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Collectors of historical live operatic recordings are used to putting up with all kinds of obstacles between them and enjoyment of the performance. Muffled recording, strange balance, noises from audience, prompter or stage movement, and cuts, whether made at the actual performance or imposed by missing sections of the recording – all of these are the norm but it can sometimes still be worth persevering with listening in the hope that they will also be able to detect the faint echo of what occurred on some uniquely and musically important occasion. 

Many of those obstacles are present here. In particular the recording is frequently very distorted and the balance very much favours the orchestra, and sometimes the audience, over the singers. Nonetheless what remains shows that this was a performance of rare excitement and insight. Ramón Vinay’s Otello is well known, mainly from Toscanini’s recording – earlier but much better recorded. Here he has many of the same virtues – inherent nobility, a large voice able to express great power and strong emotions and suggesting a man distinct from the rest of the characters, and great musicality and dramatic ability. He seems perhaps not as careful here as he was in the Toscanini version, although this may be due in part to the deficiencies of the recording. Giuseppe Taddei is a well sung and very vivid Iago. His clarity and forward projection of words ensure that every syllable is clear, and thankfully he avoids melodramatic effects. Antonietta Stella is a very positive Desdemona, avoiding the risks of sounding either pallid or matronly. All in all, I very much enjoyed what I could hear of the main singers, although I must stress that to some extent this reaction is based on imagination as the actual sounds are frequently far from realistic or attractive. 

The main virtue of the set, however, is the conducting of Sir Thomas Beecham. The notes by Danilo Prefumo suggest that he had “learnt Toscanini’s lesson (apart from a few, unaccountably slow tempos)”. I would doubt whether by this time in his life the way that Beecham approached the opera was likely to have been influenced one way or the other by what other conductors had done or were doing. Beecham’s experience in opera had gone back some half century before this, and he knew very well how to establish dramatic situations and how to get the best out of whatever performers he was working with. In fact the orchestra and chorus here are far from bad, and I think that Prefumo is ungenerous in saying that they are not always up to their task. Certainly the off-stage brass do appear to have some occasional difficulties and there are some other inaccuracies or lack of coordination, but no more than can be expected in any live performance of this work, especially one of such intensity. I am not clear which are the “unaccountably slow tempos”. Some parts are certainly slower than the score might suggest, but rarely to any exceptional degree compared with other performances. All in all, there is much to be enjoyed in and learnt from Beecham’s performance here, even if the enjoyment is somewhat limited by the limits of the recorded sound. 

It is here that the problems start and end. Obviously this is not comparable with modern recordings and purchasers are likely to buy this as a supplement to other versions, or perhaps even as a supplement to supplements. On that basis it is certainly worth having. The performance has been issued by other companies, but I have not been able to compare this version with them so that I do not know to what extent what appears to be a somewhat crude refurbishment is the best that can be done with the source material. 

No text or translations are included and the brief notes relate entirely to the performers, but this is unlikely to deter the likely target audience. Caveat emptor maybe, but also carpe diem.

John Sheppard

 

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