Numerous remasterings and new editions of original recordings have been made from this vast corpus. De Luca made his first recording on 2nd December 1902 in Milan: Michonnet's monologue from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur, recorded less than a month after the triumphant world première production of the opera (Milan, Teatro Lirico, 6th November 1902). His last recording session was in February 1950 with arias from Peri's Euridice, Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Siberia, Linda di Chamounix, Queen of Spades, Falsaff and, closing a perfect circle, once again the monologue from Adriana Lecouvreur. Over a period of fifty years De Luca recorder for some ten companies: the first two in Italy (The Gramophone and Typewriter from 1902 to 1904, and the “Società Italiana di Fonotipia” of Milan from 1905 to 1907, all the others in New York. The majority of his recording appeared on the label of the Victor Talking Machine Company of New York and Camden in New Jersey, the glorious recording company which immortalised Caruso and for which De Luca recorded from 1916 to 1930. Numerous other recordings were made on other New York labels: Metropolitan Opera House Broadcasts (1932-1940), RCA-Victor (1940), Song Treasury Broadcast (1946), Decca Records (1946), Carnegie Pops Concert (1948), Continental Records (1950).
To find one's way through this ocean of recordings one must turn to William Shaman's excellent “Giuseppe De Luca a discography”, published in 1991 by Symposium Records of Hertfordshire, England. The publication, of which there is no Italian edition, is a must for all those who wish to study De Luca's discography.
