JJack
01-01-2012, 00:59
I've been on a bit of a splurge recently, buying up all the operas I find at the used record stores.
Bought two EMI sets, 22 LPs in all (The History of Singing). Some great voices on there: Melchior, Caruso, Gigli, et al.
But the one that I keep coming back to is Franco Corelli, the archetype Italian tenore, rich and robust through the middle register, and taking some weight into the higher register, with a glorious ringing C on top.
He could do a neat vocal trick - and he called it that - where he could back off a full-voiced A to B-flat and hold it for as long as he liked (see EMI recording of E lucevan le stelle from Tosca for a stunning example).
I have many of his recordings, alas too many on the horrendous blue EMI Angel LPs that sound like there were made from cardboard, but the voice comes through in all of them.
There's some great stuff on youtube if you want a flavor, just google his name.
Bought two EMI sets, 22 LPs in all (The History of Singing). Some great voices on there: Melchior, Caruso, Gigli, et al.
But the one that I keep coming back to is Franco Corelli, the archetype Italian tenore, rich and robust through the middle register, and taking some weight into the higher register, with a glorious ringing C on top.
He could do a neat vocal trick - and he called it that - where he could back off a full-voiced A to B-flat and hold it for as long as he liked (see EMI recording of E lucevan le stelle from Tosca for a stunning example).
I have many of his recordings, alas too many on the horrendous blue EMI Angel LPs that sound like there were made from cardboard, but the voice comes through in all of them.
There's some great stuff on youtube if you want a flavor, just google his name.