What Our Customers Are Saying

(Any titles mentioned below can be ordered at the Bel Canto Society Store)

“Thank you for your prompt service. The video I ordered on 4/27 was delivered on 4/28!!!! I would highly recommend your company to anyone wanting to purchase anything operatic.”
—Louise Onorato, Park Ridge, NJ

“When it comes to buying Corelli recordings BCS is the best choice for me, as I don’t want to spend my money on some bad quality no name label CDs.”
—Sertac Coskun, Ankara, Turkey

“The Gioconda set with Corelli is legendary. How do you guys achieve transfers of such astonishing quality? Best in the business.”
—Ian Rowlands, Bedford, Great Britain
Click to see how we do it.

“My agency has ordered six videos from you because the tapes are fabulous and so is the quality.”
—George Martynuk, artists manager

“The work that you and your organization are doing is truly a monumental task and so very, very important for the living history of opera to be preserved. You have my respect and admiration.”
—Nolan Van Way, Burbank, CA

“There aren’t enough words to say what joy you have brought to me and my friends through your wonderful video releases! The quality is far superior to those put out by Legato!
       “I was especially pleased with Moore’s Louise, Corelli’s Turandot, Del Monaco’s Otello [#4] and Chénier, Olivero’s Tosca, Carteri’s Traviata, Gigli’s Non Ti Scordar di Me, and Carnegie Hall, What treasures—and so beautifully transferred to video both in sound and picture!”
—Enrico L. Aloi, Hollis, NY

 ”Bravo! for the superb quality of your video tapes.
     “I hope you will have more Del Monaco. His was the best ‘live’ voice I ever heard, acting superbly, impossible to forget. Set aside those stupid critics who I guess never saw him sing!”
—Claude Cazauran, Marseille, France

“I would like to commend you on the wonderful work you are doing for operas and singers. Without you life would be even more dreary in this somewhat depressing environment.”
—Joseph Olivieri, San Francisco, CA

“A note of thanks for bringing back exquisite vocal art both through your videos and through the array of vocal talent that you assemble in your concerts. Your catalog is a treasure trove of entertaining reviews and nostalgic photos. The orders are processed quickly and deliveries are timely.
     “Please keep up the great work, and do schedule another dynamite concert in New York.”
—John A. Di Lollo, Linden, NJ

“The videos are excellent value!”
—Norman Woodman, Ealing, London, U.K.

“For quite some time I have been delighted with the treasures you have made available to opera lovers. I have never been disappointed in any items I have bought from Bel Canto. Your work in restoring these great works is an ongoing labor of love. Now for a hearty ‘CONGRATULATIONS’ on providing shipping and handling services that are as excellent as your products. This upgrade in service makes ordering from Bel Canto even more enjoyable. Thanks so much for your continuing efforts to keep your customers satisfied.” 
—Alsie Murdoch, Del Mar, CA

“Thank you for your terrific customer service.”
—Joseph Holmes, Wakefield, MA

 ”Keep up the good work. You make life worth living!”
—Elena D. Ciletti, Romulus, NY

“My agency has ordered six videos from you because the tapes are fabulous and so is the quality.”
—George Martynuk, artists manager

“I received my latest shipment of tapes which included two Alfredo Kraus, Ten Tenors,  Six Great Basses and Magda Olivero: The Last Verismo Soprano. Included with this package was what I wisely saved for dessert—‘Stefan and the Divas.’  What a coup—what courage! Going into the lion’s den is one thing—but the monkey house too. Certainly your crew and you deserve a special place!!! Loved the whole tape—but Marcella Pobbe and Leyla Gencer brought verismo into perfect focus. What they refused to say or admit is exactly the magic of their mystique—thanks, thanks, thanks.”
—Ray Schwede, Middle Village, NY

“It has been such an adventure discovering all these wonderful singers through your videos. It’s hard to believe that not so long ago we’d never even heard of [Schipa,] Tauber, Tagliavini or Bastianini. We look forward to continuing our explorations.”
—Donna J. Stone, Oakland, NJ

“Watching these great singers is for us ‘beginning singers’ a valuable lesson in operatic technique.” —Bartosz and Piotr Zamojscy, Gdansk, Poland

“The video purchases I made recently are absolutely great. The quality of all of them was more than I ever dreamed possible. The rapidity with which they arrived was also a surprise.
     “Your copy of Forza [#666] is magnificent, the sound quality is very, very good. What a thrill to hear Corelli and Tebaldi blazing out. Keep finding and producing these treasures.”
—Keith Purnell Hall, Havertown, PA

“Many thanks for sending the delightful videos, all of which arrived in good order within a surprisingly short time of my request. I had a wonderful afternoon and evening watching all six videos, and despite some eye strain consequently had a calm night’s sleep afterwards.
      “Having been a Tauber fan for over half a century, I was most pleased with his films (particularly Heart's Desire, which I had never seen before—what a moving performance Tauber’s is of Schumann’s "Widmung"; and the ‘homesickness song’ he sings in the train taking him away from his beloved Vienna is so poignant given his permanent exile from Austria just a year or so after the making of this film). But the treasures didn’t stop there; I finally saw and heard José Mojica, a pleasure indeed. [El Capitán Aventurrero] He sounded to me like a blend of Aragall and Di Stefano.
     “And then, Grace Moore in Louise  (or at least enough parts of its music to make the experience enjoyable). Given the date of the filming (1938ish was it?, although in Miss Moore’s autobiography, You’re Only Human Once, there is the distinct impression that the film was made on the eve of the Nazis marching into Paris—ah, well, she was very much a lady of the theatre, and her version of events is better than any reality). The bilious, negative sneering of the critics quoted on the video sleeve may safely be ignored by anyone who seeks to enjoy music without undue pickiness.
     “Finally, the selection of tenors—Gigli, Tauber, the charming Slezak (almost a double for his son, Walter), Roswaenge, Wittrisch, Kiepura, Schmidt and Bjoerling—good stuff. I didn’t include Caruso, as his silent film clip was of less interest to me than the musical ones. [Great Tenors, Vol.1]
     “Thanks again, I am now carefully selecting my next list for another order. These videos could become more addictive (and much more healthy) than tobacco.”
—Rob Pollock, Tasmania

“Congratulations on the outstanding tapes. I am delighted to see that my favorite, John McCormack, came in sixth in your poll.” —Derry O’Reilly, Douglas West, County Cork, Ireland
     (Click for detailed results of “The Tenor of the Century” contest, in which Corelli came in first.)

“God bless Stefan Zucker, who keeps us enthralled with all these wonderful video opera treasures.”
—Mr. Bryce, NYC, NY

“I am writing to tell you how much I am enjoying the videos I ordered recently.”
—John S. Rojas, Cape Town, South Africa