In the twenties and thirties, Italy produced a lot of beautiful baritones. Four of these baritones can now be heard together on one CD: Mario Basiola, Carlo Tagliabue, Gino Bechi and Tito Gobbi. It is interesting to hear such different talents in succession. Mario Basiola (1892-1965) is the least known of the four. He was a pupil of the famous singing teacher Antonio Cotogni, who also taught Benjamino
… Gigli and Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, for example. With its light, clear tone and excellent intelligibility, the baritone's singing technique was somewhat old-fashioned in its day, but very suitable for Donizetti. Fortunately we can hear him in an aria from "La Favorita". However, for the heavier performances of Verdi, for example, the voice lacked dramatic power and hence perhaps the voice began to show signs of fatigue in the early 1940s. The baritone Carlo Tagliabue (1898-1978) did have the right technique for these heavy parts and he never lost sight of that technique, with the result that in his time he was in the shadow of more dramatic, expressive baritones. But he has lasted much longer than most of the others, as he did not leave the Scala in Milan until 1958. Gino Bechi (1913-1993) and Tito Gobbi (1915-1984) belonged to a new generation of singers who grew up with the idea of the 'singing actor'. Both have played in films. Bechi's sense of drama can be admired on this CD, because here he sings arias such as "Cortigiani vil razza dannata" (Rigoletto) and "Credo in un Dio crudel" (Otello). Tito Gobbi - in so many performances Maria Callas's famous opponent - we get to hear more of his lyrical side. His voice glides over the notes like a warm glow ... a voice to rave about. (CP) _more
