Enrico Caruso & Antonio Scotti - Amore o grillo (Victor, 1910)

Last month…August…Dead Tenors’ Society celebrated the 100th anniversary of the death of Enrico Caruso, who passed away on August 2, 1921, at the age of 48. I must admit that, after an entire month of Caruso, it has been difficult to even think of another tenor for this month’s episodes. The question arose, “What could possibly follow an entire month of Caruso?” The answer is obvious…MORE CARUSO!!! Last week’s episodes were devoted to the duet recordings made by Caruso with his illustrious colleagues. This week will cover many of the duets that I missed last week. Based on your comments and suggestions, I was able to infer that nobody would object to yet another week of Caruso. Anyone who DOES object is probably looking at the wrong YouTube channel… Caruso’s duet recordings are a marvel to listen to. The great tenor had an uncanny ability to change the color of his voice (without actually changing the voice itself) to match whatever colleague he was singing with. I am hard pressed to think of another artist who had not only the ability to do this, but who possessed the same sense of generosity toward his colleagues to make such a gesture. By doing this, Caruso elevates his singing partner, the music, the drama of the piece and, of course, his own performance by creating the perfect vocal blend. This is just one of the many things that combined to make Enrico Caruso the unparalleled vocal artist he was. Antonio Scotti (1866-1936) and Caruso sing the Act I duet “Amore o grillo” from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. Caruso’s carefree approach perfectly embodies the rakish Lt. Pinkerton. His inflection on the spoken word “Whiskey?” is delightful and always brings a smile to my face. Scotti, as American Consul Sharpless, is appropriately stern in his warning to Pinkerton. The baritone’s diction is flawless and his tone, as always, is matched impeccably by Caruso. In my opinion, one of the duo’s most enjoyable recordings together. This was made for the Victor label on March 14, 1910.