Norbeck, Peters & Ford
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Ward Marston retrospective of
early LOTTE LEHMANN . . .
Caniell's Immortal Performances -
ROSENKAVALIER & LOHENGRIN
Yves St Laurent's unforgettable
and our 50% SALE Continues
- LOTTE LEHMANN: The Complete Acoustic Recordings, 1914-26; plus selected Opera & Lieder, 1927-32. Invaluable notes by Michael Aspinall & Personal reminiscences by André Tubeuf. 4-Marston 54006. (V2503)
"Lotte Lehmann enjoyed a forty-year career spanning 1910 to 1950 on stage in opera and on the concert platform. Remembered now primarily for her portrayals of Wagner and Strauss roles and as a consummate interpreter of German lieder, her early recordings, not widely known, give us a broader picture of this great artist. It will, perhaps, not come as a surprise to hear Lehmann in her now familiar roles: Sieglinde, Elsa, Eva, and the Marschallin. What really makes these records outstanding is the ease and beauty of Lehmann's vocal production, and the opportunity of hearing her in repertoire not associated with her. We are treated to a generous sprinkling of Mozart, including three duets with baritone Heinrich Schlusnus, as well as arias by Weber, Lortzing, and Nicolai. Although she sings in German, you can hear French opera arias from LA JUIVE, FAUST, MIGNON, CARMEN, LES CONTES D' HOFFMANN and MANON. From Italian opera, we hear the Willow Song from OTELLO and Puccini arias from MANON LESCAUT, LA BOHÈME, TOSCA, BUTTERFLY, and two rare recordings from SUOR ANGELICA. Other highlights include Lehmann's recording of Tatyana's Letter Scene from EUGEN ONÉGIN, an aria from d'Albert's DIE TOTEN AUGEN, and the exquisite aria and duet from Korngold's DIE TOTE STADT with tenor Richard Tauber. These are among the greatest treasures of the acoustic recording era. The booklet contains a biographical essay by Dr. Daniel Jacobson, Professor of Music at Western Michigan University, an essay on the recordings by Michael Aspinall, and a personal reminiscence by André Tubeuf, who has also provided numerous rare and lovely photos from Lehmann's early career prior to her emergence onto the international operatic scene. Since there is some extra space at the end of the fourth CD, we are offering a selection of operatic and lieder recordings from her electric Odeon discography, 1927-1932."
"I and many other singers can call ourselves lucky to have created great music and characters together with a woman and an artist such as Lotte Lehmann....Lotte as well as I sang and lived the parts the way Richard, Cosima and Siegfried thought they should be."
- Lauritz Melchior, LAURITZ MELCHIOR - THE GOLDEN YEARS OF BAYREUTH, p.231
- DER ROSENKAVALIER, Live Performance, 7 Jan., 1939,(replete with Milton Cross' commentary at end of Act I in which he introduces 'the very first live Met Opera backstage interview' with Lotte Lehmann), w.Bodanzky Cond. Met Opera Ensemble; Lotte Lehmann, Risë Stevens, Marita Farell, Emanuel List, Friedrich Schorr, etc.; John Guttman interviews Lotte Lehmann, 22 March, 1958, Santa Barbara; Der Rosenkavalier - Act III Final Scene, w.Seinemeyer, Stünzer, Merrem-Nikisch, Marherr, Kern & List, recorded 1928-29. (Canada) 3-Immortal Performances 1023. Transfers by Richard Caniell. Elaborate Edition features numerous lovely photos & 39pp booklet. (OP2643)
"Richard Caniell's restoration of this 1939 broadcast surpasses all previous issues in quality, even including the Met's own lavishly produced (and lavishly priced) LP set. The sound is fuller, the voices truer and more natural, the sonic grit minimized to a degree I would not have thought possible...The sound is now listenable to anyone with an ear attuned to 'historic' recordings, in a way that it never has been.
So why can you not be without this? Primarily, but not solely, Lotte Lehmann in one of her greatest roles, caught in terrific voice and in a real performance....Her Marschallin is one of the truly great operatic characterizations, worthy of mention with Chaliapin's Boris and Caruso's Canio, and to have it in this form is to have a treasure. In addition we get the young Risë Stevens's deftly characterized and beautifully sung Octavian, a relatively unknown Sophie in Marita Farell, but one who sings with the pure silver tone this music wants.
This is a hugely important release to anyone who cares about this opera; even if you have the performance in an earlier incarnation, replacement is urgently recommended."
- Henry Fogel, FANFARE, May/June, 2013
"The most famous of pre-war Marshallins was unquestionably Lehmann, one of the great Elsas and Sieglindes of her day, who created the lyric soprano role of the Composer in the Vienna premiere of ARIADNE II and the dramatic soprano role of the Dyer's Wife in DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN. Lehmann's voice must have developed gradually into the heavier parts, for she is the first of several celebrated ROSENKAVALIER 'hat-trick' holders: sopranos who have progressed from Sophie to Octavian to the Marshallin....Lehmann was clearly one of the sopranos who served as inspirational muse to Strauss: in addition to the Composer and Dyer's Wife, she was also entrusted with the creation of one of his most individual and beloved protagonists, Christine Storch in INTERMEZZO, a thinly disguised portrait of Strauss' wife Pauline. [One shouldn't forget that his Arabella was written with LL in mind].
Lehmann's dramatic conception of the [Marschallin] manages to convince despite her age: she is coquettish with both Octavian and Ochs, using a sly portamento ('Du, Schatz!') to convey her amusement at the Mariandel disguise, and she seems more tolerant than most of her successors of her 'aufgeblasene, schlechte Kerl' of a cousin. Indeed, from the histrionic point of view, Lehmann maintains the melancholic and frivolous sides of the Marschallin's personality in carefully balanced equilibrium: the dry eye much in evidence in her teasing of her lover and remonstrations with Ochs, the wet one in her nostalgic reminiscences of 'die kleine Resi' fresh from the convent in the Act 1 monologue and especially in the 'Heut' oder morgen' section the the succeeding duet with Octavian. Long experience of the opera has evidently led to a deep understanding of the Marschallin's mercurial temperament: her tears are not self-pitying ones and they do not for long dull the twinkle in her eye..."
- Hugh Canning,
INTERNATIONAL OPERA COLLECTOR,
Spring 1999
- LOHENGRIN, Live Performance, 21 Dec., 1935 (replete with Milton Cross' commentaries), w. Bodanzky Cond. Met Opera Ensemble; Lotte Lehmann, Marjorie Lawrence, Lauritz Melchior, Friedrich Schorr, Emanuel List, etc.; Die Walküre - Act I from 'Winterstürme' through end, Live Performance, 17 Feb.,1940, w.Leinsdorf Cond. Lehmann & Melchior; Lehmann & Melchior: Schumann Duets, recorded 30 Jan., 1939. (Canada) 3-Immortal Performances 1032, w.Elaborate 46pp Booklet. Transfers by Richard Caniell. (OP2863)
"This is another stunning restoration of historic material by Richard Caniell and Immortal Performances....He has worked on it over many years.
Lehmann's voice is positively thrilling throughout...a performance of nobility and humanity...conveyed here in a wholly convincing manner, and with unfailingly glorious tone production and phrasing. Marjorie Lawrence is a splendid Ortrud....Schorr's voice shows a few signs of wear ...but the flaws are minor when compared with the depth of his characterization and deep musicality of his singing, and the variety of inflection and color he brings to Telramund....Assessing Melchior's performance, this is the very best of those that have survived.
A direct comparison of this (set) with the Myto and the Melodram releases of the same performance demonstrate the superiority of the Immortal Performances release....The set also includes Milton Cross' commentary and curtain calls.
The filler includes the end of the first act of DIE WALKÜRE from their 'Dream Ring' (with Melchior and Lehmann) . . . that is as good as it gets....and then five Schumann duets ....English texts are provided...with singing that is as beautiful as you would expect it to be from Melchior and Lehmann."
- Henry Fogel, FANFARE, Nov./Dec., 2013
"Lehmann's rather imperious delivery is such that one feels Lohengrin must answer her fatal questions on the spot. The voice is very secure, the tone rather metallic but always carrying its potent emotive dose....the sensuous sheen of the Lawrence voice markedly differs from the remembered Flagstad and other soprano Wagnerians; hers is a voice of sufficient size and thrust to cut through, rather than surmount, the Wagnerian orchestral horde. Pliant in the extreme, it soars to silvery top tones with laserlike efficiency."
- Paul Jackson,
SATURDAY AFTERNOONS AT THE OLD MET, pp.103 & 107
- DIE WALKÜRE - Act I (Complete), w.Bruno Walter Cond. Vienna Phil.; Lotte Lehmann, Lauritz Melchior, Emanuel List, etc. (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL 78-109, recorded 1935. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (OP0505)
"This performance needs little commentary; it has been written about since its initial release back in 1935. Each individual element-soprano, tenor, bass, conductor, orchestra-is sensational. Together, they make for a remarkable whole. Walter's impassioned, dramatic conducting and the orchestra's playing with total commitment are certainly central to the impact of the performance. But no less important are the individual performances of the three singers....Lauritz Melchior sings with sensitivity, astonishing variety of color and dynamic shading, and utter conviction and passion. It is impossible for me to imagine a finer Siegmund. The same can be said of Lotte Lehmann's Sieglinde, as she digs into the part and creates a complete character while pouring out glorious tone. I had forgotten how solid and menacing Emanuel List's Hunding was, an extremely powerful performance. The sweep of the whole is something we rarely get on any recording, and how they managed it at a time when long works were recorded in four-minute segments is beyond belief."
- Henry Fogel, FANFARE
- DIE MEISTERSINGER - Excerpts, recorded 1912-50, partially Live Performances, w.Michael Bohnen, Lotte Lehmann, Robert Hutt, Carl Martin Oehmann, Emmy Bettendorf, Emanuel List, Gustav Schützendorf, etc.; Furtwängler, Knappertsbusch, Blech, Szell, etc. Cond. (Germany) 2-Gebhardt 0035. (Final copies at a remarkable discount price!) (OP2769)
. . . REPEATED FROM THE RECENT PAST . . .
- PIERRE BOULEZ Cond. Cleveland S.O., w. Tatiana Troyanos & Zoltán Kelemen: BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE (Bartók), Live Performance, 16 March, 1972, Severence Hall. (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL T-385. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (C1493)
"The libretto to BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE was written in 1910 by Béla Balázs, a Hungarian poet and roommate of Zoltán Kodály (Kodály was a close artistic ally and friend of Bartók's). The highly symbolic story depicts Bluebeard and his new bride, Judith, arriving at his dark and dank castle. Judith spies seven locked doors and, desiring to let light and fresh air in, demands the keys to them. One by one, against the protestations of Bluebeard, she opens each door, revealing a series of tableaux all stained with blood. At the opening of the last door, she discovers his past three wives locked inside, whereupon she takes her place with them.
Bartók first wrote BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE in 1911, but reworked it over several years until it reached its final form in 1917. While as a whole the opera is recognizably in the dominant late-romantic style of the turn of the century (very much influenced by his older contemporary Richard Strauss), each door Judith opens unlocks a new musical landscape, from the harsh dissonances and menacing flurries of strings and xylophone depicting Bluebeard's torture chamber behind the first door, to the immense and climactic chords for the full orchestra depicting the endless expanse of his domain behind the fifth door. [Yves St Laurent presents] an archival recording of a concert production conducted by Pierre Boulez with Tatiana Troyanos as Judith and Zoltán Kelemen as Bluebeard]."
- Alex Lawler, THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
"A Karajan favorite and a Bayreuth regular, the Hungarian baritone Zoltán Kelemen was at home on most stages in Northern Europe. His skill as a singing actor is patent from first to last - no character trait escapes his probing mind, no phrase is untouched by some imaginative vocal effect. Best of all, the voice has substantial size and the singing method is sound - in several welcome moments he even allows its timbral appeal to surface."
- Paul Jackson,
START-UP AT THE NEW MET, p.196
"Tatiana Troyanos gives an impressive vocal portrait of Judith's gradual evolution from timidity to strength. That high C at the opening of the fifth door, held for an extra couple of bars, really captures in a single note the distance she has travelled since the beginning."
- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com
"Boulez brings out so comprehensively the individuality and variety of the orchestral depictions of what lies concealed behind each door: blood, tears, weaponry, jewels and landscapes are so vividly glowingly and often hauntingly portrayed in sound. The climactic Fifth Door is simply thrilling, accompanied by Troyanos' sustained top C. Her voice is ideal in that she combines a slight tremulousness, suggestive of both fear and sensuality, with a vibrant, burnished warmth of tone that makes Judith a living, breathing woman of immense will and passion. Boulez's somewhat slower speeds create a hypnotic, mesmerizing atmosphere."
- Ralph Moore, 7 May, 2016
- LA DANSEUSE DE TANAGRA, Broadcast Performance, 1956, w. Cloëz Cond. Berthe Monmart, Nadine Sautereau, Solange Michel, Robert Massard, Jean Mollien, Michel Hamel & Lucien Lovano; LES HIRONDELLES - Excerpts, Broadcast Performance, 4 Nov., 1963, w.Jean Doussard Cond. Huguette Boulangeot, Claude Bergeret, Lucien Huberty, Aimé Doniat, Joseph Peyron & René Lenoty (both Henri Hirchmann); MARYSE BEAUJON, w.Bigot Cond.: La Danseuse de Tanagra - Je dansais, oui, jadis; Oui, près de toi - recorded 1930. (France) 2-Malibran 799. (OP3199)
"A popular writer and journalist, Champsaur was the inventor of the character of Lulu, who would be later taken up by Wedekind and Alban Berg. After HÉRODIADE, Massenet had composed several operas situated in classical antiquity....Hirchmann followed the long lasting fashion for antique eroticism. The [above] plot inspired in Hirchmann the sensuous, colorful kind of music one could expect from a good disciple of Massenet."
- Christophe Ghristi
- PARISINA (Donizetti), w. Bruno Bartoletti Cond. Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Ensemble; Mariella Devia, Giorgio Zancanaro, Dalmacio Gonzales, Dimitri Kavrakos, Tiziana Tramonti, etc. (Italy) 2-Bongiovanni 2569/70, Live Performance, 20 May, 1990, Teatro della Pergola, Firenze, accompanied by elaborate 64pp Libretto-Brochure. (OP3200)
"Nowadays, it must be said that it's difficult to hear a rare opera like this performed by a cast of such high quality. This recording, coming from the archives of Maggio Musical Fiorentino, boasts a singing company of a rare artistic level. Mariella Devia, who sings the title role, is one of the best loved 'bel canto queens' much appreciated both from critics and public in all the bel canto roles she has sung in her long career. The extremely difficult role of Ugo, which puts together the grace and the elegance of the light genre with the qualities of the dramatic operas, was sung in this performance by Catalan tenor Dalmacio Gonzales, who reaches easily the top of the stave. Giorgio Zancanaro is stylistically at ease in the role of Azzo, which marks the birth of the modern baritone from the very beginning of the opera, requiring the most powerful sound obtainable from such a voice, here is put to the test in the most difficult tessitura."
- Ned Ludd
- GUILLAUME TELL - Excerpts, w. Tony Poncet, Jean Borthayre & Irène Jaumillot. (France) Malibran AMR 125. (OP3201)
"Vezzani clearly had the better and more pure style and Luccioni the more sensuous sound and more metal, but it was Poncet (The Last of the French 'fort ténors') who kept those Meyerbeer operas in the repertoire at a time when so called serious critics and managers thought them old trash. Lucky for us in the eighties some singers realized what a gap of operatic history was disappearing (and what possibilities for success) and though not common, a lot of revivals have proven these operas to be a treasure trove. But none of the tenors after Poncet (surely not in France) were able to step into his vocal shoes as most of them were spintos at their best. Tony Poncet was indeed the last 'fort-ténor'."
- Jan Neckers
- SERGE KOUSSEVITZKY Cond. Boston S.O.: Symphony in d (Franck), Live Performance, 16 Feb., 1946. Hunter College, New York; w.Georges Mager (Trumpet) & Louis Speyer (English Horn): Quiet City (Copland), Live Performance, 10 March, 1945, Symphony Hall, Boston. (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL 78-410. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (C1492)
"QUIET CITY...recorded in March 1945...receives a finely paced and atmospheric reading, lucid and expressive, graced by a rich string wash of sound, its fervent lyricism revealing the Russian conductor's strong identification with the music. Louis Speyer is the named cor anglais player, and he is both more secure and more technically adroit on this occasion than trumpeter Georges Mager, whose fluty vibrato and bugle-like tone are certainly characterful, if not wholly persuasive."
- Jonathan Woolf
"During the 1910s, Mager played with the Paris Opera Orchestra, the Concerts Lamoureux, and the l'Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire. After World War I, Georges Mager was part of a U.S. good-will tour of the Garde Républicaine Band. With the Band, Mager was flügelhorn soloist (a sort of wide bore trumpet). Three musicians from the Garde Républicaine Band were hired into the Boston Symphony by Henri Rabaud for the 1918-1919 season: Louis Speyer English horn, Georges Laurent flute, and Georges Mager trumpet. However, since there was not a trumpet chair open, for this first season, Mager was hired as a violist (!). Interestingly, Mager shared a viola stand with with Arthur Fiedler in this 1918-1919 season. The next season, 1919-1920 under Pierre Monteux, Georges Mager was then moved to the third trumpet chair, sitting behind Gustav Heim and Joseph F. Mann. After the disastrous 1920 musician's strike, Gustav Heim left for the Detroit Symphony. Heim was, along with Concertmaster Freddy Fradkin, the only Principal musician to leave following the strike. The next season in 1920-1921, Georges Mager became Principal trumpet until the conclusion of the 1949-1950 season. This service was for a total of 50 seasons as Principal trumpet, and 52 seasons with the Orchestra.
Georges Mager was an important teacher, including at the New England Conservatory. Among his trumpet students were Adolph Herseth (later Principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony), Roger Voisin (Mager's successor), and Bernard Adelstein (later Principal trumpet of the Cleveland Orchestra). Mager was one of the early advocates of the C trumpet for the orchestra, with its slightly more brilliant tone.
Speyer became an extra oboist for the Orchestre Colonne, which accompanied the Ballets Russes in France, and in that way participated in several premieres of works by Ravel and Stravinsky. In early 1913 he joined the newly formed Orchestre du Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, conducted by Pierre Monteux, which gave its first performance on 2 April 1913. Two months later, he played in this orchestra in one of the most famous concerts of all time: the program included LES SYLPHIDES, LE SPECTRE DE LA ROSE AND THE POLOVTSIAN DANCES, but is remembered for the raucous premiere of Stravinsky's RITE OF SPRING.
Speyer came to America in the summer of 1918 with a French military band [note above] for a three-week good-will tour, but stayed, as he had been invited to join the Boston Symphony Orchestra, for which he was hired by Henri Rabaud. During his exceptionally long career, he played under the conductors Pierre Monteux, Serge Koussevitzky, Charles Münch and Erich Leinsdorf."
- Musicians of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
- MAX LICHTEGG: A Voice for Generations, incl.Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Mahler, Schoeck, von Puttlingen, Niedermeyer, ben Haim, Ettinger, Moniuszko, Tschaikowsky, Verdi, and many more., etc. (E.U.) 4-Andromeda 9127, incl.44pp. Booklet. (V2496)
"The fact that the name Max Lichtegg is today mainly known only to record collectors has nothing at all to do with the artistic importance of this singer. Lichtegg belongs to the large number of artists who enjoyed enormous recognition and success during WW II and into the 50s and 60s; this was due to their stage presence, recordings, radio broadcasts and television appearances. In his prime, Max Lichtegg was without doubt the most popular tenor in Switzerland.
After concerts in the USA and stage appearances in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Max Lichtegg returned in 1948 to Switzerland. In spite of very tempting offers from the Vienna State Opera he remained, for family reasons, faithful to the opera house in Zürich. He made guest appearances in Munich, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Bilbao, Lucerne, Geneva, Monte Carlo, Strasbourg, Schwetzingen and many other cities. Until 1971 he also could frequently be heard as a guest star at the Opera in Zürich. The Art Song was of the greatest importance for Max Lichtegg who was one of the earliest tenors to champion the songs by Britten or von Einem.
The set ends with Beethoven's 'Der Kuss' taken from Lichtegg's final public appearance at age 78 in August 1988. Time has dealt kindly with Lichtegg's voice though towards the end of his career the rock-like steadiness lost something of its quality but there was never a wobble and he was still able to thrill Zürich audiences as the late live recordings clearly show.
Included in the 44pp. booklet are numerous photos, a detailed survey of his opera, operetta and concert repertoire and a complete discography."
Rudi van den Bulck,
OPERANOSTALGIA, November, 2016
- ANITA CERQUETTI, w.Gavazzeni Cond.: Arias from Norma, Agnese di Hohenstaufen, Aïda, I Vespri Siciliani, Nabucco, Ernani, Forza, La Gioconda & Tosca - recorded 1957; w.Gui Cond.: Oberon - Ozean, du Ungeheuer! (in Italian) - Broadcast Performance, 18 Jan., 1956; w.Rossi Cond.: I Vespri Siciliani - Arrigo, ah parli a un core - Broadcast Performance, 16 Nov., 1955; Guglielmo Tell - Selva opaca - Broadcast Performance, 5 Sept., 1956; Arias from La Wally & Andrea Chénier - Broadcast Performance, 26 Jan., 1956 (all w.RAI Orch.). (France) Malibran AMR 121. (V2501)
"The brevity of Italian soprano Anita Cerquetti's career was a great loss for the world of opera. But what she accomplished in those few years (September 1951 - October 1960, retiring at barely age 30) is amazing. The mystery of her early retirement remains a mystery. Hers was a voice of dramatic intensity, fiery temperament, plenty of volume, seemingly inexhaustible vocal reserves, and a flexibility that let her excel in bel canto roles and made her an ideal Verdian soprano. In performance, Cerquetti never stinted, giving it her all. Very soon she was deemed the new Callas and 'inherited' rôles that Callas had abandoned. Only three commercial recordings of Cerquetti were published in her brief career, all of them by Decca, all in 1957: a complete LA GIOCONDA, a recital of arias, and excerpts from NORMA (to have been a complete recording with Mario Del Monaco). That recital disc is heard here, along with a duet (with Giulietta Simionato) and an aria ('Suicidio!') from the GIOCONDA. In addition the disc contains five extracts from performances broadcast by RAI: 'Bolero' (VESPRI SICILIANI), 'Mare, Superbo Mare' (OBERON), 'Ebben, ne Andro Lontano' (LA WALLY), 'La Mamma Morta' (ANDREA CHÉNIER), and 'Selva Opaca' (WILLIAM TELL). The eight arias from the recital disc cover her repertory: Aïda, Norma, Abigaille, Tosca (which she never sang on stage), Elvira (ERNANI), Leonora (FORZA), Elena (VESPRI), and AGNESE DI HOHENSTAUFEN. It's all here: the intensity, the excitement, the drama, and, alas, the sometimes hard, harsh edge in the top voice. But that is a small price to pay for great singing."
- Charles H. Parsons,
AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE, July/Aug., 2012
- ERICH LEINSDORF Cond. Boston Symphony Orch.: 'Vetrate di Chiesa' (Respighi); Romeo and Juliet - Excerpts (Prokofiev); w.GINA BACHAUER: Piano Concerto #2 in c (Rachmaninoff); w.BEVERLY SILLS: DAPHNE - Final Scene (Strauss). [A most rewarding program comprising two different BSO concerts, in the magnificence of the glorious Symphony Hall acoustic!] (Canada) 2-St Laurent Studio YSL T-412, Live Performances, 1964 & 1967, Symphony Hall, Boston. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (C1491)
"Bachauer was a strong, powerful player with a formidable technique. She was often compared to Teresa Carreño (1853-1917), and a 1955 description of her shows the attitude of the time. 'Her technique shows a decidedly masculine approach, and unlike other famous woman pianists she is very much at home with works usually regarded as the prerogative of the 'stronger' sex'. Rachmaninov instilled into Bachauer his idea that music was 'sound and colour' and it is her range of both that makes her playing so distinctive. Extremely self-critical, Bachauer was always working, listening and improving her interpretations."
- Jonathan Summers, Naxos' A-Z of Pianists
"Beverly Sills was the acclaimed Brooklyn-born coloratura soprano who was more popular with the American public than any opera singer since Enrico Caruso. Sills won the greatest reviews of her career [as Cleopatra in Handel's GIULIO CESARE, 1966, New York City Opera]. Critics praised her adroit handling of the music's florid fioratura, her perfect trills, her exquisite pianissimo singing and her rich sound....Suddenly she was an opera super-star. In 1968 she had another enormous success in the title role of Massenet's MANON. When the production was revived the next year, the NEW YORKER critic Winthrop Sargent wrote: 'If I were recommending the wonders of New York City to a tourist, I should place Beverly Sills as Manon at the top of the list...".
- Anthony Tommasini,
THE NEW YORK TIMES, 4 July, 2007
- AARON COPLAND Cond. Cleveland Orchestra: Bach, Schubert, Roussel, Ravel & Copland; Interview with Aaron Copland & Morton Gould. (Canada) 2-St Laurent Studio YSL T-407, Live Performance, 1 Aug., 1970, Blossom Music Festival. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (C1490)
"Copland...has never turned out bad work nor worked without an inspiration. His stance is that not only of a professional but also of an artist - responsible, prepared, giving of his best. And if that best is also the best we have, there is every reason to be thankful for its straightforward employment of high gifts. Also, of course, for what is the result of exactly that, 'this simple and great man in our midst'."
- Virgil Thomson, AMERICAN MUSIC SINCE 1910
- BENNO RABINOF, w.Alfred Wallenstein & Robert Stanley Cond.: Paganini, Lotto, Sarasate, Rimsky-Korsakov, Saint-Saëns, Wieniawski, Tschaikowsky, Rachmaninoff, Novácek, Achron & Bruch. (Canada) 2-Yves St Laurent YSL 78-411, Live Performances, 1943-44 [all from Rabinof's private acetates, not duplicated by the old out-of-print Pearl issue]. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (S0704)
"In his playing, Benno Rabinof represented the continuation in America of Auer's most brilliant pupils from Russia, perhaps more so than any of the numerous other hopefuls who flocked to the Auer banner after his American arrival. Auer conducted the 19-year old Rabinof's 1927 Carnegie Hall début in the Tschaikowsky and Elgar Concerti....like so many others in the Heifetz shadow, Rabinof was unable to generate a top-level career despite encouraging reviews. In the early 1940s he played a 28-week cycle of nationwide radio broadcasts [above] with Alfred Wallenstein conducting. I recall being thoroughly impressed....he understood and employed the expressive devices in position changes of both Heifetz and Kreisler with good taste. Technically, he could handle any genre of music in the staple repertoire with ease. In the hierarchy of ear-titillating vioinists, Rabinof ranks among the elite. It was essentially instinctual, spontaneous, visceral playing."
- Henry Roth, VIOLIN VIRTUOSOS, p.246
- K. K. HOFOPER WIEN 1904, featuring 59 Odeon recordings, recorded in September 1904 for the International Talking Machine Co. Most of them available on CD for the first time, incl. Wilhelm Hesch, Friedrich Weidemann, Hermine Kittel, Elise Elizza, Betty Schubert, Jenny Pohlner, Leo Slezak & Frantísek Pácal; Oskar Dachs (Pf.) & Marko Radossawljewitsch (Flute). (Germany) 2-Truesound Transfers 4003, recorded 1904, Vienna. Transfers by Christian Zwarg & Carl Max Goldstein. (V2499)
"This phenomenal issue of the 1904 recordings from K. K. Hofoper Wien is the third issue of Christian Zwarg's new series featuring double CDs in handsome Digipak albums (no more brittle plastic cases nor dull black-and-white covers!). As delighted as we all have been with previous Truesound offerings, this new format is sure to offer even greater satisfaction! ... the Belle Époque never sounded better ..."
- J. R. Peters
"...an absolute revelation! Here, the voices come through with tonal sheen, passion and with more personality than any other transfers have been able to bring out. Dynamics and agility are in better relief, as is a sensitivity I had always found lacking. These transfers are absolutely miraculous, and I hope for more Truesound transfers."
- Davyd Booth,
GREAT SINGERS REMEMBERED, WHYY - NPR
- THE 1902 LONDON 'REDS', featuring Pol Plançon, Emma Calvé, Maurice Renaud, Anton van Rooy, David Bispham, Antonio Scotti, Suzanne Adams, Jan Kubelik, etc. (Germany) 2-Truesound Transfers 4002, recorded 1902, London. Transfers by Christian Zwarg. (V2495)
"This phenomenal issue of the famous London 'Reds' is the second issue of Christian Zwarg's new series featuring double CDs in handsome Digipak albums (no more brittle plastic cases nor dull black-and-white covers!). As delighted as we all have been with previous Truesound offerings, this new format is sure to offer even greater satisfaction!"
- J. R. Peters
- MARGARETHE SIEMS: Songs by Alabieff, Eckert, Proch & Johann Strauss; Arias & Duets (w.Arányi, Zador & Förstel) from Guillaume Tell, Les Huguenots, Lakmé, Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Norma, Martha, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Aïda, Lucia, Dinorah, Norma, La Fille du Régiment, Martha, Lakmé, Mignon & Nozze; w.Eva von der Osten & Minnie Nast: Der Rosenkavalier - Excerpts, the latter being CREATOR Recordings. (Germany) 2-Truesound Transfers 4002, recorded 1903-12, Dresden, Berlin & Prague. Transfers by Christian Zwarg. (V2494)
"Finest of all [in Les Huguenots] perhaps, is Margarethe Siems, the original Marschallin, whose version is easily the most elaborate but who sings with indolent grace and effortless bravura. When this is allied to a meticulous attention to dynamic markings, it has the expansiveness and grandeur of style that this music requires."
- Vivian A. Liff,
IL CORRIERE DELLA GRISI, 9 Sept., 2008
- ZARA DOLUKHANOVA, w.Nina Svetlanova (Pf.): Songs by Glinka, Tschaikowsky, Komitas, Poulenc, etc.; Armenian Songs; Arias from Nozze and Tosca. [A rare recital which features Dolukhanova after her successful transition to Soprano, beautifully recorded from the front row of Philharmonic Hall in remarkably clear sound.] (Canada) Yves St Laurent YSL T-421, Live Performance, Philharmonic Hall, New York, 13 Nov., 1970. (V2497)
"...the smooth, vocal velvet of Dolukhanova's tones and supreme technical mastery encapsulated even greater versatility combined with a rare ability to empathize with her audience....Few recitalists in my lifetime possessed her ability to mesmerize listeners into feeling they were the sole recipients of her song. That gift made her one of the most beloved of all Soviet singers, so that in her regular 1940s broadcasts on Russian radio she was able to introduce and popularize numerous new works by young composers - many of whom wrote music especially for her."
- Vivian A. Liff, AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE, July/Aug., 2005
...[Dolukhanova] gave recitals in the U.S. in 1959, 1962 and 1970. In the early 1960s she made a transition to soprano with Yevgeny Kanger, a pianist, whom she names as her most important teacher....Her concerts were eagerly anticipated musical events because she kept to her rule of never singing the same song twice in a city no matter how many times she appeared there. Her farewell concert was at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in the Spring of 1983."
- Richard D. Sylvester,
TCHAIKOVSKY'S COMPLETE SONGS, p.303
"Zara Dolukhanova is often cited as the greatest Soviet mezzo-soprano of her time. Her powerful, flexible voice was usually categorized as a coloratura mezzo, but her vocal range also allowed her to sing convincingly as an alto. Dolukhanova was as much a star in the Soviet Union in the mid-20th century as Callas and Tebaldi were in the West.
Dolukhanova was extremely active throughout the 1960s, but shortly after a return tour to the U.S. in 1970, she retired from singing. She spent most of the remainder of her career as a teacher at the Gnessin Institute, counting among her students mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina. Dolukhanova died in Moscow on 5 December, 2007."
- Robert Cummings, allmusic.com
- GEORI BOUÉ, w.Jean Pasquier, Quatuor Pascal, Louis Beydts, Roger Cortet, Albert Wolff & Gustave Cloëz: Songs by Debussy, Chausson, Hahn, Heitz-Boyer, Beydts & Schubert; Arias from Nozze, Mireille, Manon, Faust, Madama Butterfly, La Boheme & Otello; Duets w.ROGER BOURDIN by Terrasse & Hahn. [This glorious release offers Boué's major recordings for French Odéon, as well as the early '50s 'picture disk' rarities from Saturne & Le Lutrin, all meticulously transferred from original 78rpm mint copies. Her inimitable recording of Hahn's 'D'une prison' alone is worth the price of the entire set. One might weep after hearing Boué's demonstration of exquisite French musicality and style, by now an entirely lost art. This recital is a unique treasure!] (Canada) 2-Yves St Laurent YSL 78-422, recorded 1943-53, Odéon, Saturne & Le Lutrin. (V3000)
"Geori (Georgette) Boué made her Paris début at the Opéra-Comique in 1939, as Mimi in LA BOHÈME (singing in the 1,000th performance at the Salle Favart on 3 May 1951), and other rôles there included: Lakmé, Manon (singing in the 2,000th performance on 18 January 1952), and Ciboulette (first performance at the Opéra-Comique). Her début at the Palais Garnier took place in 1942, as Marguérite, and she went on to sing rôles such as Juliette, Thaïs, Salomé in HÉRODIADE, Louise, Gilda, Violetta, Desdemona, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, Tatiana, etc. Boué had a clear voice of considerable power, renowned for her impeccable diction, she was widely regarded as one of the greatest French sopranos of the 1940s. She was married to French baritone Roger Bourdin in May 1944, with whom she can be heard in two recordings, FAUST under Thomas Beecham, and THAÏS. She retired from the stage in 1970, then died 5 January, 2017, at age 98."
- David Salazar, operawire.com, 6 Jan., 2017
- MARIO GILION: Arias from Gli Ugonotti, Guglielmo Tell, Il Profeta, L'Africana, Norma, Il Trovatore, Otello, Don Carlos, Forza, Ballo, Germania, Cavalleria, Jone, Carmen, La Juive, Samson et Dalila, Tannhäuser & Die Walküre. [For the tenor enthusiast who has everything and everyone!] (France) Malibran AMR 119, from Fonotipia disks. (V2500)
"Gilion supposedly began his career as a baritone, then made his tenor début in 1901 at the Teatro Sociale in Monza as Vasco in L'AFRICAINE. That same year, Gilion appeared in Modena singing Raoul in LES HUGUENOTS and Arnold in WILLIAM TELL, his two most prominent roles. He also sang in Budapest, Warsaw, Venice, and Buenos Aires. Gilion appeared at the Paris Opéra in 1910 as Arnold, and the next year as Radames. He recorded exclusively for Fonotipia singing primarily in Italian. His sides sung in French are unquestionably his rarest records"
- Vincent Giroud, Marston Program Notes
- ANTONIETTA STELLA: Arias from Luisa Miller, Ernani, Il Trovatore & Forza; w.Franco Corelli & Mario del Monaco: Duets from Andrea Chénier & Tosca. (France) Malibran AMR 122, Live Performances, Palermo, Firenze, Napoli & Milano, 1955-65. (V2498)
"Seeming from time to time a serious contender for consideration with the great prima donnas of her time - Callas, Tebaldi, and Milanov - Antonietta Stella never quite pulled together all the elements of her lavish gift. An immensely attractive woman with large, deep-set eyes and a figure that would have found favor in Hollywood, she presented an appealing stage presence but was not always able to control her impulsive histrionic inclinations. Although her vocal endowment led her to an early début, her lovely spinto-weight soprano was not sufficiently technically secure and not supported consistently enough to endure.
Stella made her Metropolitan Opera début essaying Aïda. Although she was in good voice, reviews held numerous caveats about her artistry and questions about her willingness to look past the approval of the gallery toward a deeper exploration of text and music. During four seasons, Stella sang more than 50 performances of eight different rôles, including Tosca, Butterfly (a memorable interpretation), Violetta, Elisabeth de Valois, Amelia in UN BALLO IN MASCHERA and the IL TROVATORE Leonora. Several ill-advised cancellations put an effective stop to Stella's American career. First, she exited a series of performances for Lirica Italiana in Japan. In 1957, she canceled her début with the San Francisco Opera. After the soprano presented the Metropolitan Opera with a doctor's certificate in 1960 asking for release (granted) for the company's spring tour and then showed up on the stage of La Scala during the period in question, Rudolf Bing filed breach of contract charges with the American Guild of Musical Artists. The action resulted in her suspension. Stella continued to appear in Europe, but decline was evident before she had reached the age of 40."
- Erik Eriksson, allmusic.com
- LUIS MARIANO (Mariano Eusebio González y García): Songs by Bucino, Luchesi, Bourtayre, Puech, Larue, Contet, Emer, Durand, van Parys, Provost & Freed; La belle de Cadix - Songs (Francis Lopez). [Mariano Eusebio González y García, also known as Luis Mariano, was a popular tenor of Spanish Basque origin who achieved celebrity in 1946 with 'La belle de Cadix', an operetta by Francis Lopez. A charming stylist, indeed!] (France) Malibran CDRG 505, excellent transfers, 1939-45. (V2502)
"Mariano Eusebio González y García moved from the Basque region to reside on the French side. Later he became Luis Mariano, 'prince of the operetta', thanks to his 'voice of gold, sun and love' which, together with the romantic ambiguity of his character, made him an idol never forgotten in this country."
- elpais.com, July 15, 1980
. . . numerous out-of-print CDs and LPs, [many sealed copies
of numerous out-of-print additions: Issues of Symposium's
Harold Wayne series, Romophone, The Record Collector,
VRCS, GOP & many Met Opera broadcasts,
plus Operas by
Handel, Mercadante, Marais, Cavalli, Rameau, Lully,
Monteverdi, Charpentier, Gluck, Vivaldi, Pergolesi, Rossini,
Meyerbeer, Weckerlin, Nicolai, Schreker, Marschner & Gurlitt]
have been added throughout our listings, in appropriate
categories . . . out-of-print books many biographies,
Record
Catalogue-
Discographies . . .
more are added each week . . .
our 50% Discount Sale continues,
with numerous additions . . .
----------------- ANNOUNCEMENT ------------------
with revised closing date of
Saturday, 21 May
!
At a total of 118 pages, this is the largest auction we've ever produced, filled with many rarities, plus MINT copies of 'Society' recordings (all pressed from original masters), now at closeout prices.
It will come as no surprise that Norbeck, Peters & Ford have been concentrating our efforts in locating and promoting thousands of historical-interest CDs during the past quarter century, often at the expense of the somewhat rarified collector of the original 78rpm issues. Now, the long wait is over as we have spent much of the past year organizing, researching and listing many 78s in our vast inventory, many of them with appropriate critical and biographical quotes. This auction features a large assortment of instrumental- , vocal and historically important records, the vast majority being in truly spectacular condition.
As our little urchin stares into the recording horn, you can now view our current AUCTION whose revised closing date is Saturday, 21 May
!
For the recently-offered Archipel, Myto, Gebhardt, Walhall, Melodiya, Vista Vera & Living Stage titles on sale, simply visit our
sale section of our website). This is the ideal opportunity at bargain prices to fill in gaps in one's collection.
. . . For the Melodiya, Vista Vera, Archipel, Myto,
Walhall, Gebhardt & Living Stage titles on sale,
Once again . . .
Welcome to our new bookshop & list of Original Cast LPs, www.norpete.com where you will see a vast array of excellent, used out-of-print books. You're sure to find many books of interest which may have long eluded you, so now is your opportunity to fill in missing gaps. Our online bookshop includes composer and performer autobiographies and biographies. Soon we will include musical criticism, theory and history, plus histories of symphony orchestras, opera houses and festivals. In addition, we shall offer quite
an array of vocal scores, many of which are most rare and unusual.
Take a look at our exciting array of Broadway & Off-Broadway Original Cast and London Original Cast LPs, all in superb condition.
We continue to offer FREE Shipping on all U.S. (including Puerto Rico), Mexican and Canadian orders over $49.00. If you would like to join our emailing list, please sign up at the top right.
We carry splendid CD offerings from Yves St Laurent, VRCS, The Record Collector, Marston, Palaeophonics, Immortal Performances (Canada), Malibran, Aquarius, Truesound Transfers, Walhall, Bongiovanni, Clama and many other labels.
As always, please contact us with any special requests.
Please remember that we can take your order over the telephone from 10:00am to 6:00pm (EST), thereby providing you with the most current status of your order. Should you order by email or shopping cart and do not receive a timely acknowledgement of your order, please telephone.
Thank you again for your loyal support, and happy browsing our new website and exciting offerings.
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Sincerely,
Norbeck, Peters & Ford, LLC
Norbeck, Peters & Ford
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V2503. LOTTE LEHMANN: The Complete Acoustic Recordings, 1914-26; plus selected Opera & Lieder, 1927-32. Invaluable notes by Michael Aspinall & Personal reminiscences by André Tubeuf. 4-Marston 54006. Specially priced, 4-CDs for the price of 3.
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OP2643. DER ROSENKAVALIER, Live Performance, 7 Jan., 1939,(replete with Milton Cross' commentary at end of Act I in which he introduces 'the very first live Met Opera backstage interview' with Lotte Lehmann), w.Bodanzky Cond. Met Opera Ensemble; Lotte Lehmann, Risë Stevens, Marita Farell, Emanuel List, Friedrich Schorr, etc.; John Guttman interviews Lotte Lehmann, 22 March, 1958, Santa Barbara; Der Rosenkavalier - Act III Final Scene, w.Seinemeyer, Stünzer, Merrem-Nikisch, Marherr, Kern & List, recorded 1928-29. (Canada) 3-Immortal Performances 1023. Transfers by Richard Caniell. Elaborate Edition features numerous lovely photos & 39pp booklet. - 713757314039
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OP2863. LOHENGRIN, Live Performance, 21 Dec., 1935 (replete with Milton Cross' commentaries), w. Bodanzky Cond. Met Opera Ensemble; Lotte Lehmann, Marjorie Lawrence, Lauritz Melchior, Friedrich Schorr, Emanuel List, etc.; Die Walküre - Act I from 'Winterstürme' through end, Live Performance, 17 Feb.,1940, w.Leinsdorf Cond. Lehmann & Melchior; Lehmann & Melchior: Schumann Duets, recorded 30 Jan., 1939. (Canada) 3-Immortal Performances 1032, w.Elaborate 46pp Booklet. Transfers by Richard Caniell. - 696859207730
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OP0505. DIE WALKÜRE - Act I (Complete), w.Bruno Walter Cond. Vienna Phil.; Lotte Lehmann, Lauritz Melchior, Emanuel List, etc. (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL 78-109, recorded 1935. Transfers by Yves St Laurent.
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