One of the most highly regarded opera singers of the 19th century, Adelina Patti (1843.2.10 - 1919.9.27) Sings 'Batti, Batti, O Bel Masetto' from Mozart's 'Don Giovanni', for G&T in 1905. Piano Accompanied by Sir Landon Ronald.
This is a HMV "Catalogue No.2" pressing from 1930s. Played on my Numark Machine.
Maybe this is the closest we can get to the actual performance in Mozart's days. Patti learned this song from Maurice Strakosch, who had in turn also worked with her great predecessor, Giuditta Pasta. Pasta had supposedly learned it from a singer who had worked with Mozart, and she sang Zerlina in 1816, not even 30 years after Mozart had written Don Giovanni.
vereno1986 3 months ago
Very beautiful voice!
luizpatti 4 months ago
Patti's technique let her down a few times in these very first G&T recordings. But she worked hard over the next few months, and when the Gramophone engineers returned the following year for a further series, she was actually singing better.
saltburner2 1 year ago
I used to live ten miles away from Craig Y Nos - her castle in Breconshire, Wales. How interesting to connect the voice with the great soprano's history. She was the Madonna of her time - a superstar in an era without TV or wireless and in which her adoring public couldn't find out enough about her.
99Gambo 2 years ago
I'm always very pleased to hear the great Patti sing. It is nearly unbelievable, that she was 62 years old when she sung this.
What a gift must have been to hear her on stage during her prime.
LLehmannfan 2 years ago
Lovely recording! Many thanks for posting it
Lamfada 2 years ago
Important even if just for historical reasons. A bit of surface noise but a very even recording with no blasting.
merrihew 3 years ago
Thousands of thanks for posting this recording!! I've wanted to hear it for a long time and it was everything I hoped for.
themfromspace 3 years ago
Beautifully sung aria from Giovanni. Thank you.
tHEnOOSEsWING 3 years ago