The human voice: still the most "individual" instrument of all!

[Lance]

I was listening today to Kiri te Kanawa singing an all-Strauss program including the Four Serious Songs and a group of lieder all with Andrew Davis leading the London Symphony Orchestra. Such splendid singing.

I was thinking how the human voice stands alone. Many of us can recognize a voice by its quality or characteristics without even knowing 100% who it is: Callas, Caballé, Fischer-Dieskau, Sutherland, Wunderlich, Jan Peerce, and so many others. With instrumental artists—with few exceptions such as Horowitz—you can hear a pianist and absolutely not know who it is unless they perform a piece in a manner unlike anyone else. I can recognize Glenn Gould's playing instantly if playing Bach. We might recognize a violinist such as Szigeti (whose vibrato and intonation gives him away). Long after all these artists are long gone—and if you know a voice—that voice will live on. Even conductors, unless you know certain repertoire, you may have studied and know well.

Who can you immediately recognize among great performing artists just by hearing their voice or instrumental playing or conducting?

[maestrob]

Lance, the golden age of recognizing conductors by their style is long past, at least for me. Growing up, I was happy to follow Stokowski & Toscanini, for example, as they both had distinctive sounds when leading an orchestra. Ormandy and Solti also had a more subtle uniqueness to their concerts and recordings, i. e. Ormandy's Philadelphia string sound and Solti's bold brass in Chicago. Nowadays, the only orchestras that have a distinctive sound for me are the Philadelphia, which has retained their glowing strings, and Vienna, which we all know, but these sounds belong to the orchestra, not their conductors.

As for singers, that's another story, of course. Thankfully, with my hyper-aware aural sensibilities, the individuality of a great singer's voice is identifiable in seconds. This has not changed.

As for instrumentalists, well, Heifetz remains the historical violinist of choice for me, while Horowitz and Rubinstein would be the two pianists I listen to most often from that era. I'm not sure if I could pick out Rubinstein from a blind listening comparison, but certainly Horowitz would stand out for me. As for the current crop, I certainly do appreciate the many great talents who are certainly equal to those of the past, but I think the only one who would stand out for me in a blind hearing test would be Marc-Andre Hamelin, but I'll not bet on it.

[Holden Fourth]

I don't listen to that many vocalists but of those I do I would instantly recognise Te Kanawa, Leontyne Price, Boris Christoff, Pavarotti, Bjorling, Fischer-Dieskau, maybe some others.

[Belle]

Same for me with Lucia Popp, Janet Baker and Kathleen Ferrier. Pavarotti, Bjorling and Bryn Terfel are all unique. And beautiful Dmitri, who is so very much missed; that gorgeous voice and ready smile!! (Not fussed about Netrebko, who seemed off on this evening!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0x6wmy8HkA

When I watch this I feel sorry for the Russian people under the yoke of that murderous tyrant in the same way the German people once were.

[barney]

Well Lance, the human voice was the original instrument, and is still the most universal.

I instantly recognise Pavarotti, Wunderlich, Fischer-Dieskau, Pears, Sutherland, Callas, Ferrier pretty much infallibly. Not many others of whom I could make that claim. There's a couple of dozen whom I'm likely to recognise. Among violinists, I generally recognise Grumiaux but not infallibly. But then, by now I'm familiar with large numbers of his recordings anyway. Pianists? None whom I would never mistake.