Even in his lifetime, singer John McCormack was synonymous with Ireland. His worldwide success attracted a host of imitators, so that he could be said to have invented the Irish tenor. But a few minutes spent with the unique recordings of the original will quickly put the others in their place. McCormack was among a handful of artists of his time others were Enrico Caruso, Fritz Kreisler, Amelita Galli-Curci and Sergei Rachmaninov whose records could be found in every middle-class parlor in the civilized world. Even fellow singers looked up to him as a paragon of vocal technique and enunciation. Above all, he was a master communicator who could touch listeners hearts with his sincerity in the simplest of ballads. Although his recitals were usually packed with thousands of adoring fans, through his records he reached out to countless millions in the states of middle America, the outback of Australia or the hinterland of Africa who would never hear him in person. This 4-CD set features his celebrated operatic performances.
C**N
Incomparable singing- but EMI again takes the easy way out
This is most certainly worth getting. In fact, given the short shelf life of historical reissues, I wouldn't waste any time. Get it while you can. It's an excellent survey of McCormack's recordings for EMI. And for the singing no praise is too high. John's gorgeous tone, musicianship, intelligence, expression - the incredible legato and ease, the pianissimo high notes (try "Come My Beloved" from 1924!), the vivid communication in the words (try "The Meeting of the Waters"), the sometimes heartbreaking emotion ("Terence's Farewell to Kathleen"). And we get a fine selection of John's early opera recordings, mostly 1907-1909 Odeons that haven't been generally available in many years, better sonically than they usually have been and more impressive vocally than I remembered. (People forget that John sang at Covent Garden every season from 1907-1914.) John McCormack is for my money the greatest singer on record, and these recordings show why.We have here a varied collection of opera, lieder and art song, Irish songs, and a few high-class popular songs (but I sadly miss the two Pinocchio songs from 1940!). The excellent transfers (uncredited) are the ones Keith Hardwick made many years ago. I'm fussy about transfers and fanatical about McCormack, and I'll tell you that you couldn't ask for much better than these.Why only 4 stars, then? Because EMI in their selection of material has done this on the cheap (hardly a surprise for EMI). Two of the four discs here are simply reissues of "The Art of John McCormack" and "Songs of My Heart." The other two seem to be dictated by what they already had good transfers of available. The arrangement of contents is therefore unsystematic. Songs by the same composer (Schubert, Wolf, Stephen Foster) appear on different discs simply because the transfers were originally made for different LP collections. The organization of material makes sense on the broad scale, though: Disc 1, arias and Irish songs of 1907-1910; Discs 2 and 3, lieder and art songs, 1924-1942; Disc 4, Irish songs, 1930-1942.The production doesn't alter the fabulous singing, the first-rate transfers or the fact that much of this material has not been on CD before. So despite the slight reservation this set is intensely desirable.
J**D
Oh to think of it, Oh to dream of it
I have been waiting for EMI to issue this collection for years. In about 1985 EMI issued 3 John McCormack sets on LP, one of classical/art songs, one of Irish and Popular Music; and the Arabesque Label issued EMI (Keith Hardwick) transfers of opera arias and art songs. Just about all of the foregoing have been transferred afresh and issued in this box. In addition, the art song selection includes my 2 favorite lieder as sung by McCormack, Beherzegung (sp?) and Ganymed, both by Hugo Wolf. It is not a great exaggeration to say that my heart sang at every selection in this marvelous selection. if I were to introduce McCormack to a new collector I would unhesitatingly recommend this collection and the Nimbus collection of opera arias. Between the two they present McCormack "in the round" and are a wonderful introduction to McCormack's art, both early and late.
P**A
Crystal-clear singing from Ireland's all-time best
This four-disc cd set contains some songs I have never heard before - and I have hundreds of McCormack renditions on records, tapes, DVDs and cds.Selection could be better, and the fact that these recordings disc to disc are not chronologically arranged detracts from a fuller appreciation of this magificent and legendary Irish tenor - in particular showing how his voice changed and matured over many years of performance before the public.The packaging is a very sturdy cardboard box, with each disc in its own hard sleeve, and the set accompanied by an explanatory booklet.This would be an excellent starter collection for those unfortunate folks not already familiar with this very distinguished artist.
C**O
this is a great recording and vast display of the Bel Canto which ...
As a fan of Count McCormack, this is a great recording and vast display of the Bel Canto which was McCormack.
S**6
Wonderful collection
Wonderful high quality box set of John McCormack's recordings. Not a must have but very happy with the collection. Cheers!
P**.
Five Stars
All his greatest hits in one place.
D**R
Five Stars
A wonderful collection. All of McCormack's Odeon recordings. Beautiful transfers. A must for any lover of McCormack.
T**N
Good remasterings of recordings from 1906 to 1941, covering McCormack's entire career
The four discs cover:1. The Young McCormack; All acoustic: 17 Odeon recordings from December 1906 to 1909, and 6 HMV recordings from 1910 to 1912. 7 of the Odeon recordings are of Irish ballads; everything else is operatic. Remastered in 2013.2. Art Songs and Lieder; HMV recordings from 1924 to 1936, so a mix of acoustic and electrical. Remastered 1990.3. Art Songs and Lieder; more HMV recordings from 1924 to 1941. Remastered 2013.4. Popular Songs & Irish Ballads; 1 Odeon recording from 1908, which is McCormack's 1st recording of "I hear you calling me"; and 22 HMV recordings from 1930 to 1941. Remastered in 1989.So this box covers 99 of McCormack's more than 500 recordings, and pretty much his entire professional performing career (1906 to 1942), as well as all the genres for which he was famous, and the remasterings are, I think, good.The booklet lists all the recordings.For Odeon recordings, also lists recording year or full date.For HMV recordings, also lists full recording date, venue, and, in some cases, the recording engineer, or producer and balance engineer.And there's an informative 4 1/2 page essay.The cardboard sleeves don't list the recordings, which is a bit annoying as you have to refer to the booklet, but not a disaster unless you lose the booklet.
N**S
Best release for years!
Somebody has put a great deal of care into this re-issue: the re-mastering is superb even on the early recordings which are sometimes painful to listen to due to the surface noise. Recordings from the 1920's onwards are incredibly well presented with the singer sounding fresh and upfront and the piano tone captured with realism and depth. If you want to discover the art of this master singer you could start with these four discs and you will be captured forever. I haven't even bothered to mention the incredible value for money!
D**N
A wonderful memento of a great tenor of the past
Although it duplicates some material I already have on CD, it was good to replace my LP copy of the "lighter" songs - English and Irish songs so sincerely sung by McCormack
J**E
Worth the wait.
It took ages to get my order but finally received it and it's excellent. Well worth the wait.
P**.
Five Stars
john mccormack thanks you, and i thank you,splendid delivery service.patrick fay
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