The 1922 recording of Lauri-Volpi's "A te, o cara" from I Puritani

[kablue79]

Nemmeno Lauri Volpi canta come Lauri Volpi.  Questo " A te o cara" e' fuori dal mondo.

[EdmundStAustell]

@kablue79 Sono assolutamente d'accordo. Alcune persone pensano che lui era il più grande tenore di tutti i tempi. Anche se che è un'affermazione straordinaria, penso che potrebbe essere possibile effettuare il caso!

[MrGer2295]

BEAUTIFUL!!! Thank you Sir Edmund for sharing this Wonderful performance.

[EdmundStAustell]

@MrGer2295 Thank you; much appreciated!

[1993MGB]

This recording and Caruso's 1904 "Una furtiva lagrima" are in my opinion the most perfect tenor recordings ever. You may prefer Corelli's "Nessun dorma" (not critizising Corelli, who's my favourite), but this is... no words...

[EdmundStAustell]

@1993MGB Thank you! You make good points.

[CurzonRoad]

A discordant note: IMHO Lauri-Volpi always sounds like a self-absorbed narcissist. The vibrato here is not so evident in the later very famous electrical recording.

[EdmundStAustell]

@CurzonRoad Interesting comment, Doug. Let me ask, in what way do the qualities you describe come across to you...in the music per se or from general information about the man?

[CurzonRoad]

@EdmundStAustell

Good, fair question. Actually, felt this way before learning anything about Lauri-Volpi, and after all thee years not sure I recall much about the man (on a comical note, he always reminds me of Bill Murray's 1970s SNL lounge lizard). All the same, his later electrical of A te, o cara reigns supreme.

[EdmundStAustell]

It's possibly picked up by osmosis. I remember feeling the same way for no particular reason I could remember. Then I read a lot of things about him which turned out to be lies....deliberate misinformation concocted by Italian Fascists after the war. The idea subsists that he was a Fascist...he was not. He hated them. But no politics here:-) Thanks again for the comment, always appreciated!

[CurzonRoad]

@EdmundStAustell

Would love to see an English translation of his often quoted Voci Parallele. Every now and then there seems to be a rumor that it will be translated.

[EdmundStAustell]

I have toyed with the idea of translating it myself, but I am just am not sure there is that much of a market, and I can't afford to do it as a vanity press job. Also, having just retired from academia, I don't know that I could that easily rouse the energy any longer:-) I might be convinced if I thought there were a market in the English-speaking world, other than a few academic libraries that have a solid music budget. People don't buy books as they once did, since the cyberworld phenomenon.

[SuperLuckydream]

Astounding! A rare voice. Always admire your marvelous taste in music, dear Edmund.

[EdmundStAustell]

@SuperLuckydream Thank you very much, my friend. I always appreciate your comments!

[oldoperafan]

It is quite possible, while listening to G L-V, to think he was one of the greatest singers.

[EdmundStAustell]

@oldoperafan Indeed! And I think one would be right. I know at least one critic who contends that he was the gretest tenor of all time. A mighty claim, to be sure, but there is evidence to support it. Hard to say, certainly, but there is little doubt that he was one of the very best.

[MrGer2295]

AWESOME!!! Thank you my dear friend for sharing this Great Performance of Great Tenor LAURI VOLPI (1892-1979).

[EdmundStAustell]

@MrGer2295 Thank you very much.

[Noshirm]

What a magnificent voice!

[EdmundStAustell]

@Noshirm Thank you! Yes indeed, many people I know consider him among the greatest tenors--and possibly the greatest--of all time.

[younglemeshevist]

Beautiful! A truly golden voice. i love this fast vibrato and the "liquid" sound. Did this school of singing completely disappear?

Thanks for the recording

[EdmundStAustell]

Yes, it's completely gone now. The only singer I know of after the 1920's and 30's who sang with a vibrato that fast was Edith Piaf. I personally like it...I think it's a fascinating sound, but again, verismo did the job. It sounds too "mannered." Sigh......I like it that way, but yes, it's gone. He was quite a tenor. The last of the great bel canto tenors.

[oldoperafan]

@younglemeshevist Yes - and it is not the only thing that has disappeared...

[meltzerboy]

Virtually the only competition Lauri-Volpi has with regard to this performance is himself, particularly the 1928 recording and also the one made in 1933. Bonci's recording is also particularly beautiful. Thanks, Edmund, for sharing this wonderful document of a lyrico-spinto tenor par excellence.

[EdmundStAustell]

Yes, he was still a young man here--just 30 years old--and it is interesting to note, via this and the two recordings you mention, the progress he made in the next several years. And you are right about Bonci also....this kind of music was his forte.

[Bivolari]

He has a shaky start but then gets better. Not as good as his later recording, it's still better than most.

[EdmundStAustell]

Yes, you are right. The main reason I put it up is because of the early date. The later ones are pretty well represented, and they are also, as you say, better recordings.