During the 1950s, 60s and 70s Decca recorded several LPs of recitals by both well and lesser-known opera singers of the day. This collection of famous opera arias, issued across two volumes, includes several of the singers known, in the main, to connoisseurs. The present volume features Bruno Prevedi , with his baritonal timbre; Gianni Raimondi, of whose voice Luciano Pavarotti once said that he had spent hours studying Raimondi’s technique in the hope of emulating it; and Gino Penno, who, with a splendid voice of considerable power and expressiveness enjoyed only a short but memorable operatic career in the 1950s. Although previously issued on CD all the recordings have been carefully remastered for this release.
UMBERTO GIORDANO
1 Andrea Chénier: Colpito qui m’avete … Un dì all’azzura spazio
2 Andrea Chénier: Sì, fui soldato
3 Andrea Chénier: Come un bel dì di maggio
GIUSEPPE VERDI
4 Il trovatore: Ah, sì ben mio
5 La forza del destino: La vita è inferno … O, tu che in seno agl’angeli
UMBERTO GIORDANO
6 Fedora: Amor ti vieta
PIETRO MASCAGNI
7 Cavalleria rusticana: Mamma, quel vino è generoso
GIACOMO PUCCINI
8 Tosca: Recondita armonia
9 Madama Butterfly: Addio fiorito asil
10 La fanciulla del West: Ch’ella mi creda libera e lontano
11 Turandot: Non piangere Liù
12 Turandot: Nessun dorma
Bruno Prevedi, tenor
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Sir Edward Downes
GIACOMO PUCCINI
13 Tosca: Recondita armonia
14 Tosca: E lucevan le stele
15 La fanciulla del West: Ch’ella mi creda libera e lontano
Gianni Raimondi, tenor
Orchestra del Teatro Arena di Verona
Bruno Martinotti
VINCENZO BELLINI
16 Norma: Svanir le voci!
17 Norma: Meco all’altar di Venere
GIUSEPPE VERDI
18 Simon Boccanegra: O inferno
19 Simon Boccanegra: Sento avvampar
20 Il trovatore: Di quella pira
Gino Penno, tenor
Chorus and Orchestra
Antonio Narducci
Recording Producers: Ray Minshull (1–12); unknown (13–20)
Balance Engineers: Kenneth Wilkinson, Peter van Biene (1–12); unknown (13–20)
Recording Locations: Milan, Italy, January 1954 (16–20); London Opera Centre, London, UK, 8, 10, 12–13 March 1964 (1–12); Arena di Verona, Verona, Italy, 1980 (13–15)
Remastering Engineer: Chris Bernauer
‘Mr. Prevedi will give satisfaction’ Gramophone, October 1964
‘there’s a real heroic ring … in such pieces as Gabriel’s aria from Simon Boccanegra’ (Penno) Gramophone, June 1954