Bizet – Carmen

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

1. Prelude (D 5582, mtx 42436)
2. Chorus of Cigarette Girls – Suono la campana (D 5582, mtx 42381)
3. Habanera – E l’amore (D 5583, mtx 42384)
4. Duet – Ah, mi parla di lei (D 5583, mtx 42427)
5. Duet – Mio vegga ancor (D 5584, mtx 42398)
6. Seguidilla – Presso il bastion di Siviglia (D 5584, mtx 42416)
7. Duet – Carmen quest’ ufficiale (D 5585,  mtx 42431)
8. Bohemian Song – All’ udir (D 5585,  mtx 42412)
9. Bohemian Song – Or ben Pastia desia (D 5586, mtx 42411)
10. Toreador Song – Part 1 (Con voi ber) (D 5586,  mtx 42382)
11. Toreador Song – Part 2 (D 5587,  mtx 42383)
12. Quintette – Part 1 – Noi s’lia in vista un bell’ affar (D 5587, mtx 42395)
13. Quintette – Part 2 – Certo la cosa (D 5588,  mtx 42396)
14. Duet – Alfin sei qui (D 5588,  mtx 42413)
15. Duet – Al quartier (D 5589,  mtx 42414)
16. Flower Song – Il fior (D 5589,  mtx 42415)
17. Duet – No, tu non m’ami (D 5590,  mtx 42420)
18. Duet and Finale (Part 1) – No, piu non ti voglio (D 5590,  mtx 42429)
19. Finale, Act 2 (Part 2) – Dubbio non c’e (D 5591,  mtx 42430)
20. Trio – Part 1 – Io ci veda (D 5591,  mtx 42406)
21. Trio – Part 2 – Invan par evitar (D 5592,  mtx 42388)
22. Ensemble – E nostr’ affar il doganier (D 5592,  mtx 42424)
23. Aria – Io dico (D 5593,  mtx 42426)
24. Recit & Duet Part 1 – Ma non m’inganno (D 5593,  mtx 42392)
25. Duet Part 2 – Per amante ell’ avveva (D 5594,  mtx 42397)
26. Finale Act 3, Part 1 – Ola! Jose (D 5594,  mtx 42389)
27. Finale Act 3, Part 2 – Ah! bada a te (D 5595,  mtx 42434)
28. Finale Act 3, Part 3 – Ah! paventa (D 5595,  mtx 42421)
29. Duet – Se tu m’ami (D 5596,  mtx 42385)
30. Duet – Sei tu? (D 5596,  mtx 42432)
31. Finale Act 4, Part 1 – Piu non m’ama il tuo cor? (D 5597,  mtx 42435)
32. Finale Act 4, Part 2 – No davver (D 5597, mtx 42433)

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

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 1 – 01 – Overture

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 1 – 02 – Suono la campana

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 1 – 03 – E l’amore (Habanera)

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 1 – 04 – Ah, mi parla di lei

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 1 – 05 – Recit (Micaela, José)

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 1 – 06 – Interlude

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 1 – 07 – Presso il bastion di Siviglia (Seguidilla)

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 1 – 08 – Carmen quest’ufficiale

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 2 – 01 – All’udir (Bohemian song)

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 2 – 02 – Or ben Pastia desia

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 2 – 03 – Hola! Hola! La torero!

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 2 – 04 – Con voi ber (Toreador Song)

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 2 – 05 – Noi s’lia in vista un bell’affar (Quintet)

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 2 – 06 – Recit

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 2 – 07 – Dragon d’Alcala

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 2 – 08 – Alfin sei qui

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 2 – 09 – Tra la la la

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 2 – 10 – Al quartier

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 2 – 11 – Carmen io… Il fior (Flower Song)

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 2 – 12 – Non, tu non m’ami

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 2 – 13 – Hola! Carmen!

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 3 – 01 – Io ci veda

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 3 – 02 – Andiam… Invan par evitar

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 3 – 03 – Ebben!

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 3 – 04 – E nostr’ affar il doganier

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 3 – 05 – Qui de contrabandier… Io dico

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 3 – 06 – Ma non m’inganno

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 3 – 07 – Mio nome e Escamillo

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 3 – 08 – Ola! Ola! Jose!

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 4 – 01 – Se tu m’ami

Bizet – Carmen – 1920 Columbia – Act 4 – 02 – Sei tu? Son io!

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 the sound.

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