Recording at Dreamflower was, indeed, a classical performer's dream.  The natural acoustical space and top tier concert piano supported and inspired us every step of the way.  On this day, we concentrated on the repertoire of our three men: Paul, John and Jon, our tenor, baritone and pianist respectively.  Lisa, our incredible soprano, was out of town.  We began with our favorite, the duet from The Pearl Fishers, established our balance and recording levels, and let the tapes roll.  Paul and I had sung this piece hundreds of times in concert on six continents and it always gave us a boost.  Bizet's melody allows both voices to soar effortlessly as though riding a wave all the way to the shore.  The image in my mind has always been that of two dolphins gliding side by side carried forward by this wave of immense beauty and strength.  We recorded the Boheme duet next, clearly another favorite of ours.  Its performance challenges are hidden to most listeners but singers and musicians know them well: subtle changes in tempo and dynamics and the feeling of sparkling spontaneity throughout.  Gotta love Puccini.  While Paul and I took a short break, Jon, our astounding pianist and dearest buddy of 30 years, known affectionately as "Captain Ivories" by our fans in Australia, dashed off his Liszt Paraphrase of Rigoletto in a single take -- flawless!  What a guy!  Lastly, Paul and I each recorded a couple of songs from our favorite musicals.  In this set, we offer highlights of "I, Don Quixote" from MAN OF LA MANCHA and "There's a Boat That's Leavin'" from PORGY AND BESS.

When Lisa returned, we were able to book an afternoon at Yamaha's new recording and performance space.  Wow, what a gorgeous place to make music and with all the latest high tech enhancements right at your fingertips.  Ultimately, we opted for completely natural sound, but the possibilities were truly endless.  Thank you, Yamaha!  (Actually, Yamaha has been a supporter and advocate of our music-making for close to three decades, a friendship made in musical heaven.)  When we got down to work, we lined up six pieces we wanted to record and Lisa was in every one of them.  So, we took our lead from her.  I believe we did the Faust Trio first, a real tour de force for the soprano, but Lisa sailed right through it and through each of our duets in turn, from TOSCA, AIDA, LA BOHEME, and PORGY AND BESS. What an amazing sound and so reminiscent of my all-time favorite soprano, Leontyne Price.  When we finished, we asked Lisa if she would like to record anything else.  We mentioned that each of us had also recorded solo pieces we enjoyed.  She opted for "O patria mia" from AIDA, not exactly what we expected after a long afternoon of recording.  Secretly, I was thrilled.  The one time I had shared the concert stage with Leontyne Price - it was San Francisco Opera’s Fal-de-ral Gala years ago - she opted to close the concert with the same piece.  As you'll hear, Lisa did herself proud, taking our breath away. Leontyne would have been proud too.  Have a listen...

Notes by John Cimino