Three Edison Tenors

On this CD:

1. Pagliacci, opera Vesti la giubba
Composed by Ruggiero Leoncavallo
Performed by Giuseppe Anselmi

2. La Gioconda, opera in 4 acts Cielo e mar
Composed by Amilcare Ponchielli
Performed by Giuseppe Anselmi

3. La favorita, opera Spirto gentil
Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
Performed by Giuseppe Anselmi

4. Les Pêcheurs de perles, opera in 3 acts Mi par d'udir ancor
Composed by Georges Bizet
Performed by Giuseppe Anselmi

5. L' Africaine, grand opera in 5 acts O Paradiso
Composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer
Performed by Giuseppe Anselmi

6. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera Tu che a Dio spiegasti l'ali
Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
Performed by Giuseppe Anselmi

7. Mignon, opera in 3 acts Ah! non credevi tu
Composed by Ambroise Thomas
Performed by Giuseppe Anselmi

8. Tosca, opera E lucevan le stelle
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Performed by Alessandro Bonci

9. Aida, opera Celeste Aida
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Alessandro Bonci

10. Martha, opera M'appari tutt' amor
Composed by Friedrich von Flotow
Performed by Alessandro Bonci

11. L'elisir d'amore, opera Una furtiva lagrima
Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
Performed by Alessandro Bonci

12. Rigoletto, opera La donna è mobile
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Alessandro Bonci

13. Lucia di Lammermoor, opera Fra poco a me ricoverò
Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
Performed by Alessandro Bonci

14. Luisa Miller, opera Quando le sere al placido
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Alessandro Bonci

15. Il barbière di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), opera Ecco ridente in cielo
Composed by Gioachino Rossini
Performed by Jose Mojica

16. Les Pêcheurs de perles, opera in 3 acts Mi par d'udir ancora
Composed by Georges Bizet
Performed by Jose Mojica

17. L'elisir d'amore, opera Una furtiva lagrima
Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
Performed by Jose Mojica

18. Lakmé, opera Fantaisie aux divins mensonges
Composed by Leo Delibes
Performed by Jose Mojica

19. Les Huguenots, grand opera in 5 acts Bianca al par
Composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer
Performed by Jose Mojica

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Though Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, he didn't really try to make money with recordings until a number of years later, coming up with a sound-recording technique that was markedly superior to what one usually heard in 1913, which was when many of these recordings were made. However, he believed in reorchestrating arias (he liked harps), so his musical integrity was questionable. All three of these tenors deliver vocal thrills, but the reason to buy this is the five cuts by Mexican tenor Jose Mojica. His is simply one of the most sumptuous, stylishly deployed tenor voices in history. -- David Patrick Stearns

Tracks:

I Pagliacci: Vesti La Giubba - Giuseppe Anselmi
La Gioconda: Cielo E Mar - Giuseppe Anselmi
La Favorita: Spirto Gentil - Giuseppe Anselmi
Les Pecheurs De Perles: Mi Par D' Udir Ancor - Giuseppe Anselmi
L' Africaine: O Paradiso - Giuseppe Anselmi
Lucia Di Lammermoor: Tu Che A Dio Spiegasti L' Ali - Giuseppe Anselmi
Mignon: Ah! Non Credevi Tu - Giuseppe Anselmi
Tosca: E Lucevan Le Stelle - Alessandro Bonci
Aida: Celeste Aida - Alessandro Bonci
Marta: M' Appari Tutt' Amor - Alessandro Bonci
L' Elisir D' Amore: Una Furtiva Lagrima - Alessandro Bonci
Rigoletto: La Donna E Mobile - Alessandro Bonci
Lucia Di Lammermoor: Fra Poco A Me Ricovero - Alessandro Bonci
Luisa Miller: Quando Le Sere Al Placido - Alessandro Bonci
Il Barbiere Di Siviglia: Ecco Ridente In Cielo - Jose Mojica
Les Pecheurs De Perles: Mi Par D'Udir Ancora - Jose Mojica
L' Elisir D' Amore: Una Furtiva Lagrima - Jose Mojica
Lakme: Fantaisie Au Divins Mensonges - Jose Mojica
Les Huguenots: Bianca Al Par - Jose Mojica

Amazon.com

Though Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, he didn't really try to make money with recordings until a number of years later, coming up with a sound-recording technique that was markedly superior to what one usually heard in 1913, which was when many of these recordings were made. However, he believed in reorchestrating arias (he liked harps), so his musical integrity was questionable. All three of these tenors deliver vocal thrills, but the reason to buy this is the five cuts by Mexican tenor Jose Mojica. His is simply one of the most sumptuous, stylishly deployed tenor voices in history. -- David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

Interesting, and occasionally puzzling.......2004-09-13

Considering that Anselmi, Bonci and Caruso were, quite literally, the "ABC" tenors of their time, the first two of those singers who are heard on this CD reasonably should have made a much more positive impact than they do here.
Bonci's last recordings (not on this CD), made for Columbia in the late 1920s, and particularly the Il Ballo In Maschera ensemble including the interpolated, Verdi-approved laughs, give at least some idea why he was so popular.
The least known, Jose Mojica, is quite a pleasure to listen to, even in the context of these quaint "orchestral" accompaniments, and in contrast to his more celebrated Edison-recorded colleagues. It would be a kindness to record collectors to have RCA release Mojica's recordings from his prime period of the 1930s and 1940s.

A Mixed Bag.......2004-06-11

This 1998 CD from famed restorer of old recordings Ward Marston, on his own label, features three lyric tenors all of whom recorded for Thomas Edison. The first two, Anselmi and Bonci, were Italians of Caruso's generation and were in their primes 1900-1910; Edison recorded both of them in 1913 in his search for tenors to compete with Caruso. The third, Mojica, was a Mexican who sang in the 1920s and 1930s; Edison recorded him in 1925-26 (acoustically, not electrically). This CD contains all of the operatic selections recorded by these three tenors for Edison: seven arias by Anselmi and seven by Bonci (all in Italian), and five by Mojica (four in Italian and one French), for a generous total timing of 78:39. The notes and documentation are exemplary, and include multiple photos of each singer.

The Edison "hill and dale" (or vertically cut) recording process was different from and incompatible with the horizontally cut recording process of Victor and Columbia, which dominated the marketplace (Edison's record company ceased operations in 1929). Many aficionados of acoustic recordings believe that Edison's process was superior, including Mr. Marston: " Edison's recordings of singers provide the listener with an extremely lifelike reproduction of the voice, unrivaled by any other acoustic recordings." Unfortunately Edison was also largely deaf, had little musical knowledge or taste, and "felt that orchestral accompaniments were of little importance and therefore the orchestration should be as minimal as possible." The result is that the "orchestral" accompaniments here are played by "a string quartet augmented by an occasional woodwind and the ubiquitous harp" (a favorite instrument of Edison), and sound decidedly strange. (Singers Edison heard and rejected as unsatisfactory included Ruffo, Galli-Curci, Martinelli, and Supervia. He also thought that he could improve on the famous Lucia sextet by having it sung by fewer voices!)

The restorations here are fine, as aficionados have come to expect from Marston, but the results are a mixed bag. Giuseppe Anselmi (1876-1929) was famous in his day but had a very short career, and the selections here may suggest why: although he was only 37 when he made these recordings, he sounds like he is already having trouble with his high notes. Two of the arias are transposed down, and all his high notes are effortful, most of them strained and over-blown. His voice also has a weak bottom. Its midrange is exceptionally attractive, and he is good at spinning out honeyed, caressing phrases. He sounds like an old-fashioned bel canto singer, and it is surprising to hear Vesti la giubba sung as if it were a bel canto aria. Anselmi is better represented on his Fonotipia recordings of 1907-1910.

Alessandro Bonci (1870-1940) was also famed in his day as a stylish singer, and as J. B. Steane notes, was known for "delicacy, refinement, grace and elegance." I wish I could hear some of those qualities here. Instead I hear an indifferent, unimpressive voice, rather small, beset by a conspicuous vibrato ("old-fashioned fluttering timbre"), a certain bleaty quality, unreliable intonation, undistinguished musicianship, insensitive phrasing, and too many passages of rough, uneven singing. I doubt that E lucevan le stelle has ever received a more awkwardly phrased, unrewarding rendition, and Bonci sounds uncomfortable in Celeste Aida, an aria he probably shouldn't have sung. I'm sorry to say I could find nothing to admire in these Bonci selections. It's a mystery to me that the singer we hear here could ever have been considered a rival to Caruso. Surely he too must be better represented on his earlier recordings.

The much younger Jose Mojica (1896-1974), the least important of these singers historically, is the pleasant surprise here. His operatic career was primarily in Chicago, and he sang in several early Spanish sound films. His is a light voice, but of pleasing quality and flexibility, used intelligently and stylishly. He has the technique for Ecco ridente in cielo, and sings French well in an aria from Lakme. His five arias are a pleasure and do not share in the shortcomings of his predecessors on this CD.

It's about time these recording were re-released.......2003-09-14

This is one of those rare gems of the recording industry. Not only are they Edison recorings, but if you are a fan of the Mexican tenors, this collections has some of the first, if not the first recordings of Jose Mojica in his prime. My grandfather had Mojica's early recordings on a copied cassette tape. It's good to hear them again.

Music Track:

Music Track

music track

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