Compilation: James King: In Memoriam (1963 - 1976) Arias and Scenes from Fidelio, Samson et Dalila, Tosca

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Any lover of Wagner is used to making sacrifices when it comes to which Heldentenor will show up on any given night. It seems that either they can't be heard over the orchestra or you wish you couldn't hear them. Among the few exceptions was the great James King. Throughout his very long career he used his ringing baritonal tenor not only managing some of the most difficult roles but excelling at them. It is fair to say that at his prime he owned the roles of Bacchus and Der Kaiser. I made this compilation to highlight his excellence in the Heldentenor repertoire and also to show some of the roles for which few documents remain. He was remarkably comfortable outside his Wagnerian home-base and this disc bears that out with excerpts from Samson et Dalila, Tosca and Macbeth. The sound varies but for the most part is very good.

With Gwyneth Jones & Leonie Rysanek

OD 10376-1