Frances Alda: The Complete Victor Recordings, 1909-15

On this CD:

1. Il Trovatore, opera Quel suon, quelle preci...Ah! che la morte
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso, Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

2. Il Trovatore, opera Quel suon, quelle preci...Ah! che la morte
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso, Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

3. Otello, opera Piangea cantando (Willow Song)
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

4. Otello, opera Ave Maria, piena di grazia
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

5. Falstaff, opera Sul fin d'un soffio
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

6. La Serenata for voice & piano/orchestra
Composed by Francesco Paolo Tosti
Performed by Frances Alda

7. Oh! si les fleurs avaient des yeux, for voice & piano
Composed by Jules Massenet
Performed by Frances Alda

8. Manon Lescaut, opera L'ora, o Tirsi
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

9. Oh! si les fleurs avaient des yeux, for voice & piano
Composed by Jules Massenet
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

10. The Cuckoo
Composed by Liza Lehmann
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

11. Wiegenlied
Composed by Engelbert Humperdinck
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

12. Martha, opera Siam giunti, o giovinette
Composed by Friedrich von Flotow
Performed by Enrico Caruso, Frances Alda, Josephine Jacoby, Marcel Journet
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

13. Martha, opera Questa camera è per voi!...Che vuol dir ciò?
Composed by Friedrich von Flotow
Performed by Enrico Caruso, Frances Alda, Josephine Jacoby, Marcel Journet
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

14. Martha, opera Presto, presto andiam
Composed by Friedrich von Flotow
Performed by Enrico Caruso, Frances Alda, Josephine Jacoby, Marcel Journet
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

15. Martha, opera T'ho raggiunta, sciagurata!... Dormi pur
Composed by Friedrich von Flotow
Performed by Enrico Caruso, Frances Alda, Josephine Jacoby, Marcel Journet
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

16. I Lombardi alla prima Crociata, opera Qual voluttà trascorrere
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Enrico Caruso, Frances Alda, Josephine Jacoby, Marcel Journet
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

17. Work(s)
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

18. Loreley, opera Ah dunque, ei m'amera...Amor, celeste ebrezza
Composed by Alfredo Catalani
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

19. Manon Lescaut, opera In quelle trine morbide
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

20. Les Contes d'Hoffmann, opera in 4 acts Elle a fui, la tourterelle
Composed by Jacques Offenbach
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

21. The Birth of Morn
Composed by Franco Leoni
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

22. Zärtliche Liebe, song for voice & piano, WoO 123
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

23. The Dawn
Composed by Guy d' Hardelot
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

24. Manon, opera Obséssions quand leur voix appelle
Composed by Jules Massenet
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

25. Murmuring Zephyrs
Composed by Jensen
Performed by Frances Alda

26. But lately in dance I embraced her
Composed by Anton Stepanovich Arensky
Performed by Frank La Forge, Frances Alda

27. Morgen ("Und morgen wird die Sonne wieder scheinen"), song for voice & piano (or orchestra), Op. 27/4 Morgen
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Frank La Forge, Frances Alda

28. Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), opera Ancora un passo or via
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

29. Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), opera Un bel di vedremo
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

30. Il segreto di Susanna, opera O gioia, la nube
Composed by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

31. La bohème, opera Donde lieta usci al tuo grido d'amore
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

32. Madeleine, opera A Perfect Day
Composed by Victor Herbert
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Victor Herbert

33. Work(s) Solitude (Melody in F)
Composed by Anton Rubinstein
Performed by Balalaika Orchestra with Frances Alda
Conducted by Frank La Forge

34. Panis angelicus for tenor, organ, harp, cello & bass
Composed by Cesar Franck
Performed by Frank La Forge, Frances Alda

35. Tosca, opera Vissi d'arte
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Performed by Frank La Forge, Frances Alda

36. Der Zigeunerprimas (Sari), operetta Love's Own Sweet Song
Composed by Imre (Emmerich) Kalman
Performed by Frank La Forge, Frances Alda

37. Ouvre tes yeux bleus, for voice & piano
Composed by Jules Massenet
Performed by Frank La Forge, Frances Alda

38. Carmen, opéra-comique in 4 acts Parle-moi de ma mère
Composed by Georges Bizet
Performed by Frank La Forge, Frances Alda

39. Carmen, opéra-comique in 4 acts Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante
Composed by Georges Bizet
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

40. Chanson D'Amour
Composed by J. Hollman
Performed by Mischa Elman, Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

41. Tes yeux
Composed by Rabey
Performed by Mischa Elman, Frank La Forge, Frances Alda

42. Ave Maria for voice & orchestra (or piano) (after Bach)
Composed by Charles Gounod
Performed by Mischa Elman, Frank La Forge, Frances Alda

43. Angel's Serenade
Composed by Francisco Ernani Braga
Performed by Mischa Elman, Frank La Forge, Frances Alda

44. La bohème, opera Mi chiamano Mimi
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Performed by Frank La Forge, Frances Alda

45. Mighty Lak' a Rose, for voice & piano (or orchestra)
Composed by Ethelbert Nevin
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

46. Chanson Provencale for voice & orchestra
Composed by Eva Dell'Acqua
Performed by Frances Alda
Conducted by Walter B. Rogers

Customer Reviews:

A fitting tribute to a too little-known artist.......1999-11-28

Today the name of Frances Alda is remembered mainly as having collaborated on several Caruso discs, but she was a fine singer in her own right, as this excellent Romophone set proves.

Alda was a student of the celebrated Mathilde Marchesi, who also taught Nellie Melba. Indeed, at Alda's audition, Marchesi told her husband, "Salvatore, I have found the new Melba!" Alda was in fact good enough to present a threat to the more established diva, who insisted that Oscar Hammerstein chose between the two of them: "Either Alda or Myself!" runs the famous telegram.

Mme. Alda was one of the most colorful operatic personalities of the early twentieth century. She was married to Giulio Gatti-Cassazza, head of the Met at the time, but she did not abuse her influence as a more capricious diva might have. She had a dry, caustic wit, as evidenced in her autobiography, "Men, Women, and Tenors" (a thoroughly enjoyable read, by the way).

These recordings present the voice behind the legend, and an excellent voice it is, too. A lyric soprano of substantial weight, she was careful to remain well inside the lyric fach, venturing only a single Aida as an experiment. Her favorite role was Mimi, and it shows: her two arias from "La Boheme" are magical. Her high notes glitter, and the low range is full and round. The voice is even throughout the registers, a hallmark of the Marchesi school.