Paolo Tosti (1846-1916)
Parla! Melodia, CS 191
Seconda Mattinata, CS 192
Deux petites mélodies, CS 193
Io son l'amore conzone notturna, CS 194
Pour un baiser petite mélodie, CS 195
Au temps du grand Roi! mélodie, CS 195
Nella notte d'april! melodia, CS 199
I am not Fair song, CS 198
Sola tu manchi! melodia, CS 199
Amate! canzone, CS 200
Non domando più nulla! melodia, CS 201
L'ultima canzone, CS 202
Love's Way song, CS 204
On dit! chansonette, CS 205
Io ti sento! melodia, CS 206
Toujours l'aimer mélodie, CS 207
Voi dormite Signora reminiscenze d'una canzone negra, CS 208
Love me! song, CS 211
Summer song, CS 213
‘A vucchella arietta di Posillipo, CS 209
Quattro Canzoni d'Amaranta, CS 210
Canta la serenata! melodia, CS 212
Starlight song, CS 214
Su la soglia romanzetta, CS 215
Tristezza melodia, CS 216
Se tu non torni!... melodia, CS 217
Chitarrata abruzzese, CS 218
Forse! romanzetta, CS 219
Napoli dorme! Napoli canta! canto, CS 220
Once More! song, CS 221
Deux mélodies, CS 222
Il pescatore canta vecchia canzone di strada, CS 223
Love's Gift song, CS 169
Sogni d'oro!... melodia, CS 224
Who? song, CS 225
Le temps d'un Réve mélodie, CS 226
Two little songs, CS 227
Never! song, CS 227B
Non mentire!... melodia, CS 228
Baciami!... melodia, CS 229
Canto Abruzzese, CS 230
Cercando te!... melodia, CS 231
Luna d'estate! stornello, CS 232
Now!... song, CS 233
Se tu canti... melodia, CS 234
Itala Stella canzone popolare, CS 235
The Allies march to the Freedom song, CS 244
Due piccoli notturni, CS 236
Morale allegra!... pagina d'album, CS 236B
L'attesa!, CS 237
First Waltz from an Abruzzese folksong, CS 238
Jewels in the Hedge song, CS 282
Passing Shadow, CS 284
Adieu, My Dear song, CS 249
Back to the Old Love song, CS 252
More and More song, CS 256
Le papillon et la fleur mélodie, CS 258
Remembered Still song, CS 259
Tutto se scorda! canzone napoletana, CS 262
While We are Young old song, CS 263
Bimbi e neve piccolo canto, CS 264
Chi sono? pagina d'album, CS 278
O dolce meraviglia! canzone, CS 240
Perdutamente! melodia, CS 241
Resta nel sogno! melodia, CS 246
Charitas! lamento, CS 254
Maggio è rittornato, CS 242B
Because song, CS 279
Bonsoir, Mignonne, CS 280
Io vorrei che nessun Mago indiscreto, CS 281
Song of the Letter song, CS 285
Napoli canzone popolare a due voci, CS 257
Ninna nanna, CS 239
A Tale of the Twilight song, CS 251
Help me to Pray song, CS 255
Tormento melodia, CS 242
Non basta più, CS 242C
Anima mia, CS 243
Parole del ricordo mio!..., CS 245
Consolazione poermetto, CS 247
M'odi tu?..., CS 283
La Sera pemetto, CS 248
A Song of a Life song, CS 250

Monica Bacelli, mezzo-soprano
Giuseppina Piunti, mezzo-soprano
Cinzia Forte, soprano
Giovanni Meoni, baryton
Maria Bagalà, soprano
Donata D'Annunzio Lombardi, soprano
John Viscardi, baryton
Riccardo Della Sciucca, ténor
Marco Scolastra, piano
Glenn Morton, piano
Isabella Crisante, piano

The fourth volume in an acclaimed series, presenting the work of a gifted Victorian-era songsmith in unprecedented depth. Based on 33 years of scholarship and promotion by the Istituto Nazionale Tostiano and a lifetime of studies on the part of this volume lives up to its predecessors in bringing to wider attention the work of a born melodist, at home in the English and French tongues as well as his native Italian, and one who brought the genre of salon song to a peak of perfection. The greatest singers of each era from Caruso to Pavarotti and Bartoli have always reserved a corner of their repertoire for Tosti, but he has hardly ever been given the spotlight, perhaps nervous of the sheer popular appeal of songs such as ‘A vucchella' which opens CD2 of the present set. The chronological approach to his work taken by this project proves that he was certainly not confined within the limited universe of love requited, rejected, desired, misunderstood, suffered or unspoken. The songs in this fourth volume cover the years 1905 to his death in 1916 having become a British subject in 1906, knighted in 1908, and retired to Italy in 1912. Despite their relative youth, the singers chosen to record this project are all Tosti experts, having won various editions of Ortona’s international voice competition devoted to the interpretation of drawing-room songs and ballads. Other actors of lesser skill almost always seem to be portraying the same person. Much the same thing can happen with music, but not here, thanks to the idiomatic command and fresh, unselfconscious artistry of the singers in responding to the wide range of poets set by Tosti, including Gabriele d’Annunzio, Thomas Carlyle and Frederic Weatherly. The booklet includes a full contextual introduction to the Tosti edition by the late Francesco Sanvitale, and sung texts are available at brilliantclassics.com.