With this issue Richard Caniell moves, for his
American performance selections, away from the New York ‘Met’
to San Francisco, whilst still depending on NBC broadcast transmissions
for source material. However, the transmissions from that source,
whilst often featuring ‘Met’ roster singers, were usually only
of single acts. Even these were often truncated if the performance
was running late as the broadcaster insisted on the following
programme starting on time! For the sake of completion Guild has
interpolated endings from other performances by the same singers,
except in the ‘Ballo’ extract where the voices of other singers
are used as I explain below. Given these circumstances and difficulties,
why go to the trouble? There are two good reasons. The first exemplified
by the act 2 of Manon (CD 1). Although there are other preserved
performances of Sayao’s greatly admired Manon, none features Schipa,
unequalled in the part of Des Grieux. Further, the ‘Met’ administration
had very clear views as to which roles the public liked to hear
their favourites sing and this often curtailed artists, who could
only show their diversity, or fulfil aspirations, elsewhere.
The recordings are variable with pitch problems
in Carmen and Walküre and severe sonic limitations in the
Ballo, which is derived from private as distinct from the normal
official Guild sources. Generally the voices are forward and clear
and orchestral detail satisfactory. Stage noises are present as
are surface clicks and hiss, which become less intrusive to enjoyment
than the regular audience applause.
Manon
There are at least two preservations of Sayao’s
renowned Manon. In neither is she matched for vocal quality by
her Des Grieux, sung here by the outstanding ‘tenore di grazia’
of his (or any?) generation, Tito Schipa. In ‘Manon’ (tr. 3) he
shows plenty of voice, whilst in ‘Instant charmant ... En ferment
les yeux’ (tr. 9) his vocal performance is outstanding with even
legato, elegant ‘mezza voce’ phrasing caught ‘on the breath’,
long breathed phrasing through the passagio, and concluding with
an exquisite diminuendo.
Sayao was a renowned and admired Manon with a’face
and figure du part’ She hadn’t the palette of colours in the voice
that Renée Fleming (another singularly beautiful face and
figure for the part) brought in more recent years, but it is still
a formidable characterization. Where I found some difficulty was
in her ‘Adieu notre petite table’ (tr. 8), where she moves from
using the lower tones of the voice (I deliberately do not use
the phrase ‘chest voice’) to a prominent vibrato to add stress
and meaning. The broadcast cut the final phrase, which is added,
in a slightly different acoustic, from another Sayao performance.
The recording and conducting are among the best
in this collection. However, as might be expected given the quality
of the singing, there are several intrusions of applause.
Carmen
The name part is sung by Marjorie Lawrence (born
1909) who first sang Brünnhilde at age 26 no less. She shared
the leading Wagnerian soprano roles at the ‘Met’ with Flagstad
from 1935 to 1941 when her stage career was cruelly cut short
by the onset of polio. Lawrence aspired to sing Carmen. The opportunity
arose at San Francisco in 1940 when she was scheduled to sing
'Minnie' in La Fanciulla del West and the baritone withdrew with
vocal problems. The management searched for another new role for
Lawrence, and Carmen was announced with Jobin and Pinza in the
other principal roles. The major pleasure listening to the performance
was, for me, the singing of Pinza as a swaggering Escamillo, (‘Votre
toast’ tr. 14) albeit his French leaves something to be desired.
The sheer richness of tone and vocal inflection bring the part
to life and one can imagine how any Carmen would prefer his extrovert
sexuality to Don José’s agonizing. Jobin was in the city
to sing opposite Lily Pons in Lakmé when the changes were
made. He is a little underpowered as José, but sings a
more sensitive ‘La fleur que tu m’avais jetée’ (tr. 18)
than he does on the famous 1950 recording with Solange Michel
in the title role (Naxos Historical). As Carmen, Lawrence is strong
voiced but rather monochrome. Her inability to express Carmen’s
sexual allure is not helped by the conductor’s fast speeds. Interesting
for vocal connoisseurs.
Le Nozze Di Figaro
The opening orchestral introduction is well caught
but marred by intrusive applause caused by either the curtain
rising on the scenery (it was the first night of a new production)
or the entrance of Rethberg as the Countess. Rethberg (born 1894)
was a renowned spinto at the ‘Met’, and elsewhere, singing Aida,
Amelia, Siglinde, Elisabeth etc). She sings an amazingly steady,
and full toned ‘Porgi amor’ (tr. 2) but sounds somewhat too mature
when it comes to planning and executing capers with Susanna. As
her husband, John Brownlee is something of a hectoring bully of
no great vocal distinction whilst Pinza’s mellifluous bass, and
vocal inflections, are ideal as Figaro. As his partner, Susanna,
Sayao is rather light of tone, sometimes sounding too thin, but
at least never acidic. The young Rise Stevens is justifiably applauded
for a well shaped and phrased ‘Voi che sapete’ (tr. 6). Leinsdorf
conducts adequately whilst a clangy piano continuo doesn’t help
the recits. The broadcast was terminated part way through the
finale and is completed by the interpolation from one on March
9th 1940. I have to note that the ensemble in this
finale gets a bit scrappy towards the end.
Un Ballo In Maschera
This is the poorest sonically but the most vital
vocally of this set of discs. Only 24 minutes of the act are included
and this fragment derives from rather poorly recorded private
sources. Whilst many pitch variations have been corrected there
are still problems in this respect as well as surface noise that
is particularly intrusive at the start of track 28 (‘M’ami, m’ami!’).
‘Holes’ have been filled with 5 seconds of Hervi Nelli and 20
seconds of Zinka Milanov.
In 1940 no complete recording of Ballo had been
made and even the ‘Met’ hadn’t managed a performance since 1916!
However, the work was suddenly revived in San Francisco, Chicago
and New York and has been a staple of the repertoire ever since.
This performance spans two generations. Rethberg (born 1894) had
been a ‘Met’ spinto for 20 years whilst Björling had only
just began his international career, soon to be abbreviated as
he returned to his native Sweden for the remainder of the ‘War’
years. Both singers display the skill of long-breathed phrases,
and vitality of characterization, whilst in their phrasing respecting
Verdi’s melody and dramatic thrust. They couldn’t, however, finish
the duet (tr. 28) together! Bonelli is a full-voiced resonant
Verdi baritone who sings with meaning and graceful phrasing. Björling’s
personal problems deprived us of a studio recording of Riccardo,
a part ideally suited to his lovely tenor voice. We can but regret
having to be satisfied with limited opportunities such as this
and despite the considerable limitations involved.
Die Walküre
I am surprised at Guild including this extract
in view of the complete opera in their ‘Dream Cycle’ (GHCD 2215-2217
reviewed elsewhere on this site). The conducting of Reiner is
to be preferred to that of Leinsdorf whilst the Fricka is less
convincing. In my review of the complete opera I was generous
about Schorr’s limitations at the top of the voice. Here, recorded
four years earlier, he is nearer to his great years as the foremost
Wotan of his generation. However, London Green who writes all
the informative notes on the performances in the usual high Guild
quality booklet, is very realistic on Schorr’s portrayal of Wotan’s
qualities: ‘But now, in 1936 … no longer a vocal painting, but
a pencil sketch’. Elsewhere the cast sings with the quality that
their reputations would lead you to expect and hope for. Whilst
other issues of this performance conclude, as did the broadcast,
well before the end of the act, Guild interpolate the end from
the 1940 performance under Leinsdorf. Pitch variations are not
wholly overcome.
Robert J. Farr
Chorus and Orchestra
of the Opera House, San Francisco