Search - Jussi Bjorling :: Icon (5 CDs)

Bjorling with a bonus

D. Culp | Los Angeles, CA | 10/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an excellent representative collection of Bjorling's repertoire with a good balance between early and later recordings. The documenation doesn't indicate who did the re-mastering, but it is of excellent quality throughout.



What makes this edition special are the first two tracks of Disk 3.



In September of 1929, 18 year old Jussi Bjorling strolled into a recording studio to cut two test records (presumably to determine whether he was suitable for commercial recordings.) He recorded the songs with piano accompaniment only and, while he seems a bit hesitant occasionally, his voice is pure, sweet, strong, and has the unmistakeable Bjorling sound. From the beginning, this was a world-class voice. Bjorling wrote in his autobiography that he took the disks home and played them over and over that day, not recognizing his own voice initially.



These two test pressings have always been listed by EMI as "unissued" and "destroyed." Apparently someone found them. The two songs, "Mattinata" and "For You Alone" have been wonderfully restored with very clean sound. They were recorded three months later with a full orchestra and, with several others, were Bjorling's first commercial releases. I actually prefer the earlier versions.



The 5-Disk set also includes excerpts from the "La Boheme" conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham that Bjorling recorded with Victoria de los Angeles and Robert Merrill. If he had never recorded any other opera, this one would have forever established his reputation as not only a great singer, but a great interpreter of music.



Great set, well worth the price."