My Grandfather John Scalzilli was a musician at the MET and claimed that he knew Caruso well. Apparently once in a while, he would take the whole orchestra out for a drink. He used to say that Caruso was murdered by the Mafia. Just thought I would mention it.
@swamivicky What your grandfather told sounds very much like the amiable Caruso - taking the whole orchestra out for a drink. I don't think, however, that he was right about the Mafia killing Caruso. It was more likely the strong Egyptian cigarettes he smoked (cancer) or an illness of the lungs incurable at the time.
@tomfroekjaer the way the story goes is that some mafioso wanted him to do a command performance and he arogantly refused. as for the lung cancer, i guess it kind of spoils the story, glad i don't smoke.
@ivelosthewilltolive Remember, this was an early recording, so Caruso probably wasn't comfortable with a high-C yet. You may also notice that his recording of "Di quella pira" is transposed as well, and that was recorded not too long after this. Caruso was still young. It took him some time before he honed his vocal skills enough to be able to hit a high-C.
I feel blessed to have been able to hear this. While recorded in 1906, this is not a voice from the past. I feel him very much present, here and now, when I hear this.
@saminnyc Thanks for your comment. I feel the same way without being able to offer a self-evident explanation for it. In this recording the voice of Caruso was extracted from an old 78 recording and combined with modern orchestration and despite this "mutilation" one can feel his presence.
Caruso was allegedly very present when he sang, but that you, I and undoubtedly many others can "feel him" 105 years later is somehow inexplicable ...
I was just listening to a Live From The Met performance of La Boheme and caught the tenor singing this aria. I don't know who the tenor was, and I know it's unfair to compare him to the Great One...but after listening to Caruso, it sort of ruins it to listen to virtually anyone else. It's sort of like listening to music on a $50,000 system; after getting used to it, anything else sounds like a tin can.
@tsmlink: I know what you mean... We had friends visiting for dinner a few weeks ago and I wanted them listen to Lauritz Melchiors version of "Because" on YT which I had listened to a couple of days before and found really great. Me being Danish, Melchior was of course something to be proud of - the great "Heldentenor." I'm sure Melchior was great, but then our visitors (knowing that I liked Caruso) asked how Caruso sang this. The verdict not favorable for Melchior. Caruso melted the hearts...
@tsmlink: Just listened Pavarotti sing this aria here on on YT. His performance if exceptionallly beautiful, but when I listen to Caruso, there is an extra dimension that I cannot define .... extreme empathy, maybe ?
@tomfroekjaer I love Pav, Tom, but his interpretation is merely "beautiful". Caruso goes right to your heart and leaves you begging for more. A once-in-a-lifetime talent.
@tsmlink Yes, he goes right to one's heart. There was an Italian teenager who commented (on this aria I think):
"I've tried to listen to other tenors and THEY are really feeling the songs ..... Caruso is different, he's something special because he makes YOU feel the song."
@TheBlitz1: no, I'm not going to stop uploading digitally remastered versions of Caruso's work. Not that I (in general) disagree with you that the orginal recordings are much better and that the digitally remastered versions degrades his voice. It's a matter of statistics and familiarity.
Statistics: with few exceptions the most vistited of my uploads are digitally remastered versions.
@TheBlitz1: continued... Familiarity: You compare with some other versions you have already heard. People who have not heard Caruso before do not have that advantage. It's a first impression and for many if the sound quality (at least the orchestration) is not comparable to what they are used to, they won't keep on listening. With the digitally remastered versions these people are more inclined to keep listening and discover the wonderful voice of Enrico Caruso.
@TheBlitz1: 2nd continuation... My purpose with my Caruso channel is to make Caruso known. So what furthers that purpose is what I do. Many people who have heard the digitally remastered versions want to know/hear more and then find the original recordings here on YT (I have also - along with others - uploaded these). BTW, the digitally remasterings were not done by myself. This channel has had more than 1.5 million hits. And my non-profit website is the best Caruso website on the web.
@tomfroekjaer If you listen to a transfer and then listen to the DRV you will see how the DRV corrupts and muffles his voice and general clarity is also destroyed.
@tomfroekjaer Well the means is the DRV and the ends is the opposite of the effect the DRV was supposed to create. This just goes to show that things that are good in the first place don't need to be digitally remastered, and people who think they do, don't appreciate or understand the content they are "remastering".
@TheBlitz1: OK. Some statistics: I have uploaded 140 Caruso aria/songs. Less than 10% are digitally manipulated. The total number of hits on my channel: 1.523.307. The hits on the 10% digital ones make up 50%. - Look, I have had this discussion many times before with YT users. I agree that the originals are much better and wouldn't need any manipulation. But for someone who never heard Caruso before they may serve as an introduction. I might be wrong, but the statistics are what they are.
@TheBlitz1: I have no problem assuming and acknowledging your viewpoint. You don't seem quite so willing to assume my viewpoint. The statistics of course show popularity - everytime a video is shown, the purpose of making Caruso known gets a boost.
@TheBlitz1: maybe we are talking about two different things. I have uploaded digital "remasterings", but I didn't do the remastering myself (they were done in Vienna about 10 years ago). If it was legitimate to do the remasterings with modern orchestration or not, is not for me to judge. Initially I decided to upload one of those (Una furtiva lagrima) because some friends of ours finally were willing to listen to Caruso after hearing the remastered version. Thats about how I deviated ....
@tomfroekjaer I think you might have been just bragging about the amount of views your channel has, even though it didn't have anything to do with the conversation.
@TheBlitz1: no, I was not bragging about the hits. Had it been 10.000 hits and 5.000 on the digital remasterings, it wouldn't have been statistically significant.
Ah! Magnifico! Nice to hear an aria that one knows well, sung by the best, since one knows what to listen for. But...even not knowing anything, Caruso's voice will carry one away....thank you, Thomas. And I so enjoy all the wonderful photos you post along with your great selections.
La Bohème is the most emotionaly powerful opera ever to be composed and Caruso's interpretation is probably the best. I am wondering what miracle would be if he could sing this opera together with Maria Callas probably the best melodramatic soprano ever to be born.
Pavarotti proclaimed Caruso as the greatest Tenor ever. In the auditorium, and the first recording Opera Singer, Caruso was, without doubt, Brilliant. But Luciano Pavarottti was equally as good, if not better, using the media that is now available. God Bless the passing of two wonderful voices
continua sendo um dod maiores tenones,sua vóss é inconfundível,seu canto era puro e leve.continua sendo o grande Caruso,bravossssssssssss.josé americo riode janeiro
This is from Caruso's recordings in Feb., 1906, just before he left for San Francisco and survived the earthquake and fire. He's 33, in flawless voice, technique, and interpretations. This breaks my heart every time. This is the best of the remasterings, mixed flawlessly to allow that voice to take center stage. More than 100 years later, Caruso thrills us to the core.
@jd1906sf First of all, everytime you have a monophonic source mixed in with a stereo one, it's ALWAYS going to be "center stage;" you really don't have much of a choice unless you do more tinkering.
Secondly, this isn't such a good mastering; the "hall presence" of the voice is that of the dry acoustic versus that of the orchestra playing in a hall; latter re-issued match this much better.
Hey, Opera Snob, just the orchestra was remastered, not the voice. Listen to the voice before the remastering and you will see its identical. Only the orchestra sound is different......
@falstaff63 Actually, it proves that humans are very capable, when at their best. This capability is most likely something that originated via evolution, a mechanism that needs no god. Personally I'd like to give credit to where it's due as opposed to blaming God for everything we may be able to appreciate.
@falstaff63 i think it proves that the mind of god exists every human because everybody has the potential to understand and enjoy beauty like this unlike most modern music
@falstaff63 haha to me it is proof that no such thing exists - it is so beautiful it need not be ordained, or be devined by something - it is far more beautiful than that my friend - it is nature at her wildest and most free - is he writing or talking about god? no he is talking about the love between two humans - something born of nature, which i'm sure existed before man's concept of gods let alone the monotheist type of god i imagine you to perpetuate - i'm so sad this has so many thumbs up!
@rugbyboy198127 You take the things in only one way. Evidently I was speaking in a metaphoric way, only to put in evidence the greatness of Puccini. So sad!!
Listen carefully to Bjorling and Caruso on this aria...their vocal chords are like conjoined twins, the similarity is so great......just magnificent.....although Caruso's voice is a tad deeper........
It is hard to say just what makes Caruso the tenor by which we judge all tenors, but the power and beauty of that voice never ceases to amaze. We listen to all the others, and are dazzled and moved, and then we listen to Caruso...I always return to Caruso.
A young Italian wrote as a comment on one of the Caruso arias I uploaded, that he'd heard many other great tenors in the same aria and 'they REALLY felt what they were singing' - but "Caruso is different, he makes YOU feel the emotion of the aria/song'.
Apparently Caruso never heard himself sing while performing (his own statement). I've noticed that many modern tenors show signs of having too much attention on themselves - sort of being interesting, trying to impress with their voice, etc. Caruso was just 'gone'.
todo esta en la tecnica de las escuelas italianas de Bel Canto, Caruso es una muestra perfecta de que estas tecnicas son lo mejor por la naturalidad que los grandes tenores utilizancuando interpretan piezas como esta
Of all the songs that he re-recorded at a later date, this piece I wish he would have selected... the improvements in the acoustical recordings would have made this an even greater treasure than it already is!
Vorrei rispondere ad adry235:Caruso viene considerato il migliore di tutti i tempi,per via della malia vocale,la possenza del timbro e non dimentichiamo una cosa importante...quando cantava lui i microfoni,anche per le registrazioni NON esistevano!!!Pavarotti ha trovato la "pappa pronta" con microfoni ed amplificatori,Caruso NO!!!E poi senti le scale di Enrico,"Big" Luciano non ne aveva,alto o basso era sempre lì,infatti a me non e mai piaciuto granché...
estamos de acuerdo...caruso aunke tenia una voz maravillosa, sus agudos arriba del La, no eran su carta fuerte; aunke tenia una emision un fraseo un legato una entonacion y emocion al cantar que lo convierten en el mas grande incluso reconocido por casi todos los grandes tenores; tambien caruso tenia un color baritonal en su voz natural que ha resultado peligrosisimo de imitar..te recomiendo el libro VOCES PARALELAS DE giacomo lauri volpi...un saludo
Rick, my Grandpa also saw Caruso. His favorite tenors were Gigli and Bjorling. I remember as a little boy hearing him speak of those 2 with reverence. Gramps loved Opera, may he R.I.P
A lui si può passare di aver cantato la romanza mezzo tono sotto la scrittura originale. Ma la dizione, l'espressione, la musicalità e, infine, il timbro caldo e vibrante nella sua morbidezza, non potevano che dimostrare egualmente l'immensità dell'interprete.
This is a pretty common transposition. Pavarotti used it at least some of the time. Puccini indicates the C as an alternate to a written lower D natural. But no tenor worth his salt can leave out the high note and so they transpose the aria into C major and sing a high B.
You guys are nuts. Very few tenors sing this in Ab anymore. Most of them sing in G. Even Ramon Vargas who is a light lyric sings in G and he has high notes to burn.
natelsu1, you are probably right. I wouldn't know as I myself (I uploaded it) am a total ignoramus as far as singing is concerned. - I just liked his singing :-)
I understand when singing live singers lower their arias- say a tenor would not dare try a high C but sing a b flat (si bemol)or a baritone wouldn't risk a g sharp (sol sostenido) in "al pari di VOi", but would go for am F (fa natural)
I don't. If you don't have the range for the role, don't sing it. The Prologue aria ('al pari di voi, spiriamo l'aere') is famous for its high Ab. If a baritone didn't sing it, he would be booed off-stage.
Or imagine a tenor not hitting the final C (or H, depending on if it's transposed down) in Di quella pira, but opting for a G, as written.
Almost none of the high notes in famous arias are really written that way, but they're still compulsory because of the performance history.
Not being a gifted singer myself, I always marvel at the "virtuoso notes" when sung. But...more than once, I've heard, inperformance, the singer take the high note down a third (or so)...always surprises me (when I know the aria well enough to notice). But...I don't boo. I just enjoy anyway. God knows I can't do it!! I love your more-educated-than-me comments...this is one way I learn! Thanks!
Tommy ! Singing - including opera - is ALL about communicating feelings and emotions. Not high or low C's or .... It's about human feelings and not about (misunderstood or robotally accepted...) scores ....
Tom I completely agree. I was interested in the comment (with which I also agree) from 1oopera about the squabbling over techinical details. Interesting to singers (and some listeners) but...to me, I'd rather be carried away by someone singing a lower top note than someone hitting the note, but offering no transport of emotion and spirit....ANY day! I hear the armchair critics at the opera all the time...they can't seem to enjoy anything, and (to me) miss the whole point. Opera Witches! Hahaha.
Being quite ignorant of singing and techniques I don't quite understand? Are you saying that Caruso shouldn't have sung this aria at all as his vocal capabilities didn't meet the demands of Puccini? - I'm quite confused !
I'm curious about your comment. I don't actually understand what you are talking about? Are you suggesting that Caruso should not even have attempted to sing this aria because of some technical deficiency?
No. I'm saying he should have sung it in key, and if he couldn't hit a C, he should have sung it as written- there is no C written, except in a suggested extrapolation by Puccini.
The written notes are (for 'la dolce speranza')- C, F, G, Ab (here is where the high C is usually extrapolated), Bb (sometimes with a trill back to high C), Eb.
Caruso transposed the whole aria a key down to sing it with extrapolations, he should have sung it as written and in key.
@piasecznik this is done so that the GENERAL public, who have NO idea what a C or B is, are still thrilled and effected by THE climax of the HIGH note.....for US, who give a damn, is important...but, we're the minority. the PUBLIC pay our bills so sometimes WE have to fool them. ALL art has its shortcuts, they dont give a damn if its a B or C, after a high A it ALL sounds high and hard, which it is. so, put up your book of rules and sit back and relax....there are NO rules!
This is an unfair assessment and suggestion. As an aspiring professional tenor myself, I have discussed these ideas at length with various people who have thriving careers in the business. There are just some keys that each individual voice work better in. It has nothing to necessarily do with whether or not the climax is doable in a certain key. The human voice just functions better in certain keys for certain singers. This well may be the reason he sings the aria in this key.
And the 'technical deficiency' is not being able or willing to sing the highest note in the version of the aria that he sings, a high C.
The high C isn't written though, just commonly extrapolated. IF it was written, he shouldn't have attempted to sing the role, if you lack the range for a role, don't sing it. As it is, he can sing it, fine, but please in key and without the extrapolation and therefore not messing with the character that each scale has.
@piasecznik If you mean 2 before rehearsal 34, the high C is written, as an ossia, in the Ricordi Full Score, the version I have in front of me right now. It is interesting, because it was Caruso who asked Puccini to provide an alternate version of the line, without a high-C; this alternate version has been printed on the main staff, not as an ossia. It is all quite confusing, but the high C is the actual note. Musically, Caruso sings his version quite convincingly, so I could care less.
@piasecznik. The same Puccini allowed Caruso sing this aria half tone lower, when Caruso when to see him at Torre del Lago, Puccini's residence. Almost all the singers after Caruso, did that, included Pavarotti, Alvarez, Gigli, etc, etc. Domingo sang this aria one tone lower. I prefer to listen this aria sing half tone lower by Caruso, than for example the Alagna version, or the Krasu version in original key. The quality of the timbre of caruso's voice is the most beautiful!!!
In the summer of 1897 Giacomo Puccini was looking for a lead tenor for "La Bohéme" in Livorno. Caruso auditioned for the role, but pleaded Puccini not to ask him for the high C.
Puccini said he wouldn't and that many tenors were so concentrate on the high C that they forgot to sing.
Caruso sang and Puccini was so impressed with the voice of young Caruso that he allegedly mumbled "Who sent you to me? God Himself?"
This is true, but Puccini was referring to the fact that he had written the high C as an alternate note and was happy for Caruso to leave it out. There is no indication that he liked transposing the whole aria down a half step thus allowing the high note to be sung as a high B.
Dear tomfroekjaer! Your comment is one of the wisest comments which i have heard here, usually people are like fighting like children about details of singing...but can you put it better, saying: It made an emotional impact to me! That my friends is all what music is for! It does not matter wether there is C or B if it touches a listener, thats why music is made, for publicum, not for kritiks or theoretics
I fully agree with you, 1Ooppera! And as far as I'm concerned, Caruso can be considered beyond any techniques. His ability to communicate the essence and the emotion was exceptional.
I so agree with you...and with my dear friend tom froekjaer. I want music to carry me away....and love it when it does. Sure, I appreciate elegent technique, but I love a singer who lifts me right out of my skin!
Muy buen video , Hoy en dia en México es dificil encontrar un video de caruso , bueno para mi si , gracias por este excelente video del grande Enrico Caruso
Thanks to all of you guys for posting Caruso's songs. I only recently came to discovering his wonderful voice that really touched your soul more than any other tenors.
I made the mistake of buying these "Digitally Remastered" Caruso CDs and was very unimpressed with them. If you can't appreciate the originals you shouldn't be listening to him.
Some of the "digitally remastered" arias/songs are really bad - distorting his voice, but some of them - in my opinion - are somewhat OK.
But to introduce someone to Caruso, I have found it necessary to start gradiently - with the digitally remastered versions. Once they have felt some of the power and empathy shining through, they can much more readily accept the noisy recordings - and enjoy the "real stuff."
On my website I make the digitally "remastered" as well as the "real stuff" available.
In the '30s they made similar attempts at remastering Caruso recordings with much better results where they added to the old recording and took nothing away from the originals. A few videos on YouTube have these recordings - Check two called "Enrico Caruso - O Sole Mio (very early remastering)" and "Enrico Caruso - La Donna È Mobile (very early remastering)." They did a better job 75 years ago.
Yes, I fully agree that they did a better job 75 years ago.
But if I can - to some degree - communicate the beauty of Caruso's voice to people through the "no noise - degraded" versions and then let them discover his real stuff, I think it is justified to post the "digital versions."
Heck, I don't have a hidden agenda, nor do I make any money from my website.
Yes, the Naxos Complete Recordings do not distort his voice (but the scratching has only been partially removed). The Celestre Aida that I uploaded is from a Naxos recording.
Yes. There is a bit of scratching, but Caruso's voice comes through pretty much unaltered.
On the very latest remasterings (Austrian recordings) - all noise has been removed and the entire orchestra has been redone, but Caruso's voice also often is affected negatively (not always, though).
My opinion: best buy is the Naxos recordings. Listen and get used to the bit of scratching.
I agree with you tomfroekjaer. Remastered Caruso-songs are useful too. And sometimes they are better for listening. The voice is a little bit in contrast with a newly-added quality music. I wonder why they did not add technically some "shine" to the voice before...not impossible...
Very good sound quality - I know, as I own some Caruso recordings, many of which are not nearly as good... Where did you obtain these, or did you restore them yourself?
Bought 3 CDs from Amazon. If you search for Enrico Caruso - The Digital Comeback, you should get the info you need. Not all are good, though. Sometimes Caruso's voice is also "filtered", but in general I'd recommend them.
not C its H
1Markofff 3 weeks ago
is it possible this sound of orchestra in 1906,the voice is ok,but the orchestra?What kind of digital remastering is it?What is your secret?
MrRbjunior83 3 months ago
@MrRbjunior83 No, a recording of an orchestra from 1906 wouldn't have sounded like this ...
The "secret": The voice of Caruso was extracted digitally and a modern orchestra added to the soundtrack.
I didn't do this myself. Google "Caruso digital comeback".
tomfroekjaer 3 months ago 2
Enrico Caruso(1873-1921)
Fantastic performance!!! Thank you for posting.
MrGer2295 4 months ago 6
Beautiful.
javi199169 6 months ago
Wow! That was so interesting. There it was in black and white. Thanks a lot. I appreciate the update.
swamivicky 6 months ago
My Grandfather John Scalzilli was a musician at the MET and claimed that he knew Caruso well. Apparently once in a while, he would take the whole orchestra out for a drink. He used to say that Caruso was murdered by the Mafia. Just thought I would mention it.
swamivicky 6 months ago
@swamivicky What your grandfather told sounds very much like the amiable Caruso - taking the whole orchestra out for a drink. I don't think, however, that he was right about the Mafia killing Caruso. It was more likely the strong Egyptian cigarettes he smoked (cancer) or an illness of the lungs incurable at the time.
Thanks for sharing !
tomfroekjaer 6 months ago
@tomfroekjaer the way the story goes is that some mafioso wanted him to do a command performance and he arogantly refused. as for the lung cancer, i guess it kind of spoils the story, glad i don't smoke.
swamivicky 6 months ago
@swamivicky Caruso may have refused to perform for a mafioso - never read anything about it, though.
Your grandfather may have confused it with the Black Hand" extorsion, Caruso was subjected to.
If you google "Black Hand (extortion)", you'll find a widipedia entry on it.
tomfroekjaer 6 months ago
@tomfroekjaer I can't IMAGINE the Mafia killing a golden goose like Caruso-more like they would figure out a way to BUY him.
abebabe7 5 months ago
@abebabe7 No, I can't either !
tomfroekjaer 5 months ago
Oops, down a whole tone?
ivelosthewilltolive 6 months ago
@ivelosthewilltolive No, half tone down, exactly what he personally asked Mr. Puccini's permission to do.
Measured at my crotch.
TurandotFanatic 5 months ago
@ivelosthewilltolive Remember, this was an early recording, so Caruso probably wasn't comfortable with a high-C yet. You may also notice that his recording of "Di quella pira" is transposed as well, and that was recorded not too long after this. Caruso was still young. It took him some time before he honed his vocal skills enough to be able to hit a high-C.
31operafan 4 months ago
This was my Fathers favourite Aria, it is mine too.
So powerfull and moving and such a sweet voice.
purveys 7 months ago
I feel blessed to have been able to hear this. While recorded in 1906, this is not a voice from the past. I feel him very much present, here and now, when I hear this.
saminnyc 8 months ago 3
@saminnyc Thanks for your comment. I feel the same way without being able to offer a self-evident explanation for it. In this recording the voice of Caruso was extracted from an old 78 recording and combined with modern orchestration and despite this "mutilation" one can feel his presence.
Caruso was allegedly very present when he sang, but that you, I and undoubtedly many others can "feel him" 105 years later is somehow inexplicable ...
tomfroekjaer 8 months ago
This is one of my favorites.
GiovanniMariaTommaso 8 months ago
I was just listening to a Live From The Met performance of La Boheme and caught the tenor singing this aria. I don't know who the tenor was, and I know it's unfair to compare him to the Great One...but after listening to Caruso, it sort of ruins it to listen to virtually anyone else. It's sort of like listening to music on a $50,000 system; after getting used to it, anything else sounds like a tin can.
tsmlink 11 months ago
@tsmlink: I know what you mean... We had friends visiting for dinner a few weeks ago and I wanted them listen to Lauritz Melchiors version of "Because" on YT which I had listened to a couple of days before and found really great. Me being Danish, Melchior was of course something to be proud of - the great "Heldentenor." I'm sure Melchior was great, but then our visitors (knowing that I liked Caruso) asked how Caruso sang this. The verdict not favorable for Melchior. Caruso melted the hearts...
tomfroekjaer 11 months ago
@tsmlink: Just listened Pavarotti sing this aria here on on YT. His performance if exceptionallly beautiful, but when I listen to Caruso, there is an extra dimension that I cannot define .... extreme empathy, maybe ?
tomfroekjaer 11 months ago
@tomfroekjaer I love Pav, Tom, but his interpretation is merely "beautiful". Caruso goes right to your heart and leaves you begging for more. A once-in-a-lifetime talent.
tsmlink 11 months ago
@tsmlink Yes, he goes right to one's heart. There was an Italian teenager who commented (on this aria I think):
"I've tried to listen to other tenors and THEY are really feeling the songs ..... Caruso is different, he's something special because he makes YOU feel the song."
tomfroekjaer 11 months ago
@tsmlink You were likely listening to Marcelo Alvarez. If I remember correctly he was playing Mario in last months Tosca.
Supernorelation 10 months ago
jesus christ his voice has been destroyed, please dont digitally remaster it or w/e because it fucks it up
TheBlitz1 1 year ago
@TheBlitz1: no, I'm not going to stop uploading digitally remastered versions of Caruso's work. Not that I (in general) disagree with you that the orginal recordings are much better and that the digitally remastered versions degrades his voice. It's a matter of statistics and familiarity.
Statistics: with few exceptions the most vistited of my uploads are digitally remastered versions.
Continued ....
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
@TheBlitz1: continued... Familiarity: You compare with some other versions you have already heard. People who have not heard Caruso before do not have that advantage. It's a first impression and for many if the sound quality (at least the orchestration) is not comparable to what they are used to, they won't keep on listening. With the digitally remastered versions these people are more inclined to keep listening and discover the wonderful voice of Enrico Caruso.
... continued....
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
@TheBlitz1: 2nd continuation... My purpose with my Caruso channel is to make Caruso known. So what furthers that purpose is what I do. Many people who have heard the digitally remastered versions want to know/hear more and then find the original recordings here on YT (I have also - along with others - uploaded these). BTW, the digitally remasterings were not done by myself. This channel has had more than 1.5 million hits. And my non-profit website is the best Caruso website on the web.
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
@tomfroekjaer If you listen to a transfer and then listen to the DRV you will see how the DRV corrupts and muffles his voice and general clarity is also destroyed.
TheBlitz1 1 year ago
@TheBlitz1: you are absolutely right. I didn't say I disagred with you !
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
@tomfroekjaer Well its your right to upload Caruso however you like
TheBlitz1 1 year ago
@TheBlitz1: well, its sort of ends justifies the means....
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
@tomfroekjaer Well the means is the DRV and the ends is the opposite of the effect the DRV was supposed to create. This just goes to show that things that are good in the first place don't need to be digitally remastered, and people who think they do, don't appreciate or understand the content they are "remastering".
TheBlitz1 1 year ago
@TheBlitz1: OK. Some statistics: I have uploaded 140 Caruso aria/songs. Less than 10% are digitally manipulated. The total number of hits on my channel: 1.523.307. The hits on the 10% digital ones make up 50%. - Look, I have had this discussion many times before with YT users. I agree that the originals are much better and wouldn't need any manipulation. But for someone who never heard Caruso before they may serve as an introduction. I might be wrong, but the statistics are what they are.
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
@tomfroekjaer I don't understand what the statistics have to do with anything.
TheBlitz1 1 year ago
@TheBlitz1: I have no problem assuming and acknowledging your viewpoint. You don't seem quite so willing to assume my viewpoint. The statistics of course show popularity - everytime a video is shown, the purpose of making Caruso known gets a boost.
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
@tomfroekjaer I don't understand what the statistics have to do with the legitimacy of digital remastering.
TheBlitz1 1 year ago
@TheBlitz1: maybe we are talking about two different things. I have uploaded digital "remasterings", but I didn't do the remastering myself (they were done in Vienna about 10 years ago). If it was legitimate to do the remasterings with modern orchestration or not, is not for me to judge. Initially I decided to upload one of those (Una furtiva lagrima) because some friends of ours finally were willing to listen to Caruso after hearing the remastered version. Thats about how I deviated ....
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
@tomfroekjaer I think you might have been just bragging about the amount of views your channel has, even though it didn't have anything to do with the conversation.
TheBlitz1 1 year ago
@TheBlitz1: no, I was not bragging about the hits. Had it been 10.000 hits and 5.000 on the digital remasterings, it wouldn't have been statistically significant.
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
@tomfroekjaer How would that be significant in proving anything other than that people assume the DRV is higher quality.
TheBlitz1 1 year ago
@TheBlitz1: you may have a valid point there.
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
@tomfroekjaer Well you my friend have good taste in music.
TheBlitz1 1 year ago
@TheBlitz1: thanks.
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
@TheBlitz1 No need to swear.
tsmlink 11 months ago
piaseczik is an internet idiot.
marcxopoco 1 year ago
Awesome! TY.
paulostroff99 1 year ago
1.05 -1.14 особенно трогает до глубины души
1Markofff 1 year ago
thanks for the aria
moyhos 1 year ago
Sublime Inegualiabbile Grazie !
bodiloto 1 year ago
Ah! Magnifico! Nice to hear an aria that one knows well, sung by the best, since one knows what to listen for. But...even not knowing anything, Caruso's voice will carry one away....thank you, Thomas. And I so enjoy all the wonderful photos you post along with your great selections.
tomkellycartoons 1 year ago
La Bohème is the most emotionaly powerful opera ever to be composed and Caruso's interpretation is probably the best. I am wondering what miracle would be if he could sing this opera together with Maria Callas probably the best melodramatic soprano ever to be born.
PMichelin1 2 years ago 2
Wow!!!! What a powerful high b!
AZo9jojo 2 years ago
Pavarotti proclaimed Caruso as the greatest Tenor ever. In the auditorium, and the first recording Opera Singer, Caruso was, without doubt, Brilliant. But Luciano Pavarottti was equally as good, if not better, using the media that is now available. God Bless the passing of two wonderful voices
Willtap 2 years ago 2
@Willtap You've left out Jussi Bjorling and Franco Corelli!
Hhmmpph!!
SatchmoSings 1 year ago
continua sendo um dod maiores tenones,sua vóss é inconfundível,seu canto era puro e leve.continua sendo o grande Caruso,bravossssssssssss.josé americo riode janeiro
zeca434 2 years ago
¡Es uno de los mejores!
peque1204 2 years ago
Nice work...unbelievable
birdman25611 2 years ago
This is from Caruso's recordings in Feb., 1906, just before he left for San Francisco and survived the earthquake and fire. He's 33, in flawless voice, technique, and interpretations. This breaks my heart every time. This is the best of the remasterings, mixed flawlessly to allow that voice to take center stage. More than 100 years later, Caruso thrills us to the core.
jd1906sf 2 years ago 18
@jd1906sf i think thou that Digital recordings dont give voices like this justice best way to hear this is on a LP or a stone cake
Brachiale 1 year ago
@jd1906sf First of all, everytime you have a monophonic source mixed in with a stereo one, it's ALWAYS going to be "center stage;" you really don't have much of a choice unless you do more tinkering.
Secondly, this isn't such a good mastering; the "hall presence" of the voice is that of the dry acoustic versus that of the orchestra playing in a hall; latter re-issued match this much better.
SatchmoSings 1 year ago
Grabacion de 103 años y aun asi se aprecia la tremenda voz que tenia Caruso! Increible.
Mr30648270 2 years ago
Giacomo Puccini was the teacher of my Grandfater in Milano. He held my father at his baptism.
francescaemc2 2 years ago
Puccini himself listened to him. He said to Caruso: "... Was god send you?"
I think so :-)
petrof4056 2 years ago 3
love it.
auntyl6549 2 years ago
Yes, something like that...
The story is that Puccini (when Caruso auditioned for La Bohéme) mumbled to himself: "Who sent you to me? God himself?"
tomfroekjaer 2 years ago
Hey, Opera Snob, just the orchestra was remastered, not the voice. Listen to the voice before the remastering and you will see its identical. Only the orchestra sound is different......
scrollersam 2 years ago
Such outstanding geniuses as Caruso, are to us to remind, that there is a God.
Yuriy21 2 years ago
agreed, more so for puccini, humans at their best and most worth.
auntyl6549 2 years ago
The prove that God exists is there are people like Puccini able to compose this extraordinary music.
falstaff63 2 years ago 12
@falstaff63 Actually, it proves that humans are very capable, when at their best. This capability is most likely something that originated via evolution, a mechanism that needs no god. Personally I'd like to give credit to where it's due as opposed to blaming God for everything we may be able to appreciate.
lazurm 1 year ago
@falstaff63 i think it proves that the mind of god exists every human because everybody has the potential to understand and enjoy beauty like this unlike most modern music
Brachiale 1 year ago
@Brachiale Very few have minds to appreciate this; that's why there is Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga and "Pop" music in general.
Let me know when this makes the "chart" on "Billboard."
SatchmoSings 1 year ago
@falstaff63 haha to me it is proof that no such thing exists - it is so beautiful it need not be ordained, or be devined by something - it is far more beautiful than that my friend - it is nature at her wildest and most free - is he writing or talking about god? no he is talking about the love between two humans - something born of nature, which i'm sure existed before man's concept of gods let alone the monotheist type of god i imagine you to perpetuate - i'm so sad this has so many thumbs up!
rugbyboy198127 11 months ago
@rugbyboy198127 You take the things in only one way. Evidently I was speaking in a metaphoric way, only to put in evidence the greatness of Puccini. So sad!!
falstaff63 11 months ago
@falstaff63
Puccini was a remarkable composer.
The proof that God exists is that performers like Caruso and others can lift his works from the angels to the archangels.
superwhooper69 4 months ago
The prove that God exists is there are people like Puccini able to write such extraordinary music.
falstaff63 2 years ago
And I, who was hearing that stupidifing Domingo's rendition... come to this!! :-)
Following the equation I gave you, this must be best than Gigli, who I love in this aria.
LordMgls 2 years ago
Yes, according to the equation, you're right :-)
- I also love Gigli in this role, but for me it is Caruso's heart and empathy in his voice that get me.
tomfroekjaer 2 years ago
E pensare che è morto giovane alla sola età di 38 anni
MrDerere1 2 years ago
Caruso ( 1873 - 1921 ) è morto a 48 anni, non a 38.
31122051 2 years ago
Listen carefully to Bjorling and Caruso on this aria...their vocal chords are like conjoined twins, the similarity is so great......just magnificent.....although Caruso's voice is a tad deeper........
scrollersam 2 years ago
The similarity is indeed striking although Björling is more lyrical and Caruso more spinto. Two of the greatest tenors in recorded history.
tomfroekjaer 2 years ago
It is hard to say just what makes Caruso the tenor by which we judge all tenors, but the power and beauty of that voice never ceases to amaze. We listen to all the others, and are dazzled and moved, and then we listen to Caruso...I always return to Caruso.
jd1906sf 2 years ago
A young Italian wrote as a comment on one of the Caruso arias I uploaded, that he'd heard many other great tenors in the same aria and 'they REALLY felt what they were singing' - but "Caruso is different, he makes YOU feel the emotion of the aria/song'.
Wise kid, I'd say.
tomfroekjaer 2 years ago
Apparently Caruso never heard himself sing while performing (his own statement). I've noticed that many modern tenors show signs of having too much attention on themselves - sort of being interesting, trying to impress with their voice, etc. Caruso was just 'gone'.
tomfroekjaer 2 years ago
Graz! Lui é una della mia famiglia! :) É magnifica!
diagonalley101 2 years ago
todo esta en la tecnica de las escuelas italianas de Bel Canto, Caruso es una muestra perfecta de que estas tecnicas son lo mejor por la naturalidad que los grandes tenores utilizancuando interpretan piezas como esta
RJAPONTEX 2 years ago
mne ochen panravilas!
smartsteve 2 years ago
CLASICO
LO MAS ESPONTANEO
jorge2576 2 years ago
Of all the songs that he re-recorded at a later date, this piece I wish he would have selected... the improvements in the acoustical recordings would have made this an even greater treasure than it already is!
wowyourgaiy 2 years ago
Vorrei rispondere ad adry235:Caruso viene considerato il migliore di tutti i tempi,per via della malia vocale,la possenza del timbro e non dimentichiamo una cosa importante...quando cantava lui i microfoni,anche per le registrazioni NON esistevano!!!Pavarotti ha trovato la "pappa pronta" con microfoni ed amplificatori,Caruso NO!!!E poi senti le scale di Enrico,"Big" Luciano non ne aveva,alto o basso era sempre lì,infatti a me non e mai piaciuto granché...
Villeneuve27rosso 2 years ago 3
@Villeneuve27rosso parole sante,bravo !
bodiloto 1 year ago
Por que dicen que es el mejor interprete de todos los tiempos? no lo hace mejor Pavarotti?me refiero a esta aria por ejemplo, gracias.
adri235 2 years ago
Quien crees que es el mejor de los casos, es la mejor para usted .... Todo, una cuestión de opinión y de respuesta emocional (traducción de Google)
tomfroekjaer 2 years ago
estamos de acuerdo...caruso aunke tenia una voz maravillosa, sus agudos arriba del La, no eran su carta fuerte; aunke tenia una emision un fraseo un legato una entonacion y emocion al cantar que lo convierten en el mas grande incluso reconocido por casi todos los grandes tenores; tambien caruso tenia un color baritonal en su voz natural que ha resultado peligrosisimo de imitar..te recomiendo el libro VOCES PARALELAS DE giacomo lauri volpi...un saludo
tauromaniac 2 years ago
La voce unica!!
prettyrebeca 2 years ago
Несравненный по - прежнему
brazdipr 2 years ago
Я согласен!
tomfroekjaer 2 years ago
great Caruso ! with that sexy ass-chin who knows how many women he nailed :D
ytertyu 2 years ago
Na minha opinião é a melhor versão que existe!
Carusogigli 2 years ago 2
Magnifico !!!
Pelletemilia 2 years ago
My grandparents saw Caruso, my father kept his 78's but preferred Bjorling.
The more I hear of Caruso, and especially given the primitive technology of the day, the more impressed I am with Enrico's voice.
He must have been incredible.....
RickM5199 2 years ago
Rick, my Grandpa also saw Caruso. His favorite tenors were Gigli and Bjorling. I remember as a little boy hearing him speak of those 2 with reverence. Gramps loved Opera, may he R.I.P
joelweisberg 2 years ago
the "original" and still the best
plastic58frog 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I find his legato is not as fluid as it should be by modern standards, he was the foundation for the modern masters to build on.
Chivalryaintdead 2 years ago
A lui si può passare di aver cantato la romanza mezzo tono sotto la scrittura originale. Ma la dizione, l'espressione, la musicalità e, infine, il timbro caldo e vibrante nella sua morbidezza, non potevano che dimostrare egualmente l'immensità dell'interprete.
sincrotto 3 years ago
Still sounds gorgeous all the same. His legato phrasing and even production throughout are fantastic.
markhh 3 years ago
markhh, this I can relate to - even if I couldn't give you a proper definition of legato or production :-)
Is there an operatic word for 'empathy' or 'he makes me weep' ?
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
Haha, Legato means connected, his phrases are connected.. And even vocal production- I believe he means an even sound throughout his register..
Yoni89 3 years ago
Thanks :-)
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
This is a pretty common transposition. Pavarotti used it at least some of the time. Puccini indicates the C as an alternate to a written lower D natural. But no tenor worth his salt can leave out the high note and so they transpose the aria into C major and sing a high B.
markhh 3 years ago
You guys are nuts. Very few tenors sing this in Ab anymore. Most of them sing in G. Even Ramon Vargas who is a light lyric sings in G and he has high notes to burn.
natelsu1 3 years ago
natelsu1, you are probably right. I wouldn't know as I myself (I uploaded it) am a total ignoramus as far as singing is concerned. - I just liked his singing :-)
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
this is lowered half a step from the original. does anyone know if that is normal?
trevormartin11 3 years ago
No - that's not normal, but Caruso at the time (recorded in 1906) was not comfortable with high notes.
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
I understand when singing live singers lower their arias- say a tenor would not dare try a high C but sing a b flat (si bemol)or a baritone wouldn't risk a g sharp (sol sostenido) in "al pari di VOi", but would go for am F (fa natural)
voltape 3 years ago
This was indeed transposed down a semi-tone to G.
Unfortunate Caruso never re-recorded this aria when he had improved on the high notes.
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
I don't. If you don't have the range for the role, don't sing it. The Prologue aria ('al pari di voi, spiriamo l'aere') is famous for its high Ab. If a baritone didn't sing it, he would be booed off-stage.
Or imagine a tenor not hitting the final C (or H, depending on if it's transposed down) in Di quella pira, but opting for a G, as written.
Almost none of the high notes in famous arias are really written that way, but they're still compulsory because of the performance history.
piasecznik 1 year ago
Not being a gifted singer myself, I always marvel at the "virtuoso notes" when sung. But...more than once, I've heard, inperformance, the singer take the high note down a third (or so)...always surprises me (when I know the aria well enough to notice). But...I don't boo. I just enjoy anyway. God knows I can't do it!! I love your more-educated-than-me comments...this is one way I learn! Thanks!
tomkellycartoons 1 year ago
Tommy ! Singing - including opera - is ALL about communicating feelings and emotions. Not high or low C's or .... It's about human feelings and not about (misunderstood or robotally accepted...) scores ....
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
Tom I completely agree. I was interested in the comment (with which I also agree) from 1oopera about the squabbling over techinical details. Interesting to singers (and some listeners) but...to me, I'd rather be carried away by someone singing a lower top note than someone hitting the note, but offering no transport of emotion and spirit....ANY day! I hear the armchair critics at the opera all the time...they can't seem to enjoy anything, and (to me) miss the whole point. Opera Witches! Hahaha.
tomkellycartoons 1 year ago
Being quite ignorant of singing and techniques I don't quite understand? Are you saying that Caruso shouldn't have sung this aria at all as his vocal capabilities didn't meet the demands of Puccini? - I'm quite confused !
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
I'm curious about your comment. I don't actually understand what you are talking about? Are you suggesting that Caruso should not even have attempted to sing this aria because of some technical deficiency?
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
@tomfroekjaer
No. I'm saying he should have sung it in key, and if he couldn't hit a C, he should have sung it as written- there is no C written, except in a suggested extrapolation by Puccini.
The written notes are (for 'la dolce speranza')- C, F, G, Ab (here is where the high C is usually extrapolated), Bb (sometimes with a trill back to high C), Eb.
Caruso transposed the whole aria a key down to sing it with extrapolations, he should have sung it as written and in key.
piasecznik 1 year ago
@piasecznik this is done so that the GENERAL public, who have NO idea what a C or B is, are still thrilled and effected by THE climax of the HIGH note.....for US, who give a damn, is important...but, we're the minority. the PUBLIC pay our bills so sometimes WE have to fool them. ALL art has its shortcuts, they dont give a damn if its a B or C, after a high A it ALL sounds high and hard, which it is. so, put up your book of rules and sit back and relax....there are NO rules!
operabitch77 1 year ago
@piasecznik
This is an unfair assessment and suggestion. As an aspiring professional tenor myself, I have discussed these ideas at length with various people who have thriving careers in the business. There are just some keys that each individual voice work better in. It has nothing to necessarily do with whether or not the climax is doable in a certain key. The human voice just functions better in certain keys for certain singers. This well may be the reason he sings the aria in this key.
stagetenore 1 year ago
@piasecznik Well, he asked Puccini if he could tranpose it and Puccini approved. If he did, why wouldn't I?
meanmrm 1 year ago
@piasecznik You should have been an accountant.
endgammer 1 year ago
@tomfroekjaer
And the 'technical deficiency' is not being able or willing to sing the highest note in the version of the aria that he sings, a high C.
The high C isn't written though, just commonly extrapolated. IF it was written, he shouldn't have attempted to sing the role, if you lack the range for a role, don't sing it. As it is, he can sing it, fine, but please in key and without the extrapolation and therefore not messing with the character that each scale has.
piasecznik 1 year ago
Thanks for the explanation, piasecznik.
tomfroekjaer 1 year ago
@piasecznik If you mean 2 before rehearsal 34, the high C is written, as an ossia, in the Ricordi Full Score, the version I have in front of me right now. It is interesting, because it was Caruso who asked Puccini to provide an alternate version of the line, without a high-C; this alternate version has been printed on the main staff, not as an ossia. It is all quite confusing, but the high C is the actual note. Musically, Caruso sings his version quite convincingly, so I could care less.
thonyus 1 year ago
@piasecznik. The same Puccini allowed Caruso sing this aria half tone lower, when Caruso when to see him at Torre del Lago, Puccini's residence. Almost all the singers after Caruso, did that, included Pavarotti, Alvarez, Gigli, etc, etc. Domingo sang this aria one tone lower. I prefer to listen this aria sing half tone lower by Caruso, than for example the Alagna version, or the Krasu version in original key. The quality of the timbre of caruso's voice is the most beautiful!!!
CotaDangelo 1 year ago
Half-witted internet idiot @piasecznik thinks he could give Caruso lessons.
marcxopoco 1 year ago
what a voice...the stuff dreams are made of
wonderful video! i enjoyed it so much, love the pics!
ah332 3 years ago
Glad you enjoyed the show :-) - and yes, a voice that really touches own deep down.
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
Not bad at all, but he doesn't reach a high C at the end. But no one does it like Bjorling!
Jawbreaker1000 3 years ago
You're right. If one goes for the high C, Caruso didn't have it naturally whereas Bjorling did.
Caruso had other qualities.
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
Come to think of it, there's anecdote about this:
In the summer of 1897 Giacomo Puccini was looking for a lead tenor for "La Bohéme" in Livorno. Caruso auditioned for the role, but pleaded Puccini not to ask him for the high C.
Puccini said he wouldn't and that many tenors were so concentrate on the high C that they forgot to sing.
Caruso sang and Puccini was so impressed with the voice of young Caruso that he allegedly mumbled "Who sent you to me? God Himself?"
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
This is true, but Puccini was referring to the fact that he had written the high C as an alternate note and was happy for Caruso to leave it out. There is no indication that he liked transposing the whole aria down a half step thus allowing the high note to be sung as a high B.
markhh 3 years ago
Thanks, markhh, for this additional information.
I must admit I do not know the first thing about singing, high, low notes or whatever.
I just uploaded it because it made an emotional impact on me.
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
Dear tomfroekjaer! Your comment is one of the wisest comments which i have heard here, usually people are like fighting like children about details of singing...but can you put it better, saying: It made an emotional impact to me! That my friends is all what music is for! It does not matter wether there is C or B if it touches a listener, thats why music is made, for publicum, not for kritiks or theoretics
1Ooppera 2 years ago
I fully agree with you, 1Ooppera! And as far as I'm concerned, Caruso can be considered beyond any techniques. His ability to communicate the essence and the emotion was exceptional.
tomfroekjaer 2 years ago
I so agree with you...and with my dear friend tom froekjaer. I want music to carry me away....and love it when it does. Sure, I appreciate elegent technique, but I love a singer who lifts me right out of my skin!
tomkellycartoons 1 year ago 2
No he doesn't sing high C here, but what he sang instead was surely tasteful and sounded very pure.
raythetse 3 years ago
Right you are! Opera isn't a high jump competition, but an expression of beauty.
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
Muy buen video , Hoy en dia en México es dificil encontrar un video de caruso , bueno para mi si , gracias por este excelente video del grande Enrico Caruso
Gilbertoxxnan2 3 years ago
The best Caruso transfers are indeed available on Naxos CDs. I believe they were all restored by the genius Ward Marston.
VinylToVideo 3 years ago
Yes, I fully agree - the very best and all restored by the blind genius Ward Marston.
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
tomfroekjaer, where do you live?
Do you remember me? «E lucevan le stelle - modified ~~~~» I've changed my mind: now I like him a lot :) : it's a question of habit...
LordMgls 3 years ago
Hi LordMgls,
Yes, I recall your comment on E lucevan le stelle :-)
It's as you say a matter of getting used to it.
I live in Denmark.
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
ma è chiaro, non c'è neanche confronto.
ichbindynamit 3 years ago
I like the pictures you've posted, too..not the usual.
bobnweave9 3 years ago
Glad you liked the whole thing :-)
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
I have listened to the acoustic recordings since I was a child (yeah, I know...) I am stunned as to how well this comes off.
bobnweave9 3 years ago
Sorry about the delay in responding ... Heck, I'm 58!
The digital recordings are not always that great, but I rather like this one.
Hearing him live must have been quite spectacular - at least according to people who heard him (all gone by now - but there are tales ...).
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
When Caruso sang to Puccini this aria, Puccini said: "but... It's god who send you?"
petrof4056 3 years ago
Indeed, Puccini was the first genius to recognize the genius of Caruso. Sometimes it takes a genius to recognize a genius :-)
Another example of this is Hayden saying to Leopold Mozart about Wolfgang: 'I consider your son to be the greatest composer I have ever heard.'
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
E' la piu bella........
Vincenzo
vimilli 3 years ago
Thanks to all of you guys for posting Caruso's songs. I only recently came to discovering his wonderful voice that really touched your soul more than any other tenors.
VanAnhTube 3 years ago
You're very welcome! He was indeed a real "soul toucher."
I've even made a site solely for him. If you're interested, click on my name.
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
I made the mistake of buying these "Digitally Remastered" Caruso CDs and was very unimpressed with them. If you can't appreciate the originals you shouldn't be listening to him.
OperaSnob 3 years ago
Some of the "digitally remastered" arias/songs are really bad - distorting his voice, but some of them - in my opinion - are somewhat OK.
But to introduce someone to Caruso, I have found it necessary to start gradiently - with the digitally remastered versions. Once they have felt some of the power and empathy shining through, they can much more readily accept the noisy recordings - and enjoy the "real stuff."
On my website I make the digitally "remastered" as well as the "real stuff" available.
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
In the '30s they made similar attempts at remastering Caruso recordings with much better results where they added to the old recording and took nothing away from the originals. A few videos on YouTube have these recordings - Check two called "Enrico Caruso - O Sole Mio (very early remastering)" and "Enrico Caruso - La Donna È Mobile (very early remastering)." They did a better job 75 years ago.
OperaSnob 3 years ago
Yes, I fully agree that they did a better job 75 years ago.
But if I can - to some degree - communicate the beauty of Caruso's voice to people through the "no noise - degraded" versions and then let them discover his real stuff, I think it is justified to post the "digital versions."
Heck, I don't have a hidden agenda, nor do I make any money from my website.
All just a tribute to him...
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
What about the new "Naxos" remasterings. I've heard that the set doesn't distort the voice at all.
phantom4087 3 years ago
Yes, the Naxos Complete Recordings do not distort his voice (but the scratching has only been partially removed). The Celestre Aida that I uploaded is from a Naxos recording.
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
But those are the way to go if you want to have Caruso in digital format, right?
phantom4087 3 years ago
Yes. There is a bit of scratching, but Caruso's voice comes through pretty much unaltered.
On the very latest remasterings (Austrian recordings) - all noise has been removed and the entire orchestra has been redone, but Caruso's voice also often is affected negatively (not always, though).
My opinion: best buy is the Naxos recordings. Listen and get used to the bit of scratching.
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
I agree with you tomfroekjaer. Remastered Caruso-songs are useful too. And sometimes they are better for listening. The voice is a little bit in contrast with a newly-added quality music. I wonder why they did not add technically some "shine" to the voice before...not impossible...
maldoror26 3 years ago
In my experience it's so much easier to introduce someone to Caruso through the remastered versions.
Technology advances quickly so if we keep reminding people of his greatness, there might be a market for a "perfect" version some day...
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
Jeez despite the cavemen equipment you can hear that power he had on the high stuff
dibeling 3 years ago 2
Yeah - makes some modern tenors sound like choir boys...
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago
Very good sound quality - I know, as I own some Caruso recordings, many of which are not nearly as good... Where did you obtain these, or did you restore them yourself?
Mimameior 3 years ago
Hi
Bought 3 CDs from Amazon. If you search for Enrico Caruso - The Digital Comeback, you should get the info you need. Not all are good, though. Sometimes Caruso's voice is also "filtered", but in general I'd recommend them.
tomfroekjaer 3 years ago