This month marks the 94th anniversary of the death of Enrico Caruso (1873-1921). Since I have been rather remiss in my duties to this magnificent artist, Dead Tenors' Society would like to honor the Neapolitan tenor's memory by sharing some of his finest recordings. Since YouTube is already brimming with recordings of Caruso, the choice is difficult. After much thought, I have narrowed down my "Desert Island" list to a handful of performances that I simply could not live without.
We begin with an abridged version of Enzo Grimaldo's aria, "Cielo e mar" from Ponchielli's opera La Gioconda. Although The Great Caruso recorded this aria a total of three times, it is the February, 1905 Victor recording that really stands out. The youthful shimmer on the tenor's voice is breathtaking and his phrasing, breath control and display of artistic nuance are extraordinary. All in all, this is one of Caruso's finest discs and a singing lesson to ALL tenors. We can only dream of hearing this aria sung like this today...
