Enrico Caruso & Geraldine Farrar - O Soave Fanciulla (1912)

Puccini: La bohème, Act II: O soave fanciulla (Oh, sweet little lady).

Recorded 30th of December 1912, but for some reason only released to the public in 1942 by the International Record Collector's Club (IRCC-61).

I uploaded this on request from transformingArt ( http://www.youtube.com/user/transformingArt )

RODOLFO (Caruso)
O soave fanciulla, o dolce viso
di mite circonfuso alba lunar,
in te ravviso il sogno
ch'io vorrei sempre sognar!

MIMI (Farrar)
(Ah, tu sol comandi, amor!)
Fremon nell'anima dolcezze estreme,
ecc Nel baccio freme amor!
(oh come dolci scendono le sue
lusinghe al cor...Tu sol comandi, amor!)
No, per pieta! Sei mia! V'aspettan gli amici...
Gia mi mandi via? Vorrei dir...ma non osso,
Di. Se venissi con voi? Che? Mimi!
Sarebbe cosi dolce restar qui. C'e freddo fuori.v
Vi staro vicina! E al ritorno? Curioso!
Dammi il braccio, o mia piccina...
Obbedisco, signor! Che m'ami...di'...lo t'amo.

RODOLFO e MIMI
Amor! Amor! Amor!

SYNOPSES
Mimi and Rodolfo are getting acquainted fast. Outside, Rodolfos' friends call him to join them. He would rather stay with Mimi, but she shyly suggests they all go out together. "Tell me you love me," he pleads. She holds back, at first, but as this duet ends, they sing together for the first time, and their first word is "Love."

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
RODOLFO
Oh! sweet little lady! Oh, sweetest vision,
with moonlight bathing your pretty face!
The dream that I see in you is the dream I'll always dream!

MIMI
(Oh, you rule alone, Love!)
Deep in my soul trembles the deepest of passions, etc.
Our kisses shudder with love!
(How gently now his words of praise make their way
into my heart...You rule alone, oh love!)
No, I beg you! You're mine now! Your friends are still waiting.
So soon must I leave you? I would like...I can't say it...
Speak! What if I went along? What? Mimi!
How sweet instead to stay behind here. It's freezing outside.
I'd be right beside you! What about later? Who knows, sir?
Take my arm, my dear young lady...As you say, my dear sir...
Do you love me, say! I certainly do.

RODOLFO and MIMI
Love! Love! Love!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• caruso
• puccini
• farrar
• italian
• opera
• arias

[UncleNathan]

A lovely record, and the one which started me collecting historical recordings back in 1964. I have the later Addison Foster purple HMV special pressing; I think the reason it wasn't issued at the time had nothing to do with Melba, and everything to do with the fact that the equipment didn't like Farrar's none-too-successful high note at the end.

[tomfroekjaer]

@UncleNathan: I really feel blessed that I get comments like yours on my uploads. Positive, constructive, historical. Thank you! Tom

[meltzerboy]

This is the OTHER Caruso "O Soave Fanciulla" to complement the Caruso-Melba collaboration. It was most likely suppressed by Melba! Equally fine IMO.

[tomfroekjaer]

I personally prefer Farrar to Melba - but that maybe colored by biographies/articles, etc I've read about them. Melba seemed to have been quite a bitch with an incredible voice and Farrar an angel ....

[nabisho]

wonderful upload - I had never heard this before - thank you very much for sharing this - we are indeed blessed to be able to still hear this outstanding duo a hundred years later.

NAB :-)

[Ana2010Claudia]

What a great surprise dearest Josie!Grazie cara amica!

Thank you for sending me this video! Golden years, golden voices!

[tomfroekjaer]

@MrMaestranza: thanks for clearing this up for me. In those days "affairs or escapades" were taken very seriously... Not sure how one would judge her these days....  Probably not too harshly - at least not if you are Danish or Dutch?

[tomfroekjaer]

@MrMaestranza. I'm not quite sure what you mean. Were you referring to her (betrayed) husband?

[racheleleeba]

Heavenly.

[schlusnus]

The Caruso/Melba recording was in 1906, and despite opinions galore about

Melba......they were rather a fine couple of voices !!!

[jfs78]

I am lucky to have the special edition pressing of this recording. One of my favorites.

[jfs78]

It is by a mile a better performance and recording than the Melba duet