During his career, Enrico Caruso made nearly 260 recordings and made millions of dollars from the sale of his 78 rpm records. While Caruso sang at many of the world's great opera houses including La Scala in Milan and Covent Garden in London, he is best known as the leading male singer at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City for seventeen years. Conductor Arturo Toscanini, who conducted some of the operas that Caruso sang in at the Met, considered him one of the greatest artists he had ever worked with.
Caruso was baptized in the Church of San Giovanni e Paolo on February 26, 1873, having been born in Naples, Italy, one day earlier. He began his career in Naples in 1894. The first major role that he created was Loris in Giordano's Fedora, at the Teatro Lirico in Milan, on November 17, 1898. At that same theater, on November 6, 1902, he created the role of Maurizio in Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur.
In 1903, with the help of his agent, the banker Pasquale Simonelli, he went to New York City, and, on November 23 of that year, he made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera as the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto. The following year Caruso began his lifelong association with the Victor Talking-Machine Company; his star relationships with both the Metropolitan and Victor would last until 1920. Caruso himself commissioned Tiffany & Co. to produce a 24 kt. gold medal with his profile, as a memento (PER RICORDO) for his friends of his Metropolitan performances.
Caruso was one of the first star vocalists to make numerous recordings. He and the disc phonograph did much to promote each other in the first two decades of the 20th century. His 1902 recording of Vesti la giubba from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci was the world's first gramophone record to sell a million copies. Many of Caruso's recordings have remained in print since their original issue a century ago.
On December 10, 1910, he starred at the Met as Dick Johnson in the world premiere of Puccini's La Fanciulla del West. His last performance at the Met was as Eléazar in Halévy's La Juive on December 24, 1920.
Caruso died in 1921, from what is thought to be complications of pleurisy, apparently not diagnosed in time to save him. He was 48. He is buried in Naples.
Caruso was portrayed by Mario Lanza in a highly fictionalized Hollywood motion picture, The Great Caruso, in 1951.
In 1987, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Vaghissima Sembianza
Enrico Caruso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
chi, dunque, v'ha ritratta con tanta simiglianza
ch'io guardo, e parlo, e credo d'avervi a me
davanti come ai bei dì d'amor?
La cara rimembranza che in cor mi s'è destata
si ardente v'ha già fatta rinascer la speranza,
che un bacio, un voto, un grido d'amore...
The song 'Vaghissima Sembianza' by Enrico Caruso is about a man who sees a painting or portrait of a woman that resembles a woman he had loved in the past. He wonders who painted it so beautifully that he feels like the woman is in front of him in her prime. The memories of the woman he loved are reignited and he feels hopeful that he will find love again.
The lyrics are full of longing, nostalgia, and hope. The man is struck by the likeness of the woman in the painting to the woman he loved and lost. The memories of the past come alive and he feels like he is transported back to the days of love. He wishes he could see her again and express his love to her through a kiss, a vow, or a cry of passion.
The song is all about the power of art to evoke strong emotions and bring back memories from the past. It shows how love is timeless and eternal and how even a painting can rekindle the fire of love in a person's heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Vaghissima sembianza d'antica donna amata,
Oh beautiful likeness of a woman I once loved, who could have captured your image so perfectly that I feel as though I am once again in the presence of my lover?
chi, dunque, v'ha ritratta con tanta simiglianza
Who, then, has captured your likeness with such perfection?
ch'io guardo, e parlo, e credo d'avervi a me
As I gaze upon you, speak to you, and believe you are with me once again as in the days of our love.
davanti come ai bei dì d'amor?
As though we were once again in the beautiful days of our love.
La cara rimembranza che in cor mi s'è destata
The dear memory that has been awakened in my heart
si ardente v'ha già fatta rinascer la speranza,
has already reignited my hope with such fiery passion
che un bacio, un voto, un grido d'amore...
that I no longer ask for anything from her, who remains forever silent, except for a kiss, a vow, or a cry of love.
più non chiedo a lei che muta è ognor.
I no longer ask of her who remains ever unresponsive.
Contributed by Arianna J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Joseph Diluzio
Questa interpretazione del più grande cantante di tutti i tempi, Incisa nel 1920, e quindi fra le ultimissime di Caruso dimostra tutti i suoi pregi incomparabili come artista. Ma soprattutto un'incredibile fraseggio basato su un fiato lunghissimo
ywn
Definitely the greatest of all time. Not only the greatest but by far the greatest !!! Nobody could even come close.
cossie77 cossie77
Maybe Corelli
Louis Vaccaro
mario lanza was better by far.
francoguar
@Louis Vaccaro maybe you mean Mario Nasal
Louis Vaccaro
@francoguar hey francoguar, after mario lanza made the movie the great caruso,he received a letter from enrico caruso jr, thanking him for portraying the life story of his father!, because he said in some cases he excelled!, that letter is currently at the mario lanza institute, in philadelphia! no nasal with mario lanza, only in your decrepated mind!
francoguar
@Louis Vaccaro you need to train your ear 😘
Aigazi Gadjiev
Ещё при жизни современники говорили, что и через 100 лет не появится певец, хотя бы приблизившийся к Великому Карузо. Так и получилось!
Hubertus Heuel
Es wird einem ganz warm im Bauch, wenn man das hört. Was soll man sagen als dass man glücklich ist, ein Mensch zu sein und so etwas hören zu dürfen.
Robert Becker
One of my favorite of all Caruso recordings!!! Thanks for this re-mastered version!!!!! Thank you again for your Profound Love and Dedication to this Giant!!!!!!