Largo al Factotum Cage Match: 14 Baritones Sing the High A

One of the hardest moments of Figaro’s entrance aria from the Barber of Seville, what many consider to be the hardest baritone material for a cage match. Here we have 14 baritones attempting the infamous high A. This optional cadenza is left out by many baritones, including many great Figaros (Thomas Allen, for instance. Others hit the cadenza but omit the highest note (i.e. Robert Merrill). But here is a compilation of baritones with the guts and the balls to sing it all! In chronological order: 1. Riccardo Stracciari (1875-1955) 2. Lawrence Tibbett (1896-1956) 3. Leonard Warren (1911-1960) 4. Gino Bechi (1913-1993) 5. Tito Gobbi (1913-1984) 6. Rolando Panerai (b. 1924) 7. Nicolae Herlea (b. 1927) 8. Hermann Prey (1929-1998) 9. Sherrill Milnes (b. 1935) 10. Leo Nucci (b. 1942) 11. Thomas Hampson (b. 1955) 12. Dmitri Hvorostovsky (b. 1962) 13. Russell Braun (b. 1965) 14. Aaron St. Clair Nicholson And last but not least: 15. Mario del Monaco (1915-1982) --this one is just for fun. No votes for him will count. (more) (less)