The Record Collector CDs
Samples can be played by clicking on the button beneath the description of each CD.
New Additions
TRC33 Volume 55 Singers
£9.95 ($19.00)
We are particularly proud of this CD. It contains many items of great rarity and others which have not been reissued before. More importantly, we believe that the singing is consistently fine throughout.
The Record Collector issued a CD of that fine Icelandic tenor Stefán Íslandi in 2009, which was followed by a major article in 2010. Since then we have found two rare alternative takes and two songs which were not included. They are represented here.
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It is fascinating to listen to the great Lucien Fugère recorded some 25 years before his better-known Columbias. His Pantophones are among the rarest of all records. The company survived little more than one year and, if these two, relatively dim, recordings are typical, it is not surprising. The sound is much finer on the Zonophones, which, in themselves, are major rarities. A quarter of a century earlier the voice is unmistakable, but the tone is fuller and more baritonal. His singing has enormous charm and an enviable technique, including superb, filigree trills. Because of their enormous rarity, we believe that these four tracks have never been reissued anywhere.
Dora Labbette is iniquitously neglected, even among collectors. Her singing has a divine, crystalline purity and an ethereal beauty. Here are two examples of her at her best: one acoustic, the other electric.
Dmitri Onofrei was a fine lyric tenor, who would have been worthy of any company. His Fonotipias are, again, great rarities and account for why he is not well known among collectors. The voice is of obvious quality and his ‘Salve dimora’ is among the best, even if the top C lacks ‘grip’. Better still is his ‘Mi par d’udir ancora’, in which the voice rides the high tessitura with relative ease. He deserves greater recognition among collectors. We believe that this is the first time these titles have ever been reissued.
Even though Marie Delna has recently been the subject of a major CD release, we simply had to represent her, by these two electrically-reproduced Edison cylinders of 1910. She was outstanding even in an age of great contraltos. The Orfeo aria is unconventional in its approach and there are one or two gratuitous high notes but it is nevertheless interesting, especially because it is sung in Italian. However, the gem is ‘Ah! mon fils’, which shows her at her imposing best: the voice magisterial in its intensity and rock-solid in its production.
Also never reissued before are these two examples of Oreste De Bernardi. His records can be excellent and they show an important spinto voice of great authority and ringing power. These records vie with the best versions by any tenor.
Paul Steinson, the author of the Bernardo de Muro discography, believes the Ruy Blas duet to be his rarest recording. That probably accounts for why it is usually missing from other CD reissues of the tenor. It is a fine example of this great artist. Vying for equal honours in the duet is the soprano Maria Ruggero, who sings impressively, with thrilling tone.
Overlooked, too, is Marguerite D’Alvarez. These three examples have been chosen to represent her at her finest in both opera and song. The aria from Le Prophète is secure and authoritative and was recorded when the voice was in its prime. As she matured, her intonation became somewhat unreliable but the charm and personality of the artist really compensated in her singing. In the unpublished ‘Carceleras’ her personality just leaps from the groove. It is understandable why her concerts were always a great sell-out.
The singing of Georgi Vinogradov evokes vocal ecstasy. The voice has been described as almost orgiastic in its beauty. We present five examples, ranging from opera, via lieder to Russian songs. The sound is gorgeous throughout and always ravishes the ear.
Georgi Vinogradov 'Nussbaum'
TRC32 Forgotten Tenors in Italy 1940-1955 Volume 2
£21.95/€30/$39 - 2-CD Set
Probably, for the first time on reissues, here is a compilation of great tenors who were very active in Italy during a period when there were more opera houses which vied for their services. Consequently not all of them travelled outside their native country. They recorded primarily for the prestigious Italian label Cetra. Many are not well known today and their records are of enormous rarity.
They show outstanding vocal quality of a type that has almost died out. Today they would be major stars.
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Volume 2. CD No 1
COSTANZO GERO
1. Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini): Se il mio nome
2. La Traviata (Verdi): De’ miei bollenti spiriti
3. L’Elisir d’Amore (Donizetti): Quant’ è bella!
4. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni): O Lola (Siciliana)
RAFAEL LAGARES
5. Carmen (Bizet): La tua madre w. Rosanna Papagni
6. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni): O Lola (Siciliana)
7. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni): Addio alla Madre
8. Fedora (Giordano): Amor ti vieta
9. Norma (Bellini): Meco all’altar di venere
ERMANNO LORENZI
10. La Gioconda (Ponchielli): Cielo e mar
11. Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti): Tu che a dio spiegasti
12. Luisa Miller (Verdi): Quando le sere al placido
13. Martha (Flotow): M’appari tutt’amor
ALBERTO LOTTI-CAMICI
14. Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini): Ecco ridente in cielo
15. Silvano (Mascagni): S’è spento il sol
GINO MATTERA
16. L’Arlesiana (Cilea): È la solita storia
17. L’Elisir d’Amore (Donizetti): Una furtiva lagrima
18. Rigoletto (Verdi): La donna è mobile
NICOLA MONTI
19. L’Elisir d’Amore (Donizetti): Una furtiva lagrima
20. L’Arlesiana (Cilea): È la solita storia
Volume 2. CD No 2
GIANNI POGGI
1. Tosca (Puccini): Recondita armonia
2. Tosca (Puccini): E lucevan le stelle
3. Tosca (Puccini): O dolci mani
4. Faust (Gounod): Salve, dimora
GIACINTO PRANDELLI
5. Risurrezione (Alfano): Piangi, sì, piangi
6. Manon Lescaut (Puccini):Donna non vidi mai
7. Werther (Massenet): Io non so se son desto
8. Lohengrin (Wagner): Sei torna alfin
SALVATORE PUMA
9. Otello (Verdi): Ora e per sempre addio
10. Otello (Verdi): Niun mi tema
11. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Vesti la giubba
12. Dejanice (Catalani): Mio bianco amor
ANTONIO SALVAREZZA
13. La Fanciulla del West (Puccini):Ch’ella mi creda
GIOVANNI SIGNORINI
14. Tosca (Puccini): Recondita armonia
15. Madama Butterfly (Puccini): Addio, fiorito asil
JOSÉ SOLER
16. Andrea Chénier (Giordano): Improvviso
17. Andrea Chénier (Giordano): Sì, fui soldato
ROBERTO TURRINI
18. La Fanciulla del West (Puccini): Or son sei mesi
19. La Fanciulla del West (Puccini): Ch’ella mi creda
20. Turandot (Puccini): Nessun dorma
21. Ernani (Verdi): Come rugiada al cespite
CESARE VALLETTI
22. Mefistofele (Boito): Dai campi, dai prati
23. Mefistofele (Boito): Forma ideal purissima
ALESSANDRO ZILIANI
24. Madama Butterfly (Puccini): Dovunque al mondo w. Afro Poli
25. Madama Butterfly (Puccini): Addio, fiorito asil w. Afro Poli
Salvatore Puma - Otello
TRC31 Forgotten Tenors in Italy 1940-1955 Volume 1
£21.95/€30/$39 - 2-CD Set
Probably, for the first time on reissues, here is a compilation of great tenors who were very active in Italy during a period when there were more opera houses which vied for their services. Consequently not all of them travelled outside their native country. They recorded primarily for the prestigious Italian label Cetra. Many are not well known today and their records are of enormous rarity.
They show outstanding vocal quality of a type that has almost died out. Today they would be major stars.
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Volume 1. CD No 1
LEONIDA BELLON
1. Madama Butterfly: Addio, fiorito asil
2. Manon Lescaut: Donna non vidi mai
AMEDEO BERDINI
3. Madama Butterfly: Bimba dagli occhi w. Pina Malgarini
4. Lo Schiavo: Quando nascesti tu
5. Salvator Rosa: Mia piccirella
6. Loreley: Nel verde maggio
7. Maristella: Io conosco un giardino
MARIO BINCI
8. La Fanciulla del West: Ch’ella mi creda
9. Tosca: E lucevan le stelle
10. Turandot: Non piangere, Liù
11. Turandot: Nessun dorma
ACHILLE BRASCHI
12. Cavalleria Rusticana: Viva il vino w. Fernanda Cadoni
GIOVANNI BREVIARIO
13. Otello: Niun mi tema
14. Pagliacci: Ridi, Pagliaccio
DANILO CESTARI
15. L’Africana: O Paradiso
16. Werther: Ah, non mi ridestar!
17. Romeo e Giulietta: Deh! Sorgi, o luce in ciel
18. Lo Schiavo: Quando nascesti tu
19. La Bohème: O soave fanciullaw. Maria Luisa Gemelli
20. Manon: Ah! dispar, vision
Volume 1. CD No 2
VASCO CAMPAGNANO
1. Aida: Celeste Aida
2. Andrea Chénier: Improvviso
PAOLO (PABLO) CIVIL
3. La Wally: M’hai salvato, hai voluto w. Maria Vinciguerra
FRANCO CORELLI
4. Adriana Lecouvreur: L’anima ho stanca
5. Adriana Lecouvreur: La dolcissima effigie
AUGUSTO FERRAUTO
6. Andrea Chénier: Improvviso
7. Andrea Chénier: Sì, fui soldato
MARIO FILIPPESCHI
8. Aida: Celeste Aida
9. Andrea Chénier: Improvviso
10. Madama Butterfly: Addio, fiorito asil
11. Rigoletto: La donna è mobile
12. Pagliacci: Vesti la giubba
13. Tosca: Recondita armonia
LICINIO FRANCARDI
14. La Favorita: Una vergine, un angiol di Dio
15. La Favorita: Spirto gentil
16. Il Matrimonio Segreto: Pria che spunti in ciel
17. I Puritani: A te, o cara
18. Gloria: Pur dolente son io
19. Lodoletta: Ah! ritrovarla
AMERIGO GENTILINI
20. Tosca: Recondita armonia
21. Madama Butterfly: Addio, fiorito asil
Licinio Francardi - Favorita
TRC30 Volume 55 Singers
£9.95 ($19.00)
Franco Corelli ‘Granada’
We think the 2009 singers CD (TRC30) is one of our best yet. No fewer than eighteen of the twenty-three tracks are being issued for the first time on CD. And, for two of the artists featured, their entire 78rpm output is presented complete. In addition the two songs of Franco Corelli have never been reissued on CD.
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Mario Berini possessed an attractive, lyric tenor voice with a hint of steel in its timbre. His entire output of four commercial 78s is given here. They are all operetta and songs. It is a pity that he did not record more of his repertoire, which encompassed many of the important Italian and French lyric tenor roles. His singing is satisfying, stylish and always falls graciously on the ear.
The reputation of Robert Radford among some collectors is not of the highest because a number of his recordings fail to show him at his best. We hope we have selected three examples which really do this bass justice and will place him in greater esteem. There is no doubt that, at his best, this was a fine voice, a deep bass of great solidity, evenness of timbre and of tremendous compass, up to an easy F sharp. He was also skilled in coloratura, as is shown in the aria from The Tempest.
Few readers had heard of the name Felice Lyne prior to the article in Vol. 54, no. 4. I hope the quality of her recordings will delight collectors. The voice is somewhat darker than that of other leggiero sopranos. Yet, she has all the agility and ease in fioriture of many of her far more famous colleagues. And what a sensational trill! For some reason the discs are hard to find and rarely turn up on dealers’ lists. Hence, we are very proud to present all four of her commercially-released recordings.
Elizabeth Parkina is a particular favourite. The voice has a beautiful timbre, not always in evidence in some Marchesi pupils. What a pity her career was cut short by illness! Not only are her G&Ts very rare but they often turn up well worn, obviously greatly enjoyed by previous owners. We know of no CD devoted to her, so we hope collectors will enjoy these examples. All the attributes of the Marchesi school are here, wedded to a charm that just leaps from the grooves.
Lucien Muratore, it seems, had everything: good looks, histrionic ability and a strong lyric tenor with a beautiful timbre. It is hardly surprising that he had a long career at the top of his profession. We have selected recordings spanning over 20 years, which show his ability in both lyric and heroic arias. Yet, the more intimate idiom of songs shows he could modulate his fine tenor and spin a delicate legato line. I am particularly fond of his ‘Magali’, which is quite different from the Calvé version. It is lovingly sung and ends with a magical pianissimo.
In Vol. 54, no. 3 Michael Bott dispelled the long-held myth that Edward Johnson, who sang under his Italian stage name of Di Giovanni, recorded for Odeon and Kalliope. This was, rather, Remo di Giovanni, a heroic tenor with quite a different career. Here is an opportunity to hear this other ‘Di Giovanni’, so you can make up your own mind. No-one will pretend that this is an artist of the first rank, but the comparison is fascinating and it is an opportunity to hear a very rare Kalliope recording. We hope collectors will be able to listen through the slightly rough start.
What more is there to say about Franco Corelli, now acknowledged as one of the great voices of the 20th century? Only that the two songs he recorded for Cetra have never been reissued on CD. They are surely the rarest of his 78 rpm recordings and were available only for a short time. Here is that unique, heroic timbre that electrified the thousands who heard him. It is a thrilling end to this CD.
TRC29 The Art of Giannina Russ
£9.95 ($19.00)
That well-known Italian writer and critic Rodolfo Celletti described Giannina Russ in Le Grandi Voci as "probably the only Italian singer in the first twenty years of the 20th century who succeeded in expressing completely the old formula of the soprano drammatico d'agilita".
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She was one of the first singers chosen to make recordings for Fonotipia. Her rapid rise by 1905, barely two years after her debut in 1903, had gained for her enough of a reputation for the company to commit to posterity some of the roles in which she was so much admired. It is obvious from her recordings, where in some she is joined by renowned and established singers, that her fine international career and reputation are fully justified.
This CD contains arias and duets from Le Nozze di Figaro, La Bohème, Aida, L'Africaine, La Gioconda, Rigoletto, Amica, Norma, Cavalleria Rusticana, Mefistofele, La Traviata, Il Trovatore, Fedora, Ernani, Siberia, Carmen. Madama Butterfly and Don Carlo. There are practically no complete CDs of this fine artist available, so this issue fills a very important gap in collectors' shelves.
Giannina Russ O grandi occhi (Fedora)
TRC28 Volume 53 Singers
£9.95 ($19.00)
Cloe Elmo excerpt from La Madre e il Figlio (cantata)
No less than eight of the twenty-two tracks on the 2008 CD have never been reissued on LP and CD. The superb bass voice of Hippolyte Belhomme is mighty of tone but with the coloratura technique of a soprano and a fine trill to boot. The beautiful voice of Thomas L. Thomas will delight those not familiar with his voice. Josefina Huguet has always been neglected by collectors but we have four discs designed to show her at her best: the tone utterly feminine and the technique formidable. The Danish soprano Johanne Brun was a phenomenon: an Isolde who could also sing coloratura roles. Agnes Nicholls, possessor of one of the most magnificent high Cs of her time, thrills with her superb soprano and we precede one of her recordings with those two doyens of collecting, P.G. Hurst and John Freestone, discussing her singing.
But by far the most interesting item on the CD is an ultra-rare cantata by the composer Soddu, sung with great beauty of tone by the ravishing mezzo Cloe Elmo. It is gorgeous music, beautifully sung and this is the first time this disc has appeared on any reissue. The CD ends with a hell-for-leather duet of two great voices. Cloe Elmo and Gina Cigna give an object lesson in the art of verismo in the show stopping duet from La Gioconda. It is one of the most thrilling duets ever to have been recorded!
TRC26 Volume 52 Singers
£9.95 ($19.00)
George Thill J’aurais sur ma poitrine (Werther)
We are proud of our latest CD. It features a number of firsts and certainly several “first time on CD” items. Here are all four of George Thill’s acoustic 78s, which have never been issued before. The beautiful bass of Endré Koreh will be a revelation to many listeners. “First time” items include three Leonard Warren broadcast tracks, a live Hjördis Schymberg and, amazingly, a Pol Plançon take which seems to have eluded previous issues. There are also five tracks which our contributors have described as “favourite records”.
TRC25 Volume 51 Singers
£9.95 ($19.00)
Beno Blachut Ha, kym to kouzlem (Dalibor)
This CD features the mighty bass voice of José Mardones in four selections, one of which is unpublished and two were available originally only in Spain. The Dutch soprano Engelen-Sewing will amaze listeners with her coloratura ability. There are four tracks of the amazing Russian mezzo Dolukhanova, with her hair-raising account of ‘O don fatale’. The thrilling, ringing tenor of Beno Blachut should not be missed, nor the wonderful baritone voice of the very underrated Richard Bonelli. All in all a CD full of little known, sometimes previously unavailable and superb selections of all these singers.
TRC23 Volume 49 Singers
£9.95 ($19.00)
Solomon Khromchenko Romance of the Young Gypsy (Aleko)
This is one of our most interesting CDs, featuring several ‘first time on CD’ issues. There are four tracks of the ravishing singing of the French tenor David Devriès, including the two rare Büsser songs (first time on reissue). For tenor lovers Solomon Khromchenko will be a revelation. He is still little known in the West; the voice like Kozlovsky in its beauty.
Many will remember the thundering bass of Nowakowski and the attractive sound of Lester Ferguson, both prominent just after the War. So too was Alfred Orda, arguably one of the most beautiful heroic baritone voices to emerge from Poland. Another wonderful heroic baritone was Umberto Urbano, whose contemporary was the dramatic soprano Barbara Kemp. These are just some of the singers on this CD. If you like fine voices, give this CD a try.
TRC21 The Glorious Voice of Igor Gorin
£9.95 ($19.00)
At last, a CD that pays tribute to one of the greatest baritones of the 20th Century. Arguably this was one of the most beautiful baritone voices before the public and it was used with an impeccable technique. This CD is a mixture of the best of his published Victor 78s and radio transcriptions. Much of it has never been transferred to CD. Transfers are by Roger Beardsley in superb sound. No wonder he was a favourite in the US for over thirty years!
Igor Gorin El vito (Nin)
TRC19 Great French Heroic Tenors
£9.95 ($19.00)
César Vezzani Roi du ciel (Le Prophète)
At the beginning of the Twentieth Century the French school of singing produced some of the most exciting heroic tenors ever to tread the boards. The sound was unique from the dark but ringing baritonal quality of Agustarello Affre (said to be a rival to the great Francesco Tamagno) and the little known but equally impressive Georges Granal (the first time so many examples have appeared on CD) to the lirico-spinto, uniquely French sound of Luccioni, Verdière and Franz. The Record Collector bring for your interest the first issues of Louis Orliac and Georges Imbart de la Tour on CD, perhaps on reissues.
TRC17 The Connoisseur Collection
£9.95 ($19.00)
Martha Angelici Cantu di Malincunia (Tomasi)
Simply, a collection of 24 tracks of great singing designed to appeal to the connoisseur, hence the title. The emphasis is on many less well-known names but each is an outstanding performance guaranteed to enhance any collectionof great voices.
Many of these are from rare discs in fine condition, mastered with astonishing quality and clarity by Roger Beardsley.
TRC16 Volume 45 Singers
£9.95 ($19.00)
Examples of the artists who were the subjects of articles in Volume 45. Arias, duets and songs by Celestina Boninsegna (2), Amelia Pinto (9 sides of her incredibly rare Fonotipias), Margarethe Siems (“Swiss Echo Song” first ever reissue & Rosenkavalier aria), George Hamlin (3, one unpublished), Enzo De Muro Lomanto (3), Carlo Morelli (3), Joseph Schmidt (3)
TRC15 Sold Out
TRC 14 The Great Frida Leider
£9.95 ($19.00)
A selection of her greatest Polydors. Mint copies from the Harold Wayne Collection and guaranteed the finest sound. These acoustic Polydors probably show the voice at it’s best: young, vibrant and of a rare beauty. They contain repertoire that she never again recorded, like arias from Don Carlos, Aida and Oberon. It was little surprise that she became one of the great singers of the twentieth century with performances of this quality.
TRC12 Tosti Ritorna
£9.95 ($19.00)
Songs by Tosti and other favourite song composers, sung by Anna Case, Fernando De Lucia, Ferruccio Corradetti, Richard Bonelli, Jean François Delmas, Elizabeth Parkina, Charles Dalmores, Oscar Kamionsky, Maria Labia, Giuseppe Bellantoni, Juste Nivette, Antonio Magini Coletti, Augusto Scampini, Enriqueta Basavilbaso de Catelin, Cesare Formichi, Andre Labinsky, Giuseppe Anselmi, Ninì Frascani, Umberto Urbano, Angelo Minghetti, Gösta Björling, Stefan Islandi & Salomea Kruszelnicka.
TRC11 Volume 42 Singers
£9.95 ($19.00)
Ivan Ershov; Maria Gay; Mary Lewis; Eyvind Laholm; John Brownlee; Dmitri Smirnov; Francesco Battaglia; Hugo Hasslo; Maria Kurenko.
TRC10 The Sensational Margarethe Siems
£9.95 ($19.00)
The G&Ts, Gramophone Co. and Parlophons.
TRC9 Volume 41 Singers
£9.95 ($19.00)
Apollo Granforte; Germaine Féraldy; Lester Ferguson; Sophie Braslau; Ben Davies; Frantz Rabinowitz; Heddle Nash (unpublished and private recordings).
Heddle Nash Have you seen but a white lily grow (Anon.) Private recording.
TRC8 50th Anniversary 2-CD Set
£19.95 ($33.00)
Arias and Songs by Iris Adami Corradetti, Helena Arizmendi, Mario Ancona, Dan Beddoe, Celestina Boninsegna, Lucrezia Bori, Tom Burke, Louis Cazette, Antonio Cortis, Giuseppe De Luca, Fernando de Lucia, Giuseppe di Stefano and many more.
TRC7 Sold Out
TRC4 Sold Out
TRC1 Sold Out
