Customer Reviews

The Legendary Enrico Caruso: 21 Favorite Arias

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I do not really know Opera. I am writing this review because I remember hearing Caruso's voice coming from a seventy- eight on an old Victor gramophone in my paternal grandparents house. The power and lyric quality of the voice struck me so strongly especially in 'Pagliacci'. The phrase has been with me, and comes back occasionally through all the years.
Caruso was then, and I believe still is considered at the very top of operatic singers. And it is a remarkable experience to hear so many years later , and in a stronger and clearer way sounds which one heard long ago in childhood, and have for years only lived in the mind.

I am impressed how well these almost 100 year old recordings have been transfered to CD. Of course they aren't perfect but considering their age it is still a miracle. It is nice to hear Caruso in his prime and not on a scratchy vinyl. I would recommend this to any lover of Caruso's singing.

I love this CD. Caruso is powerful and compelling. I listen to this CD on my computer, in my car, even in my backyard. It's very uplifting. I find Caruso to have a flavor of old Italian opera, pure and simple. I believe that anyone who wants to get back to the roots of opera would enjoy this CD and the selections on it.

Beautiful sound considering the condition of the source recordings. One of the best digitally "cleaned up" releases I've heard. Even with the sonic limitations of the age of the original recordings you can hear why the world remains in awe of his voice. Remember that he sang these into a horn that mechanically used a needle to scratch a wax recording blank. Just like the RCA Red Seal dog (His Master's Voice) in reverse. The value is incomparable.

This CD is an older RCA release, but still one of the best! A great introduction to Caruso.

This CD is a magical experience. Listening to the clear sound one realizes why opera fans were so excited when Pavarotti appeared on scene with similar phrasing and vocal tone. Highly recommended -- I am only sorry that there are no early recordings of full operas, only these lovely individual arias.

I am not even done with this CD yet, I'm still listening while I type this. Because of sound quality issues I waited a long, long time to buy a Caruso CD. Only 3/4 through it one can imagine how powerful he must have been. The orchestra sounds as if it is ten city blocks away while Caruso's voice, admittedly in bad sound is vibrant and alive, annihilating the orchestra. Some of these recordings are over 100 YEARS OLD!!?!?! That they can even be compared to modern recordings is a testament to the man's greatness and legend. Others are as good as anyone in any age, simply AMAZING!

Amazing audio. His voice is incredible, and the quality on this CD is very good (some of the instrumental audio has an off-sound to it, probably they focussed on enhancing his voice instead). I listen to this every Sunday morning, not tired of it yet!

This CD is my first experience hearing the Caruso voice and found the quality of the singing to leave a lot to be desired. The sound is very uneven and though the restoration must have been very complex it is still difficult to really appreciate what Caruso truly sounded like. Unfortunately, I do not think this CD portrays Caruso as the great tenor he was to the public of his day. An interesting CD to listen to, but gives little to accurately compare him to modern day tenors such as Lanza, Domingo, Pavarotti and Carreras. Interesting as a piece of the past.