Original version

BBC Four

BBC 4

BBC Four HD

Antonio Pappano

Mark Cooper

David Jeffcock

Dominic Best

Alessandro Corbelli

Cecilia Gobbi

Ferruccio Furlanetto

Christian Gerhaher

Vladimir Miller

Bryn Terfel

John Tomlinson

Willard White

Pappano's Classical Voices: Episode 4: Baritone and Bass

Documentaries

Baritones and Basses

Episode 4

Episode 4: Baritone and Bass

Pappano's Classical Voices

Baritone and Bass

BBC Four - Pappano's Classical Voices, Baritone and Bass

Antonio Pappano concludes his series by looking at the baritones and basses.

Antonio Pappano explores the great roles and singers through the prism of the main voice types. He concludes by looking at the baritones and basses.

Series in which conductor Sir Antonio Pappano explores the great roles and the greatest singers of the last hundred years through the prism of the main classical voice types - soprano, tenor, mezzo-soprano, baritone and bass. Through discussion, demonstrations and workshops, Pappano explores every aspect of the art of great singing. 

Gods, demons, drunks, lechers, silly old codgers, double-dyed villains - life on stage for the bass is rarely dull. The baritone, meanwhile, is the most common male voice type, and yet the parts he sings - especially in the operas of Verdi - are anything but. 

Pappano explores the lowest male voice types, and the roles they play, in comedy as well as tragedy. How do basses sing so low? What different qualities does a baritone bring to a Schubert song? He meets the Russian 'oktavists', who sing a whole octave lower than the standard bass. With the help of leading practitioners - Bryn Terfel, John Tomlinson, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Christian Gerhaher, Alessandro Corbelli and Willard White - Pappano uncovers the tricks of the trade. He examines in detail some key performances from the legendary basses and baritones of the past - Feodor Chaliapin, Tito Gobbi, Paul Robeson, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Boris Christoff , Nicolai Ghiaurov and Ezio Pinza.

Knowledge, arts, music and culture from the UK and the world.

BBC Four reflects arts, music and culture with an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, taking an expert and in-depth approach to its subjects.

Music: Classical: Opera

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media: Arts

The greatest opera singers seen through the prism of the main classical voice types.

Sir Antonio Pappano explores the great roles and the greatest singers of the last 100 years through the prism of the main classical voice types - soprano, tenor, mezzo-soprano, baritone and bass.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Pappano's Classical Voices

Episode 4: Baritone and Bass

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Series

BBC Four

About BBC Four