Enrico Caruso & Geraldine Farrar - Madama Butterfly (Victor, 1908)

Last month…August…Dead Tenors’ Society celebrated the 100th anniversary of the death of Enrico Caruso, who passed away at Naples’ Vesuvio Hotel on August 2, 1921, at the age of 48. I must admit that, after an entire month of Caruso, it has been difficult to even think of another tenor for this month’s episodes. The question arose, “What could possibly follow an entire month of Caruso?”
The answer is obvious…MORE CARUSO!!!
To be honest, I am doing my best to make up for an egregious oversight. In my zeal to showcase the art of Enrico Caruso, I only featured his solo recordings and completely ignored the many magnificent duets and ensembles he recorded with his colleagues. To remedy this situation, I will be featuring some of my favorite duets recorded by the tenor over the years. If I happen to exclude your own favorites, please don’t be cross with me. Just let me know and I will try to include your favorite recording on a future installment.
Caruso’s duet recordings are a marvel to listen to. The great tenor had an uncanny ability to change the color of his voice (without actually changing the voice itself) to match whatever colleague he was singing with. I am hard pressed to think of another artist who had not only the ability to do this, but who possessed the same sense of generosity toward his colleagues to make such a gesture. By doing this, Caruso elevates his singing partner, the music, the drama of the piece and, of course, his own performance by creating the perfect vocal blend. This is just one of the many things that combined to make Enrico Caruso the unparalleled vocal artist he was.
One of Caruso’s most frequent collaborators on stage and in the studio was American soprano Geraldine Farrar (1882-1967). One of their finest efforts on record is this performance of the love duet from Act I of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. Although we are only treated to the second half of this duet, we hear both singers at their best. Caruso’s high C at the conclusion of the duet is absolutely stellar. The intensity of that note must have been ear splitting in the studio.
One thing that must be put to rest is the oft repeated story of Farrar’s supposed ad lib in this recording. According to the legend, Caruso arrived at the March 10, 1908 session feeling a bit tipsy. When Farrar noticed the scent of liquor on his breath, she replaced the line “Sì, per la vita” with “He’s had a highball!”. With only a hint of examination, this story quickly falls apart. First off, Caruso NEVER showed up to a recording session in an inebriated state. His sense of professionalism precluded this. Secondly, Victor would not have allowed such a gaff, deliberate or not, to make it past their doors. It has been suggested that an alternate take exists somewhere, but the company logbooks reveal that only a single take was made of this title. Admittedly, it really DOES sound as though the soprano sings “He’s had a highball”…if you are listening with the expectation of hearing those particular words. It also sounds as though Farrar sings the line “Sì, per la vita” straight out of Puccini’s score…if you are listening with the expectation of hearing THOSE particular words. Old legends die hard and this one will continue to be related as factual, regardless of any evidence to the contrary.

[@russellbrauer4799]

just beautiful!

[@ballaratboy1]

Hard to believe this is 113 years old! Farrar's voice recorded very well as did Caruso's.

[@hostlangr]

Vergleichen Sie bitte ab 1:16 mit/ohne die EQ-Variation .... wie ein etwas verschwommenes Foto insgesamt klarer/schärfer wird. Auch an Instrumenten oder Textverständnis ('Surrogatparameter') ist der präsente differenziertere Klang erkennbar. Warum es sich so verhält, kann man am *Graph* der Funktion, die aus dieser *genauen* Regler-Positon ( kein preset! ) resultiert und eine Crescendo-Verstärkung der hohen Frequenzen zeigt, diskutieren: Er erscheint im Display. Wiesehr gute Lautsprecher den Klang verbessern, ist bekannt. Dass ein EQ das Ergebnis günstig beeinflussen kann, ist viel weniger geläufig.
*EQ-Regelung* ist *KEINE* Änderung einer mgl. zugrunde liegenden Restauration. Sie wirkt wie z.B. eine 'Kirchenorgel stimmen' oder eine 'OhrBrille' und kann (bei alten Aufnahmen fast stets) zu brillanterem Kontrast der Wiedergabe führen. Das Schöne ist, dass es ohne großen Aufwand erreicht wird. Wer die Musikanlage vom Handy aus (Bluetooth Audio) steuert, sollte damit keine Probleme haben. Intensität der BBooster-(EQ) App bitte *vollständig* nutzen; Gesamtlautstärke ggf auf der externen Anlage einstellen!
Es ist NICHT leicht, mittels eines EQ eine merkliche Besserung der Klangqualität antiker Aufnahmen zu finden! Hierzu gibt's *kein* Preset. Die angegebene Präzisionseinstellung© hat hunderte Stunden meist kleiner Schritte der Verfeinerung erfordert (durch Abgleich vieler historischer Aufnahmen u. a. von ECaruso, LTetrazzini, Orgel, Violine, Klavier usw. - mit WFurtwängler, ATatum, KRichter, ACortot, SFiorentino etc), um alle Praxistests zu bestehen. Insofern ist nur *exakte, genaueste* ! Befolgung wirklich zielführend in "die 1. Reihe".

[@andress4780]

even when i try to hear he had a highball i hear si per la vita lol that legend is so ridiculous. anyway this is one of my favorite caruso recordings the high C at the end is so strong yet free. thanks for sharing 👍

[@hostlangr]

Mit der o.a. EQ-Einstellung hören Sie es *ganz genau!*

[@margaretjiantonio939]

I often wonder what pranks they pulled on each other.

[@antoniaspolski1284]

In 1912, Caruso and Farrar recorded a number of fragments from Tosca. Why do those recordings remain unpublished?

[@MichaelStBede]

The most credible answer is that the recordings were not very successful. Most (but not all) of the unissued recordings were never pressed and their masters destroyed. Also in 1912, Caruso and Farrar recorded the love duet from La Boheme; he described his efforts as ''Ho cantato male" and wouldn't allow the recording to be published. As we know, that recording was issued many years after Caruso had died. Tantalising ...

[@antoniaspolski1284]

@@MichaelStBede What a pity! Thank you for the answer.

[@hostlangr]

Es wurde eben zensiert, - wie heute auch. Kann man es nicht so sehen? -
Wenn heute jemand ein Kommentar nicht passt, löscht er ihn einfach weg. So kann man natürlich auch die eigene Ansicht steuern...... aber 'gut' ist das nicht. 👎

[@segundotomascarrenoriera]

?Alguien conoció la existencia de Pepe Riera,tenor asturiano de los años 30 ?

[@sgnmath1234]

He had a highball . Sure he did and Ruth had a called shot over the fence.

[@margaretjiantonio939]

Ruth did hit it over the fence.

[@hostlangr]

@@margaretjiantonio939, mit der o.a. EQ-Einstellung kann man es *genau hören!*

[@hostlangr]

Sie wurde leider weg zensiert!

[@hostlangr]

Ist wohl 'modern', unliebsame
Einträge wegzuzensieren.... ?

[@alfredbernasek6761]

HERRVORAGEND

[@marcomicheletti9957]

3:07, do finale