About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

When Enrico Caruso died in 1921, recording technology was still in its infancy. Despite the sonic limitations of the day, his recordings are legendary and prized by collectors who consider him the greatest tenor of all time. Listening to his voice ringing out over the woosh of the old shellac discs, it's not hard to understand why. Now, in homage to the great Neapolitan singer, RCA's engineers have performed some impressive technical legerdemain, removing the thin, tinny-sounding orchestral accompaniments and replacing them with a spectacular new aural backdrop, courtesy of the Vienna Radio Symphony. The effect takes some getting used to; Caruso's voice still strains heroically against the restrictions of the old technology, while the orchestra sounds richly sonorous. It's like watching a Technicolor film where the main character appears in black-and-white. One of the charms of the old recordings is hearing Caruso roar over the puny-sounding orchestra, making him seem larger than life. Caruso 2000 proves conclusively that such vocal power is no aural illusion. While the Vienna Radio Symphony sounds awesome, they just don't come close to matching the sheer visceral excitement of Caruso's voice. Hopefully, the enhanced orchestral sound on this recording will attract younger generations of opera lovers and transform them into fans of this great singer. In the end, of course, it doesn't really matter how you come to Caruso -- as long as you get there. Andrew Farach-Colton, Barnes & Noble

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