Puccini: E Lucevan Le Stelle

The Philips Minigroove 45 of the Puccini opera performance by G. Giacosa (1858-1924) of air Cavaradossi from "Tosca," Act 3, and Boito's Ponchielli performance of Cielo e Mar (Enzo's romance from "La Giaconda," Act 2) brings to life the recording Enrique Caruso made the most recorded ever after it was first ported to vinyl in 1900. This gem of the Philips Minigroove collection also transports Sterbini's performance of Se il mio nome, canzone from "Il barbiere di Siviglia," Act 1, to the realm of the glorious. The recording featured the orchestra of the "Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli" conducted by Arturo Basile and Ugo Rapalo. The two tenors involved were Antonio Gallie and Petre Munteanu. Having heard the original Caruso, from John Samuel Day's private collection, your author can easily state that this recording also merits very high praise. It was conditioned by Francesco Molinari-Pradelli.