 The outstanding American baritone, Leonard Warren’s original family name was Warenoff. It was Americanized as Warren when his Russian father settled in the USA He was first employed in his father's fur business in New York In 1935 he joined the chorus of Radio City Music Hall. He also studied voice with Sidney Dietch and Giuseppe De Luca. In 1938 he won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air and was granted a stipend to study in Italy, where he took voice lessons with Pais and Piccozi.
Returning to America, he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in excerpts from La Traviata and Pagliacci during a concert in New York in November 1938. His formal operatic debut took place there in January 1939, when he sang Paolo in Simon Boccanegra. He quickly advanced in public favour, eventually assuming a leading place among the noted baritones of his time. He also sang in San Francisco, Chicago, Canada, and South America. He appeared at La Scala in Milan in 1953. In 1958 he made a highly successful tour of the Soviet Union. His last complete performance at the Metropolitan Opera was as Simon Boccanegra on March 1, 1960, 3 days before his tragic death.
He was particularly acclaimed as one of the foremost interpreters of the great Verdi baritone roles; he also sang the parts of Tonio in Pagliacci, Escamillo in Carmen, and Scarpia in Tosca. He collapsed while singing the aria "Urna fatale dal mio destino;" as Don Carlo during a performance of La forza del destino, underlining the tragic irony of the words, and died of a cerebral hemorrhage backstage. He was reputed to be a person of an intractable character, who always tried to impose his will on stage designers, managers, and even conductors, in matters of production, direction, and tempi. He caused pain, a colleague said, but he had a great voice. |
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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Audio remastering 24 bit / 96 kHz ADD 28/12/1957
Superb sound - unbelievable cast. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Historic recording | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Festival of Music, Vol.1Historic telecast of January 30, 1956, hosted by Charles Laughton.
Leonard Warren, Jan Peerce, Isaac Stern, Zinka Milanov, Roberta Peters, Blanche Theborn, Mildred Miller, Gregor Piatigorsky, Marian Anderson, Rise Stevens, Renata Tebaldi, Jussi Bjoerling and Arthur Rubinstein. Showcase Symphony Orchestra, Max Rudolf Includes music by Puccini, Weber and Chopin. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Rose Bampton (Alceste), René Maison (Admète), Leonard Warren (High Priest), George Cehanovsky (Herald), Alessio De Paolis (Evandre), Arthur Kent (Voice of Apollon), Marita Farell (Woman), Maxine Stellman, Helen Olheim, Wilfred Engelman (Leaders of the People) New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus, Ettore Panizza Recorded 9th March, 1941 | | | (also available to download from $16.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Jussi Björling in Concert
Beethoven: | Adelaide, Op. 46 Frederic Schauwecker (piano) | Bizet: | La fleur que tu m'avais jetée (from Carmen) Frederic Schauwecker (piano) Au fond du temple saint (from Les Pêcheurs de Perles) Robert Merrill (baritone) RCA Victor Orchestra, Renato Cellini | Brahms: | Ständchen, Op. 106 No. 1 Frederic Schauwecker (piano) | Foster, S: | I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair Frederic Schauwecker (piano) | Geehl: | For You Alone Orchestra of the Royal Opera, Stockholm, Nils Grevillius | Giordano, U: | Amor ti vieta (from Fedora) Frederic Schauwecker (piano) | Hardelot: | Because Orchestra of the Royal Opera, Stockholm, Nils Grevillius | Massenet: | Instant charmant … En fermant les yeux (from Manon) Frederic Schauwecker (piano) | Mozart: | Il mio tesoro intanto (from Don Giovanni) Frederic Schauwecker (piano) | Puccini: | E lucevan le stelle (from Tosca) Frederic Schauwecker (piano) Ah, Manon mi tradisce (from Manon Lescaut) Licia Albanese (soprano) Orchestra of Rome Opera, Jonel Perlea Ah! Non v'avvicinate! No, pazzo son (from Manon Lescaut) Franco Calabrese (bass) Orchestra of Rome Opera, Jonel Perlea | Schubert: | Frühlingsglaube, D686 Die Forelle, D550 Ständchen 'Leise flehen meine Lieder', D957 No. 4 Die böse Farbe (No. 17 from Die schöne Müllerin, D795) Frederic Schauwecker (piano) | Strauss, R: | Traum durch die Dämmerung, Op. 29 No. 1 Cäcilie, Op. 27 No. 2 Frederic Schauwecker (piano) | Tosti: | Ideale L'alba separa dalla luce l'ombra Frederic Schauwecker (piano) | Verdi: | Deserto sulla terra (from Il trovatore) Leonard Warren (baritone) RCA Victor Orchestra, Renato Cellini Ah sì ben mio (from Il trovatore) Zinka Milanov (soprano) RCA Victor Orchestra, Renato Cellini Di quella pira (from Il trovatore) Robert Shaw Chorale RCA Victor Orchestra, Renato Cellini |
Tracks with piano recorded live at Carnegie Hall, 24th September 1955; other tracks recorded 1937-55 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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“among the very finest recorded versions...Bjorling is, as ever, superb in his heroic projection...A recording to treasure...The new Regis transfer seems to give the voices marginally more presence” Penguin Guide, 2010 edition *** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | The Art of the Verdi Baritone
The privileged position of the baritone-voice in Verdi´s operas was something new at the time and developed into a vocal category of its own: the "Verdi-baritone". Verdi's baritone-roles can roughly be divided into two categories: the fathers and rulers, who are in moral conflict between the love for their children and moral and/or political duties (Rigoletto, Amonasro, Simon Boccanegra, Nabucco, Jacopo Foscari, Guido di Montfort or father Germont), and youthful men of honour and/or villains, who usually turn out to be the tenor's rival (CarIo in "Forza", Renato, Carlo V, lago. Cote di Luna). Forming part of Presier’s celebration of the 200th anniversary of Verdi, this collection is a unique and fascinating account of the performances over the years 1904-1950. | 
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| |  | Tribute to Giuseppe Verdi
Verdi: | Ben io t'invenni … Anch'io dischiuso … Salgo già (from Nabucco) Anita Cerquetti (soprano) O de ver'anni miei (from Ernani) Carlo Tagliabue (baritone) Una macchia è qui tutt'ora (from Macbeth) Margherita Grandi (soprano) Perfidi!…Pietà, rispetto, amore (from Macbeth) Leonard Warren (baritone) Quando le sere al placido (from Luisa Miller) Giacinto Prandelli (tenor) Pari siamo! (from Rigoletto) Tito Gobbi (baritone) Parmi veder le lagrime (from Rigoletto) Alfredo Kraus (tenor) Bella figlia dell'amore (from Rigoletto) Jan Peerce (tenor), Erna Berger (soprano), Nan Merriman (mezzo), Leonard Warren (baritone) Stride la vampa (from Il Trovatore) Fedora Barbieri (mezzo) Ah sì ben mio (from Il trovatore) Carlo Bergonzi (tenor) Di quella pira (from Il trovatore) Aureliano Pertile (tenor) Ah, fors'è lui che l'anima (from La Traviata) Maria Callas (soprano) Parigi, o cara (from La Traviata) Amelia Galli Curci (soprano) and Tito Schipa (tenor) Mercè, dilette amiche 'Bolero' (from I Vespri Siciliani) Joan Sutherland (soprano) Plebe! Patrizi! Popolo! (from Simon Boccanegra) Lawrence Tibbett (baritone) Re dell’abisso affretati (Un ballo in maschera) Giulietto Simionato (mezzo) Ma se m'è forza perderti (from Un ballo in maschera) Giuseppe di Stefano (tenor) La Vergine degli Angeli (from La Forza del Destino) Rosa Ponselle (soprano) and Ezio Pinza (bass O tu che in seno agli angeli (from La Forza del Destino) Franco Corelli (tenor) Dio, che nell'alma infondere (from Don Carlo) Jussi Bjorling (tenor) and Robert Merrill (baritone) Ella giammai m'amò (from Don Carlo) Cesare Siepi (bass) O don fatale (from Don Carlo) Ebe Stignani (mezzo) Celeste Aida (from Aida) Mario del Monaco (tenor) O patria mia (from Aida) Zinka Milanov (soprano) Si, pel ciel (from Otello) Enrico Caruso (tenor), Titta Ruffo (baritone) Dio, mi potevi scagliar tutti i mali (from Otello) Lauritz Melchior (tenor) Ave Maria (from Otello) Renata Tebaldi (soprano) L'onore! Ladri! (from Falstaff) Giuseppe Taddei (baritone) |
To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi, Preiser Records is delighted to offer this 2 CD digipack at a special price. A Tribute to GIUSEPPE VERDI features iconic recordings of his most famous works and recordings from various labels over the period 1914-1962. A true collectors’ edition. |
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| |  | Verdissimo II: Simon Boccanegra (1939)
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