ON TOUR IN RUSSIA; songs and arias by Handel, Beethoven, Faure, Leoncavallo, Gounod, Verdi, Giordano and others; Leonard Warren, baritone; Willard Sektberg, pianist. BMG Music 7807-2-RG (compact disc).

This CD gives us the peerless Warren baritone in live recital 31 years ago, less than two years before his untimely death. Moreover eight songs are included which were not on the original LP. Warren lavished his faultless technique and mighty instrument with as much care and seriousness of purpose on concert chestnuts and English-language throwaways as he did on his familiar operatic specialties. Even in a folk song like “Colorado Trail” we hear a perfectly controlled forte, mezza voce, pianissimo and diminuendo. Compared to earlier versions, the “Faust,” “Falstaff” and “Chenier” arias retain the wonted beauty of sound, but one discovers addded colors and nuances.