Popular Songs - Beniamino Gigli (2 CDs) (EMI)

Naples' Musical Heart is here!!!.

Beniamino Gigli (1890 - 1957) was one of the greatest all times tenors. He can be compared with Enrico Caruso, Tito Schipa or more recent late Luciano Pavarotti.
My grandmother told me of the commotion this tenor produced in Buenos Aires when performing in 1919. For her he was the greatest of all the tenors that sang at the Colon Opera Theater.

He was a major opera singer, but what Italian tenor could resist singing Neapolitan popular songs? No one. Least of all Mr. Gigli (even if he was born in a different province).
Here we are able to hear a complete selection of "canzzonetas", 46 of them nothing less!
Beniamino's open heart is here, in each song we can feel his soul flowing from his extraordinary voice.

I was looking for some other CD when I came across this collection and recalled my grandma's advice. I asked to hear it and was overwhelmed by his charisma, even if some songs are recorded with old technology, they do not lose quality.

Neapolitan "canzzonetas" make room for different moods: love songs, joy and festive songs, nostalgic songs, wine songs, nature loving songs. Here you'll be able to enjoy all of them.

Special mention in this two CD collection must be done for "a' Canzone E Napule", "Cuore `ngrato", "Tu sei la Vita Mia" and "Sto Penzanno a Maria", they are not the most popular as "O Sole Mio" or "Marechiare", but Gigli's voice and sentiment reach deep quality.
Enjoy this CD.
Ecco qui e Napule!!!!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

October 25, 2007

A pity about the sound quality.

Admirers of this famous tenor who wish to acquire a generous selection of his non-operatic recordings might think this double CD set might satisfy on all counts. It certainly provides familiar and unfamiliar, early and late recordings. There are some rarities here, and a full listing of recording details. The big drawback, however, is the sound quality. The remastering was done in the early days of Cedar processing. Somehow, the combination of Gigli's golden voice and the Cedar noise reduction process proved incompatible. While listening, I often responded as to fingernails being scraped over a blackboard, and no amount of knob twiddling could remedy the trouble.

The source material, however, includes some great recordings. If you think you have heard everything "Santa Lucia" has to offer, you'll find unguessed depths and detail in the way Gigli does it here with an accompaniment in charge of Sir John Barbirolli. "La Spagnola" has irresistible verve. The recordings are from 1918 to 1949. March 5, 2003

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