“The 1906 recording of "M'appari" from Martha comes first, and it introduces an aspect of Caruso's singing that rarely finds a place in the critical commentaries: his subtlety ... As to the transfers, I listened with intense pleasure to the singing, which I can't do if there is a strident 'top', a needle-pointed edge, an attenuation of the richness that was by all accounts one of Caruso's essential attributes. There is none of that here ... Francis Alda's spoken recollection of the events surrounding this recording is splendid - and there's a lady you wouldn't contradict lightly”