Verdi Recordings 3

On this CD:

1. Aida, opera Celeste Aida (Act 1)
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

2. Aida, opera Celeste Aida (Act 1)
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

3. Aida, opera Celeste Aida (Act 1)
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

4. Aida, opera Celeste Aida (Act 1)
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

5. Aida, opera Celeste Aida (Act 1)
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

6. Aida, opera Se quel guerrier io fossi...Celeste Aida (Act 1)
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

7. Aida, opera Già i sacerdoti adunansi...Misero appien mi festi...Aida a me togliesti (Act 4)
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

8. Aida, opera La fatal pietra (Act 4)
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

9. Aida, opera O terra addio (Act 4)
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

10. Otello, opera Nell'ore arcane...Ora e per sempre addio (Act 2)
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

11. Otello, opera Oh! mostruosa colpa...Sì, pel ciel (Act 2)
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

12. Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) Ingemisco
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso

Tracks:

Ecco: Respiro Appena. Io Son L'umile Ancella
Poveri Fiori
La Mamma Morta
Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana
L'altra Notte In Fondo Al Mare
Una Voce Poco Fa
Ombra Leggera
Dov'e L'Indiana Bruna?
Merce, Dilette Amiche
Dei Tuoi Figli La Madre
Tu Che Invoco Con Orrore
O Nume, Tutelar
Caro Oggetto

Customer Reviews:

Early Callas.......2007-05-12

This is a very fine representation of Maria Callas in her early prime. The voice is in great shape and this is a wonderful introduction to her artistry and range of styles, especially for interested parties who do not know her. This is a must to have in your vocal collection.

A litmus test for appreciating Callas.......2006-03-17

I can remember my shock at eightenn when I was on my own for the first time and could play any recordings I wanted without offending my non-musical family. I knew Maria Callas by reputation and bought one of her famous performances, Carmen, only to hear not a celestially beautiful voice but a hooded, murky one that wobbled in all registers and screeched in the upper ones. Everyone who first encounters her discovers that Callas was possessed of a mesmerizing artistry but nothing like a lovely voice. In fact, she disdained lovely singing. This is too well known to repeat again; everything about Callas has been over-described, analyzed, worshipped, condemned, apologized for, and obsessed over.

Her Carmen came late in her career, unlike this famous mono recording from 1954, but its close miking and hard sound (made better by remastering) reveal all too painfully the same flaws. It could serve as a litmus test for whether a listener will ever "get" the Callas phenomenon. Her artistry couldn't be more intense and searching than it is in the five verismo arias at the beginning--even non-opera lovers know her 'La Mamma Morta' from its heartbreaking use in the movie 'Philadelphia,' where the dying Tom Hanks acts out its meaning as he walks in a trance of ecstasy clutching his IV stand.

I have lain awake listening to those five arias every night for a month, and it says something for Callas's art that I can foresee listening to them again. Not now, perhaps, becasue even the best things wear out with repetiiton. I just thought it was good to pay tribute to them and the deep emotions they inspired. My incidental motive, since EMI has rehashed every Callas item to death, is to point out that this indeed is one of her greatest recordings, an essential not just for lovers of singing but for the history of opera itself.

Great recordings of the century A label this recording deserves.......2005-09-21

Recorded in September 1954 together with Puccini Arias. This recording shows the La Divina in the prime of her vocal abilities. This 1954 recording presents Callas with enormous range of musical styles in which the La Divina was entirely at home. This recording refects Callas ability not just to sing but to put drama in every aria. I am happy that finally EMI gave this recording the recognition in it deserves "Great Recordings of the Century". For those who do not want to purchase the Recitals 1954-1969 [BOX SET] or plans to buy the recital collection one buy one , I strongly suggest to purchase this edition, the cover has the original cover artwork of the original LP (very nostalgic).

Average customer rating:

Truly Bellissima
Anna Moffo's voice is heaven sent!!!!!!

La Bellissima: The Debut Recordings

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Mozart: Arias

ASIN: B000002S1P
Release Date: 1990-06-01

Tracks:

La Boheme: Quando m'en vo' (Musetta's Waltz Song) - Anna Moffo/Rolando Panerai/Carlo Badioli/Maria Callas/Giuseppe di Stefano/Manuel Spatafora...
Le Nozze di Figaro: Voi che sapete
Le Nozze di Figaro: Non so piu
Don Giovanni: Vedrai, carino
Die Zauberflote: Ach, ich fuhl's
Cosi fan tutte: In uomini, in soldati
Exsultate, jubilate, K.165: Allelujah
Lucia di Lammermoor: Il dolce suono... Ardon gl'incensi (Mad Scene)
Il Barbiere di Siviglia: Una voce poco fa
I Puritani: Qui la voce... Vien, diletto
La Sonnambula: Ah! non credea mirarti... Ah! non giunge
Rigoletto: Gualtier Malde... Caro nome
La Traviata: E strano... Ah, fors' e lui... Sempre libera

Customer Reviews:

Truly Bellissima.......2003-07-25

Anna Moffo has the most beautiful voive ever heared, anywhere, ever. The arias on this CD showcase her drop-dead-gorgeous tone quality, stellar technique, and versitility. She sings everything one wants to hear, from the classic Puccini war-horses that are sure to get stuck in one's head (especcially since she sings them with perfect fluidity) to bel canto stuff on which she shocks you with coloratura ability (listen to "Una voce poce fa"). Moffo is the most underrated opera star of the golden age; voices and stage-presences like hers are nearly impossible to find today. Skip the spiffy new Renee Flemming disk - buy "La Bellissima" and go slack-jawed.

Anna Moffo's voice is heaven sent!!!!!!.......1998-11-26

This recording is phenomonal! Anna makes the most challenging aria sound effortless. Her voice is nothing short of spectacular!

Average customer rating:

Excellent
At long last...to hear THAT voice again!!

Franco Corelli: The Unknown Recordings

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Very Best of Franco Corelli
Franco Corelli: His Early Cetra Electric Records
Tebaldi and Corelli: Great Opera Duets
Franco Corelli: Voices of the Opera Series
Franco Corelli: Corelli in Concert

ASIN: B0000CG8EY
Release Date: 2003-10-21

Tracks:

Oh! Fede Negar Potessi...Quando Le Sere Al Placido
La Vita E Inferno... O Tu Che In Seno Agli Angeli
O Figli, O Figli Miei!... Ah, La Paterna Mano
La Donna E Mobile
Merce, Diletti Amici... Come Rugiada Al Cespite... Oh, Tu Che L'alma Adora
L'amour, L'amour... Ah! Leve-Toi, Soleil
Ah! Tout Est Bien Fini... O Souverain, O Juge, O Pere
Che Gelida Manina
Nel Verde Maggio
Forse La Soglia Attinse... Ma Se M'e Forza Perderti
Di Quella Pira

Amazon.com

Franco Corelli was in a class by himself from the mid 1950s until the early '70s, when he was a leading tenor in most of the world's great opera houses. And to this day, no tenor voice has surfaced with such a huge, steely, brilliant top, dark, handsome middle and bottom--and sheer animal magnetism. His bad habits--scooping up to notes, aspirating vowels, holding on to high notes too long--would be a joy to hear again if the voice attached to them were as glorious as Corelli's. This short (45 minutes) CD contains arias never before released for one reason or another. They were recorded in '65 and '67, when the tenor was at his peak and if you've forgotten--or never experienced--his sound, the visceral excitement will knock you out. The Boheme and Trovatore selections each contain high Cs which just don't exist in any current tenor's throat, and elsewhere, his beautiful sound is always a joy--bad habits and all. The Le Cid and Forza arias are particularly thrilling. And the price is absolutely right. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2003-12-28

Franco Corelli has some lovely moments in this CD. It is amazing that it was not released long time ago for the minor musical mistakes that rarely occur.

There are two arias which were sung to pre-recorded orchestra (recorded for another tenor of the time). This restraint lends a whole new and wonderfully musical quality to Corelli's work.

He has a roaring quality to his voice that I enjoy and this CD captures it fully. A rare and appropriate buy for Corelli fans.

At long last...to hear THAT voice again!!.......2003-10-22

These recordings, recorded in London in 1967 (with the exception of two pieces, recorded there in 1965), bring THAT voice to us again...in all its virile glory! These extraordinary selections, delayed in their release to the public in that Maestro Corelli wanted to do additional work on them (but never did), demonstrate why fans consider Corelli the premier tenor of the twentieth century! While Maestro Corelli recently passed away, leaving his loyal fans bereft,...these recordings trumpet his musical genius and our gratitude and astonished response to him are, once again, beyond expression! Bravissimo!!!

Catch a Shining Star: A New Generation of Classical Artists

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Catch a Shining Star: A New Generation of Classical Artists

Manufacturer: Narm Recordings
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American Classics Sampler

ASIN: B0000D1FIE
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Beniamino Gigli: Historical Recordings 1927 - 1951

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Beniamino Gigli: Historical Recordings 1927 - 1951

Manufacturer: Gala
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Very Best of Beniamino Gigli
Mario del Monaco: Historical Recordings 1950 - 60
The Very Best of Franco Corelli
Tenors in the Grand Tradition
The Very Best of Alfredo Kraus

ASIN: B000001XLX
Release Date: 2000-06-06

Tracks:

Rigoletto: Bella Figlia Dell'Amore
Les pecheurs de perles: Mi Par D'udir Ancora
Xerxes: Fronde Tenere... Ombra Mai Fu
Lelisir d'amore': Una Furtiva Lagrima
I Pagliacci: No, Pagliaccio Non Son!
Cavalleria Rusticana: Mamma Quel Vino E Generoso
Andrea Chenier: Si Fui Soldato
TOSCA: E Lucevan Le Stelle
Carmen: Il Fior Che Avevi A Me
Aida: Se Quel Querrier
La Boheme: O Soave Fanciulla
Don Giovanni: Il Mio Tesoro Intanto
Il Trovatore: Di Quella Pira
La forza del destino: La Vita E Inferno All'infinito O Tu Che In Seno Agli Angeli
Andrea Chenier: Come Un Bel Di Maggio
La Juive: Rachel, Quand Du Seigneur
Werther: Ah! Non Mi Ridestar
Otello: Gia Nella Notte Densa

Dame Eva Turner - The Collected Recordings

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Interesting representation of the singer
Voice of a Legend

Dame Eva Turner - The Collected Recordings

Manufacturer: Pearl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004C8TK
Release Date: 2000-04-25

Customer Reviews:

Interesting representation of the singer.......2003-11-07

Eva Turner was condemned to be remembered as a one role singer; the role of Turrandot. Her artistry went far beyond that. She was a slow starter in many ways, and it took a considerable amount of time for major houses outside Italy to notice her. Yes, she was enjoyed and used in the Italian opera houses, but ignored in her own land. Eventually, she made her debut there and was a hit. Her voice is not to everyone's liking, and some critics found her interpretations very "ordinary." Some felt she couldn't color her voice enough to render complete interpretations of the roles she sang.

The real problem was her voice was not subtle at all. Through her development it grew and grew in size (many other singers didn't want to sing with her, not because of her personality -- she was a trouper, but because they had to strain so to be heard when singing with her). As with all very large voices, the virtues are astonishing and the vices just as pronounced. Perhaps she was not capable of much subtle coloring as many smaller voices were capable of, but she was able to "raise the roof" in the theatres she sang in, and present a very powerful living drama. Her intonation was nearly perfect at all times. And, unlike is often thought, she had great stage presence.

Finally, when a role came her way, one in which she had no competition, people were willing to actually open their ears and hear what she had to offer.

This set of recordings is very interesting to listen to. Yes, as with all "complete works of anyone" we hear repeats of various arias. The key then is to listen and see what changes had developed as the performer expanded their understanding of the role. Few singers really show much development in that regard. In this case, there are improvements that we hear from time to time.

Some of the pieces recorded do nothing for me, and I wouldn't have wasted the time recording them, however, they reflect what producers were having singers record at that time.

One role that Turner sang and excelled in was the Leonora from Trovatore. Yes, she had the necessary agility. She even produced a beautiful trill. Sadly, nothing here gives evidence to this fact.

I recommend this recording for those interested in having recordings of this great and under appreciated singer who had so much to give. I recommend it also for those interested in hearing a truly huge voice (some say that even Nilsson could come close to the power of Turner) recorded with minimal destortion. We are not able to know exactly how magnificent her voice really was, not even through these recordings, but we can hear the even quality of her noble instrument.

It is a pricey set, but for those who are interested in historic recordings of very famous singers, I would recommend it.

Voice of a Legend.......2001-01-13

Dame Eva Turner was arguably the greatest singer that England produced in the last century. Sadly, she was also one of the most under-recorded singers in history. This compilation finally releases in one package all of the material that we know of at this time. Unfortunately, that means that there are numerous recordings of the same arias, done at different times. Rumors continue as to the existence of more material in the vaults of companies in England, but none of that is available.

What you will hear is the voice of the definitive Turandot, a role which Dame Eva premiered in many houses, though the first performance of the opera was sung by Rosa Raisa. However, Franco Alfano, who completed the opera after Puccini's death proclaimed Dame Eva as the perfect Turandot. She effortlessly produces enormous waves of sound that are, at turns, steely or supple. Her instrument was one that has only been equaled by the great Birgit Nilsson.

Tracks:

Germania - Studenti, Undite
Germania - Ah, Vieni Qui ... No, Non Chiuder Gli Occhi
Regoletto - Qusta O Quella
Aida - Celeste Aida
Manon - O Doice Incanto (Il Sogno)
L'Elisr D'amore - Una Furtiva Lagrima
Mefisofele - Giunto Sul Passo Estremo (Epilogue)
Mefisto Fele - Giunto Sul passo estremo (Epilogue)
Tosca - E Lucevan Le Stelle
Iris - April La Tuna Finestra (serenata)
Mefistofele - Dai Campi, Dai prati
Fedora - Amorti Vieta (Acc. By Composer)
Aida - Celeste Aida
La Gioconda - Cielo E Mar!
I Pagliacci - Vesti La Giubba
Mascagni - Cavalleria Rusticana - O Lola (Siciliana)
Non T' Amo Piu
La Mina Canzone
Adriana Lecouvereur - No, piu nobile
Luna Fedel
Un Bacio Anchora
Luna Fedel
L'elisir D' Amore - Una Furtiva largima
Tosca - E Lucevan Le Stelle
Germina - No, Non Chiuder
Rigoletto - La Donna E Mobile
Cavalleria Rusticana - O lola (siciliana)

Customer Reviews:

Ignore the primitive recording, listen to the performances........2002-03-13

If you are interested in hearing the documents that launched the gramophone (or phonograph) as a serious recording medium, rather than a toy, then this is the disc to listen to. Of course, 100 years ago, the recording and reproducing process was very primitive, and current digital processing capabilities cannot really compensate for that. But, except for one very poor edit, the transfers from the original 78rpm discs are excellent.

Ignoring the recording deficiencies, what you can hear are marvelously enthusiastic performances by the greatest tenor ever to make records.

Simple as that.

Nevermind the quality of sound, listen for the music.......2000-10-16

This is a sturdy collection of songs, with the most famous pieces of the period (1902-1903, but the sound quality is lacking.The songs are recorded before the age of digital everything, the popping and cracking of the tracks could add charm or ruin the cd-depending on taste. Yet, the songs are incredibly beautiful and are worth a listen.

Complete Grammophone Recordings, Vol. 4: The Hayes and London Recordings, 1921-26

Average customer rating:

Rare glimpse of Melba unfettered by the acoustic horn.
Fare thee well!

Complete Grammophone Recordings, Vol. 4: The Hayes and London Recordings, 1921-26

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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4-for-3 Opera & Vocal | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0001Z65IK
Release Date: 2004-06-15

Tracks:

Sadko: Les Diamants Chez-Nous Sont Innombrables
Away On The Hills There Runs A Stream - Landon Ronald
Down In The Forest - Landon Ronald
By The Waters Of Minnetonka - Landon Ronald
Annie Laurie
Home, Sweet Home
Act IV: Piangea Cantando (Willow Song)
Act IV: Ave Maria
Entrate...C'e Rodolfo?
Donde Lieta Usci
Addio Dolce Svegliare Alla Mattina
Gavotta, Minuetto
Sono Andati?
Io Musetta...Oh Come E Bello E Morbido
Address by Lord Stanley of Alderley - Lord Stanley of Alderley
Dame Nellie Melba's Farewell Speech - Dame Nellie Melba's
La Traviata: Dita All Giovine
Un Ange Est Venu
Clair De Lune, Op. 83, No. 1
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Customer Reviews:

Rare glimpse of Melba unfettered by the acoustic horn. .......2007-04-15

Several of these selections give modern opera lovers their only clear vocal image of Melba. Collectors of ancient opera recordings are, through years of familiarity, capable of making allowances for the sounds on the acoustic records. However; most listeners cannot: because of this the few electrical recordings on this CD offer the only viable chance for most of us to hear Melba in something like her natural sound. Of special interest is her haunting singing of the Willow Song - Melba's style founded on the Marchesi method of breath support gives a supernatural quality, an eerie and haunting other-worldliness to this most affecting of simple melodies. People claimed Melba was not a great actress but this gives the lie to that. Listen in particular to the non-pareil pianissimo, the beautiful tone projected and sustained without any apparent effort. No one living can sing like this. Moreover, Melba achieves her effects on a listener through a living melody rather than the declamatory or push and pull vocalism we hear today from even our best vocalists. Melba's extraordinary aliveness, kept on leash and which she flaunts like a Goddess snapping off bolts of lightning, suggests an undaunted will and irrepresible energy . She was certainly a true Queen of Opera.
The Naxos issue is the fourth and last in a series, the others are all from acoustic horns, and should be purchased only by knowledgeable collectors. Melba was born the year the American Civil War began - thus these recordings made in the twenties when she was in her sixties offer further proof of just how remarkably well-schooled a singer she was.

Fare thee well!.......2004-07-07

Thanks to splendid reissues such as this, Dame Nellie Melba, once the most celebrated soprano in the world, is still a presence for C21st century listeners.

Collected here, and completing the Naxos series reissuing her EMI recordings, is everything she recorded between 1921 and 1926. As is well known, the opportunity was taken, soon after the introduction of the electrical recording process, to record her farewell appearance at Covent Garden in June 1926. Two acts of "La Boheme"and the last act of "Otello" were performed. Of the many 78 sides made on location that proved to be technically acceptable, Melba would allow only three to be issued in her lifetime - one of which was her farewell speech. Well, they are all assembled here, allowing us to hear her with some of her younger compatriot Australians whose careers she promoted.

Six months later, she initiated a final recording session to help forward the career of one of them, the 26 year old baritone John Brownlee. "It was for her a trying afternoon," wrote producer Fred Gaiberg in his memoirs.

These final four sides are here too, Melba's only studio electrically recorded items, two of them in duet with John Brownlee. I urge all readers, even those who might have written Melba off as a famous singer stunning in performance but luckless in recording studios to go first to Track 17 on this CD. Hear the voice, rock steady, still able to provide dynamic contrasts and with an occasional gleam on it, in perfect ensemble with John Brownlee, and unimpeded by fierce surface hiss. For some reason the other three items from this final recording session are not nearly as vivid.

Album Description

When complete the Naxos Historical Caruso edition will constitute the complete cycle of all Caruso's recordings issued in chronological order, thus enabling the artistic development of this great artist to be followed in detail. In 1919, shortly after the period covered by this CD, Caruso was to celebrate his twenty-fifth year, yet in these recordings there is no sign of strain or wear on the voice at all, only the brilliant sounds that made Caruso world-famous and the first real operatic star of the gramophone.

Customer Reviews:

Caruso for a song........2004-03-15

In the liner notes provided with this CD, you will read that opera patrons during the years these recordings were made sometimes paid the equivalent of $1,000 to attend a Caruso performance. Modern marketing, Naxos, and restoration engineer Ward Marston allow us to hear 77 minutes of Caruso recordings for merely a fraction of this cost.

Doyen of reviewers J Scott Morrison has already given Volume 10 of the Naxos Complete Recordings of Enrico Caruso series a rave review, so I shall add only a few comments. Regarding track identification: the composer Faure to whom Track 1 is attributed is not Gabriel but the less well-known French composer J B Faure (1830-1914). The Tchaikovsky item in Track 4 is his Op 6, No 5. The starry quartet and sextet items (2 takes of each) are the ones to go for in the Caruso discography. They are (almost) debut recordings for his compatriot Amelita Galli-Curci, one of the few singers whose voice, like Caruso's, was wonderfully well caught by the acoustic recording process.

Number Ten and Counting; And Simply the Best Caruso on CD.......2003-11-08

Naxos, praise be, is issuing all of Caruso's known recordings in the order in which they were recorded. In this, the tenth of the series, we have reached the era which, for some of us, is the ne plus ultra as regards Caruso's depth of musicianship and richness of voice, 1916 to early 1917. Not long afterward his health began to ebb. But in this time period his tenor voice was at its most baritonal, his breath control inhuman, and his musicianship scrubbed of it earlier vulgarity. I know there are those who revel in the latter, but I'm not one of them. We also get several alternate takes that were not issued on 78 at the time of their recording--one of the opening of the Quartet from 'Rigoletto' that only goes to the point where the mezzo enters, another of the complete Lucia 'Sextet' with Amelita Calli-Curci, Giuseppe de Luca and Marcel Journet among others.

Of special interest here are the selections sung in French--with excellent diction, it must be said--Tchaikovsky's 'Pourquoi?,' and Lensky's aria from 'Eugène Onegin' (gorgeous!), as well as Godard's 'Chanson de Juin,' Saint-Saëns's 'Vois ma misère, hélas' from 'Samson et Dalila.' Best of all are the two arias from Bizet's 'Pearl Fishers': 'De mon amie, fleur endormie,' and especially an absolutely stunning 'Je crois entendre encore.'

Other highlights: the full Quartet from 'Rigoletto' with Galli-Curci, Flora Perini, and de Luca; 'M'appari' from Flotow's 'Martha' with a final B-flat that will knock your socks off (and SO much better than the version he recorded more than ten years earlier).

Fauré's 'Sancta Maria' sounds Italian, I must say. 'Santa Lucia' is just a tad hokey. But Caruso's own 'Tiempo antico' is delightful. Andrea Chenier's 'Come un bel di di maggio' is sung with delicacy, grace and ardor. There are a couple takes of a ditty ('L'alba separa dall luce l'ombra') by Tosti and another couple of popular songs by Castaldon and De Crescenzo.

Finally, two takes of an aria I'd never heard before from Anton Rubinstein's 'Nerone,' 'Ah! lumière du jour.' Caruso's trumpet-like high notes are really something here.

I've acquired all but two of the previous Caruso CDs on Naxos. I've also had earlier transfers of some of the material and I have to say that Naxos and their miracle man, Ward Marston, are doing an amazing job of presenting cleaned-up yet true-sounding transfers. Evviva!

TT=76:59

Tracks:

Aida: Celeste Aida
La Forza Del Destino: Solenne In Quest' Ora
Triste Ritorno
Ideale
L'Africana: O Paradiso
Rigoletto: Bella Figlia Dell'Amore - Louise Homer
Andrea Chenier: Un Di All'Azzurro Spazio
Pagliacci: Vesti La Giubba
La Boheme: O Mimi, Tu Piu Non Torni
The Pearl Fishers: Del Tempio Al Limita
La Boheme: O Soave Fanciulla Nellie Melba
Don Sebastiano: Deserto In Terra
Don Sebastiano: Deserto In Terra
Adorables Tourments
Rigoletto: Bella Figlia Dell'Amore
Lucia Di Lammermoor: Chi Mi Frena In Tal Momento?
Madama Butterfly: Quanti Occhi Fisi
La Boheme: Ackho, Dolce Svegliare Alla Mattina
Rigoletto: Bella Figlia Dell'Amore - Louise Homer

Customer Reviews:

Don't have to be an Opera Lover to appreciate this.......2002-09-05

If we try to compare someone like Caruso to the greats of today, it cannot be done. There just is no way to extract the full range of tonal quality out of these old recordings. But that withstanding, this does not mean you cannot enjoy some beautiful music. Put the pops out your mind, and just listen to the simple beauty. I cannot listen to these recordings without moisture oozing from my eye sockets. Buy and enjoy!

The tenor who started it all........2002-05-19

"Fee exorbitant, forbid you to record."

This was the reply to a telegram sent by Fred Gaisberg, a young American recording agent, who chanced to be in Italy in 1902 and had heard a young tenor named Enrico Caruso sing, and who cabled for permission to spend an afternoon recording him at the fee Caruso named.

Many believe that Gaisberg's disobedience marked the true birth of the whole recording industry.

A century later, Caruso's resplendent voice and the complete records he subsequently made can be heard at budget price in a series of Naxos reissues. Volume 3 is a good one to select. The voice is sumptuous - baritonal in timbre but encompassing the high tenor range with apparent ease - and the artistry in, for example, "O paradiso", is exemplary. You will hear two of Caruso's recordings of the "Rigoletto" quartet. You will also hear the only recording he made with Dame Nellie Melba. Although the Australian soprano and the Italian tenor were never personally compatible, their voices blend beautifully, especially at the very end of their "La Boheme" duet.

Ward Marston is in charge of these reissues. They are as good as can be expected, considering the age of the originals, and considerably better than most I have heard. He has worked from mint condition original pressings.

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Music Track

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