In search of Extra Powerful Caruso recordings

[B.B.B]

I could use some help from the Caruso-experts here.

I just love the mans voice, but who doesn't?

The recordings I love the most are his extra powerful performances, some favourites are
Inno di Garibaldi & Tu, can nun chaigne.

So, I'd like some hints in which way I should look, Caruso 78s are plentiful, but I can't buy them all (not now anyway)
Do You have any personal favourites & if you can, do tell me what recordings are the most intense, bone-chilling, diaphragm-splitting of them all?

Here is a superb photo of the man, standing aside a phonograph, but not a Victor, from the looks of it.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... graph2.jpg

[MordEth]

B.B.B,

I am not even remotely a Caruso expert, but you might be interested in listening to the YouTube videos of Caruso that I have recorded with John—perhaps one of them will move you to want to find it on a 78.

“Lucia—Sextette (Chi Mi Frena—What Restrains Me?)”

[youtubehq]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIv0LUuECDU[/youtubehq]

“Aïda—Celeste Aïda”

[youtubehq]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_oTJ1dMBYM[/youtubehq]

“Faust—Salut, Demeure (Salve! Dimora)”

[youtubehq]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWVa1hWJwVc[/youtubehq]
Enjoy.

— MordEth

[JohnM]

Here is a superb photo of the man, standing aside a phonograph, but not a Victor, from the looks of it.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... graph2.jpg

Actually, that is the customized Victrola XVI that Victor presented to Caruso -- with a gold record mounted to the lid. It was displayed for a time in the window of Victor's factory showroom on 5th Avenue in NYC along with other Caruso artifacts after the singer's death.

An identification tip -- Victor had the patent for 'sound-modifying doors' as well as horizontal louvers in the internal horns, so if you see doors over the horn or horizontal louvers within, you can bet it is a Victor!

John M

[B.B.B]

Thanks for the information! I had no idea.
Really nice history behind the photo aswell.
All the hardware looks "WRONG" for a Victor.

I thought it was strange if he had posed with a non-Victor machine, since he was
their biggest star and all.

Has this particular machine surfaced in recent years? Does it belong to any collector out there we know of?

Mordeth, thanks for the youtube vids, I'm a subscriber to Johns channel
but I don't think I've seen all of them, yet...

Added re: identification.
Over here it is not uncommon to see generic machines w/ the doors and/or horisontal slats.

Like this one
http://www.blocket.se/orebro/Vevgrammofon_21657552.htm

or this one
http://kopochsalj.eniro.se/query/what/g ... /A26528177

or this one
http://www.blocket.se/vi/21419530.htm

Europe must have been so faraway from Camden that they didn't give a damn/ didn't know about the patent infringement.

[JohnM]

Ah! Sorry about that, B.B.B.! I didn't realize you were 'over there'! I suppose what I said applies to the US only. Of course, after the patents expired it was anyone's game 'over here' as well.

John M

[gramophoneshane]

Yes, I don't think Victors patents had much effect here either. I can't say I've ever seen a machine here with a straight bore to the tonearm, and there's a gooseneck on the arm of every second machine you see. Most parts came from Europe, so I guess the same rules apply.

I may as well add my Caruso videos too. I really should upload a few more.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSU4XBS1Q9Y[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrEm83DlmO8[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hBu-vF9rv0[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLeWpsz017w[/youtube]

[Wolfe]

I'd recommend his 1916 recording of 'O Souverian...o Juge, o Pere' fr. Massenet's Le Cid.

It's not only a powerful performance, but Victor captured it especially well in this case.

Some of his records, like 'Over There' 'L'alba separa dalla luce' and others, give you a sense of his power, but it seems kind of locked in the grooves.

Many of the recordings you may be seeking would come from later in his career as his voice became more baritonal and trumpet like, (say after 1908) and that's also, sadly, the time when the recording quality of the records he was making for Victor start to fall back a bit in sound quality, IMO.

Pressing quality matters a lot, of course, his records were pressed and re-pressed over the years, try to seek early copies.

Another record you may like could be the 1911 'Je suis seul...Ah, fuyez, douce image' fr. Massenet's Manon.

One of my personal favorites is a song called 'I' m'arricordo 'e Napule' fr. 1920 it goes on and on.

[B.B.B]

I'd recommend his 1916 recording of 'O Souverian...o Juge, o Pere' fr. Massenet's Le Cid.

It's not only a powerful performance, but Victor captured it especially well in this case.

Some of his records, like 'Over There' 'L'alba separa dalla luce' and others, give you a sense of his power, but it seems kind of locked in the grooves.

Many of the recordings you may be seeking would come from later in his career as his voice became more baritonal and trumpet like, (say after 1908) and that's also, sadly, the time when the recording quality of the records he was making for Victor start to fall back a bit in sound quality, IMO.

Pressing quality matters a lot, of course, his records were pressed and re-pressed over the years, try to seek early copies.

Another record you may like could be the 1911 'Je suis seul...Ah, fuyez, douce image' fr. Massenet's Manon.

One of my personal favorites is a song called 'I' m'arricordo 'e Napule' fr. 1920 it goes on and on.

Thanks a lot for this!

And thanks to you others who provided videos

A saw that a few of the titles you mentioned are available on eBay right now.
And Caruso records come up often.

I even find some in the local thrift shops over here.

He must have been the first real "rock-star"

I haven't been able to find a good CD with his music.
They always lack the power & "presence" of the 78s.

Like everyone else also says, it is so sad that he never lived to record music
with electronic equipment.

His voice is just amazing.
I never liked opera before I got into phonographs.
But now opera is often my first choice when its time to crank up a machine.

Of course there is a number of other artists that are great & give much pleasure to listen to.

But Mr Caruso is in a league of his own.
And when he really lets go, when there is no prisoners taken, I always get goosebumps, from the sheer power of his voice.

So keep them suggestions coming

[Viva-Tonal]

What are your thoughts on the 1976 compilation CARUSO--A LEGENDARY PERFORMER that RCA released? It was the first album to use a form of digital signal processing to virtually eliminate horn resonances and other distortions from the original recordings, and also the first American album (AFAIK) to be, as it were, digitally mastered.

[Wolfe]

A Legendary Performer uses the Soundstream process, which has it's pluses and minuses, up close I think they can sound too processed, but they can sound really good in a big room with natural reverberation.

I believe The current individual RCA CD's use Soundstream, as does the RCA 'Complete Caruso' box set, which I possess, and value, as I do Naxos's complete set, which was transferred by the great Ward Marston.

But as indicated above, I've yet to hear any CD that sounds as good as the best of my own 78's, played back on their own.