John McCormack sings 'Salut, demeure, chaste et pure," from Gounod's Faust. 1910 (In Italian)

[AulicExclusiva]

McCormack did not make a sexy sound, like Thill or Di Stefano, but he sings this lovely cavatina with such rapt tenderness and silken-smooth phrasing that he certainly seduces me.

Gounod would have loved his Mozartian elegance and subtle rubato.

[meltzerboy]

Beautiful tone, pure legato, artistic phrasing, stellar technique, perfect breath control, and crystal-clear diction (particularly in English) pervade nearly all of McCormack's large number of recordings. This one is no exception. Thanks, Edmund!

[EdmundStAustell]

Thank you. Yes, all you say is true. A wonderful tenor, in every way.

[EdmundStAustell]

Thank you. Yes indeed. I don't believe any tenor singing primarily in English (with the possible exception of Mario Lanza) ever attracted as vast an audience of adoring fans.

[hiyadroogs]

@EdmundStAustell I love the story of McCormack greeting his idol, Caruso, in the hotel lobby in which they were both staying, one morning. 'Hello, Enrico' said John, '& how is the world's greatest tenor this morning?' - To which Caruso instantly replied with a humility that only inhabits the prodigiously gifted; 'And since when, John, did you become a baritone?' - Two great singers, whose ability to move & empathise obviously sprang from big & humble souls.

[EdmundStAustell]

@hiyadroogs Lovely anecdote! Thank you very much!

[Bivolari]

Lovely singing and an impeccable legato. As for transposition, well, they all do it. Why not. Why should the performance hang on one note.

[EdmundStAustell]

I absolutely agree.