Search - Ruggero Leoncavallo, Gaetano Donizetti, Jules Massenet :: Domingo Sings Caruso

The Mantle Is Passed: Domingo Is The New Caruso

Rudy Avila | Lennox, Ca United States | 07/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Enrico Caruso will forever be the greatest tenor of all time, and this is even treated as fact by all opera lovers. But when we discuss who succeeded him or what tenor of the 20th century most effectively took on his legacy, it becomes a matter of personal opinion and taste. For me, there is no doubt that Placido Domingo is the successor of Enrico Caruso. This newly released, digitally remastered album from the RCA Label showcases Domingo in fresh young voice singing arias that Caruso sang famously in his own career. It's a great buy at a bargain price. All fans of Domingo should own this recording. The arias are all in Italian, as that was the staple opera dialect that Caruso sang, though there is one aria from Meyerbeer's L'Africaine - O Paradise, which Domingo sings with amazing strength. The other arias include gorgeous renditions of "Una Furtiva Lagrima" from Donizetti's Elixir D'Amor - a melancholy, heartwrenching song which Domingo sings passionately, an aria from Gounod's Romeo et Juliette (also in French) the signature tenor songs Nessun Dorma from Turandot and of course "Vesti La Giubba" from I Pagliacci. Domingo owned the role of Pagliacci, and recordings and a Zefferelli film attest to his fine interpretation. What tenor can do what Domingo has done ? In the 20th century and in recent years, he has proven his versatility and his artistic integrity and incredible stamina. Even in his older years, he has sung (and successfully) Mozart's Idomeneo, Wagner's Parsifal and Alfano's Cyrano De Bergerac.



"