Customer Reviews

The Complete Recordings, 1902-1920 (Box Set)

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This set gives you the opportunity to follow the entire recording career of one of the greatest singers in Operatic History. Enrico Caruso was the first superstar of the 20th century -- and this without the benefit of mass media. His person and his records were his greatest publicity.

The set begins with Caruso's Italian made recordings. They show a great raw talent. The artistry is lacking with many sobs, over acting and mistaken cues. The 1902 and 1903 clearly show a tenor with a lot to learn. But learn it he did. His 1904 sessions show a mature artist on par with any heard since. His voice matures before your very ears and by 1910, you wonder if you will ever listen to any other tenor the same way again.

The engineering used for this set is wonderful. There is no attempt at all to use the soundstream process of computer sound enhancement as heard on the RCA issued sets. These are near perfect mint conditioned discs copied by engineer extraordinary Ward Marston. They sound like natural 78s, they way Caruso himself must have heard the playbacks at the (RCA) Victor studios.

Also included are outtakes and extra takes. There is a "Celeste Aida" from 1908, complete with a broken high note, previously released by RCA in a 1973 set commemorating the tenor's centenary birthday. But there are new treasures here as well, including extra takes of two of Caruso's greatest recordings, the Italian song "L'Alba separa dalla l'uce ombra" and an aria from Rubinestine's Nerone. Listening to them, one wonders what Caruso could have possible thought inadquate in those long lost altenative takes.

Finally, there is the simple joy of hearing so many things so well sung. Caruso was the pinnacle of the tenor art. He can be compared to no other single tenor since ... he has the brilliant ring of Bjorling, the passion of Gigli, the beauty of Gedda, the youthful enthusiasm of Lanza, the warm tonal quality of Tucker, the pure strength of Corelli, the charasma of Pavarotti and the artestry of Domingo.

Whether you are an opera fan, a voice fan or just a music lover. This set is worth every penny.

Todd Kosovich

This is the best most natural transfer of the historical Caruso recordings. There have been other transfers over the years, including one by RCA many years ago that attempted to take out the horn resonance audio artifact (called Soundsteam processing IIRCC). This was issued on LP only and got mixed reviews at the time. You can't go wrong getting this box set. The only item I'm not sure of is whether the purchaser gets all the liner notes that come in the individual volumes, also on Naxos. The copy I have is of the 12 individual cds, each with a booklet.
A note to all who may purchase this box set: There was a legal case a couple years back in New York State that made it illegal or at least ill-advised for commercial record companies to sell copyrighted recordings in New York State. The companies as a precaution decided not to sell such items anywhere in the USA, so many cds on the Naxos Historical series are only sold in Europe, usually in Great Britain. Note also, the current price of this box set at Amazon.co.uk is some 28 pound sterling before VAT is taken away (buyers outside Europe do not pay the VAT) plus about 3 lb sterling for shipping to the US. So you do the math using the current exchange rate.

This may not be easy to get in the USA for very long.....don't miss it.

These transfers done by Ward Marston are a revelatory joy! In this digital age of super-clean sound, it takes a sensitive ear to listen to, and really appreciate, recordings that were done before the advent of electric recording. Older transfers of Caruso's recordings were ham-fistedly over-processed...like listening to a Victrola underwater! With this superb set, one can hear the power and many nuances of Caruso's incredible voice (though the orchestra, because of analog recording limitations, sounds like they're out in left field!). Close your eyes, listen, and imagine in the mind's ear how it must have sounded to have actually heard Caruso belting it out!

Enrico Caruso is one of my favorite tenors, such an expressive and masterful voice which is fully on display in these recordings. My only disappointment was that there is a great deal of "noise" on the recordings, which is noted in the description which says the recordings sound like Caruso himself would have heard them on the available (primitive) recording systems of his day. The recordings indeed sound like they are on 78s.
The seller shipped this set from Germany and it arrived before items from the same order arrived from Amazon, which I found most impressive.