The years 1918-1919
were momentous for the world as well
as for Caruso’s personal and professional
life, all being inexorably intertwined.
World War I had a profound
effect on the singer’s professional
life. Since the spring of 1915 he had
made no appearances in England, France
or Germany. Whilst depending on his
work at the ‘Met’ and his recordings
for the major component of his income,
he added recital work in South America
as a substitute for his lost European
opportunities. When America entered
the War in 1917, on the side of England,
France and Italy, the singer threw himself
into support of the cause. There were
benefit concerts and recordings of patriotic
songs such as ‘Over There’(tr. 5) and
‘Le Regiment’ (tr. 11) for the English
and French speakers. ‘Inno di Garibaldi’
(tr. 9) and ‘La Campana’ (tr. 10) gave
spirit to his fellow Italians. None
of these items are great music and all
are well within the man’s vocal compass.
Caruso was then at the height of his
powers with a rich, warm, wide-ranging
tenor, which while having a baritonal
hue, was capable of light tone (tr.
12) and mezza voce honeyed head
voice (tr. 6).
The 1918-1919 season
at the ‘Met’ saw his first performance
there in Verdi’s ‘La Forza del Destino’.
The duet included here, recorded the
previous July, is a foretaste of that
event. Rather than the standard ‘Solenne
in quest’ora’, we have the later confrontation
when Don Alvaro faces the fact that
Don Carlo has discovered his true identity
and wishes to fight him to the death
(tr. 4). The singing of both Caruso
and de Luca is of the highest quality
of tone, expression and characterisation,
although it has to be said that the
conducting does not have the same distinction.
The other operatic
items, ‘Venti Scudi’ (tr. 14), again
with de Luca, and the Samson trio ‘Je
viens célébrer’ (tr. 13),
with the firm tones of Louise Homer
and Marcel Journet show Caruso as a
very fine ‘team’ player, interacting
vocally with his colleagues. The disc
concludes with four ‘Neapolitan Songs’
recorded in September 1919 after the
singer’s return from introducing his
new wife to his estate in Italy; not
an entirely happy visit as Italy was
in something approaching Marxist revolutionary
fervour at the time. It might have been
relief, or joy in matrimony, but the
ease of vocalisation and delicacy of
phrasing of these relatively light trifles
is a delight and a fitting conclusion
to this interesting and varied disc
(trs. 15-18).
Robert J Farr