Corsican tenor César Vezzani (1888-1951) was the owner of a bright, shining, virile voice that sailed easily up to high-Bs and Cs with musicality, grace, and expressivity. His sound is robust yet lyrical, and while the gleaming tone is admirable and exciting, I recommend listening to this CD in sections–the brightness and forward placement are very in-your-face. Vezzani also is capable of singing softly and caressing a phrase or tone, as in the Manon excerpts, but for the most part his is an extroverted talent. The excerpts here from Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète are thrilling; the Otello (in French, as are all the selections) is deeply felt and delivered with ardor; and the four arias from Reyer’s Sigurd make you want to hear the entire opera. The recordings were made between 1912 and 1925 and there is no falling off of either power or range in the 13 years; Vezzani sang until 1948 when he suffered a stroke. The sound is as good as could be expected, given the years. An important tenor; a fine 79-minute recording.
