Search - Charles Gounod, Jules Massenet, Georges Bizet :: Lebendige Vergangenheit: Armand Tokatyan

I agree.......Tokatyan was fabulous!

madamemusico | Cincinnati, Ohio USA | 11/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sometimes one wonders why certain classical performers become "house singers" and others "stars." Armand Tokatyan is a perfect case in point. Strictly from the viewpoint of his voice and artistry, he was at least as good a tenor as Jussi Bjorling but did not have the Swede's fame. Why? My guess is because he was Armenian-American. His swarthy complexion was simply not "marketable" in his time as a romantic lead, even though his voice was very fluid and his tone bright and open as well as honeyed. In some ways he was very much like Bjorling, in that he sang with a clean line and lack of exaggerated Italian mannerisms in the midst of the "verismo" era, but in some ways he was even better. He never transposed down, for instance, which means that he hits legitimate high Cs in his "Boheme" excerpts whereas Bjorling only did so on records. (In person, even as far back as the '40s, Bjorling often transposed his Cs down to Bs.) In addition, Tokatyan sings with more emotional involvement than Bjorling. Does this mean that I don't like Bjorling any more? Not at all. There were some things he did that were simply fantastic, such as his 1939 "Adelaide" or his various renditions of "Gross ist Jehova," the 1940 Missa Solemnis with Toscanini and the 1955 "Aida." But give a listen to Tokatyan - this was one of the great voices of the last century, clean, musical, bright, open and with a warmth and sheen that you rarely hear any more. Highly recommended."