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Cesare Formichi

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Cesare Formichi, baritone

Bizet - Carmen (abridged)
Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
sung in Italian

    1. Prelude
    2. Chorus of Cigarette Girls - Suono la campana
    3. Habanera - E l'amore
    4. Duet - Ah, mi parla di lei
    5. Duet - Mio vegga ancor
    6. Seguidilla - Presso il bastion di Siviglia
    7. Duet - Carmen quest' ufficiale
    8. Bohemian Song - All' udir
    9. Bohemian Song - Or ben Pastia desia
    10. Toreador Song - Part 1 (Con voi ber)
    11. Toreador Song - Part 2
    12. Quintette - Part 1 - Noi s'lia in vista un bell' affar
    13. Quintette - Part 2 - Certo la cosa
    14. Duet - Alfin sei qui
    15. Duet - Al quartier
    16. Flower Song - Il fior
    17. Duet - No, tu non m'ami
    18. Duet and Finale (Part 1) - No, piu non ti voglio
    19. Finale, Act 2 (Part 2) - Dubbio non c'e
    20. Trio - Part 1 - Io ci veda
    21. Trio - Part 2 - Invan par evitar
    22. Ensemble - E nostr' affar il doganier
    23. Aria - Io dico
    24. Recit & Duet Part 1 - Ma non m'inganno
    25. Duet Part 2 - Per amante ell' avveva
    26. Finale Act 3, Part 1 - Ola! Jose
    27. Finale Act 3, Part 2 - Ah! bada a te
    28. Finale Act 3, Part 3 - Ah! paventa
    29. Duet - Se tu m'ami
    30. Duet - Sei tu?
    31. Finale Act 4, Part 1 - Piu non m'ama il tuo cor?
    32. Finale Act 4, Part 2 - No davver

Fanny Anitua, mezzo-soprano - Carmen
Luigi Bolis, tenor - Don José
Ines Maria Ferraris, soprano - Micaëla
Cesare Formichi, baritone - Escamillo
Lina Garavaglia, soprano - Mercédès
Rosa Garavaglia, soprano - Frasquita
Enrico Spada, bass - Zuniga
Luigi Baldassare, bass - Il Dancairo/Moralès
Carlo Paltrinieri, tenor -  Il Remendado
La Scala Chorus

Mediafire link for Bizet - Carmen - acoustic Columbia - Acts 1 & 2

Mediafire link for Bizet - Carmen - acoustic Columbia - Acts 3 & 4

(These are zip files – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)

Columbia D 5582-97
Matrices 42436, 42381, 42384, 42427, 42398, 42416, 42431, 42412, 42411, 42382, 42383, 42395, 42396, 42413, 42414, 42415, 42420, 42429, 42430, 42406, 42388, 42424, 42426, 42392, 42397, 42389, 42434, 42421, 42385, 42432, 42435, 42433
Recorded 1920

Play at 82.6rpm (1, 19, 31-2), 78rpm (2-5, 7, 10-14, 16-18, 21, 24), 81.6rpm (6, 8, 9, 15, 22-3, 28, 30), 79.6rpm (20, 25-6), 83.4rpm (27), 80.9rpm (29)

Sides in order of matrix number:
2, 10, 11, 3, 29, 21, 26, 24, 12, 13, 25, 5, 20, 9, 8, 14, 15, 16, 6, 17, 28, 22, 23, 4, 18, 19, 7, 30, 32, 27, 31, 1

This recording, though of course publicised as the complete opera, is heavily cut, with substantial omissions at the start of Acts 1 and 4, among others. It’s still an interesting performance, though Luigi Bolis (Don José) tends to pronounce Carmen so that it sounds like Carmeng!

The first record in my copy of this set is broken, and I’ve done my best to repair it for this transfer.

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