James McCracken (1926–1988) recorded the arias on the first half of this disc in 1969, four years after the duets he recordeed with his wife, mezzo-soprano Sandra Warfield (1921-2009). Both singers were in their prime leon during those years and in the decade following. These performances of distinction offer some of the sappiest and most exciting operatic singing on record, taped in the full, glorious, 1960s Decca Sound with McCracken singled out for the ‘forthright virility’ (Gramophone) of his singing. The seven tenor arias that open this recording were originally coupled with the complete Gardelli recording of ‘Pagliacci’ and praised for their ‘thrilling’ sound (Gramophone); some of them are issued on Decca CD for the first time.
RUGGIERO LEONCAVALLO
Pagliacci: Recitar! … Vesti la giubba
PIETRO MASCAGNI
Cavalleria rusticana: Mamma, quel vino è generoso*
UMBERTO GIORDANO
Andrea Chénier: Colpito qui m’avete … Un dì all’azzura spazio*
GIACOMO PUCCINI
Tosca: Recondita armonia*
Tosca: E lucevan le stele
Turandot: Non piangere Liù*
Turandot: Nessun dorma!*
James McCracken, tenor
Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Lamberto Gardelli
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Aida: Guardie! Radames qui venga
Otello: Già nella notte densa
GEORGES BIZET
Carmen: Je vais danser en votre honneur
CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS
Samson et Dalila: Un dieu plus puissant que le tien
James McCracken, tenor
Sandra Warfield, mezzo-soprano
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Edward Downes
* FIRST RELEASE ON DECCA CD
Recording Producers: John Mordler, David Harvey (Pagliacci, Cavalleria rusticana, Andrea Chénier, Tosca, Turandot); John Mordler (Aida, Otello, Carmen, Samson et Dalila)
Balance Engineers: Kenneth Wilkinson, Michael Mailes (Pagliacci, Cavalleria rusticana, Andrea Chénier, Tosca, Turandot); James Lock (Aida, Otello, Carmen, Samson et Dalila)
Recording Locations: Kingsway Hall, London, UK, 15, 17, 19–20 August 1964 (Aida, Otello, Carmen, Samson et Dalila); Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome, Italy, 1–9 August 1967 (Pagliacci, Cavalleria rusticana, Andrea Chénier, Tosca, Turandot)
‘The part of Amneris […] is exactly suited to Miss Warfield’s qualities, and there the result is extraordinarily convincing.’ Gramophone