Legendary Voices, Vol. 1

On this CD:

1. La Sonnambula, opera Ah! non giunge
Composed by Vincenzo Bellini
Performed by Luisa Tetrazzini

2. Lo Schiavo, opera Qui fortuna insistenza... Quando nascesti tu
Composed by Carlos Gomes
Performed by Enrico Caruso

3. Tosca, opera Vissi d'arte
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Performed by Rosa Ponselle

4. Mademoiselle Modiste, operetta Kiss me again
Composed by Victor Herbert
Performed by Rosa Ponselle

5. Mignon, opera in 3 acts Elle ne croyait pas
Composed by Ambroise Thomas
Performed by Tito Schipa

6. Rigoletto, opera Povero Rigoletto... Cortigiani, vil razza dannata
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Grace Anthony, Giuseppe de Luca
Conducted by Giulio Setti

7. Aida, opera Ritorna vincitor
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Eva Turner
Conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham

8. Cavalleria rusticana, opera in 1 act Addio alla madre
Composed by Pietro Mascagni
Performed by Alfred Piccaver
Conducted by Manfred Gurlitt

9. Ernani, opera Infelice! e tu credevi
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Ezio Pinza
Conducted by Rosario Bourdon

10. Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), opera, K. 620 In diesen heil'gen Hallen
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Alexander Kipnis

11. Erlkönig ("Wer reitet so spät"), song for voice & piano, D. 328 (Op. 1)
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Alexander Kipnis, Gerald Martin Moore

12. Die Lotosblume ("Die Lotosblume ängstigt sich..."), song for voice & piano (Myrthen), Op. 25/7
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Lotte Lehmann

13. Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), opera, WWV 86b Du bist der Lenz
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with Lotte Lehmann
Conducted by Bruno Walter

14. Tristan und Isolde, opera, WWV 90 Liebestod
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Kirsten Flagstad

15. La Gioconda, opera in 4 acts Cielo e mar
Composed by Amilcare Ponchielli
Performed by Jussi Bjorling
Conducted by Nils Grevilius

16. Der Bettelstudent, operetta Ich hab' kein Geld, bin vogelfrei
Composed by Carl Millocker
Performed by Jussi Bjorling
Conducted by Nils Grevilius

17. L'Arlesiana, opera Come due tizzi accesi
Composed by Francesco Cilea
Performed by Tito Gobbi
Conducted by Umberto Berrettoni

18. Eugene Onegin, opera, Op. 24 Wohin, wohin bist du entschwunden
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Performed by Fritz Wunderlich
Conducted by Meinhard von Zallinger

Tracks:

La Sonnambula: Ah! Non Giunge - Luisa Tetrazzini
Lo Schiavo: Qui Fortuna Insistenza...Quando Nascesti Tu - Enrico Caruso
Tosca: Vissi D'arte - Romano Romani
Mademoiselle Modiste: Kiss Me Again - Romano Romani
Mignon: Elle Ne Croyait Pas - Tito Schipa
Rigoletto: Povero Rigoletto...Cortigiani, Vil Razza Dannata - Guiseppe de Luca
Aida: Ritorna Vincitor - EVA TURNER
Cavalleria Rusticana: Addio Alla Madre - Alfred Piccaver
Ernani: Infelice! E Tu Credevi - Ezio Pinza
Die Zauberflote: In Diesen Heil'gen Hallen - Alexander Kipnis
Erlkonig - Gerald Monroe
Die Lotosblume - Lotte Lehmann
Die Waldure: Du Bist Der Lenz - Vienna Phil Orch/Bruno Walter
Tristan Un Isolde: Liebestod - Kirsten Flagstad
La Gioconda: Cielo E Mar - Jussi Bjorling
Der Bettelstudent: Ich Hab' Kein Geld, Bin Vogelfrei [Sung In Swedish] - Nils Grevillius
L' Arlesiana: Come Due Tizzi Accesi - Tito Gobbi
Eugene Onegin: Wohin, Wohin Bist Du Entschwunden - Fritz Wunderlich

Customer Reviews:

Time machine.......2004-10-15

Instead of being known only to its passionate cult followers,"Nimbus records" should be celebrated around the world for wonderful work they do.Lovingly restoring old 78 rpm discs on CD format,they are bringing in the light some poignant and moving musical moments previously forgotten in museum's dusty corners and at the same time preserving memory on opera's big stars of the past,distant relatives (ancestors?) of todays singers.Sure its all mono - recorded between 1911 and 1942 - and therefore even more precious,this is the closest we can get to a ride in time machine.Most of us have heard of Caruso but this collection serves as introduction to other names as well:Luisa Tetrazzini (who sounds like drunken canary bird),Rosa Ponselle,Tito Schipa,Vienna's favourite Alfred Piccaver,"South Pacific" star Elio Pinza,majestic Alexander Kipnis,almost unreal,delirious Kirstin Flagstad and Fritz Wunderlich who sounds as he goes somewhere inside-out of himself,bursting with emotions or perhaps premonition of his early death.This CD and the book by same title (written by Nigel Douglas) are my highest reccomendation and together with volume two makes sensational introduction to "Nimbus records" and its "Prima Voce" catalogue of forgotten masterpieces.Great present for friends as well.