Giuseppe Di Stefano’s complete Decca discography brought together in one edition for the first time, celebrating the centenary of his birth (24 July 2021). 14CDs, remastered at 24bit/96kHz from the original analogue tapes and presented in spined wallets and with original sleeves. Includes 3 recital discs, complete L’elisir d’amore and “Great Scenes” from Mefistofele originally released on Decca, plus the opera recordings of La Gioconda, La forza del destino and Tosca, originally recorded by the Decca recording teams for RCA (later released by Decca).

The new limited edition includes a bonus 80-minute audio documentary, produced by Jon Tolansky, featuring interviews with Di Stefano himself, alongside Luciano Pavarotti, Carlos Álvarez, the conductor Sir Edward Downes and the author Roger Pines.

Lift-off lid capbox with 20pp booklet featuring new liners notes by Jon Tolansky (E/F/G), and many photographs from the Decca archives.

Contents:

CD 1: “Operatic Recital”
Including arias from Giordano’s Andrea Chénier, Puccini’s Tosca & Turandot; Massenet’s Werther & Manon, Bizet’s Carmen & Les pêcheurs de perles & Gounod’s Faust
Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Franco Patanè

CD 2: “Voce D’Italia” / Songs of Italy & Sicily
Highlights include Addio, sogni di Gloria; Parlami d’amore, Mariù; Sicilia bedda; Ti voglio tanto bene; Chitarra Romana & Firenze Sogna
Orchestra, Dino Olivieri

CD 3: “Neapolitan Songs”
Highlights include Torna a Surriento, Core ’ngrato, Lacreme napulitane & ’O surdato ’nnamurato
Giuseppe di Stefano, The New Symphony Orchestra of London, Iller Pattacini

CDs 4-5: Donizetti - L’elisir d’amore
- Giuseppe di Stefano
- Hilde Gueden
- Luisa Mandelli
- Renato Capecchi
- Fernando Corena
Coro & Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli

CDs 6-7: Ponchielli - La Gioconda
- Giuseppe di Stefano
- Zinka Milanov
- Rosalind Elias
- Leonard Warren
- Plinio Clabassi
- Belen Amparan
Coro & Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Fernando Previtali

CDs 8-10: Verdi - La forza del destino
- Giuseppe di Stefano
- Zinka Milanov
- Rosalind Elias
- Giorgio Tozzi
- Dino Mantovani
Coro & Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Fernando Previtali

CD 11: Boito - Mefistole: Great Scenes
- Giuseppe di Stefano
- Cesare Siepi
- Renata Tebaldi
Coro & Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Tullio Serafin

CDs 12-13 Puccini - Tosca
- Giuseppe di Stefano
- Leontyne Price
- Giuseppe Taddei
Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan

Bonus CD: “Giuseppe di Stefano: A profile”
80-min audio documentary featuring many interviews and musical excerpts. Speakers in this feature include Giuseppe di Stefano himself, the baritone Carlos Álvarez, conductor Sir Edward Downes, tenor Luciano Pavarotti and scholar/author Roger Pines. The documentary is narrated and produced by Jon Tolansky.