For over a decade, The World's Greatest Audiophile Vocal Recordings has served as an Audiophile must-have. Whether used to test out a new piece of hardware, or simply to sit back and enjoy, the album has been an enjoyable tool for many. It's time for a 2018 update of the material to this same premise. The World's Greatest Audiophile Vocal Recordings Vol. II features some of the most stunning and haunting vocal performances the label has produced during its thirty plus year tenure.
The World's Greatest Audiophile Vocal Recordings has become a Chesky Records tradition, bringing together a handful of the greatest tracks recorded as pristinely and transparently as possible, from artists whose voices are as unique as their perspectives.
William Alwyn was far better known as a composer from the concert hall than in films, despite his having scored close to 200 movies across a four-decade period that included the Golden Age of British cinema, from the early '40s to the start of the '50s.
This set features the complete known recordings of French mezzo-soprano Blanche Marchesi (1863–1940), the daughter and pupil of legendary vocal instructor Mathilde (née Graumann) Marchesi (1821–1913). Mathilde was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and after a short, unsuccessful career as a performer, she transitioned to teaching voice in 1849, and never looked back. Her teaching career took her from Cologne to Vienna, and ultimately to Paris, where in 1881 she established her own school and enjoyed a long and illustrious career as vocal instructor to many of the greatest singers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some of her most famous pupils include Nellie Melba, Emma Calvé, Frances Alda, Selma Kurz, and Emma Eames. In addition to the complete Blanche Marchesi, this two-CD set features other rare recordings of pupils of Mathilde Marchesi, most being released here for the first time. Included are performances by American sopranos Elizabeth Parkina, Esther Palliser, and Frances Saville, Australian contralto Ada Crossley, and American lyric coloratura soprano Suzanne Adams.