Fortunately, Stefano Secco has a nice tenor voice, light in weight with a bright timbre, good breath support, open high notes, and a good sense of style. Yes, I miss the more honeyed tone that Caruso and di Stefano brought to some of these songs, but you can’t have everything. He’s particularly good in one of my absolute favorite Tosti songs,’A vucchella, which requires the utmost in legato and voice control. There’s a slight touch of Pavarotti in his tone—not a bad thing. Fans of the Caruso and Björling versions may miss the midrange power they produced in L’alba separa dalla luce l’ombra, but Secco has his own way with the song and, within the limits he sets for himself, it works.

Some listeners, used to the orchestral accompaniments that Caruso, Gigli, and di Stefano received in these songs, may be disappointed by a piano-only accompaniment. I am not. David Abramovitz is not severely challenged in these readings—indeed, the simplicity of the piano accompaniment is one major difference between Tosti and Schubert—but he certainly plays well so far as it goes. Collectors of historical recordings, of course, have multiple versions of most of these pieces, but it’s a pleasure to have the very best of Tosti, along with two choice samples of Mascagni and Donaudy, in one album.

…you’ll find yourself enjoying the Mediterranean flavor and accent of Tosti’s music, especially in these beautifully and sensitively sung interpretations.

Any defence of these songs has to begin by accepting them for what they are. They are certainly not musically adventurous and there is more than a little family resemblance between them. Nonetheless they have charm in abundance and provided you do not seek for deeper meaning, novelty or complexity they offer much to enjoy. I have to admit to doing so enormously in almost any performance but they blossom best when the singer aims to charm rather than bludgeon the listener, and when they have the original piano accompaniment or at any rate a straightforward orchestration. There are many performances on disc that are ruined by inflated or anachronistic orchestral accompaniments. The simple charm of the original piano versions is almost always best, and that is what this disc has, played sympathetically by David Abramovitz.

It would be easy but unfair to compare Stefano Secco with the great singers who have recorded these songs in the past. He is a young singer who has sung a variety of the leading tenor roles in Italian opera. Despite having Franco Corelli as his teacher he is prepared to sing quietly and sensitively when required, and if at present he lacks the flexibility and variety of expression needed to make the most of the songs he is aware of their general style and how to put across their simple charms. I am sure that he would have made a great success in the kind of salon for which they were written. I enjoyed the recital throughout its rather modest length—a few more songs would have been welcome—and at times even found myself wishing that Naxos had announced it as Volume 1 of Tosti’s complete songs. Given the narrow character range of these songs that is quite an achievement on the part of the performers.