If Manly Men Could Sing...
Edward Albert | Philadelphia, PA, United States | 12/11/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I chose that title to convey the rough power of this great baritone's voice. His sound is quite far from the carefully refined Fisher-Dieskau and may not be to everybody's taste, yet the listener will be moved by the emotion and power which are bound together in this amazing sound. Once you play this CD on your own stereo, you will understand how imperfect the sound samples on this website are. Born November 6, 1911 in the town of Vladikavkaz, Pavel Lisitsian was actually Armenian, not Russian. From 1940-1966 he was a leading baritone with the Bolshoi, famous for roles such as Prince Yeletsky, Eugene Onegin, Amonasaro and Escamillo. When he sets his voice to song literature, we frequently hear the dramatic sound he employed to bring those stage characters to life. This particular collection of songs is a super value, offering a generous amount of wonderful material for a low price. The most famous songs of Tchaikovsky & Racmaninoff are here, vignettes of romantic ecstasy and desolation."