"Or dove fuggo io mai... Ah, per sempre io ti perdei... Bel sogno beato"

Riccardo - Aldo Protti

I Puritani - Act I
Catania, 1968


This is the third of several posts I plan to upload showcasing the great Italian baritone Aldo Protti. For me, Aldo Protti was the greatest Italian baritone of the 20th century, no questions asked, and the second greatest Verdi baritone of the 20th century second only to Leonard Warren. Protti doesn't often get the credit he deserves, though, mostly due to the fact that Decca ditched him for Bastianini and marketing reasons prevented him from gaining the same fame (at least during Bastianini's reign at the helm of the baritone repertoire) as his Italian rival. With all due respect to Bastianini who was a great singer and met an all too early death, Protti's baritone has always been to me a much clearer, much more focused sound, with much more edge. Health problems that faced Bastianini surely affected him, but Protti's pure vocal qualities combined with his endless legato, and that unbelievably masculine edge to his voice puts him near the top for me. This "Ah per sempre" shows Protti's tendency to turn everything into Verdian style, but just listen to the clarity and the power from the voice---it's a combination that is really such a rarity these days and we're so fortunate to have had Protti for the decades that he was around. Enjoy!