di stefano was the best ever, who said this"pavarotti" did in an interview he gave in the 90's. the richest voice there was, full of emotion and heart, was his words. who is anyone to argue with him.
di Stefano is, with my ears, the Gold standard. From low tenor to high tenor, he hits every note beautifully and powerfully. The closest to his great voice is Corelli, Gigli, and slightly higher tenor...Lauri-Volpi and Bjoling. Pavarotti is up there also but his is not with the richness and penetrating power of di Stefano. Just amazing. There are many great tenors, but di Stafano for me is numero uno!
di Stefano was one of the GREAT ones - he pushed for big roles, knowing it would shorten his career, but what a career it was! There are few who have the expressive vocal range of diStefano - his 'sotto voce' is one of the best, ever..