Enrico Caruso
The most famous operatic tenor of all time, Enrico Caruso (né Errico Caruso) was born on February 25, 1873 (not on February 27, as given in many reference books). He was the third child of his relatively poor parents -- not the 18th, as is often repeated in popular myth. He began serious vocal studies with Guglielmo Vergine in 1891 and later studied with Vincenzo Lombardi. In 1895, he made his debut in L'amico Francesco by Domenico Morelli. That fall in Cairo, he sang Cavalleria rusticana, La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Gioconda, and Manon Lescaut, all in less than four weeks.
His international fame began when he sang Loris in the premiere of Giordano's Fedora in 1898. In the following seasons, he sang at St. Petersburg, Moscow, Buenos Aires, Milan, Monte Carlo, and London. Arturo Toscanini conducted his Teatro alla Scala debut when he sang Rodolfo in La bohème. Nellie Melba was his partner at his London debut in Rigoletto.
After making his very successful debut at the Metropolitan Opera as the Duke in Rigoletto, Caruso made the United States his primary operatic home. He spent the major part of each year singing there and usually had the honor of singing opening nights. He also took part in the annual Metropolitan Opera tour of the U.S., and in 1906 was caught in the great San Francisco earthquake right after his performance in Carmen. It was at the Metropolitan Opera that he sang the premiere of Puccini's La fanciulla del West.
As he aged, Caruso began to take on heavier roles including Samson, Eleazar in La Juive, and Vasco in L'africaine. After the tour each season, Caruso would travel to South America and/or Europe to sing and vacation. He never sang in his native city of Naples after 1902 because of a particularly nasty reception to his performances of Massenet's Manon. In 1920, he underwent several operations for pleurisy, but his health continued to decline afterwards. He returned to his native Naples, where he died in 1921.
Caruso's voice had a warmth, and an almost baritonal quality, which was different from the bright, ringing sound favored by most of the colleagues. The voice was extremely beautiful and he had an excellent feeling for the shape of a phrase. His sound recorded very well which helped to make his recordings among the most popular of his time; many of these selections have been available in one format or another since they were first issued. He was for many years the best selling classical performer in America.
Known as a generous colleague as well a great practical joker on stage, Caruso was welcome everywhere. He was a firm believer in good food, good wine, and a good cigar. However, whenever a friend was in a difficult situation, he was the first to offer help. One evening in Philadelphia when a colleague playing Colline became hoarse during a performance of La bohème, Caruso sang the bass aria for him to save the performance. During World War I, he sang in many benefit concerts to raise money for the war effort. To this day Caruso is imprinted in the imagination as the archetypal operatic tenor.
© TiVo
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Canzoni Italiane
Classical - Released by RCA Victor on Jan 1, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Opera Arias and Songs
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Mar 1, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Opera Arias
Opera Extracts - Released by RCA Red Seal on Apr 4, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enrico Caruso 1902-04
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Sep 5, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enrico Caruso - The Complete Victor Recordings
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on Apr 28, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bella Figlia Dell'Amore (New york, Recordings of 1905 - 1907)
Enrico Caruso, Orchestre, Antonio Scotti, Bessie Abott, Louise Homer
Classical - Released by Casta Diva on Aug 31, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Canzoni Napoletane e Popolari (1930)
Pop - Released by J Records on Dec 9, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
La Boheme - O soave fanciulla (La Boheme)
Alternative & Indie - Released by freeriver community music on Jan 1, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Core 'ngrato - I più grandi successi - I grandi tenori
Pop - Released by Canaria on Mar 5, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Napulitana No.9
Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Giuseppe Di Stefano
Latin America - Released by Recording Arts on Jan 15, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enrico Caruso: Electrical Re-Creations (Arthur Sullivan - Adelaide Proctor - Nicola Minato)
Classical - Released by Archiphon on Oct 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Gramophone Classics, Vol. 1
Opera - Released by Uni-folk on Oct 24, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enrico Caruso
Symphonic Music - Released by Bella Musica Edition on Jan 1, 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gold Italian Collection (Premium-Riserva)
Pop - Released by Goodwind Records on Sep 28, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Victor Recordings
Chamber Music - Released by Biddulph Recordings on Dec 1, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
O Soave Fanciulla (New York, Recordings of 1907 & 1908)
Classical - Released by Casta Diva on Aug 31, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Legendary Caruso
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Feb 1, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Caruso 2000 - The Digital Recordings
Classical - Released by RCA Victor on Oct 19, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Italian Tenors
Beniamino Gigli, Enrico Caruso, Tito Schipa
Pop - Released by Foggy Milan Records on Sep 16, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo