Top 10 basses/baritones

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

We might as well have the full set.

Owen Brannigen
Marti Talvela
John Shirley-Quirk
Tito Gobbi
Nikolai Ghiaurov
Paul Robeson
Wolhelm Strienz
Kurt Moll
Clifford Grant
David Wilson-Johnson

[Petrushka]

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Hans Hotter
Theo Adam
Vitaly Gromadsky
Yevgeny Nesterenko
John Shirley-Quirk
Hans Sotin
Bryn Terfel
Gerald Finley
George London
Marti Talvela
Gustav Neidlinger

I lean towards the English, Germans and Russians here...and I can't count either.

[Zucchini]

In addition to having fantastic voices, Terfel and Finley are marvellous actors
Tito Gobbi was renowned as a singing actor but maybe he'd look a bit hammy now.
Sherrill Milnes' career was cut short by ill health but he had perhaps the most beautiful baritone I've ever heard..
But the breath control and dark velvet colour of Piero Cappucilli's voice was something to wonder at

Never got on with Fischer Dieskau; I incline to think that his fame and success took him to venues that were too large for lieder and his (by operatic standards) smallish voice

ps must add Boris Christoff

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I too might have include Sherrill Milnes.

…and several from Petrushka's list, though perhaps Hans Hotter was too wobbly for my tastes.

[Hornspieler]

From our own country, that greatly loved singer and teacher, Norman Allin* and also Robert Easton and John Carol Case.

From the world of opera, Sesto Bruscantini (Figaro) and Otaka Krauss (Scarpio)

* I was privileged to know Norman Allin when he was a Professor of singing at The Royal Academemy of Music. He used to teach the sopranos!
My family had an old 78 of him singing "Asleep in the Deep" and "The Diver". How low can a singer get?

Hs

[cloughie]

I too might have include Sherrill Milnes.

…and several from Petrushka's list, though perhaps Hans Hotter was too wobbly for my tastes.

Hasn't Placido Domingo sung baritone roles recently. I would add Willard White, Benjamin Luxon (before his tragic hearing loss), Christopher Maltman.

From the non-classical area:
Scott Walker
Bill Medley
James Taylor
Bing Crosby
Matt Monro

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Oh, go on then:

Chaliapin
Gerhard Husch
Paul Robeson
John Carol Case
John Shirley Quirk
Willard White
Donald McIntyre
Hans Hotter
Ludwig Weber
Stephen Varcoe

... but there's nobody on anyone's list whom I've heard that I'd disagree with.

There was a long time (really until a couple of years ago) that DF-D would have been top of my selection, but recently I've found him very difficult to listen to: too sophisticated, "interpreting" the Music he sings in such a way that a barrier is placed between it and me. Obviously, as these are the same recordings I've had since the late '70s, it's not his "fault" - but perhaps there is another Thread here: "Artists who've lost their appeal for you".

But, please; NOT another ryddu LIST!

[gurnemanz]

Many favourites mentioned already. I'll add some:
Karl Schmitt-Walter
Heinrich Schlusnus
Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender (father of Brigitte)
Alexander Kipnis
Gérard Souzay

[Rolmill]

... but there's nobody on anyone's list whom I've heard that I'd disagree with.

Oh well, we can't have all this civilised agreement....I'm afraid that I would disagree with:

Owen Brannigen

The only recording of him that I have is as Christ in Stainer's Crucifixion with St John's, Cambridge conducted by George Guest. Much though I admire the choral singing and the other soloist (the marvellous Richard Lewis), Brannigan's lugubrious, slightly-under-the-note delivery ruins this performance for me. I never understood why reviews of this recording praised his singing so much. I'm sure he was fine in other contexts (e.g. the G&S roles he was famous for), but this one rather put me off exploring his recordings any further.

That said, I would add Samuel Ramey to the bass mix - in his prime, a thrilling exponent of Rossini in particular (I recall a sensational concert performance at ROH of Semiramide, where Ramey dominated a pretty impressive cast including Marilyn Horne and June Anderson).

To the baritones, I would also suggest Renato Bruson, who I think had one of the loveliest male voices I've ever heard.

[verismissimo]

We might as well have the full set.

... Clifford Grant...

Interesting choice, Alpie. I'd add:

Horace Stevens
Peter Dawson
Malcolm McEachern
Harold Williams
John Brownlee
John Cameron

Think that's enough Aussies to follow my sopranos list.
Quite why Australia produced so many fine high voices and low voices is quite a mystery...

[Zucchini]

That said, I would add Samuel Ramey to the bass mix...
To the baritones, I would also suggest Renato Bruson, who I think had one of the loveliest male voices I've ever heard.

Agree with that. I first saw Bruson when he stood in for Milnes (Ballo I think) and was captivated within moments

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Oh well, we can't have all this civilised agreement.....

Quite right - I don't know what came over me this morning; my apologies! Isn't Vitaly Gromadsky dreadful!

There - that's better.

(Sorry, Pet - name chosen at random. I can't remember ever having heard Gromadsky. )

EDIT: <doh> - of course I have: he's on the Kondrashin Shostakovich #13 recording, isn't he!

[mercia]

I'm glad somebody mentioned Malcolm McEachern - Little Betty Bouncer is one of my favourites

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCuWXRu1tSo

[Petrushka]

Quite right - I don't know what came over me this morning; my apologies! Isn't Vitaly Gromadsky dreadful!

There - that's better.

(Sorry, Pet - name chosen at random. I can't remember ever having heard Gromadsky. )

EDIT: <doh> - of course I have: he's on the Kondrashin Shostakovich #13 recording, isn't he!

The live recording, yes. Also on Kondrashin's recording of The Execution of Stepan Razin. Wonderful Russian bass.

[Petrushka]

There's a wonderful recording from the doomed city of Dresden in 1944 of Wotan's Farewell from Die Walküre sung by Josef Herrmann. Listening to it one wishes more than anything that we had a complete Wotan from him. Just perfect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaMDqCkCQgQ

The Dresden Staatskapelle is conducted by Karl Elmendorff on this recording.