICE alone, not the technique/skill, nor power, nor artistry, nor diction, nor phrasing, nor feeling/soul etc. But simply the VOICE itself. It doesn't matter if the singer has a great technique/artistry/musicianship or is able to sing many different genres, that's not what I expect. I only talk about the singer's VOICE. Which opera singer do you think has the most beautiful vocal TONE or COLOR or TIMBRE? Thanx!

Update 4:

Hey I love Cecilia Bartoli LOL. Well, for the most part, I love coloratura voices. They demonstrate flawless technique and skill. But sometimes coloratura singers' vocal tone tends to lack of warmth (but not always) and yes, breathiness might get in the way. I don't really like Netrebko, though. Sorry to her fans here. She's a good singer (and pretty as well) but sometimes she "butchers" the pieces she's singing.

Update 5:

OMG Renee Fleming!!!! How could I forget about her??! And Luciano Pavarotti too... although yes, I guess it's probably more because of his incredible technique rather than his voice itself. I'm actually more into Placido Domingo's voice than Pavarotti. And I'm glad someone mentioned about Kathleen Battle. So I'm not alone after all LOL.

Wow, I never really expect to receive so many responses. Thanx a lot, guys! You have no idea how I really appreciate this. I gain a lot of knowledge just by reading/seeing some of the answers and links provided here. My deepest gratitude! =)

Update 6:

My my my, so many great answers here. It would be very difficult for me to choose only one best answer... =(

Update 7:

Btw I'm surprised that no one here mentions about Rosa Ponselle. Is there anybody who likes her? I think she had one of the richest voice in opera. I really like her voice. Ewa Podles also posseses a great vocal as well in my opinion. Very dark and unique.

Update 8:

That's it! I've decided my mind. I'm NOT going to choose the best answer. I'm just gonna put my question to public vote. I'm really sorry, guys, I wish I could pick one of you as best answer, but that's the thing: I CAN'T! There are just too many darn good answers here it would be totally inappropriate for me to choose only ONE best answer.

I just wanna say thank you to all of you who answered so that I can get a better "look" inside the fabulous world of opera.

22 Answers

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  • Malcolm D
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Pavarotti is without doubt my favorite tenor - superlative voice.

    I find it a lot more difficult to pick with the ladies however and much of the time it depends on the part that they playing.

    You can't go wrong with Sutherland and Price - they are the obvious answers - personally I like Mirella Freni (esp. for Puccini) and I also like Katia Ricciarelli.

    I like Cecilia Bartoli (however she has an annoying tendency to over roll her "R"s which I find rather grating).

    For Bass / Baritones - I like Sherill Milnes, Hermann Prey and the incomparable Samuel Ramey (who I saw recently as a very evil Scarpia).

  • Anonymous
    4 years ago

    1

    Source(s): Professional Singer Tips http://sparkindl.info/SuperiorSingingCourse
  • ?
    Lv 6
    1 decade ago

    I don't think I can really tell you who is the best, because that would be purely down to individual preference. But for me, I love:

    Kiri Te Kanawa - especially at the height of her vocal abilities. Listen to her 1979 recording of Strauss's "4 Last Songs". The sheer warmth and purity of tone took my breath away. And of course her Countess Almaviva in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro.

    and Placido Domingo. I always think these two were the best operatic pair ever. Their numerous performances of Verdi's Otello easily testify to that.

    I also like Kathleen Battle's voice...but not as much as Dame Kiri's :)

    Source(s): Kiri fan ;)
  • ?
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Female: Renée Fleming or Kathleen Battle

    Male: Bryn Terfel

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  • chrstnwrtr
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Very hard decision here so I'm going to narrow it down to four people: two men and two women.

    Best female voice goes to soprano Renee Fleming. I've heard her sing "Summertime" from "Porgy and Bess" and her voice just took my breath away. Another "best female" is none other than Beverly Sills.

    Best male voice goes to baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky. His voice is simply incredible (I also have a crush on him but that doesn't matter). Another "best male voice" goes to Placido Domingo. He does a great Canio from "I Pagliacci."

    HONORABLE MENTIONS:

    Female: Deborah Voigt, Leontyne Price, Anna Netrebko, Maria Callas, etc.

    Male: Jose Cura (and I also have a mad crush on him, too), Jose Carerras, Luciano Pavarotti, Bryn Terfel, etc.

  • Legandivori
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Anna Netrebko is one as is rene Fleming. However, listen to Montserrat Caballet, the retired Spanish diva, whose soprano voice was unparalleled.

    Some like Ceclia Bartoli, but her breathiness at times gets in the way. For tenors, there is grea JosephJoseph Schmidt ( I think that is the spelling). I have heard lots of his recordings. He is dead, short, and negative during the Nazi era in Germany necause he was Jewish, but unparalleled, and I cannot emphasize this more. There are some videos of him tCheckeckj Youtube maybe.

  • doglover
    1 decade ago

    Hands down, KATHLEEN BATTLE! No one compares to her in terms of sheer vocal quality. My second choice for female voices would probably be Dawn Upshaw.

    And then there's Pavarotti, may he rest in peace... good grief that man had a gorgeous voice! But the one man that no one has mentioned yet, the voice that makes me melt, is Jussi Bjorling. What an incredible instrument he had...

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    My picks: Bryn Terfel & Thomas Quasthoff. Why? Because lied is zillion times better than opera!!!!

  • Stephen G
    Lv 4
    1 decade ago

    For all the hype, IMO the most beautiful voice in opera at present is Renée Fleming - listen to her 4 Last Songs, for example.

    (My two favourite female vocalists are Birgit Nilsson and Joan Sutherland, but I'd never describe them as beautifully voiced.)

    In recording history, I'd also mention Mark Reizen, Alfredo Kraus and Montserrat Caballé.

  • toutvas bien
    Lv 5
    1 decade ago

    after reading some of the good answers which reminded me of some singers that didn't immediately come to mind and dreadful answers;

    Soprano: Te Kanawa, Sutherland, and Tebaldi came in my head but for pure sheer vocal beauty it goes to Caballe

    Mezzos: Graham, Larmore, Graves, von Otter, von Stade there are so many but my vote is for Rita Gorr

    Tenors: Pavarotti, Schipa, Wunderlich, Simeneau ... in the end Tagliavini

    Baritone: London, Warren, Merrill, Fischer-Diskau but in the end it must be Hampson

    Bass: love Terfel, Ghiaurov, Ramey, Plishka, Morris, but I going for Siepi

    I know I've left out so many greats (as far as tonal beauty goes) but this is what came to mind

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