Corriam voliam

Giacomo Lauri-Volpi (1892-1979) spent a great deal of time making personal recordings in his home during his later years. The great tenor would grab an opera score from the shelf, open it to his favorite passages and sing to his own amusing accompaniment as a friend recorded it. Between 1955 and 1971, he recorded dozens of selections from a variety of works. In this recording from 1959, Lauri-Volpi sings the recitative and aria "Non mi lasciare; O muto asil del pianto" followed by the cabaletta "Corriam! Voliam! from Rossini's opera Guglielmo Tell". The sixty-seven year old tenor's high Cs are right on the mark... particularly impressive when one considers that he's sitting down as he sings this!