GIGLI, Beniamino: Gigli Edition, Vol. 5: New York Recordings (1927-1928)

The present volume is the fifth in a series devoted to Beniamino Gigli’s ‘singles’ – his song and aria recordings not issued as part of complete opera sets. The aim of the series is to include every Gigli recording released at the time, as well as every published alternative take and, wherever available, unpublished takes. The sides here are presented in the order in which they were recorded. For this Naxos series, restoration engineer Mark Obert-Thorn has remastered his original, critically-acclaimed Romophone transfers, cleaning them up further and re-doing some tracks in their entirety. Of special note in this fifth volume are Gigli’s portrayal of Edgardo from Lucia di Lammermoor, a role he sang 21 times at the Metropolitan Opera and arias from Mignon sung in Italian.

Tracklist

Bizet, Georges
Cormon, Eugene - Lyricist
Carré, Michel - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
De Luca, Giuseppe (baritone)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
1 Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Act I: Del tempio al limitar 04:27
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
De Luca, Giuseppe (baritone)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
Ponchielli, Amilcare
Gorrio, Tobia - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
De Luca, Giuseppe (baritone)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
2 Enzo Grimaldo, Principe di Santafior! 04:30
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
De Luca, Giuseppe (baritone)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
3 Enzo Grimaldo, Principe di Santafior! (alternative take) 04:25
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
De Luca, Giuseppe (baritone)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
Donizetti, Gaetano
Cammarano, Salvadore - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Pinza, Ezio (bass)
Metropolitan Opera Chorus (Choir)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra)
Setti, Giulio (Conductor)
4 Tombe degl'avi miei 05:01
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Pinza, Ezio (bass)
Metropolitan Opera Chorus (Choir)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra)
Setti, Giulio (Conductor)
5 Giusto cielo, rispondete 03:56
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Pinza, Ezio (bass)
Metropolitan Opera Chorus (Choir)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra)
Setti, Giulio (Conductor)
6 Tu che a Dio spiegasti I'ali 04:27
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Pinza, Ezio (bass)
Metropolitan Opera Chorus (Choir)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra)
Setti, Giulio (Conductor)
7 Tombe degl'avi miei (alternative take) 04:46
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra)
Setti, Giulio (Conductor)
8 Giusto cielo, rispondete (alternative take) 03:54
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Pinza, Ezio (bass)
Metropolitan Opera Chorus (Choir)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra)
Setti, Giulio (Conductor)
9 Tu che a Dio spiegasti I'ali (alternative take) 04:27
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Pinza, Ezio (bass)
Metropolitan Opera Chorus (Choir)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra)
Setti, Giulio (Conductor)
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Galli-Curci, Amelita (soprano)
Homer, Louise (mezzo-soprano)
Bada, Angelo (tenor)
De Luca, Giuseppe (baritone)
Pinza, Ezio (bass)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra)
Setti, Giulio (Conductor)
10 Lucia di Lammermoor, Act II: Chi mi frena in tal momento? 04:24
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Galli-Curci, Amelita (soprano)
Homer, Louise (mezzo-soprano)
Bada, Angelo (tenor)
De Luca, Giuseppe (baritone)
Pinza, Ezio (bass)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra)
Setti, Giulio (Conductor)
Verdi, Giuseppe
Piave, Francesco Maria - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Galli-Curci, Amelita (soprano)
Homer, Louise (mezzo-soprano)
De Luca, Giuseppe (baritone)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra)
Setti, Giulio (Conductor)
11 Rigoletto, Act III: Bella figlia dell'amore 04:12
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Galli-Curci, Amelita (soprano)
Homer, Louise (mezzo-soprano)
De Luca, Giuseppe (baritone)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra)
Setti, Giulio (Conductor)
12 Rigoletto, Act III: Bella figlia dell'amore (alternative take) 04:26
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Galli-Curci, Amelita (soprano)
Homer, Louise (mezzo-soprano)
De Luca, Giuseppe (baritone)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra)
Setti, Giulio (Conductor)
Mascagni, Pietro
Targioni-Tozzetti, Giovanni - Lyricist
Menasci, Guido - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Metropolitan Opera Chorus (Choir)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra)
Setti, Giulio (Conductor)
13 Cavalleria rusticana: Viva il vino spumeggiante (Brindisi) 03:42
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Metropolitan Opera Chorus (Choir)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (Orchestra)
Setti, Giulio (Conductor)
Verdi, Giuseppe
Piave, Francesco Maria - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
14 La traviata, Act II: De' miei bollenti spiriti 04:16
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
Thomas, Ambroise
Carré, Michel - Lyricist
Barbier, Jules - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
15 Mignon, Act III: Ah, non credevi tu 04:04
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
16 Mignon, Act II: Addio, Mignon, fa core 03:07
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
Meyerbeer, Giacomo
Scribe, Augustin-Eugène - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
17 L'Africaine, Act IV: O paradiso 03:50
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
De Curtis, Ernesto
Nicolardi, Eduardo - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
18 Voce 'e notte 03:44
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
De Curtis, Ernesto
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)
19 Canta pe' me 03:27
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Rosario Bourdon Orchestra (Orchestra)
Bourdon, Rosario (Conductor)

Total Playing Time: 01:19:05