Customer Reviews

Caruso 2000

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just bought this disk. I bought the NY Times on the way home. Had I read the idiotic review by Allan Kozinn (Sunday, feb. 20), I probably would not have bought it. What a loss that would have been. In this disk, several of Caruso's recordings have been matched with high quality stereo recordings of an orchestra. True, if you listen carefully, the sound quality of the vocal is noticeably inferior to that of the orchestra. BUT - all of a sudden, you have the impression of Caruso on stage in an opera house. The stereo (really mono for him) image places him center stage with the orchestra spread out. What a different feeling from the original recordings (I have the complete set of them and have listened to them all) which give the impression of a cramped studio where the orchestra (if there was one) was cramped in front of the recording horn with winds (even tubas) replacing many of the strings (since they projected better into the recording horn). One small caveat: the voice comes across with a bit more sheen in the complete set of Caruso recordings released a few yeras ago. Nevertheless, for those of you who have heard his recordings, sit back, do not concentrate on the sound quality difference between voice and orchestra. You will hear Caruso totally differently. Kozinn's Times review suggests the producers will be putting out a Caruso/Elvis duet next. This is completely unfair to those who have sensitively matched the orchestra to the voice. This is a work of art of sorts, not a defacement. If you like opera singing and Caruso, get this disk

The idea of creating on disc a performance that never took place in real life may cause purists to wonder. But just listen to one of the tracks here and you'll get a good idea of what this CD offers. First of all, you hear Caruso's voice without the intrusive surface noise found on most other recordings. But even better, you hear him in the context of a full orchestra. Instead of minimizing the impact of the voice, the orchestral accompaniment highlights it, and even diminishes the "tunnel" effect of the old recordings. It's a perfect starting point for someone who has not yet heard this incredible voice, and an excellent addition to an existing Caruso collection. Not to be missed!

I heard this CD reviewed on BBC Radio 3's `CD-Review' and immediately logged on to Amazon to buy it! To `re-master' the old shellac recordings of Caruso and add a modern orchestral accompaniment seems impossible, but the people at BMG have done it very well. The Vienna RSO do the music justice and, of course, Enrico is superb.

If I have any criticism, the orchestra is a little too forward sometimes - it sounds like Caruso is singing from outside the room - but don't that let that put you off. This is a superb and fun CD - not for the music purists, but if you want to hear Caruso to the best standards that modern technology can offer, this is for you.

Noble idea. Great attempt. Execution...hmmm...they tried really hard, but the acoustic Caruso and the new digital orchestra just don't blend. Sometimes it is unintentionally humorous.

My recommendation? Buy the CD, but lower your expectations. Listen to track 17 first. It is a comparison track. It will give you a "before" by which to judge the "after." When listening through headphones, you can hear how they've added to some reverb to help Enrico blend, but the effect is that a gramophone recording of a Caruso solo is being played on the stage with a live orchestra playing along.

Best way to listen? Turn the volume so low that you can barely hear anything. Then let your brain fill-in the missing information. If you turn it up and listen at normal levels, the incongruity of the sound is irritating. But then again so is the surface noise on other re-issues, or the digital artifacts of early processing. At least this recording gives fans yet another alternative.

The greatest tenor of them all is sounding better than ever 80 years after his death by the miracle of high-power computer and digital technology. My earlier once-prized Caruso lp album cannot compare to this Caruso 2000 cd. We should all be grateful that Enrico Caruso brought his art to the music he recorded for 18 years, and appreciate the dedication of Gottfried Kahl and the Vienna Radio Symphony musicians who lent their talents to the project of accompanying that magnificent tenor voice. Caruso's voice sounds fuller, retaining its timbre and superb range not only because of the removal of old surface noises but because of Caruso's voice corresponding to the limited spectrum of the old bell gramophone. With digital technology, space is expanded so the sound is no longer compressed and the dynamic range is greater. Caruso's idiosyncratic taking of liberties and holding notes over-long make me treasure the cd all the more becaue he seems to be savoring the beauty of those notes. Everyone who hears Caruso 2000 will have favorites instantly, and best of all this magnificent voice can be heard by current and future generations in the new century.

The chosen material consists of well known Caruso solo recordings in what sounds like the "Soundstream" clean-up RCA did several years ago to remove acoustical horn vibrations. The novelty of the modern orchestral accompaniment is overpowered in most selections by the weirdness of its juxtaposition with the still unmistakably acoustical vocal sound. However, the degree to which this is true is not equal for all selections. The later the recording, the less jarring it sounds. Ironically by listening to how Caruso's voice sounds from cut to cut, anchored to technically uniform digital accompaniment, one can truly appreciate the progress in acoustical recording technique during the first fifth of the 20th century. Once we get to 1916 and beyond, we strike real gold. The Caruso legend (albeit, of a late, darker hued Caruso) truly becomes validated in its 2000 setting. If star ratings were exclusively recommendations to buy, I would give it 5 stars.

This Caruso 2000 CD is a great effort to show us what The Great Caruso actually sounded like. Unfortunately no modern creations can really fix the old recordings and give us what He really sounded like; BUT, if you suspend your disbelief, just a little bit, this is not bad at all; and in fact is quit good. All the pops and static in the orgnakl recording is completely gone, its very clean in that regard, the vocals still sound like they were recorded mono, but with this clearer recording you can get glimpses of how great Caruso was. For example on Vesti la Giubba Caruso's vocal power is fantastic; as well as on just about every other selections hear (Great choice of song's). I give this CD a 5 for effort, and for being the best Caruso collection I have ever heard. I only wish we could go back in time with Digital recording equipment and record Caruso, then we would all know if he really was the greatest or not. But, I will tell you this, even with the mono sounding vocals hear, if he was not the best, he sure was one of them, the power and emotion are still evident even without being recorded by modern technology.

It may not be perfect, but this recording brought tears to my eyes.It shows really, how great Caruso was and is forever. The other recordings cannot be listened to, in todays modern world.

After reading the lastest negative reviews of this cd. I am compelled to answer the critique. Ok the cd is not perfect. But we are talking about recordings almost a century old. To be able to sit and listen to Caruso without annoyance is marvelous. The reviewer starts his dialogue by saying the Caruso's voice is over rated and this is where he is coming from. I have heard and seen the best and they are all compared to Caruso.

As in the earlier attempts, made from 1927 to 1939, the graftings of new accompaniments around Caruso'd voice are not uniformly successful throughout the present series of (so far) three CDs

However, they represent a worthy endeavour, and one that i hope will be supported by good sales of these CDs. BMG and the Austrian Radio are to be commended for trying again to make the original recordings of the voice more acceptable by providing fresh and respectful accompaniments. Indeed, it seems to me that there is an atmosphere of reverence and affectiion surrounding these new presentations.

It would be most unfortunate were potential listeners and CD buyers to be discouraged from hearing them because of negative and subjective comments made by some reviewers. All reviewers are surely entitled to make their opinions available, but it should be clearly understood that they are opinions and not necessarily facts. The truth in this matter lies somewhere in the middle ground between uncritical enthusiasm and horrified repugnance. Please hear them with open ears and as far as possible with objectivity - and then several times.