FRANCESCO TAMAGNO sings Verdi's Otello – the role he cr
£
18
$
23
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Description
FRANCESCO TAMAGNO, tenor
(first performer of Otello in Verdi's opera)
Ora e per sempre addio, from Otello, with piano accompaniment
Red G&T 52675 (matrix 3004–W IIII, stamper III)
Recorded in Ospedaletti, northern Italy, February 1903
10-inch (25cm) red label single-sided record, with individual serial number 2544.
CONDITION Slight roughness in first three grooves. Some wear, visible as grey lines in loudest grooves, but plays well. Few light radial scratches; one deeper scratch, but only after the end of the music.
Francesco Tamagno (1851-1905), known as 'The Trumpet Tenor', 'The Bronze Tenor' or even 'The Cannon Tenor' for his immensely powerful delivery, was among the most renowned singers of the generation before Caruso. Besides creating the role of Otello, he was famous for his interpretations of the heroes of early Verdi and of the French grand-opera school (Meyerbeer and Halévy). Despite his forcible style, he was essentially true to the older bel canto tradition and took relatively little interest in the less heroic styles developed by Bizet, Leoncavallo, Mascagni and Puccini. His massive physique concealed a weak heart, which led to his early death.
Tamagno's records were individually numbered (a practice later adopted by the Fonotipia company) and sold at unprecedented prices (one pound each in Britain). They include three items from Otello. This rendering of Otello's 'Farewell, a long farewell to all my greatness' , taken at an unusually slow tempo, shows that despite Tamagno's more than fifty years he was still a singer of great power, limited perhaps in subtlety but with the evenness and control of tone which was his inheritance from the bel canto school. This copy dates from about 1905.
SHIPPING Records are packed in at least four layers of stout cardboard surrounded on all sides by bubble-wrap and then by polystyrene chippings, with a strong box over all. I have despatched early records as far as Japan with complete success.
Shipping to countries outside the United Kingdom is normally by the Royal Mail Small Packet air-mail service. Some countries (but not all) allow an 'Airsure' service which includes online tracking and full compensation; where this is available, I will supply it for an additional GBP5.00 (about EUR6.00 or USD8.40). I will advise any foreign buyer whether or not this service is available to his or her country.
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