Enrico Caruso (1906) - La Bohème: Che gelida manina

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16 жыл бұрын

From 11th February 1906, NY.
This appears to be the only recording of Che gelida manina Caruso ever did.
Transposed down a semi-tone to G - Caruso was at the time not comfortable with high notes.
You may want to look at my website for more Caruso info: www.enrocicaruso.dk (English and Danish).
An anecdote: The Australian soprano Nellie Melba was notorius for her ruthlessness and coldness. Performing with her in La Bohème Caruso, as a joke, pressed a hot sausage into her hand that he'd hidden in his pocket as he sang "Che gelida manina, se la lasci riscaldar."("What a cold little hand, let me warm it"). She had considered Caruso coarse and uncultivated and this, of course, only confirmed that ...
Rodolfo's aria from Puccini's opera La Bohème.
Italian text:
Che gelida manina,
se la lasci riscaldar.
Cercar che giova?
Al buio non si trova.
Ma per fortuna
é una notte di luna,
e qui la luna
l'abbiamo vicina.
Aspetti, signorina,
le dirò con due parole
chi son, e che faccio,
come vivo. Vuole?
Chi son? Sono un poeta.
Che cosa faccio? Scrivo.
E come vivo? Vivo.
In povertà mia lieta
scialo da gran signore
rime ed inni d'amore.
Per sogni e per chimere
e per castelli in aria,
l'anima ho milionaria.
Talor dal mio forziere
ruban tutti i gioelli
due ladri, gli occhi belli.
V'entrar con voi pur ora,
ed i miei sogni usati
e i bei sogni miei,
tosto si dileguar!
Ma il furto non m'accora,
poiché, poiché v'ha preso stanza
la speranza!
Or che mi conoscete,
parlate voi, deh! Parlate. Chi siete?
Vi piaccia dir!
English translation:
What a frozen little hand,
let me warm it for you.
What's the use of looking?
We won't find it in the dark.
But luckily
it's a moonlit night,
and the moon
is near us here.
Wait, mademoiselle,
I will tell you in two words
who I am, what I do,
and how I live. May I?
Who am I? I am a poet.
What do I do? I write.
And how do I live? I live.
In my carefree poverty
I squander rhymes
and love songs like a lord.
When it comes to dreams and visions
and castles in the air,
I've the soul of a millionaire.
From time to time two thieves
steal all the jewels
out of my safe, two pretty eyes.
They came in with you just now,
and my customary dreams
my lovely dreams,
melted at once into thin air!
But the theft doesn't anger me,
for their place has been
taken by hope!
Now that you know all about me,
you tell me who you are.

Пікірлер: 82

@autumnleaves2766 6 жыл бұрын

An amazing voice coming to us from 112 years ago, great to hear. Thanks for posting.

@markhh 12 жыл бұрын

It's remarkable how natural Caruso sounds on his acoustical recordings (he didn't live to see the advent of the microphone). It's as if the acoustics of his voice and those of the recording horn were made for each other. Pure golden luck for his listeners then and now.

@claradelano4152 6 жыл бұрын

THE VOCALS COME OUT LIKE A RAMBLING BROOK. NO THOUGHTS JUST GIFT FROM GOD

@tomfroekjaer 14 жыл бұрын

Yes, Joel, if one opens ones ears and soul and actually listens, there are so many great singers/tenors for Mankind to be proud of !!! Tom

@1906sfjd 12 жыл бұрын

This is heartbreaking beautiful. There are some marvelous Rodolfo's - I love DiStefano's - but this is so sublime, so in tune with the emotion of Rodolfo confessing his infatuation with Mimi. In addition to his extraordinary vocal gifts, Caruso's connection to the heart of the story and character set him apart from the others. His interpretations of virtually every Italian aria stand at, or near, the pinnacle.

@tenorschofield 12 жыл бұрын

The great Caruso, never surpased!!Bravooo!!!!

@anthonynevitt7366 4 жыл бұрын

Great recording! I’m glad to hear the original orchestra.

@calla4711 13 жыл бұрын

Danke Tom für so viele Jahre Enthusiasmus und Leidenschaft mit dem Zusammentragen aller Schätze von Caruso. Nach wie vor liebe ich Gigli und auch die Aufnahme dieses Stücks von Björling ist wunderbar und so brillant, sodass mir das Herz aufgeht. Viele deiner Schätze kann man in Deutschland in youtube nun nicht mehr abhören...wie schade und ärgerlich.

@rnhealer6044 3 жыл бұрын

Caruso had such passionate, beautiful voice, I wish he had lived at a time when longer pieces could have been recorded. It was too bad that he hurt his instrument smoking. Later recordings made lacked the crispness of some of his notes. He was great

@chakani0001 14 жыл бұрын

Thank you for posting the lyrics. It makes the song so much more enjoyable. It makes these lines so much more poignant when he soars: Talor dal mio forziere ruban tutti i gioelli due ladri, gli occhi belli

@tomfroekjaer 15 жыл бұрын

I like many tenors, but for me he's the greatest of them all. Could we hear him as he sounded live, I think almost everybody would agree.

@juanprc10 4 жыл бұрын

Magnificent breath control.

@tomfroekjaer 16 жыл бұрын

Another great anecdote! Pls keep them coming!

@joelweisberg 14 жыл бұрын

@tomfroekjaer Well said tomfroe! I agree 100%. So many wonderful tenors. Each different but all so enjoyable. Bravo.

@joseforgione8946 10 жыл бұрын

Caruso es Caruso, se imaginan si con estas grabaciones tan limitadas se escucha así, cómo sería hoy día?

@kirkp7470 5 жыл бұрын

He'd be a billionaire today. He is so far above current singers.

@thomasborgsmidt9801 5 жыл бұрын

Caruso was never comfortable with the high notes - but his voice was so lovely that you live with it. Just listen to low notes that still carries.

@hiyadroogs 14 жыл бұрын

@Lovelytenor1 It should always be borne in mind, that Caruso & other singers of the period, had to sing these live, in one take. If they made a mistake, or a note didn't quite come off, the entire aria had to be sung again in its entirety. Unlike today, splicing from many different takes or editing was impossible. It's very possible that Caruso may have had to sing these aria's 10 or 15 times before everyone was happy with the result! That can take the spontaneity & stamina out of any voice!

@Tadpoletofrogs 12 жыл бұрын

@jgraif same answer for both questions,basically he did push or force his voice.caruso was known probably more than most singers to have an extreme high level of emotional outpouring when he sang,which in turn caused him to push and which would make his voice darker and heavier making it harder to singer those higher notes. with his fantastically produced voice made him the king of singing.

@joelweisberg 14 жыл бұрын

@tomfroekjaer Agreed Tom. I'm a singer and pianist in Chicago for 35 years. Mid way thru I went back to school to study opera. I saw the 3 tenors in 1990 and it became a passion to sing Puccini and speak Italian. The results are on You Tube. Just enter my stage name Joel Barry. I sing Nessun Dorma to a track. It was a family party 11 yrs ago. It was put up by a cousin and she gave it the title. I'm a tenor too, and 65 yrs OLD! Love those Italian tenors!!!!

@ShawDAMAN 16 жыл бұрын

Nice post and that's hilarious about the sausage :D

@MusicalTenor23 13 жыл бұрын

He's technique is great! I don't hear the real sound or the stereo type or digital but its really great!!

@oronzcan1 11 жыл бұрын

ma com'è possibile che in una delle più belle opere di un italiano (G.Puccini) cantata dalla voce-tenore più commovente di tutti i temi (il Grande Caruso) ci siano solo commenti stranieri? italiani, riprendiamoci la lirica. la musica nel mondo è italiana!

@Valentino_Cammarelle 5 жыл бұрын

oronz cana la maggior parte degli italiani purtroppo non apprezza quest’arte...

@ziobala 4 жыл бұрын

per fortuna che è vissuto in un'epoca in cui era già possibile incidere dischi, peccato che non sentono benissimo

@tomfroekjaer 12 жыл бұрын

@patriotted001 It is indeed the only recording he made of Che Gelida Manina. And a most beautiful rendition it is indeed. He later recorded several highlights from La Bohème together with other great artists (Nellie Melba, Antonio Scotti, Geraldine Farrar, Gina Viafora), but never again alone.

@gaytenor 12 жыл бұрын

How true! A dark voice and full top notes does not a dramatic tenor make. Jan Peerce had an exceptionally dark voice and ringing top notes but he was a lyric tenor who just happened to have an unusually even scale. Bjorling another lyric tenor like Peerce could sing very strongly in the lower register. Currently we have two lyrico spintos with dark middle voices in Kaufmann and Alvarez and NO TRUE DRAMATIC TENORS. ITS AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE VOICE TYPE.

@tomfroekjaer 12 жыл бұрын

@markhh Yes, somehow his voice was reproduced quite well when singing into a primitive funnel. At least we can get an inkling of what his voice sounded like. According to - long deceased, of course - people who heard him sing live the 78 recordings represent about 50% of what he really sounded like.

@chessiepique9532 8 жыл бұрын

The other day I was trying to explain to a friend why I like Caruso so much. My friend said, "In pop music, that's called soul." Okay, so ... Caruso has a lot of soul for a white boy. :-)

@margaretjiantonio939 2 жыл бұрын

Passion is another word too.

@tomfroekjaer 14 жыл бұрын

@joelweisberg: Rafael Moras is really impressive ! Beautiful lyrical tenor reminding me of Gigli or Björling - his soars just like them ! - You know how to pick them !

@tomfroekjaer 13 жыл бұрын

@jgraif: ANSWER PART 1 of 2: Hello, Joseph. This is Tom who uploaded this aria. I am not an expert on singing, but I believe it was recorded in a lower key than the original. It does seem, however, that Puccini didn't object to that as long as the soul of the music was communicated.

@smemr 3 жыл бұрын

Hello Tom. I enjoyed your website and appreciate your uploading these recordings. I read that Caruso auditioned the number for Puccini early in his career and asked him if he could transpose it down because he "had a little trouble with the high note". Puccini said "yes, that too many tenors save themselves for the high note and sing the rest badly." Puccini was delighted with Caruso's rendition. Given the power and sturdiness of the high B here it is hard to believe he had any trouble with the C. Thanks again.

@tomfroekjaer 3 жыл бұрын

@@smemr Yes, he auditioned for La Bohème in 1897 and apparently said to Puccini that had troubles with the high C and Puccini responded as you write. Puccini is also quoted for having mumbled "Who sent you to me. God?". Unlike tenors like Björling or Gigli Caruso had to work hard at the hight notes before he mastered them. A good example is here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qqh3Y5WV1J-6kXk.html (high C around 3:34).

@tomfroekjaer 14 жыл бұрын

@joelweisberg: your Nessum Dorma is really great ! Thanks.

@hiyadroogs 14 жыл бұрын

@Lovelytenor1 No, not referencing transposition as such, just remarking that in effect, we are listening to live recordings, faults an all. Not perfection created out of the splicing of 15 retakes! : )

@tomfroekjaer 14 жыл бұрын

@Aetion: most welcome ! I think this did happen - and Melba was not pleased ! She does seem to have forgiven Caruso - in her autobiography (Melodies and Memories) she wrote: "As a voice - pure and simple - his was the most wonderful tenor I ever heard."

@sugarbist 12 жыл бұрын

@jgraif Caruso's voice is truly beautiful,It's perhaps a good omen that the accompaniment is crappy,as we can more concentrate on the beauty of his voice quality as appose to an interference or the distraction of a noisy orchestra.I think most of the accoustical recordings had poor accompaniments.Enjoy

@rupepill 16 жыл бұрын

Caruso and his fellow prankster Antonio Scotti once pushed aside the bed on which reclined Melba, as the dying heroine of La Boheme, revealing a crockery receptacle commonly found under beds in the early twentieth century, but seldom featured on operatic stages. The shocked prima donna and a startled audience had some difficulty in controlling their respective reactions at seeing the unexpected item.

@tomfroekjaer 16 жыл бұрын

Sad that we've lost a lot of the original intensity of his voice in these recordings...

@joelweisberg 14 жыл бұрын

@tomfroekjaer I wouldn't stear you wrong tom. Moras will be big. Yep, Gigli and Bjorling were amazing. They were my grandpa's favorite tenors. Love DeSefano and Corelli also. Like we've said before, they were ALL wonderful. Tito Schipa too!

@tomfroekjaer 16 жыл бұрын

:-) funny indeed! Thank you.

@sugarbist 12 жыл бұрын

@gaytenor Perhaps,some tenors like Peerce Bjorling or Gigli are able to make the transition to a heavier role or heavier arias.However,people don't realize that it's the artist's technique in part that allows them to be successful in doing so.Peerce was always very elegant & had an excellent technique.Bjorling&Gigli were gifted with exceptional qualities of voice&again had very good tecniques.Many listeners will assume that if a Gigli is singing Chenier,he's a spinto,which is really not so.

@omarmaurtuaguerra1468 4 жыл бұрын

No comparen una época con otra además Lanza era actor y le ayudaba la tecnología de esos años y no comparar el año de Enrico que no había tecnología

@tomfroekjaer 15 жыл бұрын

Yes, jd1906sf, on KZfaq there are several "Cults" and one of these is the "Pavarotti Cult" and it seems that in the opinion of its members, there has never been in the history of singing any other tenor worth listening to than Luciano Pavarotti. I am myself also a member of a cult - the Enrico Caruso Cult, but I do not think that Caruso was the only tenor ever to sing a brilliant aria. There have been many exceptional tenors - including Pavarotti - that has given us immense joy.

@armandogonella2770 8 ай бұрын

I N S U P E R A B I L E ! ! !

@tomfroekjaer 14 жыл бұрын

Yes, Lovelytonor1, that is correct. Puccini - a genius himself - was able to recognize the genius of Caruso - high C or not....

@tomfroekjaer 13 жыл бұрын

@calla4711: gerne geschehen! Ich liebe auch Gigli und Björling in dieser wunderbaren Arie. Ja, ich weiss, dass in Deutschland viele Videos blockiert werden. Multinationale Firmen haben dies durchgezwungen, obwohl es im Falle von Caruso eigentlich nicht möglich wäre. Auf Aufnahmen vor 1920 gibt es keine Copyrights. Viele Grüsse, Tom

@mbrackeva 4 жыл бұрын

So beautiful. What a gift this man had. But what's with the Freddy Mercury picture?

@tomfroekjaer 4 жыл бұрын

😄

@debowiec3 11 жыл бұрын

Good, but....Gigli excels at this one!

@joelweisberg 14 жыл бұрын

@tomfroekjaer Your kind words were appreciated. And I have appreciated your well thought out commentary on THE TENORS. BTW, have you seen Rafael Moras? He's 22 and still in school. He's a brilliant tenor already. Try him on you tube.

@tomfroekjaer 15 жыл бұрын

You may be right. It just said so on the cd...

@MrChrisclerk1 12 жыл бұрын

why dont we get the opera on music choice?

@tomfroekjaer 15 жыл бұрын

Hi, chafani001. We fortunately all have our own experiences and opinions and I respect yours fully. For me there isn't a valid reason to compare Pavorotti to Caruso. For me two different leagues. Cheers,Tom

@gizar5440 2 жыл бұрын

Per me,usando termini calcistici,Caruso era Diego Armando Maradona,mentre Pavarotti era Hugo Maradona,in poche parole era aria fritta.

@jfs78 16 жыл бұрын

Caruso loved to play tricks on Melba. Melba always was chewing gum off stage. She had a habit of taking out the gum out and placing on some fixture to pop back in her mouth after she was done on stage. Caruso once replaced it with chewing tobacco..This did not win him any points with her. Sadly we do not have Melba'a reactions either. She was not the only one to suffer from his tricks, and La Boheme seemed to be the opera he had the most fun with. I will share a few of the jokes he played later.

@user-tq9ng7jf4d Жыл бұрын

有没有那首歌是最接近卡鲁索的声音的

@ajarnwordsmith628 4 ай бұрын

Caruso "attacked" the High C rather than segue into the note.

@gaytenor 12 жыл бұрын

@kevin86h Pray tell where did you get this totally incorrect nonsense? When Caruso sang the aria for Puccini, Puccini advised Caruso that he could transpose the aria down a semitone--as he did--to avoid the high c. The c is an alternate but it was written by Puccini. If you have contrary information please supply.

@sugarbist 12 жыл бұрын

@seektheforce I do agree with most of your statement however, I think Caruso was really a spinto tenor,as was Tucker,Corelli,De Muro,Merli,Pertile&Martinelli.Yes Caruso had the ability to sing lyrically& he also had dramatic temperment when needed,as Corelli did.But I don't think his voice was the in the dramatic category of a Zenatello, Del Monaco ,Paoli,Piccaluga ,Tamagno ,or Escalais.

@kirkp7470 9 жыл бұрын

Gigli had no diction like Enrico!

@sugarbist 12 жыл бұрын

@jgraif Perhaps Caruso was more comfortable transposing this aria down a half tone, which was apparently acceptable then as it is now.It's not just having aHi-C,it's also the tessitura that the aria is written in,which can make it more difficult for some voices to sing in key.Del Monaco for example Transposed Di Quella Pira down a half step, But in the same performance he hits a D-flat in the terzetto with Gencer&Bastianini.He has the C& the D,but the tessitura in the Pira is too heavy for him

@wagnerabreu01 11 жыл бұрын

Muy amable distinguido colega, completamente de acuerdo con usted , algunos colegas hemos conversado sobre lo mismo y algunos estudiantes preguntan ¿porque tengo que estudiar mucho la voz de Caruso? si simple y llanamente La voz de lanza se escucha mas hermosa y agradable, ... y les digo que después de mucho estudio su sentido del oído se desarrollara, pero admito que después de bastantes años aprecio mucho mas a Lanza.

@terisotaku 12 жыл бұрын

he`s an amazing singer, even more than Andrea Bochelli,or Placido Domingo.

@marvinnalick9736 6 жыл бұрын

sairol otaku how do you compare Bochelli and Domingo to caruso.

@felipecoutinho8639 5 жыл бұрын

alguém do Brasil?

@tomfroekjaer 5 жыл бұрын

Não italiano

@felipecoutinho8639 5 жыл бұрын

@@tomfroekjaer infelizmente acho que sou o unico brasileiro que gosta de escutar enrico caruso.

@tomfroekjaer 5 жыл бұрын

@@felipecoutinho8639 Acho que não. Vários brasileiros comentaram sobre as árias que eu carreguei.

@felipecoutinho8639 5 жыл бұрын

@@tomfroekjaer ainda bem fico feliz de saber que existem brasileiros que escutam enrico caruso.

@chakani0001 15 жыл бұрын

Notwithstanding the limitations of the recording, there is something nasal, restrained and subdued about Caruso's version. It does not compare with Pavarotti's version, which is much more profound and moving. The orchestra is schmaltzy, like a circus fair rendition. Thanks for posting this: we learn to appreciate by comparing and studying history.

@hiyadroogs 14 жыл бұрын

@Lovelytenor1 Far too much is made of this one note. (C) & the insistence upon hearing it eliminates many tenors who could otherwise sing a part beautifully, but for the inability to perform that one note satisfactorily in public. As Pavarotti once remarked, you can sing like an angel all evening, but crack on your high C & the public will boo you off the stage. Or you can sing like a stuck pig all night, but come in strong on your high C & they will forgive you anything! Sigh...

@roxalysmendez7941 11 жыл бұрын

completamente de acuerdo colega.

@pinapetraroli4965 6 жыл бұрын

@wagnerabreu01 11 жыл бұрын

estoy en mi doctorado de música , al principio de mi carrera , creía que la voz de caruso era horrible , después comencé a apreciarla mejor y me parece un gran portento, aunque pienso sinceramente que Lanza poseyó una tan poderosa , tan musical pero mucho mas hermosa y colorida voz.

@giulioonamor 10 жыл бұрын

questo perche` madre ignoranza e padre arroganza imperano sulla terra, ed infatti soltanto la musica e l`arte possono sopravvivere a questo scempio globale.

@roxalysmendez7941 11 жыл бұрын

claro que Lanza fue ni sera Caruso, soy Doctor en música y por mucho que respete a Caruso, lamentablemente debemos de decir que la tierra ya no es plana , Lanza poseyó la voz con condiciones naturales mas poderosa de la historia, después de apenas 23 de graduado y 32 en la música aprecio las portentosas cualidades de Caruso, pero a pesar de sus mas 500 o 600 papeles , Caruso no es Dios y simplemente Lanza a mis oídos y al de muchos otros colegas suena no solo mas intimo si no , mas agradable.