Marcella Sembrich & Antonio Scotti - Vado, corro ('Don Pasquale' - Donizetti) (1906)

In 'The Record Year,' Desmond Shawe-Taylor wrote, 'The Don Pasquale Rehearsal Scene with [Sembrich and] Scotti is a delightful record, notable for his florid singing...and for the wonderfully pure double octave, when they both hold a dominant C which is perfectly steady and exactly in tune, and therefore sounds like something quite new in our experience.' Even though Victor was never very good at capturing the sound of 'pure' sopranos like Sembrich, and despite the curious-sounding orchestra, this is a record to treasure. Incidentally, it was recorded by Victor in New York on 14 March 1906. From Wikipedia: Marcella Sembrich (February 15, 1858–January 11, 1935) was the stage name of the Polish coloratura soprano, Prakseda Marcelina Kochańska. She had an important international singing career, chiefly at the New York Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. Antonio Scotti (25 January 1866–26 February 1936) was an Italian baritone. He was a principal artist of the New York Metropolitan Opera for more than 33 seasons, but also sang with great success at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and Milan's La Scala.