In this CD we are proud to bring you three excerpts from a previously unpublished concert with Panzéra, two of which he never recorded commercially. In addition there are three other excerpts which have never been on CD before: the great tenors Ulysses Lappas and Costa Milona both feature in beautiful Greek songs. The bass Alfred Kaufmann appears on reissues for the first time.

Highlights are the stylish and expressive singing of Vanni Marcoux and four excerpts with that great mezzo virtuoso Sigrid Onegin. There is an unpublished Johann Strauss song of Marion Talley and the beautiful voice of Miriam Licette, who has been iniquitously neglected on reissues. All in all a highly enjoyable issue.

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.

This volume brought major articles on two important French artists: Léon Campagnola and Ninon Vallin. Campagnola was a magnificent tenor and these examples show why. Vallin is a great favourite among collectors and here, published for the first time, is a live concert with her. There are two unpublished examples of Julius Patzak, one of which was broken and lovingly restored by our CD mastering expert Roger Beardsley. Another unpublished disc on the CD is by the great heldentenor Franz Völker, singing the great aria from Forza.

There are other, little known examples of Volume 48’s singers, ending with the thundering account of ‘Nulla silenzio’ by Ettore Bastianini. The singing is almost frightening in its intensity and affirms why he was one of the great baritones of the 1950s.

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!

This CD features examples of the singers who were the subjects of Volume 47. Here are many of the electrical recordings of Sir George Henschel, two of the loveliest discs of the young Heinrich Schlusnus, four examples of the superb dramatic tenor Nino Piccaluga, three of the suave French bass Marcel Journet and some of the most exciting soprano singing ever committed to disc, from the Hungarian soprano Anne Roselle.

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.

This CD features examples of the singers who were the subjects of Volume 46. Here are some wonderful examples of Russian singers who appeared on early electric Victor records, including the young Lemeshev in his beautiful Trilby aria. It also contains examples of the wonderful New Zealand bass Oscar Natzka, the first ever publication of two unpublished recordings of Nino Martini, including his Puritani ‘Credea si misera’ with a high F, the first ever reissues of Rafaelo Diaz and Caroline Hatchard and so much more.

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.

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)

A selection of her greatest Polydors. Mint copies from the Harold Wayne Collection and guaranteed the finest sound.

Examples of the artists who were the subjects of articles in Volume 43. Arias and songs by Nazzareno De Angelis (4), Alma Gluck, Francesco Merli (4 acoustic Columbias), Ferruccio Corradetti (4, several unpublished), Antonio Notariello (2), Adalgisa Gabbi (2), Antonio Aramburo (first publication of 5 authentic cylinders), Carlos Ramírez (1)

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.