Switching our attention from the highest operatic ranges to the lowest I have a clip of another great singer, Ivan Rebroff. Born in 1931 he was named Hans-Rolf Rippert, many have assumed he was Russian, but he was, in fact German. Ivan Rebroff had a most extraordinary vocal range, easily spanning four and a half octaves and was as comfortable singing soprano as he was the deepest 'basso profondo'.
Rebroff was best known for singing Russian folk songs but also performed opera, light classics and folk songs from many other countries and was well loved the world over. Sadly, he died almost exactly a year ago 0n 27th February 2008.
The Clip I have for you is a song called in Russian, Вечерний звон (Evening Bells) and shows Rebroff's fantastic range from the growling bass notes to the sweetest highs. It is worth listening too for the accompanying singers providing even lower bass voices in the background. It makes you wonder how anyone can reach such seemingly impossible low notes. Truly amazing.
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