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The Unknown Recordings

The Unknown Recordings

  • Artist: Franco Corelli
  • Total time: 44:44
  • Label: EMI Music Distributio
  • SPAR: ADD
  • Availability: In stock
  • Item #: 5183108
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Review

Franco Corelli's appeal is easy to understand, because enjoying his singing didn't require understanding. It was a visceral thrill. That's true of many great tenors, of course, but especially of Corelli, whose wide-open trumpeting threw caution (and sometimes musicianship) to the wind in a way that was perfectly matched to his masculine good looks. He was a package. EMI's Franco Corelli: The Unknown Recordings does an excellent job of showcasing his unique gifts, and fans of the tenor should be glad to have these previously unreleased recordings of Corelli at the height of his career. The opening Luisa Miller excerpt doesn't put the tenor's best foot forward; it needs a sense of line and legato that were foreign to him. But by the time he's finished with the famous "La donna è mobile" a few tracks later, it should be obvious to any listener why Verdi was his bread and butter on-stage. The combination of virility and style is irresistible, and Corelli even demonstrates that he could sing softly when he wanted to without sacrificing excitement. The big surprise of the album is "Ah! Toute est bien fini...Ô souverain..." from Massenet's Le Cid. The requirements of French language and style often conflicted with Corelli's Italianate instincts, but this gem of a track proves that he could get it right if he wanted to. The language isn't always clean, but he finds the perfect expressive balance between lyricism and strength, and the ending is a thrill. Nothing, however, can top the sheer guilty pleasure of "Di quella pira" from Il trovatore; overdubbed to a pre-existing orchestral track in the studio, it features one of the most indulgently long and spectacular high Cs anywhere on record. There couldn't be a more fitting end to a Corelli experience. ~ Allen Schrott, All Music Guide

Read About This Recording

No matter how many times I listen through this CD I can't figure out what it is about Franco Corelli's voice that is so infectiously dramatic and exciting. Before Pavarotti and Domingo came along, Franco Corelli was the tenor about whom people raved. His was a voice of amazing power and passion, of style and sizzle. When you hear him sing Puccini or Verdi, you hear a man who sang with amazing understanding and expression.

The Unknown Recordings shows Corelli in some roles for which he wasn't as well known. The Verdi excerpts from Luisa Miller, La Forza del Destino, Macbeth and Rigoletto are simply superb. Perhaps the most unexpected treasure on this recording is the aria from Massenet's Le Cid in which Corelli's voice seems to soar above the orchestra.

The sound on this disc is clear and presents this legendary voice in the absolute best light. If you've never had the Corelli Experience, it's about time you did!

-Jacob Anthony

Contents

Verdi's Luisa Miller: Oh! fede negar potessi...Quando le sere al placido; La forza del destino: La vita e inferno...O tu che in sengo agli angeli; Macbeth: O figli, o figli miei!...Ah, la paterna mano; Rigoletto: La donne e mobile; Ernani: Merce, diletti amici....Come rugiada al cespite...Oh, tu che l'alma adora; Un ballo in maschera: Forse la soglia attinse...Ma se m'e forza perderti; Il trovatore: Di quella pira; Gounod's Romeo et Juliette: L'amour, l'amour...Ah! leve-toi, soleil; Massenet's Le Cid: Ah! tout est bien fini...O souverain, o juge, o pere; Puccini's La boheme: Che gelida manina (extract); Catalani's Lorely: Nel verde maggio.

Franco Corelli, Tenor; New Philharmonia Orchestra; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Franco Ferraris, Eduardo Pedrazzoli, Conductors.

Tracklisting

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The Unknown Recordings
1. Luisa Miller, opera by Verdi, Giuseppe
Orchestra: New Philharmonia Orchestra
Tenor (Vocal): Franco Corelli
Conductor: Franco Ferraris
Length: 5:20
2. La forza del destino, opera by Verdi, Giuseppe
Orchestra: New Philharmonia Orchestra
Tenor (Vocal): Franco Corelli
Conductor: Franco Ferraris
Length: 6:37
3. Macbeth, opera by Verdi, Giuseppe
Orchestra: New Philharmonia Orchestra
Tenor (Vocal): Franco Corelli
Conductor: Franco Ferraris
Length: 3:52
4. Rigoletto, opera by Verdi, Giuseppe
Orchestra: New Philharmonia Orchestra
Tenor (Vocal): Franco Corelli
Conductor: Franco Ferraris
Length: 2:31
5. Ernani, opera by Verdi, Giuseppe
Orchestra: New Philharmonia Orchestra
Tenor (Vocal): Franco Corelli
Conductor: Franco Ferraris
Length: 4:58
6. Roméo et Juliette, opera by Gounod, Charles
Orchestra: New Philharmonia Orchestra
Tenor (Vocal): Franco Corelli
Conductor: Franco Ferraris
Length: 4:10
7. Le Cid, opera by Massenet, Jules
Orchestra: New Philharmonia Orchestra
Tenor (Vocal): Franco Corelli
Conductor: Franco Ferraris
Length: 4:53
8. La bohème, opera by Puccini, Giacomo
Orchestra: New Philharmonia Orchestra
Tenor (Vocal): Franco Corelli
Conductor: Franco Ferraris
Length: 3:17
9. Loreley, opera (azione romantica) in 3 acts by Catalani, Alfredo
Orchestra: New Philharmonia Orchestra
Tenor (Vocal): Franco Corelli
Conductor: Franco Ferraris
Length: 2:28
10. Un ballo in maschera, opera by Verdi, Giuseppe
Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Tenor (Vocal): Franco Corelli
Conductor: Eduardo Pedrazzoli
Length: 5:14
11. Il Trovatore, opera by Verdi, Giuseppe
Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Tenor (Vocal): Franco Corelli
Conductor: Eduardo Pedrazzoli
Length: 1:24

Performances

Luisa Miller, opera - Act 2. Oh! fede negar potessi ... Quando le sere al placido by Verdi, Giuseppe
La forza del destino, opera - Act 3. La vita è inferno ... O tu che in seno agli angeli by Verdi, Giuseppe
Macbeth, opera - Act 4. O figli, o figli miei! ... Ah, la paterna mano by Verdi, Giuseppe
Rigoletto, opera - Act 3. La donna è mobile by Verdi, Giuseppe
Ernani, opera - Act 1. Mercé, diletti amici ... Come rugiada al cespite ... Oh, tu che l'alma adora by Verdi, Giuseppe
Roméo et Juliette, opera - Act 2. L'amour, l'amour ... Ah! lève-toi, soleil by Gounod, Charles
Le Cid, opera - Act 3. Ah! tout est bien fini ... Ô souverain, ô juge, ô père by Massenet, Jules
La bohème, opera - Act 1. Che gelida manina (extract) by Puccini, Giacomo
Loreley, opera (azione romantica) in 3 acts - Act 1. Nel verde maggio by Catalani, Alfredo
Un ballo in maschera, opera - Act 3. Forse la soglia attinse ... Ma se m'è forza perderti by Verdi, Giuseppe
Il Trovatore, opera - Act 3. Di quella pira by Verdi, Giuseppe