Twenty-something Freddie De Tommaso has been the subject of plenty of buzz since signing with the major Decca label, and Passione, his debut release, has performed strongly on the charts right out of the box. It's something of a tenor throwback release, with semi-popular pieces made famous by the likes of Caruso and Mario Lanza. These are fun; the pieces by Paolo Tosti aren't heard as often as they should be, and there's a convincing English-language setting of Cara mia by Mantovani (ditto). Yet, De Tommaso also sings a couple of Puccini songs newly arranged for orchestra, and it is perhaps here that he impresses most. He does not have pure vocal sweetness, but he has charisma and command, and in the involved melodic structures of the Puccini pieces, with explosive high notes, he's quite absorbing. He gets sympathetic support from the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Renato Balsadonna, and the whole thing is attractively recorded. This is definitely a young tenor to watch, and many of these pieces are soon going to be all over British radio if they aren't already.
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