Rabbit trail…
I generally look at polls of the general populace as simply information about what the pollster is seeking from folks who range from well-informed to complete know-nothings (sadly, more of the latter in recent years than ever before, it seems). Polls of persons selected for critical knowledge in a field often yield more interesting information. Of course, there’s also peer pressure to account for even in areas where knowledgeable folk are polled on a topic in which tghey have and exercise expertise, but still, I found one poll that I can at least generally agree with those polled about the top five selections (although I’d argue about the order of ranking :-))
Classic CD (United Kingdom)
June 1999Top Singers of the Century (Critics’ Poll):
1) Jussi Björling 2) Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau 3) Kirsten Flagstad 4) Tito Gobbi 5) Maria CallasClassic CD (United Kingdom)
December 1999
Now, while I might argue about the relative placement of numbers i and 2 (Björling’s utterly amazing, but Fischer-Dieskau’s range of artistry is/was greater, IMO), I can accept that ranking as agreeable in general. But while I agree with the inclusion of the other three in the top five, Callas is FAR too far down on the list, IMO. Number three is as low as I’d place her, even as much as I appreciate Kirsten Flagstad’s contributions. I’d be happier with a 1) Fischer-Dieskau 2) Björling 3) Callas 4) Flagstad 5) Gobbi ranking of the top five, but on different days, I might swap my 1-2 and 3-4 spots (Gobbi was a great baritone, but couldn’t really touch Fischer-Dieskau, IMO, and I’d choose either Flagstad or Callas over his admittedly wonderful baritone voice any day, even as much as I am NOT drawn to most soprano voices *heh*).
Just search for some performances by each of these real artists (as opposed to the crap “artists” played on most radio stations) on YouTube for an intro to their world. Worth some time, IMO.