“PRIMA VOCE.” Giovanni Martinelli (with Grace Anthony,...

“PRIMA VOCE.” Giovanni Martinelli (with Grace Anthony, Rosa Ponselle, Giuseppe De Luca and Ezio Pinza); various orchestras and conductors. Nimbus 7804 (compact disc). There was never much velvet on the Martinelli tenor at any time. His strong suit was clarion power and stamina in the Italian dramatic tenor repertory. These recordings from 1915 to 1928 show a vocal ease and security all but unknown today. He was also capable of an affecting lyricism and perfect legato in such arias as the “Onegin” and “Fedora” excerpts. Occasionally he could irritate with his habit of sliding up to top notes, and there are hints of a bleat which became more pronounced in the later years of the career, but they are minor blemishes. The sound transfers are excellent.