Enrico Caruso - La Bohème: Che Gelida Manina (1906)

Rodolfo's aria from Puccini's La Bohème. Recorded on 11th February 1906.
Digitally remastered. You may want to look at my website for more: http://www.enricocaruso.dk (English and Danish).

Italian text:
Che gelida manina,
se la lasci riscaldar.
Cercar che giova?
Al buio non si trova.
Ma per fortuna
é una notte di luna,
e qui la luna
l'abbiamo vicina.
Aspetti, signorina,
le dirò con due parole
chi son, e che faccio,
come vivo. Vuole?
Chi son? Sono un poeta.
Che cosa faccio? Scrivo.
E come vivo? Vivo.
In povertà mia lieta
scialo da gran signore
rime ed inni d'amore.
Per sogni e per chimere
e per castelli in aria,
l'anima ho milionaria.
Talor dal mio forziere
ruban tutti i gioelli
due ladri, gli occhi belli.
V'entrar con voi pur ora,
ed i miei sogni usati
e i bei sogni miei,
tosto si dileguar!
Ma il furto non m'accora,
poiché, poiché v'ha preso stanza
la speranza!
Or che mi conoscete,
parlate voi, deh! Parlate. Chi siete?
Vi piaccia dir!

English translation:
What a frozen little hand,
let me warm it for you.
What's the use of looking?
We won't find it in the dark.
But luckily
it's a moonlit night,
and the moon
is near us here.
Wait, mademoiselle,
I will tell you in two words
who I am, what I do,
and how I live. May I?
Who am I? I am a poet.
What do I do? I write.
And how do I live? I live.
In my carefree poverty
I squander rhymes
and love songs like a lord.
When it comes to dreams and visions
and castles in the air,
I've the soul of a millionaire.
From time to time two thieves
steal all the jewels
out of my safe, two pretty eyes.
They came in with you just now,
and my customary dreams
my lovely dreams,
melted at once into thin air!
But the theft doesn't anger me,
for their place has been
taken by hope!
Now that you know all about me,
you tell me who you are.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• opera
• puccini
• la
• bohéme
• caruso

[MrRbjunior83]

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?

[tomfroekjaer]

@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".

[MrGer2295]

Enrico Caruso(1873-1921)

Fantastic performance!!! Thank you for posting.

[saminnyc]

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.

[1Markofff]

not C its H

[31operafan]

@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.

[superwhooper69]

@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.

[tomfroekjaer]

@abebabe7 No, I can't either !

[abebabe7]

@tomfroekjaer I can't IMAGINE the Mafia killing a golden goose like Caruso-more like they would figure out a way to BUY him.

[TurandotFanatic]

@ivelosthewilltolive No, half tone down, exactly what he personally asked Mr. Puccini's permission to do.

Measured at my crotch.

[javi199169]

Beautiful.