Falvo: Guapparia

José Carreras returns to his roots with a Mediterranean song album, featuring popular and rare traditional songs from the Mediterranean, music from Spain and Italy.

Be it Neapolitan composers such as Eduardo Di Capua and Vincenzo D'Annibale, or a native of Catalonia like Josep Ribas – they have all translated the Mediterranean joie de vivre into music in their canzoni and songs. Many of these have become popular the world over, and have been a vital part of every great tenor's repertoire since Caruso's day In the 30 plus years of his international career, José Carreras has made these a fundamental part of his repertoire. Now he returns to his roots with his new album, Mediterranean Passion. "These are songs from my native Catalonia", says Carreras. "Songs that always move me when I hear them. And there are songs from Italy that I came to love at an early age." Among the 15 songs that Carreras has recorded with the Ambassade Orchestra of Vienna under the baton of David Giménez, we find Vincenzo D'Annibale's (1894-1950) O paese d'o sole, which takes its inspiration from Neapolitan folk music. Josep Ribas (1882/83-1934) contributes the famous aria Rosó from his opera Pel teu amor of 1922. Opera and folk music have always had a strong influence on each other in Italy, as can be clearly heard in the canzone Fenesta che lucive by bel canto pioneer Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835). In addition to classics like Lazzaro's Chitarra Romana, Carreras has also selected pieces by lesser-known composers such as Gaetano Lama (1868-1950) and Salvatore Gambardella (1873-1913). As one of two bonus tracks, José Carreras sings Solamente una vez by the Mexican Augustin Lara (1896-1970), in which he is partnered by the Cuban-American pop star Gloria Estefan.

Domenico Balzani is from Sardinia and has a degree in Politics and Economics, as well as singing. He has sung under many well-known conductors and performed in many important venues. The role of Figaro in The Barber of Seville is one he has performed in many theatres. Here he performs Neapolitan songs including classics such as O sole mio and Core ‘ngrato.

Franco Corelli began his stage career in Italy in 1951. With his powerful voice, charismatic stage presence and film-star good looks he soon became one of the 20th century’s outstanding operatic superstars.

He first came to prominence when he sang opposite Maria Callas at La Scala, Milan, in a production of La vestale in 1954. He subsequently partnered Callas at La Scala in Fedora and Poliuto and later appeared with her at the end of her stage career in Norma in Paris in 1964 and Tosca in New York in 1965.

Corelli made a spectacular debut at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, in January 1961 in Verdi’s Il trovatore. He quickly became the Met’s leading tenor and performed there every season until 1974.

He recorded extensively for EMI throughout the 1960s, when he made a number of complete operas as well as several albums of operatic arias and songs.

This 4 CD set brings together the best of Corelli’s EMI recordings. From his operatic catalogue come a substantial number of arias, as well as duets with Birgit Nilsson, Mirella Freni, Antonietta Stella and Gabriella Tucci.

The operatic composers whose works are included in the set are Bellini, Donizetti, Catalani, Ponchielli, Cilea, Massenet, Gounod, Meyerbeer, Verdi, Puccini, Giordano, Mascagni and Leoncavallo, and some of the operas represented are Turandot, I puritani, Norma, Un ballo in maschera, Il trovatore, La forza del destino, Aida, Roméo et Juliette, Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci.

In addition to the operatic material, there are a large number of songs, including popular Neapolitan titles such as ‘Core ’ngrato’, ‘Torna a Surriento’ and ‘’O sole mio’, plus other items like ‘Granada’, Schubert’s Ave Maria and the Ingemisco from Verdi’s Requiem.

This album also includes a song recorded in Milan in 1961: ‘Si tu m’amais’ by Luigi Denza, that has never been issued either on LP or on CD since its initial release only in Italy in 1962 on a 45 rpm single.