César Vezzani (1888-1951) was one of those rare tenors who had nearly everything: a large and gorgeous voice, a ringing top, a high degree of intelligence, ability to sing with great sensitivity, and excellent musicianship. Vezzani was born in Corsica and his appearances were made only in French-speaking countries. Of his debut at the Opéra-Comique in Gretry's Richard, Coeur de Lion on 17 December 1911, the newspapers said a star was born... and the reporters were right. Vezzani thrilled audiences until 1948 at which point he suffered a stroke during a rehearsal at the Toulon Opera that left him completely paralyzed. This, the first volume of the Vezzani series, contains his complete Odeon acoustic recordings as well as his first sessions in 1923 for French HMV.