Falvo: Dicitencello vuie

Legendary tenor José Carreras performed the evening of music recorded here at the Vienna State Opera in September 1988 as a musical “thank you” to all the Austrians who had supported him in his fight over the previous year against the potentially lethal condition of leukaemia. The pianist is at this very special concert was Vincenzo Scalera, and the repertoire encompasses Fauré, Massenet, Turina, Liszt, Puccini, Tosti and more.

Jose Carreras was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1987, and was only given a 10% chance of survival. However, as a result of an iron will, a positive outlook and good fortune, he gradually regained his health, and went on to produce the best selling series of “Three Tenors” recordings alongside Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. During 1988 he appeared in a series of comeback concerts including this one that took place on 16 September in Vienna.

Marc Hervieux has dedicated his third ATMA CD to Neapolitan songs. He delivers superb renditions of these favourite songs assisted by some superb musicians such as pianist and arranger Louise-André Baril, violinist François Pilon, guitarist Daniel Bolshoy and flautist Marie-André.

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.

Audio Restoration Engineer: Mark Obert-Thorn

One of the most charismatic stars of the post-war operatic stage, the Italian tenor Giuseppe Di Stefano made numerous recordings, and was especially renowned as the performing partner of the equally fiery soprano, Maria Callas.

Having earned a precarious living as a singer of popular songs in Milan during World War Two, Di Stefano was also a highly accomplished singer of lighter music.

This experience, allied with the natural richness of his tenor voice, made him a master of the Neapolitan Song, as may be heard in this collection of his recordings of the cream of the repertoire, made at the peak of his career.

“Was it Giuseppe Di Stefano’s spontaneity and involvement in what he was singing which attracted so many collectors to his recordings? If one listens to his early 78s, one hears a third quality: the sheer beauty of his lyric tenor…Those recordings have been reissued a number of times and should be on the shelf of all who love the singing voice.” International Record Review

During his short career during the 1950s, Maltese tenor Paul Asciak (now in his mid-80s) was noted by critics and the public, both here and in Italy, for possessing a voice of heroic tone; best described as a strong lirico spinto which verged towards a tenor drammatico towards the end of his career. His singing throughout a decade of activity (he retired from public performance in 1961) was elegant, well-phrased, focused and produced with assurance of pitch and tone.