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Franco Corelli: The Tenor as Hero

Label: Warner - Icon

Cat No: 2648872

Barcode: 5099926488721

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 4

Release Date: 23rd March 2009

This product has now been deleted. Information is for reference only.

Artists

Franco Corelli (tenor)

Artists

Franco Corelli (tenor)

About

Franco Corelli began his stage career in Italy in 1951. With his powerful voice, charismatic stage presence and film-star good looks, he soon became one of the 20th century’s outstanding operatic superstars.

He first came to prominence when he sang opposite Maria Callas at La Scala, Milan, in a production of La vestale in 1954. He subsequently partnered Callas at La Scala in Fedora and Poliuto and later appeared with her at the end of her stage career in Norma in Paris in 1964 and Tosca in New York in 1965.

Corelli made a spectacular debut at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, in January 1961 in Verdi’s Il trovatore. He quickly became the Met’s leading tenor and performed there every season until 1974.

He recorded extensively for EMI throughout the 1960s, when he made a number of complete operas as well as several albums of operatic arias and songs.

This 4 CD set brings together the best of Corelli’s EMI recordings. From his operatic catalogue come a substantial number of arias, as well as duets with Birgit Nilsson, Mirella Freni, Antonietta Stella and Gabriella Tucci.

In addition to the operatic material, there are a large number of songs, including popular Neapolitan titles such as ‘Core ’ngrato’, ‘Torna a Surriento’ and ‘'O sole mio’, plus other items like ‘Granada’, Schubert’s Ave Maria and the Ingemisco from Verdi’s Requiem.

This album also includes a song recorded in Milan in 1961: ‘Si tu m’amais’ by Luigi Denza, that has never been issued either on LP or on CD since its initial release only in Italy in 1962 on a 45 rpm single.

Track Listing:
CD 1
Vincenzo Bellini
1. A te, o cara (I puritani, Act I)
Philharmonia Orchestra / Franco Ferraris
Recorded: 29.VI & 1, 3, 5, 13.VII.1961 & 8.IX.1962, Kingsway Hall, London

2. Meco all’altar di Venere...Me protegge, me difende (Norma, Act I)
Piero de Palma, tenor • Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano / Tullio Serafin
Recorded: 5–16.IX.1960, Teatro alla Scala, Milan

Gaetano Donizetti
3. Favorita del Re!...Spirto gentil (La favorita, Act IV)
Philharmonia Orchestra / Franco Ferraris
Recorded: 29.VI & 1, 3, 5, 13.VII.1961 & 8.IX.1962, Kingsway Hall, London

Giuseppe Verdi
4. Ah sì, ben mio...Di quella pira (Il trovatore, Act III)
Gabriella Tucci, soprano • Angelo Mercuriali, tenor • Coro e Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma / Thomas Schippers
Recorded: 6–12, 14, 17, 19, 31.VII & 7.VIII.1964, Opera House, Rome

5. Oh! fede negar potessi ...Quando le sere al placido (Luisa Miller, Act II)
6. La vita è inferno...O tu che in seno agli angeli (La forza del destino, Act III)
7. O figli, o figli miei!...Ah! la paterna mano (Macbeth, Act IV)
8. La donna è mobile (Rigoletto, Act III)
9. Mercé, diletti amici...Come rugiada...Oh, tu che l’alma adora (Ernani, Act I)
New Philharmonia Orchestra / Franco Ferraris
Recorded: 15, 17, 20, 25.II.1967, Kingsway Hall, London

10. Forse la soglia attinse...Ma se m’è forza perderti (Un ballo in maschera, Act III)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Eduardo Pedrazzoli
Recorded: 26, 30.IX & 3,4.X.1958, Kingsway Hall, London (orchestra) & 25, 28.IX.1964, Basilica Santa Eufemia, Milan (voice)

Aida (Ghislanzoni)
11. Se quel guerrier io fossi!... Celeste Aida (Act I)
12. Pur ti riveggo, mia dolce Aida ...Ma dimmi (Act III)
Birgit Nilsson, soprano • Grace Bumbry, mezzo-soprano • Mario Sereni, baritone • Bonaldo Giaiotti, bass • Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma / Zubin Mehta
Recorded: 21.VI–6.VII.1967, Opera House, Rome

Giacomo Meyerbeer
13. Non lunge della torre...Bianca al par di neve alpina (Les Huguenots, Act I)
Philharmonia Orchestra / Franco Ferraris
Recorded: 29.VI & 1, 3, 5, 13.VII.1961 & 8.IX.1962, Kingsway Hall, London

Alfredo Catalani
14. Nel verde maggio (Loreley, Act I)
New Philharmonia Orchestra / Franco Ferraris
Recorded: 15, 17, 20, 25.II.1967, Kingsway Hall, London

CD 2
Amilcare Ponchielli
1. Cielo e mar (La Gioconda, Act II)

Francesco Cilea
2. L’anima ho stanca (Adriana Lecouvreur, Act II)
Philharmonia Orchestra / Franco Ferraris
Recorded: 29.VI & 1, 3, 5, 13.VII.1961 & 8.IX.1962, Kingsway Hall, London

Pietro Mascagni
Cavalleria rusticana (Menasci & Targioni-Tozetti)
3. Intanto amici...Viva il vino spumeggiante
4. Mamma, quel vino è generoso
Adriana Lazzarini, mezzo-soprano • Corinna Vozza, mezzo-sopranos • Coro e Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma / Gabriele Santini
Recorded: 1–5.VII.1962, Opera House, Rome

Ruggero Leoncavallo
Pagliacci
5. Un grande spettacolo...Un tal gioco (Act I)
6. Recitar!...Vesti la giubba (Act I)
7. No, Pagliaccio non son (Act II)
Lucine Amara, soprano • Mario Spina, tenor • Tito Gobbi, baritone • Mario Zanasi, baritone • Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano / Lovro von Matačić
Recorded: 27.VI–7.VII.1960, Teatro alla Scala, Milan

Giacomo Puccini
8. Donna non vidi mai (Manon Lescaut, Act I)

Tosca (Illica & Giocosa)
9. Recondita armonia (Act I)
10. E lucevan le stelle (Act III)
Philharmonia Orchestra / Franco Ferraris
Recorded: 29.VI & 1, 3, 5, 13.VII.1961 & 8.IX.1962, Kingsway Hall, London

Turandot (Adami & Simoni)
11. Non piangere, Liù...Ah! per l’ultima volta (Act I)
12. Nessun dorma (Act III)
13. Principessa di morte! (Act III)
Renata Scotto, soprano • Birgit Nilsson, soprano • Franco Ricciardi, tenor • Piero de Palma, tenor • Bonaldo Giaiotti, bass • Guido Mazzini, bass • Coro e Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma / Francesco Molinari Pradelli
Recorded: 24.VI & 2, 5, 8, 10, 12, 13, 16.VII.1965, Opera House, Rome

Umberto Giordano
Andrea Chénier (Illica)
14. Colpito...Un dì all’azzuro spazio (Act I)
15. Credo a una posanza arcana (Act II)
16. Legray!...Andrea Chénier!...Sì, fui soldato (Act III)
17. Come un bel dì di maggio (Act IV)
18. Vicino a te (Act IV)
Antonietta Stella, soprano • Mario Sereni, baritone • Paolo Pedani, bass • Giuseppe Modesti, bass • Coro e Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma / Gabriele Santini
Recorded: 25–27, 30.VI & 1, 2.VII.1963, Opera House, Rome

CD 3
Jules Massenet
1. Ah ! tout est bien fini...Ȏ souverain, ô juge, ô père (Le Cid, Act III)
New Philharmonia Orchestra / Franco Ferraris
Recorded: 15, 17, 20, 25.II.1967, Kingsway Hall, London

Charles Gounod
Roméo et Juliette (Barbier & Carré)
2. Ange adorable (Act I)
3. L’amour...Ah ! lève-toi, soleil ! (Act II)
4. O nuit divine ! (Act II)
5. C’est là ! Salut ! tombeau ! (Act V)
Mirella Freni, soprano • Orchestre du Théâtre National de l’Opéra de Paris / Alain Lombard
Recorded: 20.VI–6.VII.1968, Salle Wagram, Paris

Franz Schubert
6. Ave Maria, D839

George Frideric Handel
Serse (Stampiglia)
7. Frondi tenere...Ombra mai fu (Act I)

Giuseppe Verdi
Requiem
8. Ingemisco

Gioacchino Rossini
Petite Messe solennelle
9. Domine Deus

Agustin Lara
10. Granada

Stefano Donaudy
11. Vaghissima sembianza (Alberto Donaudy)

Ernesto de Curtis
12. Ti voglio tanto bene (Furnò)

Renato Cairone
13. Mon ciel, c’est toi (Loysel)

Eduardo Pedrazzoli
14. Il canto della rinuncia

Raffaele Mingardo
15. Carrettiere (Mingardo)

Giovanni Berrafato
16. Tu lo sai (anon.)

Arrangements by Raffaele Mingardo
Chorus & Orchestra / Raffaele Mingardo
Recorded: 6, 19.VI & 16, 21.IX.1963, Milan; 18.V.1964 & 16, 17.VI & 27.IX.1965, Rome

Renato Cairone
17. Pourquoi fermer ton cœur ? (Loysel)
Luigi Denza
18. Si tu m’amais (Paris)
Orchestra / Franco Ferraris
Recorded: 14, 16, 26.X & 21.XII.1961, Milan

CD 4
Luigi Tortorella
1. Mammina mia (de Palois & Testoni)

José Serrano
El trust de los tenorios (Arniches & Álvarez)
2. Te quiero, morena

Arrangements by Raffaele Mingardo
Chorus & Orchestra / Raffaele Mingardo
Recorded: 18.V.1964 & 16, 17.VI & 27.IX.1965, Rome

Salvatore Cardillo
3. Core ’ngrato (Cordiferro)

Ernesto de Curtis
4. Senza nisciuno (Barbieri)

Luigi Tortorella
5. Addà turnà

Vincenzo d’Annibale
6. ’O paese d’ ’o solé (Bovio)

Gaetano Errico Pennino
7. Pecchè? (de Flaviis)

Anonymous
8. Fenesta che lucive (anon)

Ernesto Tagliaferri
9. Piscatore ’e Pusilleco (Murolo)

Ernesto de Curtis
10. Tu, ca nun chiagne! (Bovio)

Eduardo di Capua
11. I’ te vurria vasà (Russo)

Ernesto de Curtis
12. Torna a Surriento (G. B. de Curtis)

Rodolfo Falvo
13. Dicitencello vuje (Fusco)
14. Guapparia (Bovio)

Gaetano Lama
15. Silenzio cantatore (Bovio)

Ernesto de Curtis
16. Voce ’e notte! (Nicolardi)

Salvatore Gambardella
17. ’O marenariello (Ottaviano)

Vincenzo Valente & Ernesto Tagliaferri
18. Passione (Bovio)

Eduardo di Capua
19. ’O sole mio (Capurro)

Enrico Cannio
20. ’O surdato ’nnammerato (Califano)

Francesco Paolo Tosti
21. ’A vucchella (d’Annunzio)

Nicola Valente
22. Torna! (Vento)
23. Addio, mia bella Napoli (Manlio)

Arrangements by Franco Ferraris
Orchestra / Franco Ferraris
Recorded: 7, 9, 11.VII.1961, No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London & 14, 16, 26.X & 21.XII.1961, Milan