Described by Jean de Reszke as ‘the true redeemer of bel canto singing’, the Irish tenor John McCormack (1884–1945) had an extensive operatic career in his early years, singing at Covent Garden and both the Manhattan and Metropolitan opera houses in New York. Many of the arias from his early rôles, including excerpts from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Bizet’s Carmen, Gounod’s Faust, Delibes’s Lakmé, Verdi’s La Traviata and Puccini’s La Bohème, are featured on this CD. Along with the operatic items there are many beloved Irish songs, including such favourites as I Hear You Calling Me, The Snowy Breasted Pearl and My Lagan Love.