Performer: Jussi Björling
Number of Discs: 5
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Warner
Catalogue: 2173132
Release: 2008
Size: 0.99 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
CD 01
01. Aïda, Act 1 Scene 1: Romanza, “Se quel guerrier io fossi! … Celeste Aida” (Radames)
02. Rigoletto, Act 3 Scene 2: “La donna è mobile” (Duca)
03. La Bohème: Che gelida manina
04. Tosca: Recondita armonia (Act 1)
05. Tosca: E lucevan le stelle (Act 3)
06. La Fanciulla del West: Ch’ella mi creda libero
07. La Gioconda: Cielo e mar!
08. L’Africaine: Mi batte il cor….O Paradis
09. Ideale
10. O sole mio
11. Only A Rose (from the Michael Curtiz’s 1956 Film “The Vagabond King”)
12. For You Alone
13. Manon, Act 2: “Instant charmant” – “En fermant les yeux, je vois là-bas” (Des Grieux)
14. Carmen: La fleur que tu m’avais jetée (Act II)
15. Faust: Salut! demeure chaste et pure (Act III)
16. Martha: M’appari tutt’amor
17. Stabat Mater: II. Aria, “Cujus animam gementem” (Tenor). Allegro maestoso
18. Messa da Requiem: II. Sequence, 8. Ingemisco (Tenor)
19. Il trovatore, Act 3 Scene 6: “Ah sì, ben mio, coll’essere” (Manrico)
20. Il trovatore, Act 3 Scene 6: “Di quella pira … l’orrendo foco” (Manrico)
21. Il Trovatore: Ah! sì, ben mio, coll’essere
22. Il Trovatore: Di quella pira
23. Rigoletto: Questa o quella
CD 02
01. La Bohème: O soave fanciulla
02. Rigoletto: E il sol dell’anima
03. Rigoletto, Act 1 Scene 1: No. 2b, Ballata, “Questa o quella per me pari sono” (Duca)
04. Un ballo in maschera: Di tu se fedele (Act I)
05. Turandot: Nessun dorma (Act III)
06. Andrea Chénier, Act 4: “Come un bel dì di maggio” (Chénier)
07. Fedora: Amor ti vieta (Act II)
08. Cavalleria rusticana: “Mamma, quel vino è generoso” (Turiddu)
09. I Pagliacci: Recitar!….Vesti la giubba
10. Mattinata in D Major
11. L’elisir d’amore, Act 2 Scene 7: No. 11, Romanza, “Una furtiva lagrima” (Nemorino)
12. Les Pêcheurs de perles, WD 13, Act 1: No. 4, Romance, “Je crois entendre encore, caché sous les palmiers” (Nadir)
13. Roméo et Juliette: Ah! lève-toi, soleil
14. Manon, Act 3: “Je suis seul” – “Ah ! Fuyez, douce image” (Des Grieux)
15. L’Arlesiana, Act 2: “È la solita storia del pastore” (Federico)
16. Cavalleria Rusticana: O Lola (Siciliana)
17. Manon Lescaut, Act 1: “Donna non vidi mai” (Des Grieux)
18. Tosca, Act 1 Scene 3: “Recondita armonia” (Cavaradossi)
19. Tosca, Act 3 Scene 2: “E lucevan le stelle” (Cavaradossi)
20. La Bohème: O soave fanciulla
21. Roméo et Juliette, CG 9, Act 1 Scene 7: No. 4, Madrigal, “Ange adorable, ma main coupable” (Roméo, Juliette)
22. Jocelyn Op. 109: Berceuse: Concealed in this Retreat
23. L’alba separa dalla luce l’ombra
CD 03
01. För Dig Allen’ (For You Alone)
02. Mattinata
03. Roméo et Juliette: Höj dig, du klara sol (Ah! lève-toi soleil!)
04. Rigoletto: O, I kvinnor (Questa o quella)
05. L’illustre Fregona: Fylld av vemod sänker sig natten (Mélancolique tombe le soir)
06. Prince Igor: Dagen gick långsamt till ro (Vladimir’s Cavatina)
07. Tosca: Det sköna står att finna (Recondita armonia – Act I)
08. Tosca: Jag minns stjärnorna lyste (E lucevan le stelle – Act III)
09. Rigoletto: Ack, som ett fjun så lätt (La donna è mobile)
10. Il Trovatore: Skyhögt mot himlen (Di quella pira)
11. I Pagliacci: Spela komedi! … Pudra ditt anlet (Recitar! … Vesti la giubba)
12. Cavalleria Rusticana: O Lola (sung in Swedish)
13. La fanciulla del West: Lät henne tro (Ch’ella mi creda libero)
14. Fanal: I männer över lag och rätt
15. Sadko: I söderns hav (Song of the Indian Guest)
16. La belle Hélène: uti en skog pa berget Ida (Au mont Ida trois déesses) [Act I]
17. Der Zigeunerbaron: Vem har oss vigt? (Wer uns getraut)
18. Der Bettelstudent: Skall jag tala … Antag det fall (Soll ich reden … Ich setz’ den Fall)
19. Der Bettelstudent: Nu är jag pank och fågelfri (Ich hab’ kein Geld) [Act III]
20. Når jag för mig sjålv i mörka skogen går Op. 5 No. 1
21. Bland skogens höga furustammar Op. 5 No. 4
22. Ack Värmeland du sköna
23. Allt under himmelens fäste
24. Tonerna
25. Sommarnatt
26. Sverige
27. Land, du välsignade
28. Nämmer du Sverige
CD 04
01. Adelaide, Op. 46
02. 4 Lieder, Op. 27: No. 4, Morgen!
03. 4 Lieder, Op. 27: No. 2, Cäcilie
04. Bön i ofredstid
05. Bisp Thomas’ frihetssång
06. 6 Romances, Op. 4: No. 3, In the Silence of the Secret Night
07. 12 Romances, Op. 21: No. 5, Lilacs
08. Jeanie with the light brown hair
09. Because
10. Sylvia
11. A Spirit Flower
12. Ah, Love, but a Day
13. I Bless Ev’ry Hour (Tonerna)
14. Till havs
15. Sången till havet
16. Visa kring slånblom och månskära
17. Jungfrau under lind Op. 10 No. 1
18. Kung Heimer och Aslög
19. Trollsjön
20. Så tag mit hjerte
21. 6 Songs, Op. 36: No. 6, Demanton på marssnön
22. O helga natt (Adams julsång)
CD 05
01. I Pagliacci: Mi accordan di parlar?…Un grande spettacolo…Un tal gioco
02. I Pagliacci: Recitar!…Vesti la giubba
03. I Pagliacci: A stanotte…Coraggio!…No, Pagliaccio non son
04. La bohème: Non sono in vena…Che gelida manina (Act I)
05. La Bohème: Ehi! Rodolfo…O soave fanciulla (Act I)
06. La Bohème: Marcello, finalmente…Donde lieta usci…Dunque è proprio finita (Act III)
07. La Bohème: In un coupè?…O Mimi, tu più non torni (Act IV)
08. Madama Butterfly, Act 1: “Dovunque al mondo … Amore o grillo”
09. Madama Butterfly: Viene la sera…Bimba dagli occhi (Act I)
This 5 CD set covers the best of Björling’s EMI solo recordings and includes highlights from the three complete operas:
CD 1 contains Opera and Oratorio Arias and Songs in their original language recorded between 1936 and 1941.
CD 2 covers similar repertoire from 1941 to 1950.
CD 3 goes back to the period from 1929 when Björling was still a local Swedish artist and recorded all his material in Swedish. The CD opens with the two recently discovered test recordings that Björling made for EMI Sweden on 4 September 1929: ‘For You Alone’ and ‘Mattinata’, both sung in Swedish.
CD 4 contains a selection of Lieder and Songs, all sung in their original language, recorded between 1939 and 1959.
CD 5 contains a generous selection of highlights from Björling’s three complete EMI operas: La bohème, Pagliacci and Madama Butterfly. He is partnered in all three recordings by the soprano Victoria de los Angeles. All tracks, except those from Pagliacci and Madama Butterfly on CD 5, have been transferred and digitally remastered at Abbey Road Studios from the best available source material in the EMI Archives by the award-winning audio restoration engineer Andrew Walter.