1902: Enrico Caruso Even for people who dont know anything about opera, most have at least heard the name Enrico Caruso. His name is synonymous with opera. Caruso is the original Ridi, Pagliaccio guy — the one in the clown suit singing his guts out. His career blossomed at the very same time that the recording industry blossomed, and they fed off of each other, making a lot of money in the process. In The Record of Singing Caruso is represented with Donizetti s aria Una furtiva lagrima, made at his very first recording session, in 1902 in Milan. (Why the producers of the set chose this over the even more stunning 1904 version is a mystery to me.) Caruso was one of those singers who had it all. He was like a great film star who could play comic roles, play the heavy and play serious roles. Not only is Caruso a fantastic singer, but he also made 250 recordings, a wonderful document of operatic singing early in the history of the recording industry.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 09:25:58 +0000