Il Tenore

Tenor voices tend to be the most individual of any voice type and De Tommaso is no exception. His sound is less gleaming than Pavarotti’s, darker, with a lower centre of gravity, but he turns... — Financial Times, 24th June 2022, 3 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 28th Oct 2022
Catalogue No: 4852946
Label: Decca

Presto Recording of the Week

24th June 2022

This item is currently out of stock at the UK distributor. You may order it now but please be aware that it may be six weeks or more before it can be despatched.

Il Tenore

About
Reviews
Explore

About

The first recording of opera arias from the star tenor, Freddie de Tommaso. Following his chart-topping debut album, Il Tenore celebrates the greatest tenor hits by Puccini and Bizet including 'Nessun dorma', 'E lucevan le stelle' and 'The Flower Song' from Carmen. Veteran Italian conductor Paolo Arrivabeni conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra, with guest appearances from three outstanding singers: sopranos Lise Davidsen and Natalya Romaniw and the sensational mezzo Aigul Akhmetshina as Carmen.

“It was a rare thrill to hear a tenor voice of this ease and brilliance. The new Pavarotti? We’ve heard that before. This time it might just be true” – Observer

“Singing sensation of the moment.” – BBC Radio 4

Reviews

24th June 2022

Tenor voices tend to be the most individual of any voice type and De Tommaso is no exception. His sound is less gleaming than Pavarotti’s, darker, with a lower centre of gravity, but he turns out a ringing climax to “Nessun dorma” from Puccini’s Turandot and holds a well-schooled line through the two arias from Tosca.

August 2022

His singing, in fact, is admirably secure here, cleanly projected and carefully focused in terms of dynamics...a fine album that confirms his emergence as a talent to be potentially reckoned with in years to come.

24th June 2022

This is a singer who really lives and breathes each phrase rather than micro-managing things for the mics, and there’s a wonderfully natural, slightly old-school quality to his singing that’s more than a little reminiscent of his idols Corelli and Caruso…Given the high-octane programme and the sheer firepower of De Tommaso’s delivery, I’d planned to enjoy this one in instalments rather than devouring it in one sitting – but few lovers of great singing will be able to resist gulping it down whole.

22nd June 2022

the strength and fervour in his voice is almost frightening.

Classical Music 24th June 2022

Possessor of a beautiful, richly coloured lyric voice, Tommaso has matured into a true lirico spinto, with natural italianità and a full-blooded heroic heft that makes him ideal casting for Puccini’s romantic leads. He’s also capable of a disarming sweetness, enabling him to deliver French roles (such as Don José in Carmen) with charm...He incorporates old-fashioned tenor mannerisms without sounding affected.

Limelight Magazine 23rd June 2022

Already drawing favourable comparisons with Caruso and Pavarotti, Tommaso’s voice finds a place all its own somewhere in between those extremes of poetry and power. If there’s a more reliable touchstone, it’s surely the mahogany-dark, liquidly flowing expressiveness of Franco Corelli...On the strength of what’s here, Decca’s claim for Tommaso as Il Tenoré may well be justified.

Il Tenore

Vinyl Record

Contents

Download queue