This CD features a series of arias each sung by two tenors–a very entertaining and enlightening exercise. If I had to generalize, I’d say that Mario del Monaco makes the least favorable impression despite the obvious glories of his trumpet-like, thrilling voice: he aspirates throughout “Celeste Aida” (“Cel-h’ste h’Aida”) and elsewhere and he very rarely changes his dynamic range, which is mezzo-forte and up. Caruso, of course, is remarkable. He seems to sing with no effort or guile whatsoever, the sound is always beautiful, each note is produced cleanly and evenly, and you need only listen to his phrasing in “Celeste Aida” to realize what’s off about del Monaco.
Caruso’s “E lucevan le stelle” is stunning–however it can’t compare with Giuseppe di Stefano’s. The latter is caught here very early in his career, and he sings with utter honesty, gorgeous tone, and with an unbeatable ability to sing softly and gracefully. He takes the high-C in Faust’s aria full voice and manages a diminuendo that ends in a whisper. Elsewhere, neither Caruso nor del Monaco manages the soft ending to the “Flower Song”, but Caruso sings through the aria tenderly. At any rate, you get the point: this is great entertainment for tenor-watchers. The accompanying booklet contains some worthwhile information.
