GIGLI, Beniamino: Gigli Edition, Vol. 15: Carnegie Hall Farewell Recitals (1955)

This final volume of the Naxos Gigli Edition, released to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the great tenor�s death, is taken from his Carnegie Hall farewell concerts in April, 1955. Making their first appearance on CD here, these recordings demonstrate that Gigli remained to the end his old, communicative self, still able to pour an immense tranche of emotion into whatever he was singing. For a man his age the overall sound is still remarkable and the honeyed mezza-voce remains a delight, untouched by the passing years. As ever in a Gigli programme, operatic titles are intertwined with more popular material. By and large Gigli kept faith with those pieces he most enjoyed singing and that his public adored. �It was only through my audiences that this exercise of lungs, diaphragm and vocal cords became transmuted for me into a profound spiritual experience. Like a squirrel counting his hoard of nuts in the winter, I treasure their applause in my memory.�

Tracklist

Meyerbeer, Giacomo
Scribe, Augustin-Eugène - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
1 L'Africana (L'Africaine), Act IV: Mi batte il cor … O paradiso 03:00
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Caccini, Giulio
Guarini, Alessandro - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
2 Amarilli, mia bella 02:29
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Donaudy, Stefano
Donaudy, Alberto - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
3 O del mio amato ben (O my beloved) 03:33
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Handel, George Frideric
Minato, Nicolò - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
4 Serse (Xerxes), HWV 40, Act I: Frondi tenere e belle … Ombra mai fu, "Largo" 03:15
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Massenet, Jules
Gille, Philippe - Lyricist
Meilhac, Henri - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
5 Manon, Act II: Chiudo gli occhi (En fermant les yeux), "Le Reve" 03:08
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Wagner, Richard
Wagner, Richard - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
6 Lohengrin, Act I: Merce, merce, cigno gentil (Nun sei bedankt, mein lieber Schwan!) 01:34
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Grieg, Edvard
Bodenstedt, Friedrich - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
7 6 Songs, Op. 48: No. 6. Un reve (Sung in French) 02:21
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Weston, Paul
Russell, Bob - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
8 Reviens mon amour, "Tristesse" (arr. of Chopin's Etude No. 3 in E Major, Op. 10, No. 3) 02:13
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Massenet, Jules
Blau, Edouard - Lyricist
Hartmann, Georges - Lyricist
Milliet, Paul - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
9 Werther, Act III: Ah! Non mi ridestar (Pourquoi me reveiller?) 02:35
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Gomes, Carlos
Paravicini, Rodolfo - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
10 Lo Schiavo, Act II: All'istante partir … Quando nascesti tu 03:15
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Puccini, Giacomo
Giacosa, Giuseppe - Lyricist
Illica, Luigi - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
11 Tosca, Act III: E lucevan le stelle … O dolci baci 02:23
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Weckerlin, Jean Baptiste
Traditional - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
12 Bergere legere 01:19
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Da Ponte, Lorenzo - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
13 Don Giovanni, K. 527, Act I: Dalla sua pace 03:38
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Curci, Giuseppe
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
14 Notte a Venezia 01:39
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Carnevali, Vito
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
15 Come, love with me 02:18
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Curran, Pearl Gildersleeve
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
16 Life 01:44
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Crescenzo, Vincenzo de
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
17 Rondine al nido 02:38
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
De Curtis, Ernesto
Bovio, Libero - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
18 Addio, bel sogno 03:08
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Di Veroli, Manlio
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
19 Ritorna amore 02:52
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Bixio, Cesare Andrea
Cherubini, Bixio - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
20 Mamma 02:54
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Capua, Eduardo di
Capurro, Giovanni - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
21 O sole mio 01:36
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
Puccini, Giacomo
Zangarini, Carlo - Lyricist
Civinini, Guelfo - Lyricist
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)
22 La Fanciulla del West, Act III: Ch'ella mi creda libero e lontano 02:05
Gigli, Beniamino (tenor)
Fedri, Dino (piano)

Total Playing Time: 55:37