After Verdi, between the years 1875 to 1900, an entire generation of composers (mostly Italians) came along who continued to reshape opera by giving it true, earthy passions and plots. Giacomo Puccini (La Boheme), Georges Bizet (Carmen), Ruggiero Mascagni (Cavalleria R...

Read Pt. 1 here

Caruso’s vocal transformation started in the 1907 when he first began to sing Verdi's opera, Aida. This opera is notoriously difficult for the tenor. It requires a robust and resilient voice to compete successfully with Verdi's dense orchestration, as w...

Enrico Caruso began as a lyrical tenor in the late 19th and the first several years of the 20th century (the lyrical tenor voice is relatively light as compared to “heavier” voices). His voice, however, became deeper, more powerful and resonant as his career unfolded....