Massenet: O dolce incanto …Chiudi gli occhi (Manon)

By and large Gigli kept faith with those pieces he most enjoyed singing and that his public adored. ‘It was only through my audiences that this exercise of lungs, diaphragm and vocal cords became transmuted for me into a profound spiritual experience. Like a squirrel counting his hoard of nuts in the winter, I treasure their applause in my memory.’