Tenor John Osborn Makess Solo Recording Debut

On September 8, 2017, Delos Records will release the debut solo recording of American tenor John Osborn, whose "exquisite singing" (Opera Wire) has been widely sought by presenters and audiences throughout Europe and North America since winning the 1994 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions at the age of 21. His new album, titled A Tribute to Gilbert Duprez, celebrates the great French bel canto repertoire, with arias both standard and esoteric, and the "beautiful singing" technique responsible for Mr. Osborn's transcendent legato and brilliant upper register.

"I am thrilled to collaborate with Delos, Maestro Orbelian, and the fine musicians of the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra and State Chorus on this recording which is so important to me on many levels," said the tenor. "This repertoire is, in many respects, the pinnacle of what the tenor voice is capable of producing, in both its bravado and nuance, and to have the opportunity to pay homage to the great Duprez and his immeasurable contribution to vocal technique is an immense honor."

The Romantic-era tenor and voice teacher, Gilbert-Louis Duprez (1806-1896), was a pedagogical revolutionary of opera singing as it is heard today; his emphasis on encouraging the healthy, full-bodied chest voice production of a tenor's upper register is what one associates with the major tenors of the 20th century - Franco Corelli, Luciano Pavarotti, and Placido Domingo among others - as opposed to the softer, less "heroic" falsetto standard in earlier musical styles.

In collaboration with the outstanding Lithuanian Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra led by Constantine Orbelian and the Kaunas State Choir, Mr. Osborn meticulously selected the track listing of Verdi, Donizetti, Bellini, and Rossini as a reflection of Duprez's immeasurable influence on operatic technique in tenor voices, and a dedication to the repertoire which is quintessentially Romantic, bel canto, and tenorial.

A Tribute to Gilbert Duprez
John Osborn, tenor
Constantine Orbelian, conductor
Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra
Kaunas State Chorus

TRACK LISTING
Giuseppe Verdi
1. Jérusalem - Je veux encore entendre ta voix
? 2. Jérusalem - Ô mes amis, mes frères d'armes
Gaetano Donizetti
3. La favorite - Ange si pur
4. Les martyrs - Oui, j'irai dans leur temple
Hector Berlioz
5. Benvenuto Cellini - La gloire était ma seule idole
6. Benvenuto Cellini - Sur les monts, les plus sauvages
Gaetano Donizetti
7. Lucie de Lammermoor - Bientôt l'herbe des champs coîtra
8. Dom Sébastien - Seul sur la terre
Gioachino Rossini
9. Guillaume Tell - Asile héréditaire