Leoncavallo: Si può? (from I Pagliacci) (Prologue)

Born in 1911, the French baritone Michel Dens had a long and successful career.

His early career was in the world of opera but he later sang in many operettas.

This collection includes arias which he perfomed at an event given in his honour in Marseilles in 1986.

Arias from the legendary Sunday concerts from 1966, 1972, 1988 and 1992.

His Papageno was historic and turned Hermann Prey into the most popular opera singer in Germany. This CD contains a collection of hitherto unpublished recordings made during the legendary Sunday Concerts with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester from 1966 to 1992. In a representative series of roles ranging from Bach to musicals, the great baritone shows us all his facets: from the sensitivity of the comic actor to the intense, inmost sincerity of the Lieder performer. At a time when the opera was still an integral part of Germany's media landscape, Hermann Prey made it impressively clear that a broad repertoire and depth of interpretation are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Prey ends this CD with a performance of “They say falling in love is wonderful”, inviting us to fall in love with his art yet again.

This Catalan baritone was famous for roles such as Figaro in the Barber of Seville. He made his debut at the Teatro Liceu in a performance of “Anna Bolena” to mark the centennial of the house. He remained there for 23 seasons but made guest appearances in other opera houses. He was very popular in South America and was a highly popular zarzuela singer in addition to his operatic career.

The German baritone Josef Metternich (1915-2005) sang with the Cologne and Bonn choruses, before making his solo debut in 1941 with the Berlin State Opera in Lohengrin. His career was delayed by the war, it really took off in 1946, when he was able to return to the opera stage and was re-engaged at the “Berlin Städtische Oper”, where he appeared in roles such as Jago, Alfio, Simone, Pizarro, Escamillo, Figaro (Rossini), and Amonasro.

Metternich made his debut at Covent Garden in 1951, as Flying Dutchman. From 1952 until 1959 he was a member of the Vienna State Opera and appeared at La Scala, the Grand Opéra of Paris and the Edinburgh Festival. From 1953 until 1956 hejoined the Met, where he debuted as Don Carlos (La forza del destino).

Carlo Guelfi was born in Rome and began his studies with his uncle. He won an international vocal competition and immediately embarked on a brilliant international career. Having sung at all of the world’s major opera houses, he is regarded today as one of the best Italian singers and as one of the most outstanding baritones world-wide.