Not Bad, Not Great - For the most part this recording is fair. The Neapolitan songs are very well done and some of the arias from French opera were very nice. The big disappointment is Nessun Dorma from Turandot. In this aria Di Stefano is horribly flat on the penultimate high note that for many makes this aria so exciting. It would have been best if the producers could have found another aria for the collection.
A fine tenor - Giuseppe DiStefano was a fine tenor in his time. He began his operatic career just after World War II and persevered until the very early 1970s. Included in his career was a partnership with Maria Callas in a number of operas. This CD has 40 different cuts, many of them representing the singer in his prime.Let s consider some examples of his craft.Recondita armonia: This well-known aria from Tosca is sung well. DiStefano s rich, strong voice works nicely here.Nessun dorma: A different kind of aria, from Puccini s Turandot. This calls for some subtle singing, and DiStefano does well here. His voice has a consistently lustrous tone from middle to higher notes.La donna e mobile: He sings this well, but it seems a bit flat. He sings the notes, but there is not much sense of the Duke. He hits the final high note well.Ah, si ben mio: Smoothly sung. Does not stand out as one of the more stirring versions of this piece.Di quella pira: A genuine show stopper! This is a spirited version, with generally smooth transitions from lower to higher notes. His voice is almost overpowered by orchestra and chorus near the end, although his final high note is done well. Some, like Tucker and Corelli, could have their voices rise over orchestra and chorus. Still, a nice version.In the final analysis, this is a nice look at one of the better tenors of his time. He compares well with the top tenors, such as Franco Corelli and Richard Tucker, in this repertoire, although he may not be at their level.