Mattia Battistini, Deh, vieni alla finestra, Don Giovanni 1902

Very beautiful, very elegant. Battistini’s Italian is interesting. It is very proper stage Italian of the era, with striking open vowels, especially the A , so that ‘tesoro’ comes out tesahro. Curious affectation, very much of the period. He was noted for his elegance, which I assume is what drives his enunciation, almost certainly a bel canto flavoring. We have the same thing in English at that time, possibly a Shakespearean affection