IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, Rossini – Largo al factotum
LA TRAVIATA, Verdi – Di provenza il mar
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA, Verdi – Eri tu
TANNHÄUSER, Wagner – O du mein holder Abendstern
HÉRODIADE, Massenet – Vision fugitive
PAGLIACCI, Leoncavallo – Si può (Prologue)
THE NURSERY, Musorgsky
I With Nurse (Tell Me a Story)
III The cockchafer (The Beetle)
IV With the Doll (Dolly’s Lullaby)
V Going to Sleep (Prayer at Bedtime)
VI On the hobby-horse (The Hobby Horseman)
VII The cat Sailor (No, You Don’t! Pussy)
Shostakovitch – Song of the United Nations
Malotte – Song of the Open Road
Speaks – Sylvia
Sieczynski – Vienna City of my Dreams
Seaver – Just for Today
Bach – Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
Clark-Hall – The Blind Ploughman
Denza – Had You But Known
Malotte – The Lord’s Prayer
From the middle of the 19th Century Americans have been inordinately proud of their native-born singers, and in particular of their baritones. From the
concert platform to oratorio, opera, operetta, musical comedy, countless movies and Broadway musicals,
the American baritone, with his persuasive and virile vocal tone no doubt the result of the great cultural and
ethnic mix that makes up the United States, has been a mainstay of musical America. All the more unlikely
then that a young baritone from the Ukraine would became one of the most recognised and loved voices
on record and radio, in opera and recital. The previous Prima Voce CD issue devoted to Igor
Gorin (NI 7937) featured him in unusual operatic excerpts recorded in the 1930’s. We can now hear him
singing two familiar arias, recorded when he was in his early 50’s, capturing his marginally darker and
more mature tones. Gorin’s reputation as a recitalist was legendary
and together with operatic arias he always gave his audiences a selection of art-songs, ballads and folk
melodies, some of which are featured here. These two compilations that are now available
contain items from Gorin’s most popular repertoire and surely do justice to claims that his is one of the
most attractive baritone voices ever to have recorded.
