Throughout the 1950s baritone Leonard Warren, a dedicated musician with high standards and a powerful personality, held sway at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, until his tragic death on stage, on 4 March 1960, having just completed Morir, tremenda cosa (To die, a momentous thing) from La forza del destino. His remarkable artistry, rich tone allied with clear enunciation, and sheer musicality made him a leading exponent not only of the operatic repertoire but also of popular music, as in these recordings of ballads, songs and shanties laid down during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Warren can also be heard on Naxos Historical in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci (8.110258), and Verdi’s Rigoletto (8.110148-49), Aida (8.111042–44) and Il trovatore (8.110240–41).