Also available on Blu-ray

This new release is a documentary series about the great tenors and bel canto singing in the first half of the 20th century by Jan Schmidt-Garre. With the development of sound film in the 1920s and 30s, the great tenors, such as Beniamino Gigli, Richard Tauber and Lauritz Melchior, became movie stars. Countless “singer movies” were made, but great vocal performances were also captured in documentaries and privately made movies. Using a wealth of rare restored material, this thirteen-part documentary series presents the great tenors from Enrico Caruso to Jussi Bjorling, and together with comprehensive essays, offers a deep and inspiring insight into the art of bel canto. Bel Canto – The Tenors of the 78 Era series was broadcast in thirty countries and awarded at the Columbus International Film Festival and at Classique en Images at the Louvre.

DETAILS:

Picture format: 1080i NTSC 16:9 NTSC 4:3
Sound format: PCM Stereo
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, IT, ES, JP, KR
Region code: A, B, C
No. of disc/s: 2 BD50, 1 DVD5, 2 CDs

This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

This new release is a documentary series about the great tenors and bel canto singing in the first half of the 20th century by Jan Schmidt-Garre. With the development of sound film in the 1920s and 30s, the great tenors, such as Beniamino Gigli, Richard Tauber and Lauritz Melchior, became movie stars. Countless “singer movies” were made, but great vocal performances were also captured in documentaries and privately made movies. Using a wealth of rare restored material, this thirteen-part documentary series presents the great tenors from Enrico Caruso to Jussi Bjorling, and together with comprehensive essays, offers a deep and inspiring insight into the art of bel canto. Bel Canto – The Tenors of the 78 Era series was broadcast in thirty countries and awarded at the Columbus International Film Festival and at Classique en Images at the Louvre.
DETAILS:

Picture format: 1080i NTSC 16:9 NTSC 4:3
Sound format: PCM Stereo
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, IT, ES, JP, KR
Region code: A, B, C
No. of disc/s: 2 BD50, 1 DVD5, 2 CDs

When Enrico Caruso recorded popular songs, he wasn't "crossing over." There was no producer telling him to go for the "youth market." The greatest opera star of his (or maybe any) time simply liked the stuff, in fact, he even wrote pop songs, as did many of his classical-composer contemporaries. And whether the tunes came from the opera, a Sicilian folk song, or American vaudeville, Caruso's response was the same, delivered in his colossal, golden tenor with a sincerity and enthusiasm that seemed to flow right out of the Victrola horn.
CARUSO IN SONG shows the variety of material Caruso tackled outside opera, with songs by Rossini, Tchaikovsky, and Sullivan (without Gilbert,) and a selection of popular songs, including two he wrote himself, "Tiempo antico" and "Dreams of Long Ago." Among the special highlights are a bilingual version of George M. Cohan's "Over There," which has enough brio to bowl the listener over, the favorite "O sole mio," and "Mattinata," a song by Ruggiero Leoncavallo with the composer himself at the piano.

Selections recorded 1908-1919.
Enrico Caruso is still considered the most famous operatic tenor of the 20th century. He was certainly the highest paid, and most adored singer of his time. In this fascinating recording, remastered, of course, from 78 rpms, Caruso is showcased in a series of short excerpts.
The power and beauty of his voice is evident even in these very early recordings. Spanning from 1908 through 1919, the disc captures Caruso in concert with other famous singers of the day, including Guiseppe de Luca, Luisa Tetrazzini, Geraldine Farrar, and Amelita Galli-Curci. Walter B. Rogers, Josep Pasternack, and Gaetano Sconamiglio conduct.
There are some unusual, rarely heard selections by Antonio Gomes and Friedrich Flotow, for example, as well as excerpts from the standard repertory. All in all, this is a fine compilation, a "blast from the past," as it were, that gives the listener much pleasure.

The best thing about the Caruso legend is that it's more than true. If you've never heard him, whatever you have heard about him can't do justice to how good he really was: the golden bigness of the voice, the dramatic genius and generosity of spirit that he projected. Fortunately, as the first vocal superstar of the Victrola age, he made hundreds of recordings that survive to give substance to the legend.
CARUSO IN LOVE combines favorite opera arias by Verdi, Puccini, and Donizetti with popular love songs of the period, including one by Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Caruso's friend and the composer of 'I Pagliacci.' The excellent transfers of these 78 rpm sides made for Victor between 1906 and 1920 are the result of the epic remastering project RCA undertook in the early '80s to represent the entire Caruso legacy with the best possible sound.